SYSTEM: Sony Playstation (Japan)
TITLE:  Tohshinden 3: The Final Battle
GENRE:  3D Fighting
DEVELOPER:  Takara of Japan, Tamsoft
PRICE:  5,800 yen
AVAILABILITY:  - Now in Japan -
FEATURES:  60 frame mode, 32 characters, enhanced battle engine

EDITOR:  Iwata Shoji ("Sato" on the Next-Gen Palace Chat Forum)

1. [Let me start off by saying...]

Throughout the past 2 years ever since Sony released the PlayStation
gaming console, Takara & Tamsoft of Japan have released several 
titles in the line of the famed Tohshinden series.  The original
Tohshinden was indeed one of the premier titles to showcase the
PlayStation's 3D acceleration within the fighting genre in Japan.
Since then, sequels and spinoffs seemingly followed, only to envoke
uncertainty and dismay amongst many gamers, particularly noticibly
in the states - mixed opinions of the series were without a doubt
evident...                

Now, Takara/Tamsoft have released the 3rd official installment of
the series, featuring more characters, moves, and features than ever 
before.  Although this may sound all too familiar for those of you
who purchase sequels of every other 3D fighting game out there on
the market, Takara/Tamsoft have finally done most of their homework
this time around -- Now why do I say "most of their homework"? -
- well, there is always room for improvement, regardless of how great 
a game can be...        

2. [Okay, enough babbling - What are some of the features?]

   o 60 frame mode & 30 frame mode:  You will now have the option to
                                     choose between the 30 frame mode
                                     for enhanced graphics and higher
                                     texture quality or the 60 frame
                                     mode for smooth, fluid animation.
   o 32 Playable Characters:  10 old characters, 18 completely new
                              characters, and 4 secret characters. 
                             
                              o EIJI        o LEON
                              o KAYIN       o TEN COUNT
                              o ELLIS       o ATAHUA
                              o GAIA        o TAU
                              o CHAOS       o SCHULTZ
                              o RUNGO       o ADAM
                              o DUKE        o BALGA
                              o TRACY       o RACHAEL
                              o MONDO       o TOUJIN
                              o SOFIA       o ZOLA
                              o NAGISA      o VERMILLION
                              o DAVID       o JUDGEMENT  
                              o SHIZUKU     o MISS TIL
                              o BAYHOU      o CUILING
                                 
              (Secret Bosses) o ABEL        o VEIL
                              o SHO         o NARU

     o Those characters in Col. B are alter-ego counterpart
       characters of those in Col. A, similar to that of the
       Tekken series.  In order to access the counterpart
       characters, you must beat the game with the characters
       in Col. A.  For example, beating the game with EIJI
       will give you access to LEON.

       To access SHO, you must beat the game on the hardest level
       without losing a round with any counterpart character in
       Col. B.                                       

       To access ABEL, you must beat the game on the hardest level
       without losing a round with SHO.

       To access VEIL, you must beat the game on the hardest level
       without losing a round with ABEL.

       To access NARU, you must beat the game on the hardest level
       without losing a round with VEIL.

   o "Hiden-Hissatsu Waza" (Desperation Attack)
           - As in the previous series, when your life gauge is 
             flashing red at low health level, you will be able 
             to unleash your character's final devastation blow.
   o "Kyo-Kyoku Boogi" (Overdrive Attack) 
           - As in the previous series, the overdrive gauge will 
             enable you to unleash your character's special 
             overdrive attack when the bar is filled.  Variations
             of the overdrive attack can be executed, depending 
             on the charater and the position of the character(s).
   o "Shin-Hissatsu Waza" (Hidden Rage Attack)
           - As in TSD2, the various characters have hidden 
             rage attacks, not mentioned in the manual.  
             For example, pulling 2 "dragon-punch" motions 
             and a strong punch will enable EIJI to unleash 
             the enhanced fireballs. 
   o Soul Bomb 
           - A completely new special attack, pressing the 
             Square & X button will unleash a flurry of energy 
             waves from your character.   You can use the 
             Soul Bomb attack 2 times in a 1 round match, 
             4 times in a 2 round match, and 5 times in a 3 round 
             match.
   o Wall Counter
           - When Kicked/Punched towards a wall, you can bounce 
             off the wall & ricochet attack your opponent by 
             tapping the Triangle button, or press the Circle 
             button to bounce back to safety.
   o "Tohshinrengi" (Chain Combo Attacks)
           - Taken directly from the Tekken series, a series of 
             pre-determined combo attacks can be executed by
             tapping the various buttons accordingly.  
             Many variations of the chain combos are available
             for every single character.   
   o Reversal Attacks are now available - press any strong 
     attack button at the same time as the opponent's attack
   o Ring-outs have been removed completely, as every stage is 
     encased in a room or area with limited boundaries.  Some 
     may see this as a restriction, but there lies many 
     possibilities with the ability to bounce off walls & 
     ceilings...
   o Throws have been simplified, as you now only have to press
     the Triangle+Circle buttons to initiate a throw.  You will 
     still have to be close though...
   o Evading/Rolling - can be executed now like the original 
     Tohshinden by tapping down twice, or like TSD2 by pressing 
     L1 or L2.
   o Taunt your character by pressing the select button
  
