Dark Rift
Encyclopedia
Dark Rift is a 3D
fighting game
for the N64
, notable for being the first N64 game to use 60frame/s
, as well as being N64's first native fighting game. It is also unusual among fighting games in that fights go for a default three-out-of-five rounds, as opposed to the more conventional two-out-of-three.
It was originally conceived as Criticom II, and is the second of three fighting games developed by Kronos Digital, falling between Criticom
and Cardinal Syn
. These three games have been referred to as the "Trilogy of Terror", due to their rather uniform low-standing with critics.
. Gameplay spans three dimensions: the Neutral Dimension (where Earth is located), the Dark Dimension (home to demon
s), and the Light Dimension (home to energy beings). Although the creatures of the Dark Dimension are demonic, there is no indication that the inhabitants of the Light Dimension have any angel
ic qualities.
Acording to legend,when the universe was created,a Maser Key was forged to lock away all ancient secrets and the infinite power of cosmos.The key was divided and cast into diferent circles of reality.
When the Hyperions accidentally acquired a piece of the Master Key,then called Core Prime Element,they abuse its power and proclaimed themselves the Chosen Ones.After many years of tyrannical rule,their society became morally destitute and internally corrupted.In the midst of political and social chaos,Sonork Nezom arose as the Chosen Ones´s demented Emperor.With the help of his sordid followers,Sonork enslaved the mass populace,murdered any possible oppositor,and claimed the Core Prime Element as his own.
For many years,only one entity sought the prize with vigilant fervor,Demitron,The Lord Demon of the Dark Dimension.When Nezom came into the power,Demitron knew his chance had come.To retrieve the Core Prime Element and murder Sonork,Demitron sent his most hideous servant,Demonica Gkroux.When the arch demon Demonica failed,she exchanged secret information for her life.She told Sonork that,aside from his Core Prime Element,there were at least two more pieces of the Mster Key.Demonica also reaveled that while the Light Prime Element´s location had never been discovered,the Dark Prime Element was imbedded in her lord master´s head.
Then Sonork convoked a tournament to force the Light Prime Element´s owner to show himself.With the Core and Light Prime Elements,Sonork has no problem to challenge the dangerous Demitron,cut off his head to obtain the Dark Prime Element and proclaim himself the Emperor of the Universe...
gave Dark Rift an overall score of 5.4 - Mediocre (with its graphics scoring the highest points at 7.0), referring to the game as "a visually attractive game with very little in the way of gameplay." IGN's Peer Schneider said "Dark Rift suffers from a horrible lack of personality and is virtually devoid of any innovation."
Jeff Gerstmann of Gamespot
gave the game 5.0 - mediocre (with graphics again scoring highest at 8.0), saying it "feels like a Virtua Fighter-inspired mishmash of monsters, demons, and guys with guns. The graphic effects are the only things that save Dark Rift from falling below average."
SCARYLARRY at GamePro
gave Dark Rift a short but positive review, stating simply "Although Dark Rift may not be in the elite class of fighters, Nintendo 64 owners starving for a slaying may find themselves satiated by a weekend with Dark Rift." He gave the game a score 4/5.
In reference to the "Trilogy of Terror" title used for Kronos's fighting games, Stan Liu (head and founder of Kronos) said "we got stuck doing fighting games for a while simply because we were one of the very few U.S. game developers that actually made a fighting game. Hence, Dark Rift and Cardinal Syn
."
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
fighting game
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...
for the N64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, notable for being the first N64 game to use 60frame/s
Frame rate
Frame rate is the frequency at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images called frames. The term applies equally well to computer graphics, video cameras, film cameras, and motion capture systems...
, as well as being N64's first native fighting game. It is also unusual among fighting games in that fights go for a default three-out-of-five rounds, as opposed to the more conventional two-out-of-three.
It was originally conceived as Criticom II, and is the second of three fighting games developed by Kronos Digital, falling between Criticom
Criticom
Criticom is a 3D versus fighting game developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment and released in November 1995 in the USA, March 1996 in Europe and October 1996 in Japan by Vic Tokai for the PlayStation. The Sega Saturn version was released in early 1997....
and Cardinal Syn
Cardinal Syn
Cardinal Syn is a fighting game developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment, the creators of Criticom and Dark Rift, and published by Sony through their 989 Studios in 1998.- Gameplay :...
. These three games have been referred to as the "Trilogy of Terror", due to their rather uniform low-standing with critics.
Setting
Dark Rift takes place far in the future, sometime after the events of CriticomCriticom
Criticom is a 3D versus fighting game developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment and released in November 1995 in the USA, March 1996 in Europe and October 1996 in Japan by Vic Tokai for the PlayStation. The Sega Saturn version was released in early 1997....
