Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side

"Easily the best (and goriest) 2D Fighter. Period."

Not too long ago, I re-purchased a Genesis with my favorite fighting game of all time, Eternal Champions. I remember playing the heck out of it so many years ago, and just HAD to have it. But, I also remember the release of the sequel (or expansion) to my beloved fighter for the waaaay-too-pricey Sega CD. Of course, this was a number of years ago, so I happened to purchase a Model 2 Genesis that conveniently happened to have a Sega CD and 32X wrapped around it. The Sega CD version was nowhere to be found, except on eBay. This game became my first purchase on eBay, and I've played the heck out of it since then. Here's my review:

Graphics: 10/10

Okay, the graphics in this game are great. But, not much has improved from the Genesis game. Okay, I went too far already; this game is NOT for kids. Ever. It's disgustingly violent. And it's detailed enough to make you sick, despite being 2 Dimensional. But, it's very detailed. The stage backgrounds are well drawn and detailed. Certain details have been added to the Genesis version of the stages, making it unique to Sega CD. It looks good for a 2D game! The developers also pushed the onscreen color pallette of the Genesis/Sega CD way past its limits; up to 256 colors onscreen. As far as I know, this is the only game to do so.

Gameplay: 10/10

Wow, there's a lot to do in this game. You can enter in to the main tournament, which is a fun challenge. You can also duel with your friends if they're up for a bloody good time. There's other modes like Russian Roulette, Sell-Your-Soul and more. As far as in-game, this has turned out to be one of the more complex fighting games. There's a lot of moves, specials, and combinations. But, what makes this game unique are the deaths. Yeah, that's right. This game expands on the Genesis version and tacks on more ways to kill your opponent. Each character has a unique finishing move, called a Vendetta. Fun n' gory, and probably the easiest to perform. Starting to sound like Mortal Kombat, right? Ahah. This game's brutality makes Mortal Kombat look like sunshine and butterflies. Added to Vendettas are Overkills, Sudden Deaths, and CineKills. Overkills are a stage fatality, such as a 1920's era drive-by with a Tommy Gun or a nice push into a giant fan blade. Sudden Deaths are quite a bit more brutal and consist of more violent stage deaths, such as a bolt of lightning or an impalement on a giant tree spike. CineKills are wholly unique to Eternal Champions on Sega CD. They consist of, when performed, a CG video of the character being killed in a messy way. All of these horrible, disgusting, yet oddly beautiful fatalities are extremely rewarding to pull off, despite some of their difficulty. Well, hmm. All of this makes for a great gameplay experience.

Sound: 10/10

The music for the Sega CD version is quite good, if you look at the time period the game was made in. It's mostly a mix of different genres of music, such as techno or rock. The sound effects are good, yet kind of loud when compared to the music. Either way, it's all good.

Story: 10/10

Okay, this is why you're gonna need the manual. I'm not gonna tell you any of the detailed stuff.. I will tell you that it's an extremely deep story for a fighting game. The story consists of the Eternal Champion assembling all of time's greatest fighters who died before their time to make an impact on the world. If one wins, their life is restored to before they died to try and change the outcome. Unfortunately, that's pretty much just the first EC in a nutshell. In this game, the story is different and more complex. Just read the manual, it's too much to type. The manual is 70 pages long, so that might give you an idea on how well the game was written. Each character has their own biography and fighting style unique to them. It's simply amazing just how deep and detailed the story is for this game. It's worth searching for, even if you're not a fighter fan.

Replay value: 10/10

There's a ton of hidden characters in the game, some *cough* weirder than others. Each character has their own background, so that means Overkills and Sudden Deaths are aplenty. Searching for just the Overkills and Sudden Deaths in the game alone may keep it in your Sega CD for a good month. It's a great game to enjoy and show to your friends.

In closing of my review, I must say that this is a game that EVERY fighting game fan must play. This game was definitely home to many fighting game firsts and is great fun to play. If you have a Sega CD, this is your killer app.

-Captain Toenail (AKA DCStriker)

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/06/05