Deadliest Warrior: The Game - Xbox 360

What We Already Know

Absurdity, thy name is "Deadliest Warrior." In case you've been hiding like a Ninja being chased by a Samurai, "Deadliest Warrior" is a Spike TV show that pits two historical killers against each other via computer simulation. And that makes it sound more serious than it deserves. Now, it's turning into a one-on-one fighter.

What We're Seeing Now

Let's be honest: Most small-name fighters aren't so hot, and that goes doubly if they're not Japanese. But Deadliest Warrior: The Game took me by surprise. I'm not yet sure it's a winner, but it sparked my interest and made me laugh, and that's worth something.

Deadliest Warrior pulls seven warriors from season one and an eighth from season two, all from ancient eras. It wouldn't be sporting to pit a modern Taliban vs. an ancient gladiator, after all. (One word: guns.) And yep, they fight to the death.

What's interesting is just how quickly death comes. Deadliest Warrior definitely takes some inspiration from Bushido Blade, in that a decisive blow can end a round in seconds. My big question is if skill actually prevails over mashing, which I wasn't able to determine during my short demo. I beat the developer at least as much as he beat me, which made me wonder.

It'll take more play to figure out if Deadliest Warrior actually has any tactical depth or if its guard breaks, special moves, parries and killing blows are just goofy spectacle. It definitely has potential for some silly fun, though, even if it's not the next Street Fighter IV.