. Gameplay spans three dimensions: the Neutral Dimension (where Earth is located), the Dark Dimension (home to demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s), and the Light Dimension (home to energy beings). Although the creatures of the Dark Dimension are demonic, there is no indication that the inhabitants of the Light Dimension have any angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
ic qualities.
Plot
The crystal (the acquisition of which is the main motivation of the characters of Criticom) turns out to be the Core Prime Element of a Master Key, one which holds the power to all the secrets in the universe. The Master Key was found eons ago lodged in a spatial tear. When it was retrieved it burst into three pieces, sending two pieces into alternate dimensions, and widening the tear into the game's namesake Dark Rift.Acording to legend,when the universe was created,a Maser Key was forged to lock away all ancient secrets and the infinite power of cosmos.The key was divided and cast into diferent circles of reality.
When the Hyperions accidentally acquired a piece of the Master Key,then called Core Prime Element,they abuse its power and proclaimed themselves the Chosen Ones.After many years of tyrannical rule,their society became morally destitute and internally corrupted.In the midst of political and social chaos,Sonork Nezom arose as the Chosen Ones´s demented Emperor.With the help of his sordid followers,Sonork enslaved the mass populace,murdered any possible oppositor,and claimed the Core Prime Element as his own.
For many years,only one entity sought the prize with vigilant fervor,Demitron,The Lord Demon of the Dark Dimension.When Nezom came into the power,Demitron knew his chance had come.To retrieve the Core Prime Element and murder Sonork,Demitron sent his most hideous servant,Demonica Gkroux.When the arch demon Demonica failed,she exchanged secret information for her life.She told Sonork that,aside from his Core Prime Element,there were at least two more pieces of the Mster Key.Demonica also reaveled that while the Light Prime Element´s location had never been discovered,the Dark Prime Element was imbedded in her lord master´s head.
Then Sonork convoked a tournament to force the Light Prime Element´s owner to show himself.With the Core and Light Prime Elements,Sonork has no problem to challenge the dangerous Demitron,cut off his head to obtain the Dark Prime Element and proclaim himself the Emperor of the Universe...
Fighters
- Aaron Maverick:from the planet Earth,Aaron is a weapons and explosives expert and use a MFG-16 rifle.Aaron is a master in karate,too.
- Demitron:from the Doom Island of the Dark Dimension,the Lord Demon Demitron uses a Rift Blade in his arm and his gigant build to defeat his enemies.
- Demonica Gkroux: from Hades Mountain on the Dark Dimension,Demonica has a flaming breath and an animalistic fighting style with her claws
- Eve: from the Garden of Eden,Eve is a human mind in a cybernetic female body.Her style is fencing and use a light saber.
- Gore: from the Highlands of Dorlon comes Gore,with his skull crushing axe.Is a savage fighter golem alike with no mercy for his rivals.
- Morphix: the Light Dimension is the home of Morphix,a pure energy entity.Nobody knows his past.He transforms his bodyparts into blades.
- Niiki Kat´Har: princess of the Jungle City of Faralon,Niiki uses the discipline of Inverse Kinematics and uses also dual rings of Faralon.
- Scarlet of Hyperia: she comes from the Shores of Hyperia,and,like her ancestors,uses the Dragon Slayer discipline and a Dragon Sword with Shield.
- Sonork Nezom: he come from the War Zone of Hyperia,his sociopathic tendencies make him enjoys killing with his bionic rifle-bladed arm.Hail Emperor Nezom.
- Zenmuron: he use his Phoenix Katana and Kenjutsu.Nobody knows any other information from him.
Reception
Doug Perry at IGN.comIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave Dark Rift an overall score of 5.4 - Mediocre (with its graphics scoring the highest points at 7.0), referring to the game as "a visually attractive game with very little in the way of gameplay." IGN's Peer Schneider said "Dark Rift suffers from a horrible lack of personality and is virtually devoid of any innovation."
Jeff Gerstmann of Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the game 5.0 - mediocre (with graphics again scoring highest at 8.0), saying it "feels like a Virtua Fighter-inspired mishmash of monsters, demons, and guys with guns. The graphic effects are the only things that save Dark Rift from falling below average."
SCARYLARRY at GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
gave Dark Rift a short but positive review, stating simply "Although Dark Rift may not be in the elite class of fighters, Nintendo 64 owners starving for a slaying may find themselves satiated by a weekend with Dark Rift." He gave the game a score 4/5.
In reference to the "Trilogy of Terror" title used for Kronos's fighting games, Stan Liu (head and founder of Kronos) said "we got stuck doing fighting games for a while simply because we were one of the very few U.S. game developers that actually made a fighting game. Hence, Dark Rift and Cardinal Syn
Cardinal Syn
Cardinal Syn is a fighting game developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment, the creators of Criticom and Dark Rift, and published by Sony through their 989 Studios in 1998.- Gameplay :...
."