3. [Okay, How are the graphics then?]

   o Depending on which mode you choose, 60 or 30 frame mode, 
     the graphics will immensely vary.  Choosing the 30 frame mode 
     will enable all the graphical features - however, some may 
     still feel that the smoothness of the animation may lack 
     definity and that the attacks may react too quickly for a 
     convincing response, similar to that of the previous installment
     of the series.  However, nonetheless, the control has been 
     tightened to possibly compensate for this. 
   
     The 60 frame mode is indefinately a sight to see, as all the 
     character's movements and attacks are animated with distinct 
     fluidity, although not as apparent as Tobal No.1.  However, 
     to compensate for the increased level of animation, the 
     background textures are heavily simplified, as are the textures
     mapped onto the characters.  The polygon count of the characters
     have been reduced a bit too, although nothing to really gripe 
     about.  Truly an unexpected treat for gamers...

     From an overall perspective, the graphics of Tohshinden 3
     seems to be convincingly detailed and well defined.  Without 
     a doubt, the graphical presentation of the game excels beyond
     the previous Tohshinden installments.  However, for those of 
     you who disliked the overall character designs and appearance
     of the game from TSD2, will probably not be satisfied once more...

4. [What about the gameplay?  Will it last as long as my money's worth?]

   o Due to the overwhelming number of characters featured in 
     Tohshinden 3, many of you may find it appealing to finish the 
     game with a certain character in order to gain access to another.
     Remember, you have to finish the game exactly 18 times to get 
     access to all 32 characters.  Now, will you get your money's 
     worth with Tohshinden 3?  Well, this would completely depend 
     upon whether or not you enjoyed (even remotely) playing the 
     previous installments, whether it be Tohshinden 2, Nitohshinden, 
     Tohshinden URA, or even the original Tohshinden.  If so, 
     this final sequel should definately not be underestimated - it has
     a lot to offer this time around.  However, if you did not find 
     any of the Tohshinden series even remotely enjoyable, the 
     answer is pretty straight forward...

5. [My Final Thoughts...]

   o Well, after obtaining all 32 characters, I still have to try 
     to beat the game with NARU without losing a round on the 
     hardest level, to see if there are any other secret characters.
     For me, Tohshinden 3 is without a doubt beyond expectations, 
     especially after the disappointment with Nitohshinden and 
     somewhat TSD2. 
  
     The only gripes I have against Tohshinden 3 are:

         - The character select screen & the character select images 
           are below expectations.  Could have been better.
           But then again, the load time between the character select 
           screens are faster than the previous series.

         - The endings....what a disappointment for me, as I was 
           hoping for CG animated endings for each character, or 
           at least something a little more interesting.  
           But considering the sheer number of characters they managed
           to include in this final installment, I suppose I would 
           break it even...
        
6. [If I buy this game, what's in store for me?]

     o Well, aside from all the features and characters and 
       improvements forementioned, the 2 secret characters
       ABEL & VEIL are simply a BLAST to play with.  
       They are without a doubt the strongest characters in the 
       game, and feature special attacks similar to that of 
       the characters from Dragon Ball Z anime...
    
     o For those of you who did not like the integration of 
       live actors & polygonal characters from the intro FMV 
       of Tohshinden 2, there now is a fairly lengthy CG animated
       intro FMV that deals you more into the story of the game, 
       rather than just simply introducing the characters.
       Much, much more creative this time around.

     o The music and sound FX are top notch this time around.
       Although still rock 'in roll based, they really bring about 
       the fighting spirit within you.

     o Some of the counterpart characters are simply a blast to 
       watch.  There even is a Michael Jackson-like character 
       called Ten Count, who walks in the moon walking fashion...
     
7. [I don't plan on buying the import version.
    So when is the US version coming out?]

     o Although I cannot confirm any specific dates, seeing how 
       the US Tohshinden 2 came out fairly promptly after the
       Japanese release, I would imagine a late January to 
       mid February release for the states...
     
     o Now, will they feature the Japanese voices, or will
       they (SCEA) dubbed over the voices, like Tohshinden 1 
       in the states?  Well, nothing can be confirmed as of yet.
       However, if it is decided to dubb over the voices, 
       it will surely further delay the release date to March or so.
 
Iwata Shoji  
siwata@sfsu.edu                                                
"Sato" on the Next-Gen Palace Chat Forum 
Download "The Palace" Chat software now!