If any Playstation owners are reading this, then take a long hard look at the forthcoming games for the Saturn. What do you see? Not only Sega's "Big Three", but also Wipeout, Destruction Derby and now Toshinden. Now how do you feel? Gutted! First out of the hat is Toshinden. The action is viewed from a variety of different angles with the camera rotating to get to those parts that other fighting games cannot reach, a la Virtua Fighter.

And, as usual with beat-'em-ups, the plot is the obligatory paper-thin affair with some evil wrongdoer rising from the dead to bring alive the demons from some dimension or other. The game begins with an excellent rendered intro, and then you're straight into the action...

1. Kayin Amoh
   This character is like a replica of Eiji, just as Ryu and Ken were similar in Street Fighter. The only difference being Kayin has probably the most powerful move in the game. It consists of a multiple hit punch combo which is impossible to block if you get caught on the wrong side of it. The total damage from this barrage of punches is around 80%!
2. Eiji Shinjo
   The resident beat-'em-up karate expert is one of the stronger players in the game. His starts with a clutch of stars appearing around him to show his gathering power, and follows up with a dazzling array of hits and a spinning uppercut to finish, inflicting around 35% damage.
3. Duke B. Rambert
   This guy is like one of the knights from the round table, and even though his attire consists of a suit of armour, he still manages to perform somersaults and dives. Amazing. His special starts off with a spinning low sword attack, and then a huge chop down onto your head, causing about 40% damage.
4. Mondo
   Despite sounding like something from the Wayne's World films this guy is quite a good character, even if his comeback is a bit poor. It starts with a jumping uppercut using his spear (excuse me!) followed by a clutch of fireballs performed in mid-air.
5. Run-Go Iron
   The new Run-Go Iron from Tefal is armed with a big rock club, he is a Fred Flintstone for the nineties. His comeback starts with a super version of his charge attack, followed by an uppercut with the club. Ouch!
6. Ellis
   One of the female characters, and although she is probably the weaker of the two, she does have quite a powerful comeback. It starts with her flying round the screen, after which she lands, gaining a couple of hits and then a series of quick attacks with her mini-swords.
7. Sofia
   The escaped prisoner is a mean old cow when she wants to be, and certainly looks the part of a convict. Her main weapon is the whip, which she uses to devastating effect in the comebacks. Her first move is a hyper whip attack, which inflicts hit after hit on the dazzled opponent, causing about 30% damage. Her second is a spinning attack which culminates in one strong hit.

The Playstation version of Toshinden had three secret characters that could be selected via cheats. Two of those were boss fighters and the other was a souped up version of one of the other playable characters. The same can be said for this Saturn version, with the same three people hidden in the depths of the game. One of these is Gaia, who is the boss in the 1P game and is immensely powerful, and hails from some kind of warped, freaky sub stage. He is really tough to beat and has some awesome moves.

Originally a coin-op, then converted to the Playstation, this is a new arrival on the Saturn.

It's a beat-'em-up. Fight your rival characters and kill the evil demons from another world.

Quite why anyone would want to invest in this with Virtua Fighter Remix already out there and Virtua Fighter 2 just weeks away is beyond me. Although this plays fairly well, the curiously angular characters are difficult to take seriously, and the whole affair is steeper in the sort of self-important nonsense that drags down so many beat-'em-ups.

If you're a genre addict then this won't disappoint you, but if you can wait for Virtua Fighter 2 then I really wouldn't bother putting up with second best.

Although this is nowhere near as polished and addictive as Sega's Virtua Fighters, it still has enough good elements to make it enjoyable. The graphics are well realised, and even though sometimes the characters are a little hard to distinguish, their general movements are smooth.

The sounds are excellent, and the cries and groans that accompany the special attacks sound clear and crisp. Gameplay wise, I think it does have a certain pull about it that makes you want to come back for some more, and the other secret warriors contribute to the amount of time you'll spend playing.

The main difference from the Virtua series is that Toshinden has the less than realistic fireballs and super attacks that bring in the element of fantasy fighting. However, some of the comeback moves are ridiculously hard to pull off, giving your opponent the time to dish out a real good kicking.

The relatively limited amount of moves (compared to Virtua Fighter) means that good combos won't be as easy to find, but overall this is good enough to silence the Playstation owners until Wipeout makes their misery complete.

The story mode is an unusual element in non tie-in beat-'em-ups, but as well as this Toshiden features a couple of other options. There is a one-player game that isn't telling a tale, and features you playing each of the characters one after each other.

At the end of that, you get to fight Gaia, who is mentioned elsewhere in this review. Also available are the two player versus modes and a one-player versus game where you fight the computer instead of a friend, but get to choose your opponent.

The short but sweet intro shows a few of the characters swanning about in their abodes, meditating in the case of Mondo, and generally having a jolly old time. The action is all rendered and provides an insight into the fighters' origins. Sofia is shown breaking out of a prison and leaping from rooftops to evade her guards, and Fo Fai is shown practising his moves a rock high above the clouds in another curious throwback to The Karate Kid. Paint the Fence Danielson.

Graphics 82%
P. Good intro and cut screens, and the different viewpoints work well.
N. Too similar to Virtua Fighter.

Animation 84%
P. The characters all move well and their reactions to hits look good.
N. Sometimes they can look a bit jerky.

Music 86%
P. The tunes are all good and tend to fit the characters well.

Effects 82%
P. The post fireball sounds are OK and the moans are pretty well done too.

Playability 84%
P. Lots of difficulty settings to play under and finding the comebacks is worth playing for.

Lastability 81%
P. Finding the secret fighters will take a bit of time.
N. Hasn't got the lifespan of Virtua, because it has fewer moves.

Overall 82%
A good conversion that has the misfortune of arriving at the same time as Fighter 2. A worthy alternative, however.