Eternal Champions

Eternal Champions
a game by Sega
Genre: Fighting Games
Platforms: Sega GenesisGenesis, Sega CD
Editor Rating: 6.7/10, based on 13 reviews
User Rating: 8.0/10 - 2 votes
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See also: Eternal Games

Eternal Champions s a new fighting game from Sega that has everything pugilistic power punchers need: combos, speed, challenging Al, and great graphics. Also thrown in are fascinating character profiles and some fantastic background scenery. If you love to slug, you're gonna love Eternal Champions.

Break-fist of Champions?

Whoa, pardner, don't think the game is without its drawbacks. Although the graphics are great, they could have been better, and the sound is less than legendary. In the one-player mode, it's almost impossible to advance, and if you lose a match, you have to start again from the beginning. It's also almost impossible to play this game unless you have a six-button controller.

However, that said, this game looks cleaner than Mortal Kombat, and moves better than Street Fighter II for the Genesis. Eternal Champions more than holds its own against those two bruisers. So, if you're looking for awesome action and a fast fighting title, you might not need to look any further.

Eternal Champions is loaded with more special features than K-Mart on a three-day weekend. You can battle against another human player or against the computer. In Tournament Battle Mode you pit all the best against all the rest. You can also play in one of nine backgrounds or in the Battle Room. The Battle Room contains fixtures, such as Floor Saws, Guided Missiles, Scatter Grenades, and other lethal stuff that can be used for or against you. You can even pick from a sub-menu to make deadly implements appear during a match.

Try the Training Mode to test such things as the range of your punches and kicks, or fight against a holographic image of one of the fighters to test your skills. You can even see the characters' biographies, the story line, or the credits without fighting a single fight.

We Are the Champions

E.C.'s nine fighters (see bios and pics on following pages) are each skilled in real martial arts mayhem ranging from ninjitsu to jeet kune do. The characters themselves range from a club-swinging cave-man to a futuristic assassin. The fighters have something in common: They were each killed by some act of treachery, and their lives were all being monitored by the ethereal Eternal Champion. The E.C. maintains the fragile balance between good and evil, and now that balance is being threatened. The Eternal One has agreed to bring back these nine dead warriors to fight in a contest to restore the delicate balance. The winner will be allowed to return to the scene of their death so that they may avenge themselves.

  • When you use Shadow s Smoke Screen, immediately go into a Throw. When you re-mate-rialize, you should catch your opponent off-guard.
  • Trident's Liquid allows him to turn into a moving wall of water and pass through solid objects. Use this in corners, or when projectiles are flying toward you.
  • Jetta has a move called Resonate that can only be accessed if she's in the Phase Mode. It causes the opponent to shake and lose control of the directional pad commands. Use this only in a two-player game.

'Nuff said. You play as one of the chosen nine and fight your way through the contest to see if you can make two wrongs into a right. At your disposal are standard kicks, punches, and throws. Each player has about nine special offensive and defensive moves (for example, on offense, you can throw a bomb or laser bolt, and on defense, you can switch your opponent's player in the middle of a fight). You even find hidden death moves where an opponent can meet their end in a... well... creative way.

Combo Mambo

There are an impressive number of combos in the game (about six per player, although you could probably mix and match combos and come up with more). The speed is also adjustable (Slow, Normal, and Overdrive), but even at a lower speed setting the game moves pretty fast. Jetta Maxx has a special move that speeds her up considerably, while other players have moves that will slow down or even stop an opposing player, so the speed can vary even during a game.

Champ of Approval

The graphics in Eternal Champions are great, with surprising details in both the characters and the backgrounds. For example, you can clearly see Shadow's fan at the end of her special move. The sprites are large, quick, and colorful, although that color is limited to the meager palette of the Genesis.

ProTips:

  • By throwing characters in certain spots, you can activate an Overkill. These fatal finishing moves are rare. Try knocking an opponent into the giant fan by knocking them out near the fan's edge.
  • Some enemies come at you with brutal, deadly efficiency. The best defense is offense in these cases. Just Block and stay that way until the flurry of blows diminish.

