<s>
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1993	O
fighting	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
few	O
fighting	O
games	O
of	O
its	O
time	O
developed	O
from	O
the	O
ground	O
up	O
as	O
a	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
title	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
being	O
released	O
in	O
arcades	O
first	O
and	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
home	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
released	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
in	O
hopes	O
of	O
capitalizing	O
on	O
the	O
fighting	O
game	O
mania	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
industry	O
was	O
in	O
the	O
midst	O
of	O
following	O
the	O
massive	O
success	O
of	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
(	O
1991	O
)	O
and	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
(	O
1992	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
years	O
later	O
,	O
an	O
enhanced	O
version	O
,	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
:	I-Application
Challenge	I-Application
from	I-Application
the	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Side	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
spawned	O
two	O
spin-off	O
games	O
,	O
Chicago	B-Application
Syndicate	I-Application
and	O
X-Perts	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
was	O
added	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
's	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
download	O
service	O
on	O
December	O
3	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
and	O
included	O
with	O
the	O
Sega	B-Application
Genesis	I-Application
Mini	I-Application
microconsole	O
released	O
in	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
followed	O
the	O
typical	O
eight-way	O
directional	O
pad/stick	O
with	O
six-button	O
layout	O
common	O
to	O
most	O
fighting	O
games	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
(	O
more	O
commonly	O
in	O
this	O
case	O
,	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
standard	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive/Genesis	I-Operating_System
controller	O
has	O
only	O
three	O
action	O
buttons	O
,	O
players	O
would	O
have	O
to	O
purchase	O
a	O
six-button	O
controller	O
or	O
Sega	O
Activator	O
,	O
or	O
else	O
use	O
the	O
start	O
button	O
to	O
toggle	O
the	O
action	O
buttons	O
between	O
punches	O
and	O
kicks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
,	O
all	O
special	O
move	O
commands	O
are	O
performed	O
by	O
either	O
pressing	O
multiple	O
buttons	O
together	O
,	O
or	O
holding	O
back	O
or	O
down	O
to	O
charge	O
and	O
then	O
pressing	O
towards	O
or	O
up	O
together	O
with	O
a	O
button	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
seen	O
in	O
Art	B-Application
of	I-Application
Fighting	I-Application
released	O
the	O
previous	O
year	O
,	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
has	O
a	O
"	O
special	O
attack	O
meter	O
"	O
that	O
decreases	O
each	O
time	O
a	O
character	O
performs	O
a	O
special	O
move	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
projectile	O
;	O
different	O
special	O
attacks	O
decrease	O
the	O
meter	O
by	O
different	O
amounts	O
and	O
the	O
characters	O
each	O
have	O
a	O
taunt	O
move	O
that	O
decreases	O
their	O
opponent	O
's	O
special	O
attack	O
meter	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
like	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
(	O
which	O
pioneered	O
finishing	O
moves	O
in	O
fighting	O
games	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
"	O
Overkills	O
"	O
have	O
no	O
impact	O
on	O
the	O
story	O
and	O
are	O
simply	O
a	O
gameplay	O
element	O
for	O
the	O
enjoyment	O
of	O
the	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
of	O
the	O
characters	O
returned	O
in	O
the	O
sequel	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
:	I-Application
Challenge	I-Application
from	I-Application
the	I-Application
Darkside	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Slurpee	O
flavor	O
entitled	O
"	O
Sega	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
Cherry	O
"	O
was	O
once	O
available	O
in	O
7-Eleven	O
stores	O
throughout	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
sponsored	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
tournaments	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
roaming	O
video	O
game	O
show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
gamebooks	O
,	O
titled	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
Adventure	O
Gamebook	O
:	O
The	O
Cyber	O
Warriors	O
and	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
Adventure	O
Gamebook	O
2	O
:	O
Citadel	O
of	O
Chaos	O
,	O
were	O
released	O
by	O
Puffin	O
Books	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
was	O
adapted	O
by	O
the	O
UK	O
Sega	O
Magazine	O
's	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	O
Comic	O
in	O
a	O
stand-alone	O
magazine	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
Special	O
,	O
which	O
introduced	O
the	O
main	O
characters	O
and	O
served	O
as	O
an	O
adaptation	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
characters	O
also	O
appeared	O
in	O
two	O
stories	O
in	O
the	O
main	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	O
Comic	O
series	O
,	O
first	O
in	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
(	O
issues	O
19-24	O
)	O
and	O
then	O
Larcen	O
's	O
Revenge	O
(	O
issues	O
37	O
–	O
40	O
)	O
which	O
dealt	O
with	O
the	O
professional	O
thief	O
Larcen	O
Tyler	O
returning	O
to	O
1920s	O
Chicago	O
and	O
working	O
with	O
the	O
female	O
ninja	O
Shadow	B-Application
Yamoto	I-Application
to	O
take	O
down	O
the	O
crime	O
boss	O
who	O
killed	O
him	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
was	O
the	O
only	O
non-Sonic-related	O
Sega	O
property	O
to	O
receive	O
a	O
special	O
issue	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	O
Comic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
:	O
Special	O
Moves	O
