Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side
Encyclopedia
Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side (also known as Eternal Champions 2 or Eternal Champions CD) is a fighting
video game for the Mega-CD/Sega CD. It was published in February 1995 in North America and during the same year in Europe, within the waning days of the platform lifespan and was revered as one of the system's most technically impressive releases. The game was a semi-sequel to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis game Eternal Champions
and was part two of a proposed trilogy of games by Sega
that would have cumuluated in a third and final game on the Sega Saturn
. Both games were developed by an internal team at Sega named Sega Interactive Development Division, and both were designed by Michael Lantham, a developer with Sega of America from their early days.
In North America, the game earned an "M" (for Mature) rating from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board for its graphic violence and gore. In Europe, it earned both a 18+ ELSPA rating and a 15 BBFC
rating. It was the first game branded under the Deep Water label, which was employed by Sega of America for games featuring adult content. Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side is considered to be a lost gem that was barely played because of the Sega Mega-CD's limited audience and short lifespan. The mid-90s were a time when fighting games were rampant in arcades
, but it is one of the original console
-only fighting games.
However, in this second chapter, it is revealed that the Eternal Champion has an evil counterpart: the Dark Champion. The Dark Champion appears and declares that he also will enter the contest, and that he has hidden four more warriors, preventing the contest from truly being fulfilled. Now the contestants must not only achieve the aims of the Eternal Champion but also face the Dark Champion as well, if they want their lives back.
Out of them all, only Dawson, Ramses III, Raven and Riptide are available from the beginning in this version.
Unlike its predecessor, the sequel features villainous or evil characters. Whereas in the first game, each character was inherently good, there are several characters in this game that were always villainous or "bad". However, like the original roster of fighters, even these villainous characters have the potential to affect history in a positive way, either directly or inadvertently, as a result of their actions.
series, but with less emphasis on special attacks. Combo
attacks were also introduced in the second game and jumping attacks could be now linked to ground attacks and most normal attacks could be linked into other normal attacks. This is comparable to the "chain" combos found in Street Fighter Alpha or the later Mortal Kombat series and was seen as a much needed addition, however it occasionally led to a bit of button mashing excess. Mild "juggle" combos could also be executed by landing an additional hit on an already aerial opponent.
Overall, the gameplay was considered an improvement over the previous version. Eternal Champions was considered to be a very difficult game, with each character having a specific pattern or narrow window of vulnerability during a fight. This made fights longer and more of a chance game, whereas Challenge from the Dark Side introduced a faster paced, more action-oriented combat system.
building?!) into the loser's body in Senator's level.
, a Fatality
-like finishing move that can be performed on an already dizzied opponent. The Vendetta is performed by motion and button presses identical to those used in a Mortal Kombat Fatality. Each character (except the unlockable animal characters) has their own Vendetta and each is performed differently. Examples of these are Dawson blasting off his opponent's head with a shotgun, R.A.X. delivering a supercharged punch that causes his opponent to burn to ashes, and Xavier shrinking down his opponent and then stomping them.
that supposedly mimics the victim's greatest fear (for example, Ramses III is liquefied because of his aquaphobia
). They were not constructed for hidden characters. In Cinekills, Dark Champion throws shuriken
s at Shadow Yamoto (female ninja), plants a bomb inside Larcen, separates R.A.X.'s cybernetic implants from the rest of his body, turns Slash to stone, turns Trident into a fish and crushes him under foot, vaporizes Midknight (the vampire) with sunlight, vaporizes Xavier by shooting his staff and the "infinite energy source", which is the product of his research, makes Blade tiny and crushes him between his fingers, spins Jetta rapidly and cuts her to death with her own bracelets ("bladerangs"), sneaks up behind Riptide and snaps her neck with vines, turns Ramses III's body into water which splashes everywhere before changing back to blood, brings life to Raven's snake tattoo, which then bites her, and shoots Dawson in a one-sided fast draw
. Certain characters actually have the ability to combo into this style of finish, such as Trident who actually had an elaborate re-dizzy combo that culminated in a Cinekill. Only the base characters can receive Cinekills, though any character can trigger one. This type of finish activates automatically.
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
video game for the Mega-CD/Sega CD. It was published in February 1995 in North America and during the same year in Europe, within the waning days of the platform lifespan and was revered as one of the system's most technically impressive releases. The game was a semi-sequel to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis game Eternal Champions
Eternal Champions
Eternal Champions is a 2D fighting game originally conceived by Scott Berfield, produced by Mike Latham for Sega of America and was developed by the Sega Interactive Development Division....
and was part two of a proposed trilogy of games by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
that would have cumuluated in a third and final game on the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
. Both games were developed by an internal team at Sega named Sega Interactive Development Division, and both were designed by Michael Lantham, a developer with Sega of America from their early days.