The sound and music in this game rely heavily on quality and not quantity. There are even voices here, although their genderless intonation makes them hard to tell apart. Every face- breaking, spine-cracking, gut- busting hit is registered with absolute clarity, however, and in a fighting game, the sound effect of an opponent getting whupped is the one that matters.

Eternal Affairs

Although the skill level for opponents is adjustable, the computer will keep you challenged and probably in tears. This game's intelligence puts the Tin AI. Brawling against a bud is probably the best way to go.

The inevitable comparison between this fighting game and MKorSFII will rage on for months, but if you crave furious fist-fighting, non-stop action and lush, lively graphics, then don't miss out on Eternal Champions. Buy yourself a six-button controller and get this game, then sit back and kick some butt. The fight could go on... eternally.

  • Be careful when using Rax's killer Overload move. It takes a second to charge up, leaving you vulnerable to attack.
  • Larcen's best move is the Power Sweep, which allows him to swing from the ceiling. If the Power Sweep is successful, immediately turn around after it hits and let loose with a Swinging Hammer Fist.
  • When playing the computer, Midknight's projectile moves (Bedazzle, Life Drain, and Mist Attack) are your best bets.
  • Xavier's Dragon Trap is an awesome move, but be sure you're in range, or the Dragon will flutter harmlessly away.
  • When playing as Blade, trap an opponent in the corner and let loose with the Wild Fury Attack.
  • Slash is the slowest player in the group, but he does have one advantage: His Power Thud Club Swing will dizzy an opponent in two tries.

Download Eternal Champions

Genesis

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Game modes: Single game mode

Player controls:

  • Up, Down, Left, Right - Arrow keys
  • Start - Enter (Pause, Menu select, Skip intro, Inventory)
  • "A" Gamepad button - Ctrl (usually Jump or Change weapon)
  • "B" button - Space (Jump, Fire, Menu select)
  • "C" button - Left Shift (Item select)

Use the F12 key to toggle mouse capture / release when using the mouse as a controller.

Sega CD

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

May the best man, woman or beast win! Unleash the power of 13 of the greatest fighters in history with jaw-shattering realism in this action-packed fighting game. Incredible new features include four new characters and hidden characters, each with his or her own martial arts fighting styles. Sega CD realism and new 3-D rendered graphics make Eternal Champions the ultimate fighting game. Eternal Champions will be available on Sega CD in December at a suggested retail price of $59.99.

  • Manufacturer: Sega
  • Machine: Sega CD

This is the bloodiest game we've ever seen! Great animation, a very hip soundtrack, and awesome gameplay make this one a winner in every way!

  • Manufacturer: Deep Water
  • Machine: Sega CD

This is the bloodiest game we've ever seen! Great animation, a very hip soundtrack, and awesome gameplay make this one a winner in every way!

  • Machine: Sega CD.
  • Manufacturer: by Sega of America. publisher Deep Water.

Sega's follow up to its top-of-the-line fighting game is an absolute scream! Its designers have finally figured out what a CD is good for - storage!

Not only does this game include all the original characters, it gives them new moves, then adds four new characters, throws in a new boss, then sticks in nine hidden characters, all of whom can be player controlled. That's 24 fighters, in case you're having trouble keeping up.

It's worth noting that control has been improved in a number of ways. There are fewer 'charge' type moves and more fireball style ones, and some of the charge moves have had their hold times reduced. The overall effect is to speed up combat.

But check out ECCD's hideously gory finishing moves! Every background has had its overkill move made even bloodier, and a second one has been added. Also, the 'windows' for activating the overkills have been expanded.

In addition, every character has a 'Vendetta' kill, a Mortal Kombat-style finishing move. There are 'Cinekills', rendered sequences that let you watch a character's death.

They've made a great game better, then put in enough violence to make people notice. Incredible game!

