Battle Arena Toshinden 3

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Battle Arena Toshinden 3
Developer(s)	Tamsoft/Takara
Publisher(s)	Takara (JPN) Capcom (US) Sony Computer Entertainment (EUR)
Platform(s)	PlayStation
Release date(s)	JP December 27, 1996 NA January 31, 1997 PAL March, 1997
Genre(s)	Versus fighting game
Mode(s)	Players: 1-2
Rating(s)	ESRB: T (Teen)

Battle Arena Toshinden 3 for PlayStation is a 3D weapons-based fighting game and sequel of Battle Arena Toshinden 2.

Toshinden 3 is the first of the main series not to be ported to other platforms. It is also the only game in the series that has game play differences between the Japanese version and subsequent US and European releases.

Whereas Toshinden 2 was largely built upon the first game, Toshinden 3 radically changes the series' gameplay. Most notably the arenas are now enclosed, allowing players to launch opponents into the walls and ceilings in order to juggle them with further attacks. The combo system has also been reworked, with every character possessing a preset list of combos.

As well as the 14 starting fighters, the game also adds a huge 18 unlockable fighters bringing the total to 32, though most of them are largely mirror images of the original 14's fighting styles.

Toshinden 3's Arcade Mode is much different from the previous two. The opponents that the player faces from within the game depends on their selected character. If a player chooses one of the 14 starting fighters or "Heroes", the computer-controlled opponents will eventually be Organization members while choosing an Organization member will have the player facing off against the "Heroes" themselves. Nagisa and Vermillion serve as the first bosses to their opponents' sides while the playing character's sub-boss appears next. After that, Sho arrives as the third boss (doubling as the final boss for any Organization member) and once he's defeated, the player will then face off against the Organization leader Abel, who serves as the "final" boss of the game.

Story

The destruction of the Secret Society should've meant the end of the Toshinden tournament, but this was not the case. While the second tournament had taken place, another malevolent group had watched on from the shadows and waited for the right moment to make their move. This group is known as "The Organization" and its leader, a man named Abel, seeks to bring a destructive fighting god named Agon Teos into our world.

For his plan to work, Abel needs the sacrificial blood of the strongest warriors so that he can use it as a conduit of allowing Agon Teos to enter into the world. Upon seeing the strength and power of the Toshinden fighters, Abel targets them as the sacrifices and gathers a group of his own fighters so that they can learn and copy their respective targets' fighting styles.

Another part of the plan requires Abel to find a human vessel for Agon Teos. To this end, Abel targets a young English boy named David and sees him as the perfect choice for his wicked plot.

Abel is determined to make his plan come into fruition and he won't rest until things fall in his favor. However...Eiji Shinjo and the rest of the Toshinden fighters won't exactly give in to Abel's plan and each of them will fight in order to stop his wicked plot and defeat "The Organization" from succeeding in their goal of causing havoc to the world.

Differences between versions

The U.S and E.U releases of Toshinden 3 featured several game play differences to the original Japanese release including:

Blocking high or low was made automatic in the US and EU releases; as in pressing back would block both block high and low attacks in the US and EU releases. In the Japanese version one had to press back and down to block low attacks. This small different has a dramatic impact on character balance, arguably outright breaking it.

When hit by a reversal attack in the Japanese version of the game, how far your character flies is determined by his or her weight. In the US and EU versions, all characters fly the full length of the arena.

Practice and Survival modes were added to the US and EU releases that weren’t present in the Japanese version.

A bug regarding the direction a character flew when hit by attacks that send them flying across the arena, when they were facing away from their attacker, was fixed.

Characters

Returning characters

• Eiji Shinjo
• Kayin Amoh
• Sofia
• Rungo Iron
• Mondo
• Duke B. Rambert
• Ellis
• Gaia
• Chaos
• Tracy
• Vermilion
• Sho Shinjo

New Characters

• David - A young English boy who finds himself targeted by Abel and the Organization.
• Shizuku Fuji - A Japanese geisha-like gambler who aids David in his fight against the Organization.
• Nagisa Iwashiro - A Japanese police detective who works with Tracy in their investigation of the Organization.
• Bayhou - A humanoid ape who was trained by Fo Fai and uses most of his moves and abilities.

Unlockable Characters

• Leon - An American pirate-like swordsman who seeks to usurp Abel and become the leader of the Organization. A sub-boss to Eiji.
• Ten Count - A cruel aristocratic assassin from England, who is largely based upon Michael Jackson in terms of appearance and mannerisms. A sub-boss to Kayin.
• Zola - A beautiful Austrian opera singer who dresses like Catwoman and doubles as an assassin for the Organization. A sub-boss to Sofia.
• Adam - A powerful robot who wishes to become a human being. A sub-boss to Rungo, but largely an original character with its own moves.
• Cuiling - A young Hong Kong girl who was raised from childhood by a triad to be an assassin. She also uses Fo Fai's moves. A sub-boss to Bayhou.
• Toujin - A retired Japanese assassin who seeks to save his wife from an incurable disease. A sub-boss to Mondo who shares most special moves with Mondo, but has his own combos.
• Balga - A ruthless Norwegian knight who seeks the destruction of Duke and the Rambert bloodline. A sub-boss to Duke. He shares special moves with Duke, but has his own combos.
• Atahua - A Peruvian tribal boy who seeks the imperial inheritance of an ancient empire. A sub-boss to Ellis.
• Tau - A giant Brazilian tribesman who aids Atahua in his personal mission. A sub-boss to Gaia with whom he shares combos with. However, his special moves are nearly all different from Gaia's own.
• Schultz - A German assassin who aids Abel in the plan of bringing Agon Teos into the world. A sub-boss to Chaos, but shares no combos or special moves with him.
• Rachael - Tracy's older sister who seeks to make her pay from within a personal vendetta. A sub-boss to Tracy.
• Judgement - A hockey-mask wearing assassin who lives only to kill. He was David's friend in youth, but had since sold his soul to gain his new dark power. A sub-boss to David.
• Miss Til - A Malaysian fortune teller who works for the Organization. A sub-boss to Shizuku.
• Abel - A megalomaniac who seeks to bring Agon Teos into the world. He is the only character in the game (and series) to fight barehanded. He is the "final" boss of the game.
• Veil - A shadow-like man imprisoned by Abel who seeks to cause nothing but havoc and destruction. He is the true "final" boss of the game, appearing only in the higher difficulties after the fight against Abel.
• Naru Amoh - Kayin's foster daughter who seeks to aid her foster father in his battle against the Organization. She is a secret boss of the game, appearing after Veil on the highest difficulty and only after everyone else has been unlocked.