In North America, the game earned an "M" (for Mature) rating from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board for its graphic violence and gore. In Europe, it earned both a 18+ ELSPA rating and a 15 BBFC
British Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
rating. It was the first game branded under the Deep Water label, which was employed by Sega of America for games featuring adult content. Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side is considered to be a lost gem that was barely played because of the Sega Mega-CD's limited audience and short lifespan. The mid-90s were a time when fighting games were rampant in arcades
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
, but it is one of the original console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
-only fighting games.
Story
As was the case with the first game, Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side followed the story of the Eternal Champion, who had felt the balance of the universe and time had been disturbed by the deaths of key individuals who had been destined to change the world for the greater good. To restore the balance, he held a great contest in which the winner would be granted the gift of new life, allowing them to fulfil their rightful destiny.However, in this second chapter, it is revealed that the Eternal Champion has an evil counterpart: the Dark Champion. The Dark Champion appears and declares that he also will enter the contest, and that he has hidden four more warriors, preventing the contest from truly being fulfilled. Now the contestants must not only achieve the aims of the Eternal Champion but also face the Dark Champion as well, if they want their lives back.
Changes from Eternal Champions
Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side improves upon many factors of the first game's presentation. Some of the changes include:- Larger character lineup: As well as including the nine original fighters (plus a non-playable boss) from the first game, there are also 13 new playable characters introduced, plus two bosses and several hidden fighters, making for a grand total of 25 characters.
- New soundtrackSoundtrackA soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
: A brand new soundtrack was written for this game, which takes advantage of Q-SoundQ-SoundQSound is the original name for a positional three-dimensional sound processing algorithm from QSound Labs that creates 3D audio effects from multiple monophonic sources and sums the outputs to two channels for presentation over regular stereo speakers. QSound was eventually re-dubbed "Q1" after...
technology. - Better sound effects: Taking advantage of the CD format, the developers improved upon all of the sounds from the first game, making the voices sound cleaner and providing smoother, more realistic fighting sounds.
- Tighter gameplayGameplayGameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
: The special moves from the first game were rebalanced and take up less energy than before, thus making them easier to use. Also, new moves called "Cinekills" were added, which rewarded a player that could perform one with a short FMV of their opponent's often gruesome demise at the hands of the Dark Champion. - An urban legendUrban legendAn urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
exists about this game. It was thought to have used creative programming tricks in order to make it look as if the game was displaying 256 colors on the screen at once. This was based on a popular misconception about the hardware capabilities of the Mega-CD/Sega CD.
Characters
This sequel included the original roster of characters from the first Eternal Champions, along with a whole new cast of fighters, including some of the ones that were initially discarded from the original Mega Drive game.New characters
The following additional characters were added in this sequel:- Eternal Champion (Version Two), a protector of the balance of good. Version Two practices UnicornUnicornThe unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
, ElephantElephantElephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, MillipedeMillipedeMillipedes are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per segment . Each segment that has two pairs of legs is a result of two single segments fused together as one...
and Electric eelElectric eelThe electric eel , is an electric fish, and the only species of the genus Electrophorus. It is capable of generating powerful electric shocks, of up to six hundred volts, which it uses for both hunting and self-defense. It is an apex predator in its South American range...
style. The Eternal Cahampion is immortal and is the one who gathered the warriors stating that, though they had all died tragically, in his eyes they all had heroic qualities. - Dark Eternal Champion, the protector of the balance of evil, who practices natureNatureNature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
style, is immortal, and utilizes natural disasters as weapons. - Chin Wo, an acupuncturistAcupunctureAcupuncture is a type of alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of solid, generally thin needles in the body....
from ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
who practiced Monkey Kung FuMonkey Kung FuMonkey Kung Fu, or Monkey Fist , is a Chinese martial art which utilizes ape or monkey-like movements as part of its technique.There are a number of independently developed systems of monkey kung fu...
and died in 1815 when he was arrested and executed after he had been framed for a crime by his brother. - Dawson McShane, a gamblingGamblingGambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, self-proclaimed "Lone WolfLonerA loner is a person who avoids or does not actively seek human interaction or prefers to be alone. There are many reasons for solitude, intentional or otherwise, and "loner" implies no specific cause. Intentional reasons include spiritual and religious considerations or personal philosophies...