A Second Opinion

Mmm... blood... must have the blood, the blood is the life... whoops! Kind of zoned out for a minute, there. I've been desensitized! Bottom line: this is the most violent game ever. It even goes further than Bloodstorm in the arcades. But the great thing is, it also has fundamentally sound game play, so you get some great action with your blood. And man, the sheer amount of blood... it's like a playable version of Faces of Death. It took

Sega's sickest geniuses to come up with these finishing moves. MKII fans will love it, but parents and young kids better beware. It's definitely not for the squeamish or politically correct. - Chris

  • Machine: Sega CD.
  • Manufacturer: Sega of America. publisher Deep Water.

Stare Into The Abyss

Sega's new Deep Water division aims for the growing adult audience.

The 'mature' market is suddenly being catered to. In a move that some would have called inevitable, Sega has created a new publishing division specifically to handle games created for older players. 'We were convinced by our sales of Sega CDs, more than half of which went to gamers 18 years old or older,' said a Sega spokeman. 'With the next generation of even more powerful machines just around the corner, we expect more adults to be attracted to these upcoming systems'.

Following in the footsteps of its Sega Kids division, which targets younger gamers, Sega has created Deep Water to cater to the older ones. The precedent Sega likes to point to is Disney's creation of Touchstone Pictures in the mid-80's, a separate division through which Disney could release films with more mature themes.

Although a number of Deep Water titles are planned for '95, the first game to be released under the new label is Eternal Champions CD, whose shattering, bloody violence is clearly not intended for the young. While Sega won't discuss what other games may be in the works, it points to Konami's Snatcher as a good example of the kind of titles we can expect from Deep Water in the future.

With many young gamers becoming adults and full grown adults trying out games for the first time, Deep Water will certainly have an audience.

Eternal Champions CD is Deep Water's first release. The game features extremes of gore that should be kept away from the little ones.

  • Manufacturer: Sega
  • # of players: 1 or 2
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Available: December 1993
  • Number of Levels: 9+
  • Theme: Fighting

In the year 2225, the Eternal Champion is an entity that maintains the balance between good and evil. Embodying the skills of all the fighting styles, it uses its skill to keep things in check. When it finds itself dying, he searches through time to find the best fighter to take over his position as Eternal Champion.

As in our previous issue, the EGM staff reveals three more of the deadliest fighters of all time. Their fighting skills and biographies are profiled below. Look for more pics and info on this hot fighter!

SLASH

  • FIGHTING STYLE: Pain
  • TIME PERIOD: 699 B.C.
  • OCCUPATION: Early Man Hunter
  • BIOGRAPHY: Slash was always advanced. He was the greatest hunter and the best fighter of his generation. His skills didn't just come from his great strength, but from the emergence of an early intelligence. Slash used this instinct and knowledge in his fighting, which meant he could out-think most of his opponents.

JETTA MAX

  • FIGHTING STYLE: Savate
  • TIME PERIOD: 1899 A.D.
  • OCCUPATION: Circus Acrobat
  • BIOGRAPHY: Jetta was always a rebel. As a youth she changed her given name to Jetta Maxx to sound more like a performer. Born in Russia and cousin to Czar Nicholas II, she toured the world performing in an international circus. During her travels, including visits to France and Indonesia, she learned gymnastics and martial arts.

JONATHON BLADE

  • FIGHTING STYLE: Kenpo
  • TIME PERIOD: 2030 A.D.
  • OCCUPATION: Bounty Hunter
  • BIOGRAPHY: Born in Syria and raised in Africa, Blade was dedicated to the extreme, working in some of the meanest parts of New Chicago. He had one small problem: a bad temper. During several undercover cases, Blade was almost killed. The suspect tried to terminate him and Blade lost his patience and brutally assaulted him.

Using his lethal Kenpo style, Jonathan Blade leaps high into the air and performs one of his many, deadly air attacks. Feast your eyes on the exclusive picture to the right. Here he uses his lightning double heel kick that attacks from an angle. Look out for this maneuver.

One of the most beautiful fighters in the game is Jetta Maxx! A former circus acrobat (isn't she pretty kiddies? YES!), she is no novice when it comes to agility and precision attacks! Here she is kicking Slash with one of her many aerial attacks! Slash recoils in pain and prepares his next move against this formidable feminine foe!

