Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side

"Great Fighter for an Old System"

I skipped back a bit to play some old games that I had come across in a pawn shop, one of them being Eternal Champions, a distantly aged fighter that was overlooked for the newer systems.

-Graphics 10/10-

Great graphics for a system of it's time. The blood splatters and movements of your fighter are well detailed and you'll find yourself looking at the screen to figure out if some of the Finishers are real or not. This is one of the first (and only game that I know of) games to encorporate FMV to illustrate a violent death, weither at the hands of your opponent, or by you on the computer. The backgrounds are well done, and fit each respective character nicely.

-Sound 8/10-

The music is great, highs and lows, and the blow hits that you perform are crystal clear, but they all sound pretty much the same. Minor differences in some of the heavier hits, and special attacks sound nice. A pleasure to the ears, but after a while, that pleasure can turn to pain, hearing it over and over again.

-Gameplay/Control 9/10-

Basic fighter-format. Done with good taste. You'll play this one over and over, although some of the load time might make you scream. Discovering how to do the various finishers will keep you playing this. The control is tight, but if you input the correct combination, nothing can stop you from pulling off massive damaging combos.

-Replay Value 6/10-

This is where it gets a lower point. You can find hidden characters, and other options, but after you've found this out, and how to perform the various death moves, there really isn't much left. You'll play this with your friends until they get good at it, and then it's not really all that much fun anymore. Trust me...

-Overall 9/10-

It's got style in graphics and gameplay, the storyline is self-explainitory, and you'll find yourself engaged with the game for quite a while, until you discover something like Soul Caliber or Mortal Kombat. This was, unfortunately, a very much over-looked game that could have turned into a rival of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. But due to being placed on a dying system, it's a buried reminder of what Sega is quite capable of.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/06/00, Updated 02/06/00