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                         (Tales of the Combat Gods!)

   ======================   P L A Y $ T A T I O N   ======================

          Reviewed By: 2TUFF         Language(TXT): ENGLISH
          Supplied By: MD CONSOLES   Language(SND): ENGLISH/JAPANESE
            Developer: TANSOFT               Price:  75
            Publisher: TAKARA            Game Type: 3D BEAT 'EM UP

   Okay, graphically this game is excellent.  Everything is fully
   texture-mapped and looks gorgeous.  With over 90,000 polygons
   running at an unbelievable rate what can I say?  Well dudes as
   I just said the speed of this game is incredible.  You play on
   a sort of Virtua Fighter rail but you do indeed move anywhere on
   the play area.  Unlike 3D Ballz this is done by moving Left and
   Right, and using the screen rotation L/R buttons.  Considering
   you play from some unusual angles, this doesn't affect the game.
   I found myself thinking sheesh im playing this game as if it was
   just a normal 2D when its far from it.  With Virtua Fighter you
   are on total rails and only see the game from a few positions.
   With Toshinden you could for a few seconds be playing so your
   players back is looking at you, and your opponents staring at you
   forward at the screen.  Like I said this doesn't make the game
   harder/weirder to play.

   Before I forget theres some real nice things happening out side
   as backdrops etc in this game.  You have things like plasmas etc
   and on the one level you have a TV screen in a New-York style
   street.  This TV shows the action which is going on in your match
   exactly the same time as you play.  Not only does it do that, but
   it also shows another screen in a screen (I.e if i tape myself on
   a camcorder by a TV, this will show up as many times as possible
   etc).  Really kewl.

   The game can be paused during play and you can change the options
   etc.  I found a `View' mode and on there were four different views.
   if you've paused and selected this, you will see the results when
   the option is selected/highlighted.  There is an option where you
   can watch the entire match from a high sky/bird's eye view, which
   would be I guess hard to play haha.  The others were a close up,
   etc.  Some of the views from like the sky allow you to see what
   some of the backgrounds/drops are really doing (like a vortex hole
   on last bosses etc).

   On the options you can play, VERY EASY, EASY, NORMAL, HARD, VERY HARD.
   I clocked this game as soon as I got it, on Normal.  To most this may
   be challenging but seeing as I am a great BEU player this is no
   surprise and let's face it Beat'Em ups are 2player games.  I tried the
   Very Hard option and this is great, even though I still kaned it haha.

   I found this game a bit like Virtua Fighter in the way where you do
   actually feel you are imersed in the world's and lands and really
   fighting these dudes.  I also found myself congratualating the opposition
   if they did a nice series of moves to defeat me.  Exactly like Virtua
   Fighter.

   The sound is okay, theres some nice sound efx which give big booms etc
   when you kick an opponent etc.  The music is nice but not as nice and
   remembery as Virtua Fighter.  Theres a nice Chris Rea style voice
   mouthing off to a tune at the beginning of the gold round room etc, I
   thought that was quite nice.

   There seems to be a few special moves to this game.  You have 2 of your
   main normal specials attached to the R1/R2 buttons.  So in EIJI's case
   on R1 you have the Fireball move and on R2 he does his Running Rising
   Uppercut with his sword etc.  Theres a couple of other moves such as
   with EIJI like a Fire Foot flying kick etc.  Also every character has
   a Special Move which you use when your energy bar is flashing RED.
   This will perform a series of deadly combinations, thats guaranteed to
   hurt when executed haha.  Just hope you can pull em off before the
   other guy creams you.

   The loading on this game is excellent.  Yet another next-generation
   game using a double-speed CD to sheer brilliance.  As with Ridge
   Racer from Namco the game loads with sheer speed and you really can't
   tell the difference between CD and SILICON.  If someone never knew
   the machine they were playing on they wouldn't never know the
   difference.  The same goes for Saturn games, the loading is sheer
   excellence.  To load the actual game it takes under 2 seconds!  The
   crap Jaguar carts take forever to depack whilst playing (AvP) which
   hahah makes it so sux!  What can I say?  EXCELLENT.

   The game plays well with the pad.  Even though the pad feels funny
   having the split top cross piece, this don't seem to get in the way.
   When I played Ultimate Parodius using the standard pad it felt wierd.

   As with Ridge Racer ALL the text is in English.  And only the intro
   has Japanese speech over English text.  The characters speak in
   Japanese when they win etc, no a problem!  Mind you, who cares how
   much Jap text there was on options etc with a Beat'Em Up??  I don't

   Considering this is Takara's first solo project, the offerings are
   excellent.  Mind you Takara have just converted all of the Neo-Geo
   SNK titles so I guess they should know what a beat 'em up should
   consist of and how to improve one.

   This game is really worth spending the money on.  Even at 75  its a
   steal when you see it.  I know some companies are charging 90 + haha
   well just go where I did.  Don't gather your money waiting for the
   next Beat 'em up, cause this one will take some beating.  I don't
   personally think Twin Goddess will beat it ahaha 2D? Nawwwww.

   Although, people are saying this is a Virtua Fighter/Saturn beater.
   I personally dis-agree.  Virtua Fighter has something about it,
   this will never have.  I think you can tend to get closer to the
   Virtua Fighter characters etc.  Also this lacks in the animation
   area unlike Virtua Fighter.  Mind you I like it when Mondo spears
   an opponent and swings him around in the air on the spear end haha.
   By the way the game has no replays, but you get different character
   endings etc when you defeat an opponent.

      GRAPHICS    [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]   5/5
         SOUND    [*] [*] [*] [*]       4/5
   PLAYABILITY    [*] [*] [*] [*]       4/5
   LASTABILITY    [*] [*] [*] [*] [*]   5/5 (LIKE SFII IN OLD DAYS)

       OVERALL    18/20     [EXCELLENT]