Jetta Maxx now takes on another foe named Jonathan Blade. As a former bounty hunter, Blade is no stranger to pacifying foes to bring them in for a monetary reward. However, pacifying Maxx is not the priority here - winning is! Note the beautiful setting sun through the unbroken windows in the desert background. It is extremely panoramic!

With volcanic eruptions surrounding them, Slash and Blade go hand-to-hand, perilously battling over the lake of deadly lava! Blade blocks Slash's merciless charge as Slash forces him into a corner! Watch as the smoke fills the sky and carnage fills the screen!

SEVERAL STAGES

Waist-deep in the water, Jetta Maxx prepares herself for Slash's flying kick! There are several areas to fight in, some involving interactive elements (like water here)! Note the domed city in the background, fully animated with reflections on the dome lid!

STAY TUNED TO ECM FOR MORE INFO AND PICTURES ON THIS HOT FICHTINC CAME!

The gaming gurus at GameFabrique and Sega have joined together to bring you this second part of an exclusive feature on Sega's incredible 24-Bit head-to-head fighting game. In this issue and in the previous one, we previewed three of the awesome fighters in Eternal Champions. Through a special arrangement we have gained rights to the last three as well. This huge action-packed fighting game is sure to be a top seller as Sega's debut in the fighting game market.

Each character has moves and combos that they use to compete for the title of Eternal Champion. With the large cart size and tons of hype this is sure to be a top-notch fight cart. Can this game knock the all-time champ Street Fighter off its high horse when this game comes out in December?

  • Machine: Genesis;
  • Manufacturer: Sega of America;

Last Of The Great Fighting Games, Or The Beginning Of A New Era?

Street Fighter. Mortal Kombat. Whisper those titles in any arcade and you're met with unbridled enthusiasm. There's nothing players like more than beating each other up, and the video-game industry has been all too willing to help them out. But how many times can you play the same game - no matter how different the package - until it finally gets old? Sega knows the risks of following the pack with a new lighting game. That's why the designers did the only thing they could: They made their better.

Eternal Champions wasn't conceived as yet another Street Fighter spin-off. Although at its heart EC roughly follows the standard tournament format, the designers took their game to the next level (no pun intended). In effect, Sega basically reinvented the wheel - taking the best qualities of the leading fighting games and adding new features to make EC stand out.

The result is perhaps the ultimate Genesis combat game. We're not going to say that Eternal Champions will beat out Sf2 and Mk - let's face it, those are two of the best Genesis cans ever. But if our preliminary version is any indication, then come December, the Genesis fighting arena just might have a new champ.

Eternal Champions pits 11 characters in a tournament to decide which fighter takes over the position of Eternal Champion when the present mysterious fighter dies.

Here's a sneak peek at the first three characters:

  1. Larcen Tyler
  2. Shadow Yamoto
  3. Xavier.

And look for more Eternal Champions coverage - a lot more - next month!

Shadow Yamoto

Occupation: Corporate Assassin

Time: 1993

Fighting style: Taijutsu, a system of unarmed combat similar to jujutsu, and a forerunner of modern judo. This technique is mixed with Ninjitsu, the art of invisibility. The Ninja fighting art combines all areas of offense and defense, including the use of dirks, darts, daggers, throwing stars, caltrops, brass knuckles, smoke bombs, and various poisons.

Biography: Shadow was the best corporate assassin in the Black Orchid Corporation, performing tasks ranging from individual elimination jobs to preventing corporate takeovers. She was a true star at the Black Orchid headquarters, but she never thought much about the morals of her occupation until she learned that if she didn't complete a job to the corporation's satisfaction, another assassin would eliminate her.

When she realized the value of her own mortality, she could no longer kill others. But the corporation doesn't allow resignations, so they arranged her fall from Floor 101 of the Black Orchid building.

