<s>
Samurai	B-Application
Shodown	I-Application
V	I-Application
is	O
the	O
eighth	O
game	O
in	O
SNK	O
's	O
Samurai	B-Application
Shodown/Samurai	I-Application
Spirits	I-Application
series	O
of	O
fighting	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
last	O
games	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
title	O
takes	O
place	O
before	O
the	O
first	O
Samurai	B-Application
Shodown	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
revitalization	O
of	O
SNK	O
after	O
its	O
collapse	O
in	O
2001	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
decided	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
worthwhile	O
to	O
create	O
another	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
largely-defunct	O
Samurai	B-Application
Shodown	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
their	O
reorganization	O
,	O
development	O
duties	O
were	O
given	O
over	O
to	O
the	O
relatively-unknown	O
Yuki	O
Enterprise	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
mainly	O
only	O
created	O
simulation	O
and	O
board	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Simple	O
2000	O
series	O
of	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
games	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
no	O
experience	O
in	O
developing	O
fighting	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Word	O
finally	O
got	O
out	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
true	O
prequel	O
to	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
taking	O
place	O
two	O
years	O
before	O
Samurai	B-Application
Shodown	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
was	O
sped	O
up	O
slightly	O
from	O
Samurai	B-Application
Shodown	I-Application
IV	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
button	O
layout	O
was	O
changed	O
again	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Seven	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Samurai	B-Application
Shodown	I-Application
IV	I-Application
,	O
the	O
storyline	O
of	O
this	O
game	O
is	O
a	O
prequel	O
for	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
two	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Samurai	B-Application
Shodown	I-Application
,	O
focusing	O
in	O
a	O
new	O
protagonist	O
called	O
Yoshitora	O
Tokugawa	O
that	O
,	O
besides	O
other	O
warriors	O
,	O
must	O
face	O
the	O
rebellion	O
of	O
his	O
former	O
mentor	O
Gaoh	O
Kyogoku	O
Hinowanokami	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SNK	O
Playmore	O
hired	O
Yuki	O
Enterprise	O
(	O
later	O
became	O
Examu	O
)	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
new	O
Samurai	B-Application
Shodown	I-Application
installment	O
,	O
where	O
project	O
lead	O
Koji	O
Takaya	O
was	O
a	O
former	O
SNK	O
employee	O
and	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
main	O
titles	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Takaya	O
and	O
the	O
team	O
developed	O
the	O
title	O
based	O
on	O
decompiled	O
ROM	O
of	O
Samurai	B-Application
Shodown	I-Application
IV	I-Application
with	O
their	O
own	O
development	O
tools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2005	O
,	O
a	O
remixed	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
that	O
had	O
Sankuro	O
Yorozu	O
and	O
Yumeji	O
Kurokouchi	O
as	O
playable	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Official	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
said	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
an	O
obsolete	O
relic	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metacritic	O
rated	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
58%	O
based	O
on	O
29	O
critics	O
,	O
indicating	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
reviews	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
