"The challenge is eternal"

Well yeah, it was cheesy the way I titled, but moving on...Eternal Champions was just another great example that SEGA could do what Nintendon't, being that it did not relied heavily on third party companies to come up with games of any genre for itself. EC was the answer to Street Fighter in the home console, and being that said Capcom title did had a port for the Genesis, SEGA went on ahead and made a fighting game of its own, complete with intricate characters, an interesting storyline, great modes of play, and a Mortal Kombat-esque way of finishing your opponents every once in a while.


Gameplay - 7

The game has a way to either make you excited of the difficulty setting or totally irritated because of it. EC strives to make your battle a difficult one, and it is expected you know every move and tactic from your chosen champion to fend off against some of the trickiest foes you will face.

The game follows the familiar 6-button arrangement made famous by Capcom's Street Fighter game series, and it executes it quite well at that, there was no difficulty pulling out special moves or fending yourself against that horrible CPU, which mocked your every move while pummeling you for the 100th time.

The game shines in the Tournament mode however, being that you can choose dozens of fighters and name them to participate in an elimination match against a buddy. It is quite fun.

Story - 7

The game shines on this department, being that it is not quite the same premise than most of the fighter games had back in the day. Choosing one of the characters that were killed before their time, you must fight your way through all the chosen warriors who seek a chance to prove themselves against the Eternal Champion in order to set things right in their own timeframe and, eventually, saving their very own existence from destruction. There is only power enough to bring one person back to life; therefore they must fight till the finish to acquire their prize.


Graphics/Sound - 5

This is where it lacks a little bit, the graphics use a color palette similar to that of a comic book-like fashion, as well as the characters fashioned after the same premise, but it is quite bland and at times, ugly to look at. The music is a bit entertaining, fitting the mood of every stage and fighting mode you use in the game.

The grunts and sounds of hits are a bit average and every character gurgles whenever they speak. The blood flying out of your opponent makes up for it though.


Play Time/Replayability - 7

It is hard to play but it is hard to put down at times. There are quite the numbers of nifty secrets here and there, especially the "Fatality"-like finishers you can execute by defeating your opponent in a specific place within the stage. Tournament mode is a blast to play, but the fact that you must fight the same guy you defeated if you lose to the next contender can be quite frustrating. The characters and their well-developed background stories are impressive.


Final Recommendation - 7

This is a collectible for every Sega fan, and should not go unnoticed, I know there was an EC CD for the Sega CD, and I bet it was just as fun and exciting/difficult as the Sega Genesis version was. If this game is available to download from the likes of Xbox and Wii classic game downloads, then you should not miss the chance to try it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/24/08

Game Release: Eternal Champions (US, 1993)