User Reviews

Being a lover of video games, I go around to different websites to check out other games. During my usual visits to several places, I've noticed two games that received the highest score possible. They are as follows: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) and Soul Calibur (DC).

My sister, who is a fighting game fanatic, recently bought Dreamcast to play fighting game, namely Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Soul Calibur. After 3 months of searching, she finally received a copy of the latter for a present.

At first I was skeptic about how much I would enjoy this game, but D---! This is one of the best fighting games I have ever played! Everything about this game is great!

First, the graphics. They say Playstation 2 has better graphics, but none of the games I've played or seen other people play on it looks as good as this one. The characters are all nicely animated and look realistic! The backgrounds are detailed, stuff I haven't seen since Rare's Conker's Bad Fur Day.

The music is nice, but it still doesn't match up with the music from games like Zelda and Super Mario 64 or even Yoshi's Story. Ah, well, it still gets stuck in my head. The people all speak in Japanese, which is pretty cool, but I think it would be more appropriate if each people spoke in their own vernacular.

The gameplay is actually fairly simple and extremely addicting. Though the game is still not devoid of cheap moves, but with the blocking system, it's almost impossible to use them. And you can't spend the entire time blocking either. Overall, this game plays very well.

There is only one other fighting game that has captured my attention like Soul Calibur, and that is Super Smash Bros. With several features such as Mission Mode (where you play missions to earn points and buy art cards), it's no wonder the lasting appeal for this game is so high.

And did I mention two extremely cute girls?

This game is the best game I have ever played for the Dreamcast. If you have a Dreamcast and don't have this game, get it. If even a fighter-hater like me can get sucked in by its charm, then I don't see why anyone else can't.

The one that started it all! I played this both in the arcade and at home. It was probably the first game that ever gave me a competitive edge -- I felt like I just *had* to get better! The move sets are easy for anyone to master if they're willing to learn, the combat is fluid and incredibly addictive. I still go back and play this on my Dremcast! The graphics have aged wonderfully!

I bought a Dreamcast just so I could play this, such is my belief that it is one of the finest software lines that Namco have. I had never played Soul Calibur in my life, but knowing full well that Soul Blade STILL IS one of the best beat-em-ups about, I knew I could not go wrong. And after spending £200 just to play it, did I feel cheated? OF COURSE NOT. This game has never failed to impress anyone who plays it, and everytime I load it up, I still can't believe how much detail and effort is packed into it. The graphics, music score, characters, artwork, control system, moves, extra features, EVERYTHING is so perfectly crafted, it makes me shudder when people place Tekken above this. If it was just style over content, I could understand it. But this game has everything, and it has in truckloads. If you only ever buy one beat-em-up, for God's sake buy this.

In the 16th century, martial artists across the globe quest for a lengendary sword that may be either the ultimate weapon or a beacon of peace.

I can't really think of any other game, especially a beat 'em up, that can claim to be as perfect as Soul Calibur. Sure, some games are as exhillerating and exiting as this 99.9% of the time, but there is always that one bit you really can't stand. SC is different, because I just can't stop playing it! The first thing you notice is of course the graphics, which are so real they should be illegal. The fighter's clothes and hair are blown in the wind, the motion captured moves are jaw dropping and the backgrounds are beutiful beyond belief. The whole presentation is superb.

Now on to the fighting. The main reason I got this game was because, not owning a playstation, I'd not played a decent beat 'em up in years. I was worried that I wouldn't understand 3D combat (yes, I'm that old) and I knew that Namco was renowned for having too many fighters and moves in their games. Luckily I was wrong, wrong, wrong! There are LOTS of moves, but rather than memorising the finger crunching button sequences of lesser fighters, SC's moves are instinctive, as I was able to pick up and kick ass within seconds. My favorite aspects of the combat are personal preferences: 1) There are no 'fire balls,' as the fighting in SC is up close and personal. Most of the moves are belivable, with hardly any magical attacks. This is a breath of fresh air those who hate their opponent attacking from afar until the end of the round. 2) This is weapon combat. I LIKE FISTS TOO but this is the first time I've been able to take a weapon into battle (and not be forced to drop it because I was was hit). Sword fights are cool in film. They are now cool in games. Numchukkas, Samuris, Rods, they're all here. 3) No fixed combos. Normally if you want to connect a number of moves you need to remember a different button sequence. In SC, you have total control over what moves you use. You can create your own fighting style, and this creates a huge amount of satisfaction. So is that SC finished then? No way!

Sure there's the Arcade mode, but that takes about 5 minutes. The real meat of SC is the treasure trove of extras to unlock. Defeating arcade mode with each character unlocks a new fighter or arena, making you want to finish the game with each of the highly playable characters. However, 'Mission Battle' modes plays more like a story, with each level starting with small prologue and mission objective. Because this isn't a best of 3 battle now. Oh no. Each 'mission' has a different way of completion. This can be anything from defeating a set number of opponents to playing a bizzare game of 'tag,' with the person who's it losing health all the time. Why bother, you ask? Well, each time you complete a mission you get points. You can then use these points to 'buy' art cards in a special gallery. The gallery contains around 200 specially commissioned works, from character concepts to water colors, and I am often turning on the game simply to lose myself in the gallery, the fights taking a back seat. But there's more, as buying certain artworks open even more new extras including extra costumes, character profiles and specially choreographed martial arts demonstrations. You can even edit the game's intro movie! I could go on forever about the time attack, survival and team battle modes (it seems like I've been going on forever) but I think that it's time I draw this review to a close.

As my summery says, this game is perfect. I bought it 2nd hand for sixteen English pounds but I would have paid triple if I knew then what I know now. If you see it, buy it. Even if you hate beat 'em ups. I MEAN IT. Because if you play it and really think it's terrible you're an incredible person, and I'd like to meet you. It's a miracle that perfection can come this cheap.

10 of 10 points

WOW

That's one of the best (probably the best) beat 'em ups I've ever played. Great graphics, excellent music and sound, and a phaenomenal gameplay. I've been playing this game with my friends now for months and it seems that it will never bore us. Even the singleplayer mode with its missions and of course the obligatory arcade mode is better then in any other beat 'em up I ever played. I would say its worth buying a Sega Dreamcast just to play this. As you can see I'm very impressed and, of course, I will play Soul Calibur 2, too.

That game made me buy the Dreamcast. I started to play it when it went out, and I never stopped since ("whoa, that guy must be kinda tired now!") (That wasn't my point.),practising almost every day and challenging friends. that game really NEEDS a great amount of technic, concentration, intelligence, quickness of reaction, etc from the player. It's just the most challenging game of his kind!! The best ever!!!

I have never played any other fighting game with so much depth on it. Not that the story is deep, of course-I'm talking about the engine. Soul Calibur features so many extra modes, characters and moves that it makes me wonder if Tekken Tag Tournament will really take it down. Not to mention the Graphics, of course-the world had never seen anything as graphically detailed before. The two characters on screen really use all of what the Dreamcast can offer.

It is just a pity that other DC games aren't this good. If you own a Dreamcast, of course, you MUST buy it. Not doing it would be a waste.