" from 19th century ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, who moved to the Wild West. He practiced Shotowando, a patchwork fighting style of his own invention, and was framed and hanged in 1849 by a wealthy landowner for a crime he had not committed. - Ramses III, a PharaohPharaohPharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
from EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
who practiced Hung GarHung GarHung Ga 洪家, Hung Kuen 洪拳, or Hung Ga Kuen 洪家拳 is a southern Chinese martial art associated with the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung, who was a master of Hung Ga....
and died in 151 BC when he was pushed off a cliff into the NileNileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
. - Raven Gindar, a white magicWhite MagicWhite Magic may refer to:* White magic, healing or "good," as opposed to Black magic; see also magic * White Magic , an American rock band* White Magic , album by Swedish musician ceo...
and voodoo specialist from a tribal village in TrinidadTrinidadTrinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
who practiced Tae Kwon Do and Hsing-i Kung Fu and died in 1802 when her healing spell was turned against her by a black magicBlack magicBlack magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
voodoo priest, draining her life force. - Senator, a politicianPoliticsPolitics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
from Washington, DC who practiced "Dishonesty" and succumbed to a heart attackMyocardial infarctionMyocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1995. (This character is likely a joke, directed towards the controversyVideo game controversyViolent video game debates often center on topics such as video game graphic violence, sex and sexism, violent and gory scenes, partial or full nudity, portrayal of criminal behavior, racism, and other provocative and objectionable material. Video games have been studied for links to addiction and...
surrounding violent content in video games.) The Senator is a headHead swapHead swapping is the act of removing the head from an animated character and replacing it with a different one. This is usually done for one of two reasons: cost and memory constraints ....
and palette swapPalette swapA palette swap is a practice used in video games, whereby a graphic that is already used for one element is given a different palette, so it can be reused as other elements. The different palette gives the new graphic a unique set of colors, which make it recognizably distinct from the original...
of Larcen Tyler. - Sophia "Riptide" de MediciMediciThe House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...
, a female piratePiracyPiracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
from ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
who practiced KajukenboKajukenboKajukenbo is a hybrid martial art that combines Western Boxing, Judo, Jujutsu, Kenpo Karate, Eskrima, Tang Soo Do, and Kung Fu. It was founded in 1947 in Oahu, Hawaii, at the Palama Settlement. The original purpose of the art was to deal with local crime and to help the people defend themselves...
and was killed by a rival in 1566 when she attempted to steal his treasure. - ThanatosThanatosIn Greek mythology, Thanatos was the daemon personification of death. He was a minor figure in Greek mythology, often referred to but rarely appearing in person...
, the ancient GreekAncient GreeceAncient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
god of death prior to 1692 who practices Time, Fate and Fisticuffs style. Thanatos is a head and palette swap of Xavier. - Thomas "Blast" Chavez, a Green BeretUnited States Army Special ForcesThe United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...
soldier from the United States of AmericaUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who practiced the Green Beret Fighting Technique and died in 1965 when his helicopter was shot down in VietnamVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Out of them all, only Dawson, Ramses III, Raven and Riptide are available from the beginning in this version.
Animal characters
Also only available in Challenge from the Dark Side, these characters lacked Vendettas and Cinekills. Their stages actually belong to other characters onto whom they piggybacked.- Crispy, a chicken from a farm, who practices Egg Fu and died by helicopter blitz in 1967. His stage is the same as Blast, which is an adapted version of Midknight's from the first game.
- Hooter, an owl from SalemSalem, MassachusettsSalem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
, who practices Owl-Kwon Do and died in 1692 alongside the character Xavier. His stage is the same as Xavier's. - Slither, a snake from a barBar (establishment)A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
called the Snakebite Saloon, that practices brawling and died in 1820 while defending his bar. He shares a stage with new character Dawson. - Yappy, a dog from New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, that practices Shih TzuShih TzuThe Shih Tzu is a breed of dog weighing with long silky hair. The breed originated in China and is among the earliest breeds. Shih Tzu were officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1969...
Fu and was run over by an automobile during a revengeful sabotage attempt in 1950. He shares a home stage with the hidden character Senator. - Zuni, a monkey at the Blue Dragon Circus, who practices Monkey Fu and died by elephant stampede in 1902 while trying to put out a fire in the circus tent. His stage is Jetta's Stage.
Unlike its predecessor, the sequel features villainous or evil characters. Whereas in the first game, each character was inherently good, there are several characters in this game that were always villainous or "bad". However, like the original roster of fighters, even these villainous characters have the potential to affect history in a positive way, either directly or inadvertently, as a result of their actions.
Gameplay
Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side kept the controversial special attack meter but made most special attacks use less of the meter than in the previous game. The characters also gained a multitude of special attacks that did not deplete the special attack meter. These two innovations kept the flow of rounds much more consistent. Eternal Champions CD actually had an ebb and flow similar to the heralded and popular Street Fighter IIStreet Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
series, but with less emphasis on special attacks. Combo
Combo
Combo may refer to:*A small musical ensemble, especially in jazz*Combo Waterhole, a real location in Australia, believed to be the inspiration for Waltzing Matilda...
attacks were also introduced in the second game and jumping attacks could be now linked to ground attacks and most normal attacks could be linked into other normal attacks. This is comparable to the "chain" combos found in Street Fighter Alpha or the later Mortal Kombat series and was seen as a much needed addition, however it occasionally led to a bit of button mashing excess. Mild "juggle" combos could also be executed by landing an additional hit on an already aerial opponent.