Special moves:

  1. Shadow Mode: Cloaked in darkness, Shadow becomes unstoppable.
  2. Twirling Fan Attack: Shadow falls head over heels for the enemy in this attack, ending with an appropriate swipe of her razor-sharp fan.
  3. Flying Mine: Shadow launches a time bomb from her wrist gauntlets that attach to her opponent and explode seconds later.
  4. Smoke Screen: With this ancient Ninja technique. Shadow disappears from sight and reappears anywhere she chooses for a sneak attack.
  5. Ninja Weapon: Each of Shadow's healthy stock of knives, explosives, and shuriken has its own special use in combat.
  6. High-Jump Angle Kick: For those times Larcen doesn't want to come down from the ceiling.

Larcen Tyler

Occupation: Ex-Cat Burglar

Time: 1920

Fighting style: Praying Mantis Kung Fu, a style of kung fu characterized by fierce grasping movements, clawing attacks, and punches. This fighting style originated in a Shao-Lin temple, where priests needed a technique that allowed them to defend against larger and stronger attackers. A priest observed two mantises and used their fighting style to create this brutal, specialized art.

Biography: Larcen grew up with the crime bosses and street lords of his era. As a youth, he went to work for a Mr. Taglalini, one of the most powerful bosses. Growing up as one of the world's best cat burglars, Larcen did many illegal jobs for Taglalini, including planting illegal evidence in other crime-boss hideouts. But he wouldn't kill: Instead he used martial arts to stop and drop any attacker.

However, Taglalini set Larcen up. Sent to plant a package on a hospitalized crime boss, Larcen instead found the chief of police and realized he was carrying a bomb. He tried to throw the package out the window, but it was too late. The ensuing explosion not only killed the chief and Larcen, but also most of the people in the hospital - including several children.

Special moves:

  1. Ceiling Drop: With this move, Larcen can crawl across the ceiling and attack opponents from above.
  2. Swinging Hammer Fists: Larcen swings hammering fists of fury to daze and confuse opponents.
  3. Reflect Back-Projectile: When perfectly timed, Larcen counters a missile attack with a flip of his coat, sending the projectile back at its owner for double the damage!
  4. Long-Distance Sweep: Larcen throws out the grappling hook kept at his side, entangling his opponent and knocking him down.

Xavier

Occupation: Warlock/Alchemist

Time: 1692

Fighting style: Hapkido Cane Fighting. Hapkido emphasizes a code of nonviolent counter-defense. If the force of an attacker's blow is strong, it must be met with a soft reception and countermove. If the force is soft, counter it with a powerful defense. The approach leads to fluid circular motion and constant mobility. The cane, which is used in almost all hits and defenses, takes the place of arms and legs.

Biography: Xavier always made poor career choices, but nothing prepared him for his final job. After a failed blacksmithing job in which he nailed hot horseshoes to the mayor's prize horse, he had to find a new job. Xavier's only love was science, so he tried his hand at alchemy, attempting to turn base metal into gold.

But Xavier didn't find the formula for gold - instead, he created an unlimited clean-running source of energy. But before he could begin to use this power and document it for future generations, the people of Salem burned him at the stake as a warlock. While some of Xavier's powers could be mistaken for witchcraft, all are based on real science.

Special moves:

  1. Dragon Trap: Xavier's power ful Dragon Cane traps the victim and holds him or her for the ensuing attack.
  2. Identity Change: This move changes the opponent into an entirely different entity. A move of mass confusion.

In the year 2225 the Eternal Champion is an entity that maintains the balance of good and evil.

Embodying the skills of all fighting styles, it uses its skill to keep things in check. When it finds itself dying, the entity searches through all time to find the best fighter to take over the position as Eternal Champion.

Through Top Secret sources, the first three characters and some advance pictures have been snuck out. Our exclusive source says he/she will be able to supply three more each month, along with more info and pics. Stay tuned to the hottest video game mag for the info first hand.

  • Theme: Fighting
  • Release: 1994

People say:

8

Eternal Champions really got a lot of hype. Now that I've been able to play it, I find that it is a very deep and complex fighting game. I mean, the options are almost endless. While the graphics and characters don't have the 'sparkle' that SF2 or MK characters have, nevertheless, they add to the sense of mystery in the game. Good moves, great action and decent control add up to one of the better fighting games.

