Battle Arena Toshinden 4
  

  
STORYTen years after the events of Toshinden 3, Eiji Shinjo, who is now the new leader of an organization called the "Gerard Foundation", has organized a fourth Toshinden tournament which revolves around the gathering of four holy weapons that can be used to either save the world or destroy it. Eiji's old enemy, Vermilion, is after the four holy weapons for his own malevolent ambition and that many fighters from within the tournament, including Eiji's own nephew Subaru, will find themselves getting caught from within the conflict itself. Can Eiji stop Vermilion before it's too late?

 

The King of... Toshinden?

  
ABOUT
Also known as Toshinden Subaru, Toshinden 4 is the fourth installment in the franchise. Unlike previous installments, Toshinden 4 was only released in Japan and the PAL region. The game features 9 playable characters in the beginning, with 4 unlockable. Toshinden 4 introduces a team format for the first time in the series, featuring teams of 3 characters. However, like the previous games, still only 1 character fights at a time. The only returning characters are Eiji and Vermillion, the rest of the roster is completely new.

 

A spiky-haired hero in a PS1 game? Noooo freakin' waaay.

 

Every time I see a gameplay clip of Toshinden 4, the game looks like it's in slow motion. Years ago when I saw crappy clips of the game, I thought it was just bad / slow video quality... but now it's pretty clear that the game really is that slow. Also, considering the game was released in 1999/2000, the graphics are very poor compared to many other fighting games of the time. And this is supposed to compete with Soul Calibur? That's a joke. Even after four installments, some of the same flaws that plagued the series also return - those being uninspiring stage designs, blocky character models, and unresponsive gameplay. In general, Toshinden 4 was poorly received.

  

Page Updated: June 16th, 2020
Developer(s): Tamsoft
Publisher(s): Takara ,  Studio3
Platform(s): PlayStation
Release Date(s): Aug. 12th, 1999   
June 30th, 2000 
  
Characters Subaru Shingo, Eiji Shinjo, Naru Amoh, Rook Castle, Puella Marionette, Lancelot Lakeknight, Fen Barefoot, Genma, Miyabi, Bang-Boo, Eos, Zero, Vermilion

Featured Video:

Related Games: Battle Arena Toshinden 3, Battle Arena Toshinden 2, Battle Arena Toshinden, Star Gladiator, Plasma Sword, Rival Schools: United By Fate, Soul Blade, Soul Calibur, Power Stone, Mortal Kombat Gold, Street Fighter EX, Street Fighter EX2, Street Fighter EX3

  

Story / Theme  7.5 / 10
Overall Graphics  5.5 / 10
Animation  6.5 / 10
Music / Sound Effects  6 / 10
Art Direction  8.5 / 10
Intro / Presentation  7.5 / 10
  

 

Final Words: Nope, I haven't played Toshinden 4... but I was able to rate a few categories at least. I've actually read quite a few reviews on Toshinden 4, and after reading those, I don't think I'd want to spend money importing this game and modding my PS1 just to play it. I think the only way I'll get around to playing this game is if it sees release over PSN. (Highly doubtful, but you never know... I'd pick it up for a few bucks just to try it.)

Sadly, the Toshinden series never managed to see a next-gen makeover. On the bright side, the memorable character designs and cool artwork of the series has a place in fighting game history. Toshinden 4 keeps the trend going, with great artwork and some cool designs... but the game itself just wasn't up to snuff.
~TFG Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen
 
 
  
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