Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament
Encyclopedia
Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament is a video game for the PlayStation 2
(PS2) home game console
. Based on the popular manga
and anime
series YuYu Hakusho
created by Yoshihiro Togashi
, Dark Tournament follows the protagonist Yusuke Urameshi, a rebellious teenager who dies and is brought back to life in order to serve as a “Spirit Detective”, solving cases involving apparitions
and demon
s within the living world. The game covers the Dark Tournament story arc
in which Yusuke and his allies are invited by a powerful demon named Toguro to participate in a deadly martial arts
tournament.
Dark Tournament is a 3D
versus fighting game
where the player progresses by completing specific objectives tied to a combat system. These objectives range from following simple commands to full-out battles with opponent characters. Each unique character can utilize a number of basic moves as well stronger “spirit” attacks. Dark Tournament was developed by Digital Fiction
and published by Atari in North America and Europe as part of a distribution deal for the latter. Both the animation company Studio Pierrot
and English licensor Funimation had limited involvement in the game’s production.
Critical reception for Dark Tournament has been average or mixed. While most reviewers appreciated the game as visually and audibly appropriate for fans of the anime series, they judged it as falling short within the fighting genre due to flaws with its controls and certain gameplay mechanics.
and anime
series YuYu Hakusho
created by Yoshihiro Togashi
. The plot follows protagonist Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent
who is struck by a car and killed while trying to save a young child. After completing a number of afterlife tasks presented to him, Yusuke is revived and appointed as a “Spirit Detective”, a protector of the human world from various apparitions
and demon
s. Dark Tournament retells the story arc
of the same name. After accepting an invitation by a seemingly invincible demon named Toguro, Yusuke and his companions travel to a deadly, demon martial arts
tournament where the winners may claim any prize desired.
As a fighting title, a large majority of Dark Tournament relies on its combat system. The player is able to move within a straight line on a 3D
arena. The purpose of each battle is to deplete an opponent’s health while maintaining one’s own, although a participant may win by forcing an opponent out of the ring. Each of the game’s 25 player character
s has several basic and combination moves including punches, kicks, blocks, throws, and more powerful “spirit” attacks. Dark Tournament features a story mode which is divided into 31 chapters, progressing linearly through the plot of the manga and anime. The mode features different objectives relating to the narrative. For instance, one chapter requires the player to trade blows with the drunken master Chu in a match that restricts either character from moving or dodging. Other chapters allow the player to use multiple characters in battle using a tag team
system.
Other, optional gameplay modes include a training mode for learning each character’s moves; an arcade mode, where the player fights through a series of chosen opponents; a multiplayer Skirmish mode; and a token minigame
, which plays like a modified version of the card game War
. Initially, only five characters (Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, and The Masked Fighter) are playable in these modes. However, as the player advances through the story mode, other characters are added to playable roster, alternate costumes are made available, more tokens can be used in the token game, and two extra modes (Survival and Dark Tournament Plus) are unlocked.
and published by Atari. The YuYu Hakusho anime adaptation by Studio Pierrot
had begun airing in North America on Cartoon Network
in 2002, where it proved popular on the afternoon Toonami
block. In July 2003, Atari established a publishing agreement with Funimation Entertainment
, the English licensor of the anime adaptation series. Prior to this deal, games based on the series had never been made available to English-speaking audiences in North America, Europe or Australia. Atari had previously published games based another successful Funimation property, Dragon Ball Z
. After the release of one game, Yu Yu Hakusho: Spirit Detective
for the Game Boy Advance
, Atari announced Dark Tournament just before the Electronic Entertainment Expo in May 2004.
According to Atari senior producer Mark Flitman, Dark Tournament was in development for about a year and a half. Despite a comparable visual appearance to the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai series, Dark Tournament does not share the same technology as those titles. The game uses Digital Fiction’s own PS2 technology, which they optimized with more lighting and special effects. Flitman elaborated that their similar aesthetics were intentional in order to appeal to fans of the show. Dark Tournament was intended to be “a YuYu Hakusho game first, a fighting game second”. The game utilizes animated sequences from the English dub of the anime series and voice clips from the Funimation voice cast. The developer, composed of “big fans of YuYu Hakusho and Dragon Ball Z”, attempted to add a large amount of variety to the game with unlockables and the token minigame for added replay value. Digital Fiction also included a newly animated
, two-minute summary of the Dark Tournament arc, produced by Fuji Creative, Pierrot, and Funimation. The game was released in North America on September 21, 2004 and later in Europe on July 15, 2005.