7

Eternal Champions, is it a decent fighting game? Yeah, does it rank up there with SF2, and MK? It doesn't need to. It's in a class all by itself because it's a totally different type of game. Ranked as having more options than any other fighting game Eternal will keep any player busy with all the combo moves it offers. With the compatibility of the Activator, I think this is definitely a cart that's well worth it.

5

Well, it's a fighting game alright! With the tremendous hype this game was getting, especially with it being 24-Meg, I was beginning to think that SF2 might actually have a legitimate challenge. But, alas, I was let down. Graphics were not that great and the voices of some of the characters were getting to me. The sound effects were nice, but it just wasn't enough to pull me out of my view of the game.

5

I must admit, I was very disappointed with Eternal Champions. The graphics are not up to par, the sounds need work and the characters aren't exciting. Practically all of their moves are charge moves, which gets old after a while. With all of the hype surrounding this game, I was expecting much, much more! More time was apparently spent on background animations, than on game play.

  • Manufacturer: Sega
  • Machine: Genesis
  • Theme: Fighting
  • No. of Levels: 22

Fight Onward!

Sega's latest creation is an awe inspiring 24-Meg wonder. Hot in pursuit of Capcom's Street Fighter 2, Eternal Champions strives to be the ultimate 16-Bit fighting game. Achieving that is no piece of cake, as most companies can agree, but if you take a gander at these pictures, you're sure to be surprised. Sega has gone all-out to put detail and animation into the game.

On Earth, in the year 2225, the Eternal Champion is an entity which maintains the balance of good and evil, embodying the skill and integrity found in the great masters of the martial arts - the teachers of distinct fighting styles that have naturally evolved around the world. When the Eternal Champion discovers itself dying, it searches the past to select 11 of the greatest fighters through time. The fighters have come together for the ultimate contest. The victor of the fight will be crowned the new Eternal Champion.

The plot sounds pretty cool, and the fighters are really exotic. Eternal Champions has a number of features which should be noted. Of those, the Dynamic Play Adjustment (DPA) will make this game a constant challenge to even the best players. You will also be able to use the Activator to really be in on the action. You can tailor the number of matches needed to win, and watch your battles with the instant replay function. Of course, what fighting game would be complete without moves? Eternal Champions has every character using over 35 different moves! Another neat feature is that each character has a special Over-Kill move that he or she uses to defeat the enemy in a grand fashion!

Eternal Champions looks to be a hot title. Maybe it can topple the mighty Street Fighter. Even if you're the best you will be challenged here. Now gaze upon this page for a glimpse at this 24-Meg powerhouse. Look for more on it soon!

How do you fight to the death when you're already dead? That's just a minor dilemma facing the nine murdered martial artists in Eternal Champions, Sega's hot new fighting game.

The Ungrateful Dead

Eternal Champions is a fierce- looking one-on-one fighting game that Sega hopes will match fists and feet with Street Fighter II on the home systems. The post-mortal nine come from different eras, but they share a common experience -- premature death. They've all been brought back to life by a powerful supernatural being called the Eternal Champion.

Eternal Champions looks like a formidable contender for Street Fighter Ifs reigning fighter's crown. Each martial artist showcases their own unique fighting style and has 35 moves, including combos, countermoves, and magical techniques. To add more meat to the action, the game supports Sega's six-button controller and the Activator, Sega's body-building peripheral.

This is a good fighting. The game is full of difficulty settings and other configurations for players of any skill level. 9 characters participate in duels of different time epochs and with different skills. Each fighter has their own biography so that the player could get acquainted with whom he is dealing with. The Duels are made with high quality; the heroes use various combos and punches though there is not anything surprising in it for a good fighting. The fights, as usual, go up to 2- victories though in certain modes it is possible to fight already up to 11 victories out of 21 fights.

Snapshots and Media

Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Screenshots

Sega CD Screenshots

See Also

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