Edition	O
is	O
a	O
handheld	O
game	O
by	O
Tiger	O
and	O
is	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	O
Tiger	O
Electronic	O
Pocket	O
Arcade	O
game	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
essentially	O
a	O
smaller	O
and	O
simpler	O
version	O
of	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
top-selling	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
game	O
in	O
February	B-Application
1994	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
,	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
was	O
given	O
a	O
mixed	O
reception	O
,	O
and	O
held	O
an	O
average	O
aggregate	O
score	O
of	O
62.5	O
%	O
at	O
GameRankings	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
site	O
's	O
2019	O
closure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mean	O
Machines	O
Sega	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
97%	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
at	O
least	O
as	O
good	O
"	O
as	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Electronic	O
Games	O
gave	O
it	O
a	O
91%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
IGN	O
gave	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
release	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
6	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
,	O
criticizing	O
its	O
difficult	O
to	O
learn	O
play	O
mechanics	O
while	O
praising	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
story	O
,	O
training	O
mode	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
inner	O
strength	O
meter	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1995	O
,	O
Mega	B-Application
Zone	I-Application
included	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
their	O
Top	O
50	O
Games	O
In	O
History	O
summarizing	O
:	O
"	O
Huge	O
characters	O
and	O
heaps	O
of	O
playability	O
put	O
it	O
up	O
their	O
with	O
MKII	O
and	O
SFII.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
Complex	O
included	O
it	O
on	O
the	O
list	O
of	O
ten	O
"	O
most	O
blatant	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
ripoffs	O
"	O
but	O
added	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
successful	O
faux-MK	O
fighters	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
the	O
only	O
thing	O
that	O
sucked	O
was	O
the	O
difficulty.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
saw	O
strong	O
sales	O
and	O
was	O
at	O
one	O
point	O
a	O
popular	O
enough	O
property	O
to	O
warrant	O
a	O
sequel	O
,	O
a	O
remake	O
,	O
two	O
spin-offs	O
,	O
and	O
various	O
multimedia	O
tie-ins	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
planned	O
third	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
core	O
fighting	O
series	O
was	O
cancelled	O
Sega	O
has	O
not	O
produced	O
any	O
new	O
product	O
for	O
the	O
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
entire	O
series	O
had	O
been	O
absent	O
from	O
the	O
compilations	O
of	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
games	O
that	O
have	O
been	O
released	O
on	O
various	O
platforms	O
over	O
the	O
years	O
,	O
until	O
the	O
first	O
entry	O
saw	O
a	O
release	O
through	O
Steam	O
on	O
September	O
13	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
:	I-Application
Challenge	I-Application
From	I-Application
the	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Side	I-Application
kept	O
the	O
special	O
attack	O
meter	O
but	O
made	O
most	O
special	O
attacks	O
use	O
less	O
of	O
the	O
meter	O
than	O
in	O
the	O
previous	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
third	O
and	O
final	O
title	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
:	O
The	O
Final	O
Chapter	O
was	O
advertised	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
,	O
but	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
cancelled	O
shortly	O
after	O
beginning	O
production	O
,	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
push	O
the	O
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
series	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
Michael	O
Latham	O
,	O
this	O
decision	O
was	O
made	O
by	O
Sega	O
of	O
Japan	O
:	O
"	O
Sega	O
of	O
Japan	O
felt	O
that	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
was	O
keeping	O
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
from	O
being	O
more	O
successful	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
better	O
if	O
the	O
company	O
focused	O
on	O
only	O
one	O
franchise	O
...	O
and	O
as	O
Sega	O
is	O
a	O
Japanese	O
company	O
,	O
the	O
Japan	O
side	O
won	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
two	O
video	O
games	O
which	O
are	O
spin-offs	O
of	O
the	O
main	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
series	O
,	O
and	O
are	O
considered	O
as	O
being	O
part	O
of	O
alternate	O
universes	O
to	O
the	O
main	O
story	O
of	O
the	O
core	O
games	O
,	O
starring	O
several	O
popular	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
game	O
is	O
Chicago	B-Application
Syndicate	I-Application
,	O
an	O
action	B-Application
game	I-Application
released	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	O
Game	O
Gear	O
portable	O
platform	O
in	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plot	O
is	O
based	O
in	O
an	O
alternate	O
reality	O
where	O
Larcen	O
Tyler	O
did	O
not	O
die	O
in	O
1920	O
as	O
stated	O
in	O
Eternal	B-Application
Champions	I-Application
,	O
and	O
now	O
seeks	O
revenge	O
on	O
the	O
Chicago	O
Mafia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	O
game	O
,	O
X-Perts	B-Application
,	O
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
beat'em	B-Application
up	I-Application
released	O
in	O
1996	O
for	O
the	O
Genesis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Chicago	B-Application
Syndicate	I-Application
,	O
its	O
plot	O
is	O
based	O
in	O
an	O
alternate	O
reality	O
,	O
this	O
time	O
one	O
where	O
Shadow	B-Application
Yamoto	I-Application
did	O
not	O
die	O
in	O
1993	O
and	O
instead	O
formed	O
a	O
vigilante	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
