DESCRIPTION

Himitsu Kessha founded the Toshinden—held annually, these tournaments feature strong combatants from all around the world. After the established corporation found out a nonsanctioned tournament was held by Gaia, they began organizing another Toshinden; their motivations are to lure the rebel to the tournament and have him slain for his insolence.

Thus is the premise behind Battle Arena Toshinden 2, the sequel to the PlayStation's first rotational, 360-degree 3D fighting game. Featuring characters from the original, there are eleven fighters in all, including Eiji Shinjo, Kayin Amoh, Tracy, Chaos, and Duke B. Rambert; characters feature their own arenas, moves, combinations, weapons, and special attacks. Additionally, there is a mysterious bonus character waiting to be unlocked and two bosses to fight.

There are a few game play options including the one player, full battle, and versus modes. Whereas the one player mode will have you battling against eight computer-controlled opponents, the full battle option throws you into a heated tournament of 10 characters—not including the bosses. The versus mode is selectable at any time, as long as you have access to a secondary controller; here you'll fight against a human opponent.

Battle Arena Toshinden 2 also features upper and lower body defense methods, eight levels of difficulty, and camera angles including normal, long, sky, and overhead. Will you overcome the Himitsu Kessha's brutal fighters or die trying? ~ Matthew House, All Game Guide