Battle Arena Toshinden

"I remember when I first saw this game!"

I remember I think it was either July or August of 1995. Me and a friend went to a place in town called 'CyberSmith.' Among other things, such as the ability to use their various features with a card that kept track of how much time you had left, was that they had PlayStation and Saturn direct from Japan (complete with imports, obviously!) I remember me and my friend logged serious time into Battle Arena Toshinden, and we both walked away with one thought on our minds: ''I must have this game!'' Now, almost five years after it debuted, I must say, considering the way the PlayStation's technology is almost outdone by it's bigger brother, Battle Arena Toshinden still remains a favorite of mine after all these years.


Graphics: 9/10
Despite being a little blocky in some areas, Toshinden's animation is very fluid and never seeming to lack any frames of animation. The backgrounds are, if not interesting, very detailed. You can even see the fight being shown on a large screen in one background! Another cool thing is how the characters' lips move when they speak.


Sounds: 10/10
The music is probably what made me come back for more. Each and every song is suited to each character's background, and I often find myself humming each one from time to time. I especially like Ellis' background music. Also, each character speaks English with their native accents showing, which is an extra plus.


Controls: 10/10
What set this one aside from Tekken, aside from the fact that everybody instead of just one person used melee weapons, was the 3D movement. By tapping one of the trigger buttons on top of the controller, you could roll inward or outward, allowing you to dodge your opponent's attacks in a new way. You have light and hard slash as well as light and hard kick. Most of the special attacks are standard Street Fighter 2 maneuvers, so pros shouldn't have much trouble here.


Story: 3/10
OK. A mysterious organization holds a fighting tournament, where the prize is much bigger than you can imagine, and the losers rest in peace. Yeah, that's standard story fare, only without the fatalities. Next time, gun for a better storyline, OK?


Replay: 9/10
Although there are no true endings to speak of, the unique battle controls and good challenge is enough to keep anyone coming back for more. Also, did I mention there are super moves which you can use when your energy is low? They take practice but they're worth it! Even if it's small, it has that appeal that you can't describe, you have to play it to understand it.


Overall: 9/10
Despite a few flaws, including the fact that it does borrow from Virtua Fighter in some ways, BAT is definitely worth at least one test battle for every PlayStation warrior. Think you can handle 3D combat? Now prove it!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/06/00, Updated 07/16/01