0 to Z of Playstation 1 Games - Battle Arena Toshinden
Battle Arena Toshinden Known as Batoru Arīna
Tōshinden in Japan is a weapons based fighting game developed by Tamsoft and
published by Takara, and is the first entry in the 90s fighting series, the
game released over multiple systems during 1995/96.
Releasing first on the PlayStation on the 1St
of January 1995 in Japan with a North American and European release on the 9th
and 29th of September that same year. November 1995 saw the game
release in Japan on the Sega Saturn, with a late November release, with North
America and Europe having to wait until March of 1996.
In addition to these two system releases the
game would release on the Game Boy, PC and MS-DOS in 1996 as well, the game
would also receive a re release in 1999 on Windows as part of a double pack
release alongside Fatal Fury 3, called the 2 in 1 pack.
Notable people who worked on the game, Takayuki
Nakano who worked as the Producer on the game a role her worked in for most of
the Toshinden games before becoming Executive Producer later in the series.
Following the Toshinden series her worked as a Producer on The King of Fighters
96 as well as the survival horror title …Iru.
Shintarō Nakaoka who worked as Director on
Battle Arena Toshinden has had a long an productive career that is still going
strong in 2017, with Nakaoka working on Senran Kagura Estival Versus as a
Technical Producer and Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online as Producer.
The Neptunia series and the Senran Kagura series have been a regular appearance
on his resume since Battle Arena Toshinden released in 1995.
Tsukasa Kotobuki who worked as an illustrator
and Original Character design for the game worked on a Toshinden series up
until the final entry in the series Toshinden 4 in 1999. After that he worked
on the 2006 gmae I/O as a Guest Illustrator, more recently he reprised his role
as an illustrator on the 2017 released Fire Emblem Heroes.
Each of the characters have their own unique basic
moves, special attack and desperation attack, the basic moves are either
slashes or kicks, the square button allows you to perform a weak slash with
your characters weapons, for a stronger slash the triangle button is uses. The same
applies to your characters kicks with a weak kick being done with the X button
while a hand kick is done with the O button
Movement of your characters is done by using
the D-Pad, in addition to the standard movement during a fight tapping forward twice will make your character dash forward,
characters can also run forward by tapping the forward direction then holding
it.
Backstep which is handy for opening some space
from you opponent can be done by tapping back twice, in addition for forward
and backward movement the fighters can also sidestep, this is done by tapping
twice either the left or right directional button. Characters can also throw
each other this is done by being in close proximity and pressing back and
either hard slash or hard kick.
The proximity of a character to an opponent
will effect how your normal attacks are executed, combos work by interrupting an opponents special
move, combos can be done by chaining together normal attacks and finishing with
special move, these however are harder to pull off with several factors
effecting a combo.
Factors that effect it include weapon/fireball
range and spread, their speed, position and reaction time all come into play as
well as the changing camera angle. Special moves which can be triggered by
using either R1 or R2 on the standard control scheme. The control scheme can be
modified to allow use of all four shoulder buttons to be used a special attack
buttons.
During combat if the player character or
opponent get knocked to the ground, unlike many fighting game this does not
give you a free or easy attack, any character that is prone on the ground can
not be attacked until fully back on their feet.
Eight travelling fighters have been brought
together, by a common destiny, they now meet at the Battle Arena Toshinden. It
has been many years since this tournament has been held, only known to those in
the underworld. Those that do know of the tournament know that it is organised
by a mysterious and shadowy organization known as the Secret Society. The
fighters that have come to compete have reasons for doing so, some are here
simply for personal glory, while others have come to fight for their loved
ones, each has their own story to tell. All the while
Eiji Shinjo who is the main protagonist of the
game is a young travelling swordsman and adventurer who has set out on a quest
to find his long lost older brother Sho Shinjo. Kayin Amoh who in the first
game is Scottish, this will be changed in later games with Kayin being English.
Kayin is Eiji rival but also his best friend, Kayin has entered the tournament
to avenge the death of his foster father at the previous tournament.
Sofia is a Russian whip wealding blonde woman
who is a private detective and an amnesiac, with Sofia entering the tournament
in the hopes of recovering her lost memories. Rungo Iron is a strong but kind
hearted miner who enters the tournament in his search for his wife and son who
have been kidnapped by the Society.