. Although most reviewers agreed that the aesthetic features of the games are appropriate for fans of the manga of anime, they denoted Dark Tournament as an incompetent fighting game as a whole, mainly faulting its controls and certain gameplay mechanics. 1UP.com
’s David Beaudion noticed little difference in the characters themselves, each offering similar movesets and insignificant special attacks. “What determines the outcome of a match in Dark Tournament, essentially,” Beaudion explained, “is who can pound the button the fastest and overcome the game’s sluggish response time and slow animation.” Jeremy Dunham of IGN
was also unimpressed, stating that its combination attacks are “overly lethargic and inaccurate” with “one of the least responsive reaction times” he has seen in a fighting game in some time. He went on to berate the way an opponent can attack during the long periods it takes to perform more complex attacks. Dunham also noted an issue of challenge balance in the story mode, in which enemies are “both ruthless and clueless simultaneously”. Although GameSpot
writer Ryan Davis contrarily found the controls to be simple and responsive, he agreed with both Beaudion and Dunham on the lack of move diversity between characters and on its slow pace respectively.
Dunham praised the variety of objectives in the story mode chapters as the game’s “saving grace”, and positively compared the team battle option in skirmish mode to Marvel vs. Capcom
and Tekken Tag Tournament
. Beaudion was indifferent about the extra diversionary modes, while Davis called the additional fighting modes “predictable” and the token game “rather out of place in the context of a simple fighting game”. Beaudion and Dunham credited the cel-shaded graphics, sound effects, and music as faithful to the anime series. Beaudion enjoyed the “bright and detailed” visuals, the interjection of FMV sequences straight from the anime, the use of the Funimation voice cast, and destructible backgrounds For the most part, Davis appreciated the translation of the 3D from their 2D counterparts and the effects used for the spirit attacks. Though he felt there was an “air of authenticity” from the new dialogue, he admitted it would “probably just come off sounding like some silly anime acting.” Davis additionally felt the sound design and “rather understated music” to be aiming for consistency with the source material rather than striving to be a high-quality fighting game.
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
(PS2) home game 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...
. Based on the popular manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series YuYu Hakusho
YuYu Hakusho
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The name of the series is spelled YuYu Hakusho in the Viz Media manga and Yu Yu Hakusho in other English distributions of the franchise. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and...
created by Yoshihiro Togashi
Yoshihiro Togashi
is a Japanese manga artist. He began drawing manga at an early age; while he attended college, the publisher Shueisha recognized his talent. Togashi has authored numerous manga series in different genres during the past three decades...
, Dark Tournament follows the protagonist Yusuke Urameshi, a rebellious teenager who dies and is brought back to life in order to serve as a “Spirit Detective”, solving cases involving apparitions
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
and 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 within the living world. The game covers the Dark Tournament story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
in which Yusuke and his allies are invited by a powerful demon named Toguro to participate in a deadly martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
tournament.
Dark Tournament is a 3D
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...
versus 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...
where the player progresses by completing specific objectives tied to a combat system. These objectives range from following simple commands to full-out battles with opponent characters. Each unique character can utilize a number of basic moves as well stronger “spirit” attacks. Dark Tournament was developed by Digital Fiction
Digital Fiction
Digital Fiction was a Canadian video game developer. Established in 1999 and based in Montreal, the company was founded by the brothers Martin and Robert Lizée. Digital Fiction's first game, Race Fever for the Palm III and Palm OS, was released in October 2000 and published by Ubisoft at retail and...
and published by Atari in North America and Europe as part of a distribution deal for the latter. Both the animation company Studio Pierrot
Studio Pierrot
is a Japanese animation/animation studio, founded in 1979 by former employees of Tatsunoko Production. Its headquarters is located in Mitaka, Tokyo.The company has a simple logo of the face of a clown...
and English licensor Funimation had limited involvement in the game’s production.
