Critics praised the game's visuals and presentation but widely panned its gameplay mechanics. An early polygonal 3D fighting game, it features a mystery sci-fi backstory and eight fighters from across the galaxy, each attempting to get their hands on a crystal artifact.

The Story Behind Criticom

Kronos Digital Entertainment's next fighting game, Dark Rift, was originally announced under the title "Criticom II", and includes the character Demonica and Sonork from Criticom. The Chosen Ones used this power to subjugate the other races, exterminating those that failed to comply. After this era of war, The Chosen Ones began to enjoy a new age of peace.

Criticom is a 1995 fighting video game developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was originally released by Vic Tokai on November 29, 1995, followed by a Sega Saturn port in 1996. Now, warriors from all over the universe seek the relic, each with their own ambitions.

How Criticom Plays

Kronos Digital Entertainment's next fighting game, Dark Rift, was originally announced under the title "Criticom II", and includes the character Demonica and Sonork from Criticom. Criticom is a 1995 fighting video game developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment for the PlayStation. The fighting action takes place on a round, elevated platform.

The Chosen Ones used this power to subjugate the other races, exterminating those that failed to comply. The fight runs until one fighter is knocked out (no more power in their meter), one is knocked out of the arena (or steps/jumps out), or the time runs out. Each fighter begins the fight with a full power meter and one power meter refill in reserve that is activated when the primary meter is depleted.

Why Players Still Load It Up

On a more positive note, PlayStation Magazine called it "a challenging combat game that only reveals its depth with time". A reviewer for Next Generation said the game has impressive graphics, making particular note of the realistic lighting and shadow effects, but looks poor in motion due to the animation being done "by hand", without motion capture. The first news and screenshots of the game sparked an enthusiastic reaction from VideoGames, which called it "one of the coolest fighting game experiences in a long time", but ultimately went on to receive mostly negative reviews, as critics found the strong character designs and graphics to be outweighed by the poor animation and gameplay.

The best score was given to the game's sound/FX, 74%, while graphics received 65%, and "fun" 59%. According to Kronos president Stan Liu, the game was a commercial success, partly because it had been completed on budget and on time, and partly because it sold in respectable numbers, which he attributed chiefly to it being a fairly early PlayStation game. However, he felt the sluggish moves, particularly the throws, give the game less impact and make it more of a holdover until the next installment of Virtua Fighter or Toshinden.

Criticom — Frequently Asked Questions