Overall, the gameplay was considered an improvement over the previous version. Eternal Champions was considered to be a very difficult game, with each character having a specific pattern or narrow window of vulnerability during a fight. This made fights longer and more of a chance game, whereas Challenge from the Dark Side introduced a faster paced, more action-oriented combat system.
Finishing moves
Three new types of finishing moves were added in the sequel: a second "Overkill" in each stage, called "Sudden Death", that could actually be activated when the victim still had a little life left, "Vendetta", and "Cinekill". These can be performed on a dazed opponent that has 20% or less of their life (in the final round only). Sudden Deaths and Vendettas were often exceptionally gory, and the original Overkills were also made gorier to match. Another change to the Overkills (and Sudden Deaths) was that the winning fighter would be carried off the stage in a flash of light the moment the fateful blow was made; this was likely in response to the first game's stubborn tendency to cancel an Overkill if the victor accidentally entered the trigger zone of the stage.Overkills
The game retains the stage-specific finishing moves called Overkills from the first Eternal Champions game, as well as added ones for the new stages. These are performed by defeating your opponent in a way that ensures that they fall upon a certain area of ground. If they land in the right spot, the life bars disappear and some element of the background kills them. The overkills include: being dropped down a long pit with deadly tools until only the skull remains in Midknight's level, fed to a lion in Jetta's level, impaled by a hook in Riptide's level, tossed into a tribal cauldron in Raven's level, ripped apart by a spirits in Ramses III's level, impaled by a timber on a run away mine cart in Dawson's level, devoured by dragons which come to life in Chin Wo's level, having a bomb dropped on the loser's body in Blast's level, and having a nuke fired (from the CapitolUnited States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
building?!) into the loser's body in Senator's level.
Sudden Death
A novelty in this game, each stage also gains a Sudden Death, a variant of the Overkill that could be activated even when the victim had up to 15% life remaining. Examples included being doused in a chemical from a leaking pipe in Blade's stage or getting shot dead by the Chicago Theatre's ticket booth lady in Larcen's stage.Vendettas
This also new feature grants each character a VendettaFeud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...
, a Fatality
Fatality (Mortal Kombat)
In the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games, a Fatality is a finishing move that can be used against one's defeated opponent at the end of the final match, after the boss character says "Finish Him/Her." The Fatalities are usually lethal, featuring a brutal and morbid execution of the defenseless...
-like finishing move that can be performed on an already dizzied opponent. The Vendetta is performed by motion and button presses identical to those used in a Mortal Kombat Fatality. Each character (except the unlockable animal characters) has their own Vendetta and each is performed differently. Examples of these are Dawson blasting off his opponent's head with a shotgun, R.A.X. delivering a supercharged punch that causes his opponent to burn to ashes, and Xavier shrinking down his opponent and then stomping them.
Cinekills
Finally, Cinekills activate under certain circumstances, triggered when the dominant player has earned (through successful combo attacks) temporarily unlimited inner strength/energy, the victim's health is 20% or lower, and the victim is stunned. In the Cinekill, the Dark Champion appears on the field, announces "To your death", then kills the victim in a cutsceneCutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
that supposedly mimics the victim's greatest fear (for example, Ramses III is liquefied because of his aquaphobia
Aquaphobia
Aquaphobia is an abnormal and persistent fear of water. Aquaphobia is a specific phobia that involves a level of fear that is beyond the patient's control or that may interfere with daily life. People suffer aquaphobia in many ways and may experience it even though they realize the water in an...
). They were not constructed for hidden characters. In Cinekills, Dark Champion throws shuriken
Shuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
s at Shadow Yamoto (female ninja), plants a bomb inside Larcen, separates R.A.X.'s cybernetic implants from the rest of his body, turns Slash to stone, turns Trident into a fish and crushes him under foot, vaporizes Midknight (the vampire) with sunlight, vaporizes Xavier by shooting his staff and the "infinite energy source", which is the product of his research, makes Blade tiny and crushes him between his fingers, spins Jetta rapidly and cuts her to death with her own bracelets ("bladerangs"), sneaks up behind Riptide and snaps her neck with vines, turns Ramses III's body into water which splashes everywhere before changing back to blood, brings life to Raven's snake tattoo, which then bites her, and shoots Dawson in a one-sided fast draw
Fast Draw
Fast Draw is a sport based on the romanticized art of the gunslingers in the American Old West, using traditional single action revolvers. Unlike Cowboy action shooting, Fast Draw is shot with special blanks or wax bullets...
. Certain characters actually have the ability to combo into this style of finish, such as Trident who actually had an elaborate re-dizzy combo that culminated in a Cinekill. Only the base characters can receive Cinekills, though any character can trigger one. This type of finish activates automatically.