Critical reception for Dark Tournament has been average or mixed. While most reviewers appreciated the game as visually and audibly appropriate for fans of the anime series, they judged it as falling short within the fighting genre due to flaws with its controls and certain gameplay mechanics.
Plot and gameplay
Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament is based on the successful mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series YuYu Hakusho
YuYu Hakusho
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The name of the series is spelled YuYu Hakusho in the Viz Media manga and Yu Yu Hakusho in other English distributions of the franchise. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and...
created by Yoshihiro Togashi
Yoshihiro Togashi
is a Japanese manga artist. He began drawing manga at an early age; while he attended college, the publisher Shueisha recognized his talent. Togashi has authored numerous manga series in different genres during the past three decades...
. The plot follows protagonist Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
who is struck by a car and killed while trying to save a young child. After completing a number of afterlife tasks presented to him, Yusuke is revived and appointed as a “Spirit Detective”, a protector of the human world from various apparitions
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
and 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. Dark Tournament retells the story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
of the same name. After accepting an invitation by a seemingly invincible demon named Toguro, Yusuke and his companions travel to a deadly, demon martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
tournament where the winners may claim any prize desired.
As a fighting title, a large majority of Dark Tournament relies on its combat system. The player is able to move within a straight line on a 3D
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...
arena. The purpose of each battle is to deplete an opponent’s health while maintaining one’s own, although a participant may win by forcing an opponent out of the ring. Each of the game’s 25 player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
s has several basic and combination moves including punches, kicks, blocks, throws, and more powerful “spirit” attacks. Dark Tournament features a story mode which is divided into 31 chapters, progressing linearly through the plot of the manga and anime. The mode features different objectives relating to the narrative. For instance, one chapter requires the player to trade blows with the drunken master Chu in a match that restricts either character from moving or dodging. Other chapters allow the player to use multiple characters in battle using a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
system.
Other, optional gameplay modes include a training mode for learning each character’s moves; an arcade mode, where the player fights through a series of chosen opponents; a multiplayer Skirmish mode; and a token minigame
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
, which plays like a modified version of the card game War
War (card game)
War is a card game typically involving two players. It uses a standard French playing card deck. Due to its simplicity, it is played most often by children.-Gameplay:The deck is divided evenly among the two players, giving each a down stack...
. Initially, only five characters (Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, and The Masked Fighter) are playable in these modes. However, as the player advances through the story mode, other characters are added to playable roster, alternate costumes are made available, more tokens can be used in the token game, and two extra modes (Survival and Dark Tournament Plus) are unlocked.
Development
Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament was developed by Digital FictionDigital Fiction
Digital Fiction was a Canadian video game developer. Established in 1999 and based in Montreal, the company was founded by the brothers Martin and Robert Lizée. Digital Fiction's first game, Race Fever for the Palm III and Palm OS, was released in October 2000 and published by Ubisoft at retail and...
and published by Atari. The YuYu Hakusho anime adaptation by Studio Pierrot
Studio Pierrot
is a Japanese animation/animation studio, founded in 1979 by former employees of Tatsunoko Production. Its headquarters is located in Mitaka, Tokyo.The company has a simple logo of the face of a clown...
had begun airing in North America on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
in 2002, where it proved popular on the afternoon Toonami
Toonami
Toonami was a registered trademark of Cartoon Network, used initially for action-oriented programming blocks on Cartoon Network television channels worldwide, mostly showing American cartoons and Japanese anime, originating in the United States on March 17, 1997 and ended on September 20, 2008.The...
block. In July 2003, Atari established a publishing agreement with Funimation Entertainment
Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
, the English licensor of the anime adaptation series. Prior to this deal, games based on the series had never been made available to English-speaking audiences in North America, Europe or Australia. Atari had previously published games based another successful Funimation property, Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995; later the 519 individual chapters were published into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Dragon Ball was inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the...
