Many fighting fans like myself have been thinking, is Soul Calibur really worth buying a Dreamcast for? Well, it is one of the only games of all time to be ranked a perfect 10/10 by many gaming sites, and you'll know why. In 1997, Soul Blade was released for the PSX, in which 9 warriors search for the ultimate weapon. It was already ranked to be the BEST weapon fighting game ever, and its sequel, Soul Calibur was released in 1999 for the Sega Dreamcast and was bigger and better. Soul Blade alone easily made the Tekken games bow. In this epic walk through the stage of history, meet new faces like Kilik and Lizard man, along with originals like the ninja, Taki, and the original wielder of Soul Edge Cervantes (Nightmare has Soul Edge now). Be taught by Edge Master (forget Olcadan and charade), and fight the boss, Inferno, soul of Soul Edge. There are twice as many characters in this game than Soul Blade, all looking great. Even the facial expressions look real, the characters show pain, joy, you name it. Not only do the fighters look great, but the stages look INCREDIBLE. You're not on some lame street, but on a platform, flowing through a river, on realistic, flowing water. My point is, the graphics on this game are STUNNING for 1999, and Namco have outdone themselves on this game compared to the 2 later games in the series, especially Soul Calibur III. Soul Calibur is not ALL looks that make it squash the rest, the gameplay is deep, tactical (unlike Mortal Kombat, the gameplay is horrible but fatalities rule), and each character has many moves to use that are fairly easy to pull off and juggle/combine (unlike Tekken), so you can think more on the game than the controls. There is also blocking commands, guard impacting, wake-ups, any many more gameplay terms giving Soul Calibur quite a unique, and deep playing system. The last thing to top it off is that there are many other modes to enjoy, like mission battle, team battle, survival, and many more modes. And of course, GREAT epic, orchestral music to go with it. The only minor, tiny setbacks are that the characters only speak Japanese (but the voices/quotes/subtitles are great) and that each characters ending is only a couple of pictures (in Soul Blade they were cut scenes). My personal complaint is that Inferno looks so awesome with his fiery body, but if you pick him he's just what it appears as a plastic man with fire inside it (may be due to graphical reasons). Aside from that the last three mentioned things don't really take away from this masterpiece at all. So, is Soul Calibur really worth buying a Dreamcast for up to nine years later? YES.Read full review
After playing this game, I can definitely see why everyone was so excited about Soul Calibur for the Dreamcast (if you Google around the web, you'll see it got all sorts of top marks upon its release). Great gameplay, excellent graphics (especially for the 1999/2000 years), and TONS of extra features and unlockables add to this game's replay value--something that's becoming increasingly rare in the genre of fighting games. For those who've spent years playing Street Fighter/Tekken/King Of Fighters, and have NEVER played any of the Soul Calibur games (like me), why not take the time to see how it all began and pick up this nice lil' gem!
To be honest, I'm not really into fighter games. I mostly prefer racing, FPS, platforming, and open-world games (i.e. GTA series). However, I can see why SoulCalibur is one the rare 10/10 rated games. It was one of the original launch titles for the Sega Dreamcast in 1999 and for its time, and arguably still, boasts impressive graphics and music. The controls are pretty precise, but what I like about it, as similar to many Sega Games, is its arcade-style gameplay, meaning you can simply pick up and play. There is also an additional Mission Mode gameplay, which I have not delve into yet. Additionally, the characters speak in Japanese (with English subtitles) which I think adds to the authenticity of the game. If you own a Sega Dreamcast, along with Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi, Metropolis Street Racer and Jet Grind Radio, you should add SoulCalibur to your collection as these games truly showcase the impressiveness of this short-lived but uniquely under-appreciated console.Read full review
Prepare for a fighting experience of epic proportions. With memorable, interesting, and exciting characters, smooth and simple controls, and crisp and fast graphics, you are in for a real treat. Graphics: The Dreamcast produces some really nice, crisp 3D visuals with a nice, smooth framerate. The characters and locations are not as detailed as in later Soul Calibur games. Controls: Uses Directional pad or analog stick, your choice. Vertical attack, horizontal attack, kick, and block. Using the button layout is quite simple and easy to become accustomed to. There are several difficulty settings. Lots of customizable options (Time limit, number of rounds, and more). This is a 3d fighter, as opposed to a 2d fighter, so you can side step and some moves will move characters across 3d space. Overall, controls are very enjoyable. Story: There are no cutscenes when you beat the game with a character. Instead, there are 2D pictures with text. Lame. However, the characters themselves are exciting, interesting, and memorable. Also, Character taunts before and after matches are voice acted in Japanese with English subtitles. I would have preferred English voice acting as in later Soul Calibur games. Other: There are several different game modes, weapons, character costumes, bonus stages, bonus characters, and secret characters to unlock. This is great fun. Music: Arousing with a classical feel to it. Suits the time period of the story well. Different tunes are played at different stages or when different characters are present. Decent music. Also, there are a lot of really cool sound effects for weapons clashing, hits, blocks, etc. Overall: This game is not as good as Soul Calibur II (PS2, Gamecube, XBox), Soul Calibur III (PS2 only), or Soul Calibur IV (XBox 360, PS3), but is still one of the best fighting games ever made and is one of the best and most popular games on the Sega DreamCast. Also in the "Soul" series is Soul Edge, the first game in the series, released before Soul Calibur and is for the Sony PlayStation only. Note: All of these games were released in the arcade too.Read full review
but the first reason is the gameplay easy to learn much easier for combos, speacials,manueverability. #2 sega's design on the controller for that game was perfect for my hands if i remember the yb ak setup for my controller options on the buttons sets me up for vs player mode supremacy when i wasn't playing any one i set that practice mode on the hardest setting where it attacks you back with every character yes even voldo and cervantes daughter whats her name? for hours a day for months recovering from hip toe knee and back surgeies that was the only game i had besides grandia so i eventually mastered soul charge blocks on all characters and all special grabs at will to every apponent it is not easy goin against me and i can block all blockable combos not to sound game nerdy freaky but i can truly say i am edgemaster status but i prefer in this order cervantes,hwang,xuanchuah,ivy,mitsurugi. my unbeatable four all mastered completely. i've always believe there should be a world wide gathering of soul calibre purests should get together and compete for the enjoyment of the best game ever .Read full review
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