Tobal 2

Following the success of their hit PlayStation fighting game Tobal No. 1, the programmers at Square have decided to go another round in the fighting arena with the sequel, Tobal 2. For some reason or another, they have dropped the "No." part of the title. Perhaps we will have an explanation as to why in the game's plot.

The first game was an innovative fighter with its ultra-smooth Hi-res Mode and 60 frames per second animation. Another unique feature was the ability to walk in a true three-dimensional environment inside the fighting arena. The sequel will certainly be showcasing these same features as well as adding new enhancements.

One immediately noticeable new feature is that the fighters now have projectile moves. As you can see in the pictures, Chui and Epon are tossing those fireballs around. These new special moves take full advantage of the PlayStation's excellent lighting capabilities and will bring a new element of fighting strategy into the game.

More updated features include new characters. To the right, you can see the new female fighter who has joined the mix. In addition to her, there are also some animal characters that range from a wolf to a dinosaur to a dragon!

Returning to the game is the Quest Mode. While the Quest Mode in the first game was fun, it seemed to be but a glimpse as to what it could become. So far, it looks as if the new Quest Mode has been greatly improved. There is a lot more detail to the levels as well as more varied locations.

Square demolished every doubt that they could make a kick-butt fighting game when they released Tobal No.1, which packed the most innovative grapple system in beat-'em-up history. Tobal 2 delivers all the goods of its prequel, except this time Square didn't skimp on the gravy.

First and foremost, Tobal 2 looks leagues better than No.1. And that's saying a lot, considering that the prequel-in all its hi-res, 60-frames-per-second glory-looked boxy but good. Now the combatants have a higher polygon count and make better use of Gouraud shading, so they look more rounded and lifelike. The arenas, too, have been spruced up with textures and more-detailed 2-D backgrounds, although they don't have nearly as many 3-D structures as in the first game. Best of all, Tobal 2 packs some of the most amazingly fluid animation ever seen in a game (but then that's one of those you-gotta-see-it-to-believe-it kinda things).

Like the original. Tobal 2 was designed by Dream Factory. Square's team of former Sega coders whose credits include the Virtua Fighter games. As a result, Tobal 2 plays much the same as No.l. You're once again given Block and Leap buttons, and the pad maneuvers your fighter around the arena in complete 3-D freedom. Moves are still of the Virtua Fighter variety, while the combos follow the tap-tap-tap style established by Tekken (except now you can juggle opponents in addition to comboing their butts across the arena. Tobal 2 also supports Sony's dual analog pad, which vibrates slightly with each enemy hit

Tobal 2's character roster includes the original eight fighters and three playable Bosses. Square has added two new characters to the fray: the bouncy space ranger Chaco and Arsenio Hall look-alike Doctor V. Numerous bonus characters are hidden in the game, as well, including monsters from the Quest Mode and even one of Square's infamous Chocobos (who look exactly as they do in FF7).

The most notable addition to Tobal 2 is actually anything but new to fighting games: projectile attacks. Yet Square has given these moves a twist to eliminate their innate cheapness. Your life bar drops each time you launch a projectile, and the longer you charge an attack, the more your health falls. So now it's possible to drop opponents with a single fireball-provided you charge it up long enough. You're in deep trouble if you miss, though, since you'll likely have little health left.

Fortunately, one thing Square didn't tinker with too much is the grapple system, still the game's main claim to fame. As in No.1, you can grapple opponents from any side, except now grapples become mini tug-of-war matches between opponents, the winner being whoever's quickest with his/her buttons. You can counter grapples, and you can counter counters. But don't expect to become an instant master of these i moves. Tobal 2's ultradeep game- ' play will take weeks to master.

Gamer's EDGE

Tobal No. Vs Quest Mode was nice but nothing special (it was little more than a fun way to hone your combat skills). The sequel's Quest Mode, on the other hand, has been so greatly improved that it could almost stand alone as its own Square title.

Now instead of being limited to the claustrophobia-inducing dungeons of the original, you can explore four different towns and the countryside that sprawls between them. While in town, you can pop into buildings, talk to people and buy supplies, which are held in the new inventory system. Of course, there are still miles of dungeons to explore and an army of critters to battle, but at least now you can build up your character's stats.

Tobal 2's hit the stores in Japan with an impressive lineup of features. While a domestic release is uncertain, Tobal 2's both a solid fighting game and a "collecting" game, with your goal being to find and capture as many monsters as you can.

Like the first game, Tobal 2's basic moves and combos are easy to perform. But this sequel adds a new element--the "extra hit" combo. When you hit an opponent a certain way, your blow turns yellow. You can then follow up this hit with an additional hit. If the additional hit connects, it has a sparkling stream of yellow after it. Executing this move correctly is frustrating, and you almost have an equal chance of doing the move by randomly flailing on the buttons.

Another addition is the knockdown recovery. When knocked down, simultaneously tap Guard and Middle Attack to recover. However, if you don't perform the recovery move correctly, you'll take damage when you hit the ground. It's especially frustrating when an opponent knocks you down with a foot sweep because it doesn't give you much time to recover.

One of Tobal's most arresting features was the Quest mode, and with Tobal 2 you have the ability to capture monsters and play as them later. All enemies in the dungeon can be captured with a special item, and once a monster is captured, it can be used in the Tournament mode.

While the one-on-one fighting in Tobal 2 is solid, most gamers will probably spend most of the time playing the Quest mode to see how many monsters they can collect.