Aside from Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat, I was almost completely ignorant of the fighting game scene during the 90s. Then again, I guarantee a lot of folks were in the same boat as me. That's why a game such as WeaponLord is such a revelation to me.
In the latest episode of Fighterpedia, Woolie and Matt share a fighting game that was way ahead of its time: a home console exclusive that featured online play and a host of mechanics and features that wouldn't become genre standards for years to come. WeaponLord was a trend-setter! Plus, it looked totally badass!
Another eye-opening episode, but I feel the cursing was a little forced this week. Swearing is an art -- there's a flow and rhythm to it. If you think you're off your game one day, don't strain yourself.
Tony Ponce (aka megaStryke) is a culturally confused, Canadian-born Puerto Rican who grew up in Japan and South Florida ... yet can only speak English. He specializes in writing features and maintaining an immaculate goatee. Likes: Any and all things related to Mega Man, Contra, Castlevania, 2D, PB&J sandwiches, applesauce, and candy corn.
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You guys need to feature more Two Best Friends Play videos (done by the same guys) cause they're hilarious. Their newest season started yesterday with Skyrim......watch it.
Yeah, I'm with Gareth, I figure they've got enough viewers but it'd be cool to see you guys mention TBFP more often. I think Fighterpedia wouldn't have happened without TBFP's success...
I had this game, the only knock is that there weren't that many fighters to pick from as compared to other games out at the time (Killer Instinct) but it was great nonetheless.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this game designed by some big name in the competitive fighting game scene? I remember the fact that this game had his input being a pretty big deal.
This game was amazing back in the day. The swearing in this video was kind of shit though. Seems like they were trying too hard to copy Epic Meal Time.
It would have been simpler to just say that Weapon Lord ruled over all other 1990s fighting games because most of the characters dressed like (and had a similar physique to) Zangief from the Street Fighter series.
WeaponLord was one of those games that I wanted to like, but which I was a bit disappointed in when I actually played it.
It felt sluggish. Years later I'd find out that this was one of those titles where while the SNES version looked better, people preferred the Genesis version for gameplay. (The Genesis version was apparently faster.)
The mechanics felt like they were trying a bit too hard. There was a bit much for a new player to learn. Some of it just seemed overly clunky as well, like the weapon break system.
Weapon break in general was a little disappointing, when Samurai Shodown had a more straightforward execution and a more visible penalty for it back in 1993. In WeaponLord, you broke a weapon by doing a specific weapon breaker combo, and the victim had reduced range for the rest of the round. In Samurai Shodown, you broke a weapon by attacking it directly, with timing that didn't cause the more common weapon clash/struggle. The victim was then without a weapon, fighting unarmed with a different moveset (but also gained the rather risky ability to counter-throw a weapon strike). I can understand that WeaponLord didn't have the resources for a separate broken-weapon moveset, but it was a bit disappointing.
I want to recall James Goddard posting on Shoryuken forums for years about wanting to do a remake or new version or port or something of WeaponLord, but it never happened.
I remember renting this back in the day solely because you could play it over Xband. Kind of wish I hadn't just been a broke-ass kid, because I totally would've bought it and kept it around even to today.
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Contest:
1:30 PM on 01.23.2012 | 
Weaponlord was the shit. Still is.
I don't know what Epic Meal Time is, but I do know that the swearing got real annoying, real fast.
YouTube. Epic Meal Time. Go now.
Greatest Game Ever
It felt sluggish. Years later I'd find out that this was one of those titles where while the SNES version looked better, people preferred the Genesis version for gameplay. (The Genesis version was apparently faster.)
The mechanics felt like they were trying a bit too hard. There was a bit much for a new player to learn. Some of it just seemed overly clunky as well, like the weapon break system.
Weapon break in general was a little disappointing, when Samurai Shodown had a more straightforward execution and a more visible penalty for it back in 1993. In WeaponLord, you broke a weapon by doing a specific weapon breaker combo, and the victim had reduced range for the rest of the round. In Samurai Shodown, you broke a weapon by attacking it directly, with timing that didn't cause the more common weapon clash/struggle. The victim was then without a weapon, fighting unarmed with a different moveset (but also gained the rather risky ability to counter-throw a weapon strike). I can understand that WeaponLord didn't have the resources for a separate broken-weapon moveset, but it was a bit disappointing.
I want to recall James Goddard posting on Shoryuken forums for years about wanting to do a remake or new version or port or something of WeaponLord, but it never happened.