G.A.S.P!! Fighters' NEXTream (Generation of Arts, Speed and Power) is a fighting game for the Nintendo 64 released in 1998. The story follows a series of fighters that have each gotten a mysterious letter to come and compete in a legendary contest, and about a champion that has disappeared. The American version is known as Deadly Arts, however the story, and the player's profiles with age and notes about the characters doesn't appear in the instructions for the American version. Except for the name change it is basically the same as the Japan and Europe versions, with slightly changed voice messages, and different character's name plates. Despite its US title none of the characters actually die nor bleed, but use of choke holds and other animated violence earned it a Teen 13+ rating.


Gameplay:

The player can choose from one of the eight fighters in a match or "Duel" after beating the other seven characters and a dental version of themselves, there are two other opponents; Gouriki (a character wearing a cat mask and rope-like fairy wings), and Ohgami Reiji (the final boss that wears a large straw hat covering his eyes, and business suit). Reiji while fighting can change into one of two other creatures characters. Hikari an all white humanoid with a third eye in his forehead, and Yami a grey skinned man with Purple beard and long side burns. The difficulty of the opponents can be changed from very easy up to expert, while the rounds, and how long they last can also be manipulated. There is a Versus mode, for teaming up or one on one, as well as a create your own fighter option. Unlike most 3D fighting games such as Virtua Fighter and Tekken, the player also receives points for how well they do, and the combination of moves they use. While creating their own character, the player can choose which type of body, height and such, then practice with the new player in the training area to gain more moves. The players game progress, scores, and created player can be saved onto Memory Paks, allowing the player to continue to try and improve their stills. There are 12 arenas in all 9 of which are available at the beginning of play and three unlockable ones, the two main boss characters also become playable after unlocking them, with Reiji the two creatures can also be transformed into and used while playing.


Reviews and criticism:

Although it was praised for its good music, the poor play controls, limited play arenas, and the ease of beating the game lead it to get a score of 3.2 out of 10 at IGN.com.