SoulCalibur

"An Epic Fantasy of Greatness"

Welcome to the World, a Tale of Souls and Swords, eternally retold. Put off your corporate dress and show your skills and body, and fight to prove your ground on the stage of history. Transcend the fallacies of mere mortal farces, and come unto the power that defines the very essence of the great spirit within us all. Just as long as you believe in yourself, you don't have to worry about the Blades of Glory for the Soulful Swords will unfold. For the dreams that come what may, this is Soul Calibur.

Soul Calibur is one of the very redefined genres of arcade fighting and one of the finest at that. There have been many to claim the title to fame, but none have seem to really succeed other the sword that outshines them, all that being the Soul Calibur. While most arcade fighters of the days smash and bash with limited combos, Soul Calibur takes it a step further beyond the edge. It puts together all the best of player versus player combat and surfaces it to a whole newfound ground with weapon of souls as your fighting spark and a sexy figure to combat all that oppose. Soul Calibur is fast paced, epic, sexy, and pulls off all the right moves and if that doesn't tickle your fancy, a certain Lizardman might appeal to your charm.

Story- 10/10 - This particular story takes place after the events of the Soul Edge or Soul Blades so to speak in which Cervantes was defeated and Sigfried upon seeking greatness became the Nightmare which was to unfold. There is this Sword called the Soul Edge, a sword that uses great power to any who hold it in their grasp. However there is a falseness with this legend for it is a very evil sword that feeds off of souls to keep itself intact. And when all who claim the sword, many bad things happen and tragedies behold for that is it's only purpose which is to destroy. Thus another sword was made to destroy this deviant Soul Edge and that is the Soul Calibur. A very powerful healing Sword that with the right intention and might, will destroy the Soul Edge and all the evil within it. While many claim to seek the Soul Edge, only a few may wield the Soul Calibur and Xianghua is one of those destined few. While there is no knowing of what is truly to become of the Soul Edge or Soul Calibur, one thing is for certain, and that is for as long as there is desire for the Soul Blades of Power, people will wield them for their own purposes be it for the right reasons or the wrong ones as well. Soul Calibur really doesn't need a definitive storyline because it is mainly just a weapon based combat fighting game with sexy character. Who really needs storyline for Soul Calibur for it is a Tale of Souls and Swords! But beside that, the small stories are fine by themselves and add a little spice and sugar to each of the characters and their backgrounds as to why they fight and do what they do. Most of the story revolves around the Soul Edge and after the great battle against Inferno, the Soul Edge is destroyed and the Soul Calibur appears with a happy ending. Story wise it's really fun and entertaining but without being over engaging since it isn't a cinematic video masterpiece such as metal gear solid or final fantasy. Yet it holds enough stability to keep the mind at ease and awe with inspiration. To understand most of the story there is a Story Battle mode on which you take a Journey and unlock secrets along the way. That mode basically explains all that has happened within the Soul Calibur Universe and why some things are the way they are. For the most part it's pretty perfect minus a few soft edges which are easily smoothed off with the right timing.

Control- 10/10 - The control is the smoothest and easiest that has ever been grasped by an arcade fighter of its type and so far no other has contended to the greatness of this. It has the movements and fluidity of Tekken but without any of the Jagged or Rough edges that slow it down. The moves are simple and easy to learn but hard to master and perfect. Attacking and Defending are an easy task without any difficulty what so ever. Combos are effortlessly done with ease, but to execute a master style of technique takes time and patience to be of the greatest skill and a mad one at that. The play against another soul is epic and ruthless in its own feat. The only minor drawback might be the no walls for the stage and easy ring outs. This can be tricky if you just want to train all day. None the less, it delivers fully and without disappointment.