Fo Fai is an elderly Chinese magician with a
dark and terrifying side, he lives a double life, the other half of which he is
a cold hearted serial killer, his reasons for entering the tournament are merely
to fulfil his bloodlust.
Mondo is an emotionless Japanese ninja warrior
who has been sent by a rival organization to the Society, his aim to infiltrate
the organization. Duke B Rambert is a chivalrous French Knight who is on a
quest of honour and pride, as he quest to avenge a loss to Eiji in a past fight
between the pair.
Ellis who is a cheerful and kind hearted orphan
dancer, she is a port of a travelling theatre group, Ellis is seeking to
discover who her real father is and if he is still even alive. Lastly we have
Gaia who is the sponsor of the tournament his reasons for holding the Toshinden
tournament are shrouded in mystery.
The various versions of the game have
additional characters, the Sega Saturn version of the game has a character called
Cupido, a mysterious woman who speaks in cryptic riddles and messages, she is
the true final boss of the Saturn version. Uranus appears in the Game Boy
version, while the DOS version of the game has a special guest appearance from
Earthworm Jim, in this version of the game Jim has the same attacks as Rungo
Irons.
Critically the game was very well received, it
did receive the usual few average scores and a couple that fell below this level,
but largely review scores for the game are in the 80 or higher scoring range,
with the game also receiving a maximum score from one review outlet.
This maximum score is where we will start, the
review comes from Electric Playground, with the review calling the game the
finest that video gaming has to offer in 1995, they continued by saying the
game is destined to be remembered as one of the healthiest shells in the
Playstation’s initial launch cannon.
Game Players were close behind with a 98 rated
review, their review saying if you can only buy one title for your Playstation
make sure it’s this one. Continuing by saying not only is this game one that
will wow your friends, it is also one that will hold up over time.
Video Games & Computer Entertainment were
next up, they also scored the game at a 90, the reviewer saying Battle Arena
Toshinden will forever change the way you look at fighting games (well at least
until you see Tekken in a few months).the review raised the question on how
high the quality of games will be in a couple of years if this is the quality
released at launch.
German Publication Mega Fun are next with their
86 rated review, the review praising the developer for making a real
masterpiece with this Playstation debut title. The review praising the game and
comparing it to the best 2D fighting games like Street Fighter and the best of
SNK.
The game was not without critics however, we
now take a trip to the other end of the review scale, where we find the lowest
review score for the game sitting at a 30 from HonestGamers. This review is
very late compared to the vast majority of reviews available, coming in March
of 2013.
The review calling the game a forgettable
fighting game that was overshadowed by its brothers. They carried on by saying,
Genre titles released well before Battle Arena arrived on the scene manage to
outperform it in terms of speed and all round entertainment.
The review compared the game to other releases
of the time like Tekken and Soul Blade, the review claiming the game became an
even less desirable choice. The reviewer concluded by saying, From there, the
game had nowhere to go but the cold limbo of obsolescence, where it joined
myriad WWF/E video games and a handful of forgotten launch titles. There you
can still find it, and possibly you’ll even enjoy it… if you're willing to
forget all of the advancements showcased in modern fighting games.
The Video Game Critic was the next lowest
review score for the game with a 58 rated review. The reviewer calling the game
respectable, with the review having criticisms of the characters which they
called blocky with visible polygon seams, as well as the lousy job of blending
photo realistic background into clunky polygon foregrounds. The reviewer
concluded by saying, while it is clearly showing its age, Toshinden is an
interesting game to look back on.
Thunderbolt Games were next up with a 60 review
score, the reviewer commented on the gameplay flaws but also credited the game
as being somewhat breakthrough title, which introduced the wonders of 3D
fighting to the console gaming world.
The review continued, but as a fighting game
compared to the many great brawlers available today (2004 review date) it just
doesn’t have the gameplay depth to compete. To conclude the review said go out
and pick up a used copy if you want to experience a little piece of video
gaming history, but don’t expect much more.
MAXIMUM Magazine who also scored the game at a 60
praised the games visual calling them good, but were critical of the games
animations, which they called not a patch on similar games in the genre. The
reviewer continued though by mentioning the upcoming Tekken release, which they
called faster and smoother and has far more moves and characters to master, The
reviewer concluding that you would be better waiting for Namco’s title, which
they called a whole generation beyond this release.
