Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side

"The King Of All Fighting Games Is Made Even Better The Second Time Around"

I\'ll begin this review with a bold statement. \'\'Street Fighter 2\'\' is credited as the greatest Fighting game ever made. Some will argue that one of the \'\'Tekken\'\' games often rivals it but most gamers come to the conclusion that \'\'Street Fighter 2\'\' is the king of the Fighting genre. \'\'Mortal Kombat,\'\' on the other hand, is said to be the father of all gory, violent fighting games with little to no one arguing that point. I\'ll go as far as to say that both of those statements are false. One game that is sadly overlooked is \'\'Eternal Champions.\'\' I can still remember the days when I would stay locked in whatever room it was that had my Sega Genesis in it trying to figure out every stage Overkill that I could. Imagine my disappointment when I found its sequel, \'\'Eternal Champions: Challenge From The Darkside,\'\' released only on the Sega CD. I played it only once that I can remember and loved every minute of it. Not until just recently have I had a chance to own the game and play through it in its entirety. I can still honestly say that \'\'Eternal Champions: Challenge From The Darkside\'\' is a masterpiece.

Story: I was especially surprised with this particular factor of which the original \'\'Eternal Champions\'\' had included exceptionally well. Contrary to belief of Fighting game titles containing an all but worthwhile reason to hold a tournament, this game actually did it right. Each character is taken just moments before they\'re death which would happen in their particular time period and placed within another character\'s, both fighting to regain their lives. Each character hails from a different era; one is a gold miner in the 1800\'s, another is a 1930s gangster, one is a cyborg from the future, etc... Each unique character fights for a chance to live once more and change whatever it is that lead to they’re death. \'\'Challenge From The Darkside\'\' is certainly backed by a surprisingly original plot for this genre of game.

Gameplay: If you aren\'t a fan of Fighting games, don\'t think about picking this one up. As usual with this genre of game you can select a plethora of match types. They can range from a two player game to a Tournament match which is in the same vein as that of the \'\'Mortal Kombat\'\' titles. Amongst this are many other gameplay types. You will find Sudden Death matches, handicapped matches, etc... This ups the replay value considerably and provides hours of solid fun throughout all of the mayhem and bloodshed. Even with this said, most of the time you will find yourself playing against an unmoving second opponent. The computer-controlled characters are exceedingly hard to defeat and most of the fun comes from the many different ways to dispatch of your opponent. The phrase \'\'fair fight\'\' gets thrown right out of the window in \'\'Challenge From The Darkside\'\' as the fun of the game is in a two player game without the second player. The number of special moves and finishing moves adds all the much more to the game, however, and you\'ll find yourself looking over the difficult single player game.

Graphics: For it\'s time, these were easily some of the best found in a fighting game. Each character has a wide variety of detail. The color palette was also top-notch as both the fighters and the backgrounds were filled with vibrant colors and spectacular visual effects. Everything from the ripples of water to flicker flames are handled in a supremely animated, visually stunning fashion. The characters were drawn largerly and this only seems to enhance the superior artwork. Smaller details such as sunglasses which reflect light and even brass knuckles can be seen on a character. Of course, this may not sound like much now, in the mid-90s this was truly something to behold. The gruesome finishing moves are done in such a uniquely realistic fashion from intestines spilling out, to blood dripping, and blood literally splattering when a head is shot off that is can be quite sickening. The sheer detail and the top-notch usage of the color palette had me examining the intricate details endlessly, even when considering the technology of today.

Sound: \'\'Challenge From The Darkside\'\' was released at a time when voice acting was a rarity and sound clips were substituted for actual character voices. This sequel doesn\'t change matters but the quality in which everything was recorded is something to behold. Never in a game at that time had I heard sound effects from punches and kicks landing and even to taunts sound so cleanly recorded. Throughout the sounds of opponents landing on the many different forms flooring, the soundtrack can be heard echoing in the background. The music is more than befitting and gives the game a boost of adrenaline. It\'s this musical score that seems to add a sense of aggression into the fighting, therefore effectively enhancing the playability of the game. This works well as it\'s also cleanly recorded and when interspersed with the sounds of blows landing, it leads to a rather exciting experience.

Controls: \'If you\'ve played one Fighting game, you\'ve played them all;\' or so they say. This, thankfully, can be said about the control setup. Moving your character is simple as it only takes a few presses of the directional pad to dodge various attacks, jump, etc... Special moves are just as simple as the fluidity and responsiveness of the default setup works flawlessly. Button presses are made intuitive and quick; a minor fan of fighting games shouldn\'t have any trouble jumping right into this one.

Longevity/Challenge: As for the factor of longevity, this is one you won\'t put down in a few days. The many, many finishing moves, hidden characters, and the challenge made when trying to view every Cinekill finishing move should keep any fan of Fighting games interested.

The difficulty is where \'\'Challenge From The Darkside\'\' falters, unfortunately. Even on the easiest skill level you\'ll get your internal organs served to you on a platter. As I stated above with the only way to truly enjoy this game would be in a two player (the second player absent), it\'s more than present. The computer-controlled opponents have no possible way to be defeated and you will quickly become frustrated. Although, the assorted game modes and even a \'\'real\'\' two player match is much more fun than playing against a computer-controlled opponent.

Final Verdict: This is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest Fighting games of all time. From the gameplay, to the gory finishing moves, to the graphics, and to the control, Sega crafted a masterpiece. If you can look past the difficulty you should have a great time with \'\'Challenge From The Darkside.\'\' If you can still find this rare treat anywhere, consider yourself lucky.

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