Graphics- 10/10 - At the time of its debut and release Soul Calibur is one of the finest of its kind. Before this not many had the essence or capture of real time and this one title proved its surrealism and greatness. Be it with the shadowed figure of Ivy training on her whip, Mitsurgi using his Katana, or the fateful Lizardman running with his bad charades, you could almost feel how close and real the visuals are. Especially since most graphics before this weren't much to look at especially now. But going from the pixelated and blocky age of its predecessors before to the up and coming visuals of the next generation consoles prove much to the naked eye. The transition was something to be amazed and marveled at if chance you seen it. There are incredible details from the movements of the fighters, the breasts of the sexual madams, lush backgrounds, day and night differences, and so much more than meets the foreseeing eye. And if that wasn't cool enough, you got to switch the characters for the intros so you could switch Kilik with Seung Mina or Sophitia as the girl in the wind to Ivy per say. But the main in game graphics aren't the only thing to take a look at. There are plenty of great professional and fan based illustrations that can be viewed and looked at as reward for your efforts. Even minor details such as this and simple things make this something just so much more than what it really is. To say it has this special emotion attached with it and it's hard not to feel more than an emotional high of a splendid honor.

Music- 10/10 - With an orchestrated feature of symphonic rises and trembling undertakings, the sound and music takes you to a whole new level of an Epic Scale. Even the smallest ripples of sound can be felt with a supreme peak. When you listen to the music of Soul Calibur, you hear Greatness. Be it the highest of highs classic such as the Shrine of Eurydice to the Opening theme seeing the bright light of the Soul Edge, you know that purity in its purest form can bring forth miracles. Most of all the tracks are authentic and crisp to listen to. They redefine what may be the Ultimate of Musical Harmony and Tranquility. Plus it's fun and exciting to listen to and makes you feel better as you listen to it.

Gameplay- 10/10 - From the odd array of sexual attractive characters and the way they battle with souls and swords is a legend in itself. The gameplay is so very good so that you could be playing this game for hours on end and not even grasp the surface of what all of this can be. The moves are done with a vertical attack, a horizontal attack, a block, and a kick. This along with the Soul Charge, side stepping, a combinations of throws and sprinting. There a ton of moves some not even listed on the game's text. You have the character select with the alternative costume and for some a plus third bonus costume depending on the character. You can change the appearance of the weapon if you unlock the edge master but that is during the later and end part of the game. Each character fights with their own unique weapon and style. The great thing about Soul Calibur is that no single character is better than the other and you can probably beat anyone using any character depending how good you are with them. And that is part of what makes this game so great is that you can play from all sides and enjoy just as equally without even being the slightest bit frustrated. The best enjoyable playing aspect is that it is purely just plain fun and it shows what video games are supposed to be about. Fun games that you could get into and feel better at it without being tightly committed to it. And if you do commit to the game, it becomes more a better part of you and not a frustrated boss you can't beat and become forever scarred because of that darn slashed emotion called impossibility. Soul Calibur is honest, straight forward, and downright great in its own mind. If there was a definition of perfection in the dictionary, Soul Calibur is the primary example.

Overall- 10/10 - From head to toe, from big chests to tight bussoms, Soul Calibur is the Elite Fit. It is one of the only few fighting games to get the sacred platinum award which is 3 perfect 10s and by egm's standard, that's a life changing experience. They do not hand those out graciously I guarantee you. The slightest thing I don't prefer is that you can't be the end fire version of Inferno when you beat the entire thing but that's really minor if anything. Soul Calibur is one of the best games out there and is a definite must if you are a true wielder of the Souls and Swords and sexy females fighters, good looking guy brawlers, and the uniquely attractive monster individuals. And if you do not give props to Lizardman, you will not be handed any honor for a True Warrior fights with the Gladius Sword and Small Round Shield of Gratuity and strides with an iron fist of scales.

While Ivy may be Japan's greatest video game dominatrix, and Sophitia is a Greek Sorority Sister, and Lizardman is the greatest one lizard army, one thing holds true, The Legend will Never Die, but the Soul Still burns.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/11/08

Game Release: SoulCalibur (US, 09/08/99)