. After the release of one game, Yu Yu Hakusho: Spirit Detective
Yu Yu Hakusho: Spirit Detective
Yu Yu Hakusho: Spirit Detective is a video game for the Game Boy Advance handheld console. Based on the popular manga and anime series YuYu Hakusho created by Yoshihiro Togashi, the plot follows the central character Yusuke Urameshi, a street-brawling, often truant teenager who dies trying to save...
for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, Atari announced Dark Tournament just before the Electronic Entertainment Expo in May 2004.
According to Atari senior producer Mark Flitman, Dark Tournament was in development for about a year and a half. Despite a comparable visual appearance to the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai series, Dark Tournament does not share the same technology as those titles. The game uses Digital Fiction’s own PS2 technology, which they optimized with more lighting and special effects. Flitman elaborated that their similar aesthetics were intentional in order to appeal to fans of the show. Dark Tournament was intended to be “a YuYu Hakusho game first, a fighting game second”. The game utilizes animated sequences from the English dub of the anime series and voice clips from the Funimation voice cast. The developer, composed of “big fans of YuYu Hakusho and Dragon Ball Z”, attempted to add a large amount of variety to the game with unlockables and the token minigame for added replay value. Digital Fiction also included a newly animated
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
, two-minute summary of the Dark Tournament arc, produced by Fuji Creative, Pierrot, and Funimation. The game was released in North America on September 21, 2004 and later in Europe on July 15, 2005.
Reception
Atari reported reasonable sales of Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament during its release quarter. The game received mostly mixed or average reviews, holding aggregate scores of 58% on GameRankings and 56 out of 100 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Although most reviewers agreed that the aesthetic features of the games are appropriate for fans of the manga of anime, they denoted Dark Tournament as an incompetent fighting game as a whole, mainly faulting its controls and certain gameplay mechanics. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
’s David Beaudion noticed little difference in the characters themselves, each offering similar movesets and insignificant special attacks. “What determines the outcome of a match in Dark Tournament, essentially,” Beaudion explained, “is who can pound the button the fastest and overcome the game’s sluggish response time and slow animation.” Jeremy Dunham of IGN
IGN
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...
was also unimpressed, stating that its combination attacks are “overly lethargic and inaccurate” with “one of the least responsive reaction times” he has seen in a fighting game in some time. He went on to berate the way an opponent can attack during the long periods it takes to perform more complex attacks. Dunham also noted an issue of challenge balance in the story mode, in which enemies are “both ruthless and clueless simultaneously”. Although 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...
writer Ryan Davis contrarily found the controls to be simple and responsive, he agreed with both Beaudion and Dunham on the lack of move diversity between characters and on its slow pace respectively.
Dunham praised the variety of objectives in the story mode chapters as the game’s “saving grace”, and positively compared the team battle option in skirmish mode to Marvel vs. Capcom
Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
is the fifth Marvel Comics-licensed fighting game by Capcom and the third game in the Marvel vs. Capcom series. In contrast to X-Men vs. Street Fighter and Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, the game features characters from numerous Capcom franchises such as Mega Man and Strider, rather than...
and Tekken Tag Tournament
Tekken Tag Tournament
is the fourth installment in the popular Tekken fighting game series. It, however, is not canonical to the Tekken storyline. The game was originally available as an update kit for Tekken 3. Tekken Tag Tournament was originally released as an arcade game before it was ported to the PlayStation 2...
. Beaudion was indifferent about the extra diversionary modes, while Davis called the additional fighting modes “predictable” and the token game “rather out of place in the context of a simple fighting game”. Beaudion and Dunham credited the cel-shaded graphics, sound effects, and music as faithful to the anime series. Beaudion enjoyed the “bright and detailed” visuals, the interjection of FMV sequences straight from the anime, the use of the Funimation voice cast, and destructible backgrounds For the most part, Davis appreciated the translation of the 3D from their 2D counterparts and the effects used for the spirit attacks. Though he felt there was an “air of authenticity” from the new dialogue, he admitted it would “probably just come off sounding like some silly anime acting.” Davis additionally felt the sound design and “rather understated music” to be aiming for consistency with the source material rather than striving to be a high-quality fighting game.