View Full Version : what happened to Saturn Eternal Champions
mailman187666
11-10-2006, 04:03 PM
I remember buying a sega saturn back in the day just because I thought Eternal Champions was supposed to come out for it. They even had a CG rendering on the side of one of the saturn system boxes. Does anybody have any info on it at all? also, it doesn't list anything about it in the online rarity guide under rumor mill or prototypes.
InsaneDavid
11-10-2006, 04:25 PM
Google + Wikipedia is your friend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Champions).
"...a final title Eternal Champions: The Final Chapter was advertised for the Sega Saturn but the game was cancelled shortly after beginning production. The Final Chapter was cancelled in order to push Virtua Fighter in the US."
50TBRD
11-10-2006, 04:29 PM
If you believe that, then it gives me another reason to hate Virtua Fighter.
If you believe that, then it gives me another reason to hate Virtua Fighter.
It's true. I got it straight from the developer's mouth (http://www.sega-16.com/Interview-%20Michael%20Latham.php).
Here's what was said specifically about part 3:
Sega-16: Many gamers were eagerly anticipating the final installment of the series on the Saturn. That console's packaging went as far as to include a photo and lableled it as "coming soon," yet the game was cancelled. Rumors abound that Sega of Japan were responsible, as they didn't want competition for Virtua Fighter. Is this true? Exactly what happened?
Michael Latham: Well, your sources are correct. Sega of Japan felt that Eternal Champions was keeping Virtua Fighter from being more successful in the US and that it would be better if the company focused on only one franchise...and as Sega is a Japanese company, the Japan side won. It was a crushing blow, and was the only time in working nearly a decade at Sega I considered quitting. I mainly stayed with the hope to change that decision, but sadly never could. Even when we did the NetFighter project for Heat.net, we weren't able to use the Eternal characters as a hidden bonus. From Japan's view the game never existed, in spite of its stellar sales and even offers to do comic books and a cartoon around it.
Sega-16: Information about the Saturn Eternal Champions game is almost non existent. How far along was it when it was cancelled? Are there any demos, screen shots, or perhaps concept art floating around?
Michael Latham: I had about 20 pages of the design when I got informed of its cancellation, but as I told you, I had the basic story always worked out from the beginning. The idea was that just like the Eternal Champions, there was a second set of fighters fighting to regain their lives (called the Infernals), and this created a certain balance to the time line. The story of the Saturn version was that a third force, called Chaos, comes in and starts ripping apart the time line and the two sides have to work together fight this new threat. So you can choose the side of the Eternals or Infernals, good and evil, but not black and white as you think, and then fight to fix the damaged time-line.
What was the real cool part was that things you did affected the timeline in real-time in the game, and so it would effect the characters looks, abilities, histories, and the way the world looked. You could even effect the time flow during the fight which created all kinds of twists for the game mechanics. If you were successful, you could find a way to return everyone to their timelines and their effect on history then created a very special ending, and there were other sub-endings, 30 in all. My friend Tony Van (a very successful game producer and designer in his own right) warned me you never end any movie, TV show, or game with a "to be continued" ending like I did in the Sega CD versions; if you do you are doomed, and there will never be another one. A wise insight, from a wise guy.
:(
Iron Draggon
11-12-2006, 01:00 PM
that really sucks... Virtua Fighter blows... especially when compared to Eternal Champions... SOJ was just jealous...
so why can't they go ahead and make the game now? it would've made sense to release it on the Dreamcast, and now it would make even more sense to release it on some of the new consoles... nothing to keep Sega from doing it now, as far as I can tell... Virtua Fighter is long dead, but surely a new Eternal Champions could still sell very well...
MarioMania
11-12-2006, 01:51 PM
The only thing is stopping EC being made on any System is Sega of Japan....
ubersaurus
11-12-2006, 06:18 PM
that really sucks... Virtua Fighter blows... especially when compared to Eternal Champions... SOJ was just jealous...
so why can't they go ahead and make the game now? it would've made sense to release it on the Dreamcast, and now it would make even more sense to release it on some of the new consoles... nothing to keep Sega from doing it now, as far as I can tell... Virtua Fighter is long dead, but surely a new Eternal Champions could still sell very well...
But VF5 is still coming out, and that series is still wildly popular in Japan. Eternal Champions is largely forgotten after some 12 years out of the spotlight, I can't imagine it selling well without some serious marketing. And of course, fighting game fans are choosier these days in general.
Iron Draggon
11-12-2006, 07:09 PM
But VF5 is still coming out, and that series is still wildly popular in Japan. Eternal Champions is largely forgotten after some 12 years out of the spotlight, I can't imagine it selling well without some serious marketing. And of course, fighting game fans are choosier these days in general.
yeah, but from the sound of it, the new EC would be very different from any other fighting game ever released before.
Jorpho
11-12-2006, 09:17 PM
I knew there was official word on this somewhere.
Verily, corporate infighting between SoJ and SoA seems to have led to much sadness.
50TBRD
11-13-2006, 09:49 AM
If they were both good games which were released at different times, then they could have both done well, just look at most Capcom fighters or the fact that just about every Nintendo game (at least for the SNES) did well.
mailman187666
11-13-2006, 10:21 AM
that was a major let down. I never liked virtua fighter that much but loved EC. EC:CD was my favorite back in the day with all its hidden stuff. I just want them to make the final chapter and start where they left off. I want to see all the incredible fatality moves, they were so gross in EC:CD. Bring it back sega, bring it back damn it. Also make a new Panzer Dragoon game while you're at it, we can hold off on a sonic game for a while for these to be made.