For a long while Tobal 2, the experimental PlayStation fighting game directed by Tekken’s creator, Seiichi Ishii, held the record for the highest number of playable characters within its genre. The game’s Quest Mode presented an RPG-like adventure in which your fighter plunged into a series of dungeons to face off against skeletons and shopkeepers, dogs and chocobos (it launched when publisher Square Enix was at the height of its Final Fantasy pomp), which could be captured and then deployed in one-versus-one battles. Many of these creatures had limited movesets and, apart from the odd palette swap, were functionally identical. But with 200 characters to collect, the game set an unassailable record.
Eager to parry any suggestions that Capcom’s flagship fighting game is launching, like its predecessor, before it is match-ready, obliterates this record. In addition to the core roster of 18 fighters – the familiar faces of Ryu, Ken, Zangief and Blanka joined by a new generation of body-positive designs, such as towering ballerina Manon and genderfluid wrestler Marisa – the game offers
