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Sougou Kakutougi - Astral Bout 2 - The Total Fighters © 1994 King Records.
Sougou Kakutougi: Astral Bout 2 – The Total Fighters continues the simulation-focused approach of its predecessor. The game follows a tournament structure where 9 fighters compete in the "Astral Step" RINGS championship in the USA. Upon winning the title, the player advances to the "Mega Battle" in Japan, facing a steeper challenge against elite opponents. It maintains the series' commitment to realistic grappling and striking mechanics, available in both single-player championship and two-player versus modes.
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GAME ID: SHVC-EJ
Specifications: The game uses a 12-megabit cartridge.
Released on February 24, 1994 (Thursday) in Japan. The game was never exported outside Japan.
Akira Maeda’s Debut: A major upgrade over the original Astral Bout was the inclusion of the promotion's founder, Akira Maeda, as a playable character. This provided fans with the chance to control the legendary shoot-wrestler directly, significantly increasing the game's appeal among the RINGS fanbase.
Expansion of the Roster: While the first game used a variety of martial arts disciplines, Astral Bout 2 tightened its focus on specific high-profile fighters from the RINGS organization. The roster features notable real-world stand-ins, it includes legendary combatants:
Gen Kajiwara (based on Yoshiaki Fujiwara)
Bolis Goldman (based on Chris Dolman)
Naoki Takuma (based on Kiyoshi Tamura)
Duke Bryce (based on Dick Vrij)
James Louis (based on Maurice Smith)
Kenji Asuka (based on Masaaki Satake)
Volk Warren (based on Volk Han)
Gregory Lucky Hawk (based on Chris Haseman)
Championship Progression: The game introduced a tiered progression system—moving from the USA championship to the "Mega Battle" in Japan—which helped create a more distinct sense of narrative and difficulty scaling, mimicking the structure of a real-world fight tour.