This is the part of 0
to Z where is visit four online retailers and see what the availability of the
title is, and what price you would be looking at if you wanted to pick this
title up, the sites that I will be using for this are Amazon.com,
eStarland.com, retrogames.co.uk and Gamedude.com I know the last one is very
location specific, but from a podcast I listen to, I’ve heard they have a huge
stock of older games, Ebay has now been dropped unless the game is unavailable
at other retailers.
So lets get down to
business with Gamedude, where if you are looking to trade in your copy of
Battle Arena Toshinden, you will be looking at $6 from Gamedude for your copy.
If on the other hand you are in the market for a copy of the game, you will be
looking at an outlay of $14.
Gamedude also have
the Long Box release of the game listed, this version of the game will get you
$8 if you are looking to trade in your copy. If on the other hand you are
looking to buy a copy of the Long Box version of Battle Arena Toshinden, you
will be looking at around a $17 expenditure.
Next up we have
Retrogames.co.uk who sadly don’t have the PAL or North America version of the
game available, they do however have an imported copy of the Japanese version
of the game. This copy is priced up at £12 and is a complete copy in excellent
condition, this disc however is not with a disc quality rating of just 5/10.
On to eStarland.com
next who have the game listed three times, the first Is the imported Japanese
version of the game, which is currently out of stock, this version has a usual
price of between $2.70 and $4.50, eStarland also offer a trade in with up to
$1.25 being paid for a complete copy of the game.
The second version of
the game available is the Long Box release, with one copy of this currently on
the market. If you are looking to pick up this version from eStarland.com you
will be looking at a cost of $14.95, eStarland also offer a trade in for this
version as well with up to $6.50 paid for a complete copy of the game.
Lastly we have the
standard version of the game, again with just one copy of the game available,
this copy is a disc only copy of the game which will set you back $4.20. A
trade in is offered on this version as well with up to $4.50 being offered for
a complete copy of the game.
Finally we move on to Amazon.com where we find
both the North American release as well as the imported Japanese version
listed. Starting with the North American version where we find a plentiful
supply of the game, the first page of listing however are disc only copies of
the game. With the exception on one which is listed as in very good condition
but provides no further information on how complete the game is, this copy is
priced at $8.36
Moving on to the second page of listings we
quickly find a complete copy in very good condition, this copy is available for
$11.49 and comes with free shipping. A few more incomplete copies follow this,
the third page of listing we find an acceptable quality but complete copy of
the game this is priced at a hefty $21.68.
This copy is overpriced especially when you
compare it to the next listed copy available, a Black Label copu in very good
condition and complete as well for $23.90, following this is another very good
condition and complete copy, this one is shipped by Amazon and is priced at
$24.95, so comes with free shipping.
If you are in the market for a like new used
copy of the game, it will set you back significantly more. With one of the two
copies currently on the market priced at $54.58. The second like new copy is
even more expensive coming in at $89.95 once you have added the shipping costs
in.
The second of these copies you would be better
off buying the cheapest new copy that is available, this is priced at just 3
cents more at $89.98. A second new copy is also priced close to this price
point, coming in at $92.91 and comes with free shipping.
From here the price for a new copy of the game
continues to steadily rise, with the next cheapest copy available coming in at
$114.04. Prices rise steadily up to the $128 mark before a big jump to the
final copy that is currently on offer, this copy is priced at $169.09.
Lastly we have the imported version of the
game, which is priced much more competitively and with much more choice on
offer when it comes to complete copies. The current cheapest of those comes in
at $5.97 for a very good condition and complete copy of the game.
Four of the next five, excluding the shipped by
Amazon copy all come with free shipping, all these copies are also in very good
condition and priced between $7.97 and $10.01. A large number of the used
copies on offer are in very good condition and mostly pretty well priced, a
couple do jump up in price, with one at around $18 while the other is priced at
around $35.
For new copies of the Japanese import there is
just one currently available, this new copy is significantly more expensive
that the rest of the copies on offer. Priced at $67.33 with a $4.65 shipping
fee, bring the total cost of the copy to $71.98.
Written by
P J Gibbon
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