Why oh why did you not follow through with such a promising game, SNK?
Ah, my second MAME review. Thankfully, this one was a much more enjoyable experience for me (though I realize not everyone would feel the same). Sengoku 3 is your classic beat 'em up arcade game. The minute I fired this one up, I was imediately engulfed with a feeling of Nostalgia. This is exactly what I think of when I think Arcade. I grew up popping quarters into machines with my brother to play games just like this one. I won't pretend this one's perfect, or even remarkable. It will however, cure your need for some classic beat 'em up action. And for once, I feel like my review rating and my personal rating for this game are one and the same.
Enough introduction: time for the reviewing.

Graphics: 7/10
When I first started this game I thought the graphics were amazing, however as I played on, I began to notice little problems here and there. The biggest issue being that the sprites are a bit more blocky than seems justifiable in a game with so little in it. Let's face it, arcade games in general are short, and have few areas to explore. In fact, they tend to be side scrolling games with no element of exploration at all. They're meant to be played through in one sitting, so depth isn't really an issue. That said, there really is no excuse for not putting more attention into the details and sharpness of the sprites. Flat backdrops with a lack of life, and no real visual appeal. Still, the backgrounds are decent enough for the average arcade game, and the sprites aren't terrible, just not great, and I have seen much worse. The particle effects aren't bad, but aren't as varried by character as they could be. Still, I suppose a lack of variety cannot detract from the quality of what it does offer. All in all, Sengoku 3 does have something to offer graphically, but don't expect to be blown away, or even impressed.

Sound: 9/10
I really enjoyed the sound. And though not all of the voice acting (grunts etc.) are the greatest, they are good for a MAME rom. And though they are the best sound effects I've found in a MAME rom, this is only the second one I've played, and the audio in the last one was less than desirable, so being the best isn't saying much at all. Perhaps, if I had more experience with MAME, this would be rated a ten for sound. Who knows? The music wasn't anything special, but it wasn't annoying or even the least bit bad. Okay would describe it pretty well, and it did seem to fit the game pretty well. The sound of the sword slicing was crisp and clean. Probably my favorite effect, which is good since it's the one you hear most often, assuming you choose a character that carries a sword.

Depth: 6/10
I was torn on what to rate this one on depth. You see, most arcade games don't really have any depth to them, so in contrast, this game might get an eight or nine as it has two unlockable characters and three somewhat hidden stages. By that I mean that they are hidden in that you cannot select them at the start of the game, but not really hidden in that you will unlock them as you play through the game, and you must complete them in order to finish the game. This does provide for a surprise (or it would have, had you not read this). Also there are at least two different points in the game where you can choose which path you wish to take as you progress through the level. This is a small thing, as it doesn't offer a change in the story or action really, but it is a decent addition to depth for an arcade game. So rated against other MAME games, this gets an eight or nine for depth, but otherwise it gets a four or five. So by meeting in the middle, I feel comfortable giving it a six.

Addictiveness: 2/10
Again, a tough call, as I could easily see myself as a repeat customer if I were playing it in an arcade, where you just want a cheap and quick round of beat 'em up action, but in a home setting I want a game with a bit more to offer. Also by the time I got to the end (actually two or three stages from the end) I was getting tired of playing it. This would not be an issue in an arcade though, as I would put in a couple of credits worth of change and be done. Still, I can only feel fair by rating it as a home game. Honestly, I had fun, but you won't catch me playing it again unless I'm playing multiplayer, because multiplayer makes any game more fun for me.

Story: 5/10
The story doesn't have alot to offer, but many arcade games don't. The problem here is that the story seems incomplete. It's there, but you're left with huge gaps and references to people and events that you know nothing about, and are never told anything about. Perhaps these are references to things from previous games, I don't know. What I do know is that either way, you are left with gaping holes in the plot, and far too many questions.

Difficulty 9/10
Hoo boy. This was one tough game. While (as I've said before) MAME roms aren't that tough since you can just keep popping in virtual coins as long as you want. Still, it took me somewhere between 50 and 55 credits to clear this game. While I'm not proud to admit that, it's true, and I consider that a sign of intense difficulty. No way would I put that many quarters into a machine, so only at home could I have beaten this one. In fact, I can't really consider using fifty plus credits to win, "beating" anything. More like just "finishing". Also this game seemed insanely long to me for a MAME rom. It took me just under two hours to complete, and this wasn't even my first time playing it, just my first time with two solid hours to devote to sitting in front of a computer playing it. Since there is no pause function (to my knowledge anyway), and there is a timer that runs constantly, this is about endurance. So my advice is: don't try to tackle this one until you have ample time, a drink nearby, and take a potty break first! Well, the first two anyway, because there is no stopping until it's done. This game is far too long for my liking, but that can be overlooked.

Overall: 5.6/10
A low score, yes, but don't be deceived: it is a fun game. The unfortunate part being that by the time you get to the dragged out ending, you're likely to be about an hour past the "I'm done playing" point, and if you're like me, you'll be burnt out on it, and never plan to play it again. Still, if you just want to spend a few credits worth of playing time, it will help kill some time. Could I reccomend it? If you want a quick round of beat 'em up action, then yes. However if you're looking to play a game that you can enjoy playing all the way through, not really.

In summary, you'd do just as well playing any other game as you would playing this one. It isn't bad, but there are many other games in this genre on here that are much better. My advice would be to grab one of them instead.
  Graphics 7   Sound 9   Addictive 2   Depth 6   Story 5   Difficulty 9

Sengoku 3 (c) 2001 SNK.

The third game in the Sengoku series of beat 'em ups, Sengoku 3 once again pits you and a friend against the undead forces of Nobunaga, however this time you can freely select from a group of different characters each with their own weapons and abilities, as well as choose which location in the world (or level) to tackle whenever you want.

The game incorporates a more complex fighting system similar to a one-on-one fighting game, by giving players different attack buttons, special moves based on directional inputs, combos and even a super bar used to unleash devastating super moves. You cannot change weapons or transform into other characters as in the previous games, but you can acquire different ranged weapons for additional attacks as well as unlock certain bosses to increase your available characters.

- TECHNICAL -

SNK Neo-Geo MVS hardware
Game ID : 0261

Main CPU : 68000 (@ 12 Mhz)
Sound CPU : Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound Chips : YM2610 (@ 8 Mhz)

Screen orientation : Horizontal
Video resolution : 320 x 224 pixels
Screen refresh : 59.19 Hz
Palette Colors : 4096

Players : 2
Control : 8-way joystick
Buttons : 4
= > [A] Weapon attack/Special attack 1, Barehanded blast/Special attack 2, [C] Jump, [D] Projectile toss

- TRIVIA -

Released in October 2001.

Developed by Noise Factory (their first game) for the original SNK Corp. (SNK's last official title).

This game is also known as "Sengoku Legends 2001".

Sony Music Entertainment / Scitron released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Sengoku Denshou 2001 Original Soundtrack - SCDC-00102) on 18/07/2001.