SoulCalibur

"Welcome to the stage of history!"

It can be said, without hesitation, that Namco is responsible for some of the greatest video games ever created. What's more, Namco has defined the word quality when it comes to arcade-to-console conversion. While better known for Tekken in fighting game circles, Namco is also responsible for another series of games in the same genre, the latest of which is called SoulCalibur.

The story for SoulCalibur centers around a mystical sword that has been known by many names as tales of its power were whispered from generation to generation. Many seek to claim the sword for power and personal gain while others know of its evil and quest to destroy it. Nineteen warriors from around the globe and beyond will eventually meet in combat, all hoping to win the ultimate prize. What happens then is all up to you...

SoulCalibur is easily the best graphical achievement for a video game to date for any home system (or computer for that matter). You have to break the graphics down into three separate categories: textures, animation, and special effects. The textures in SoulCalibur are truly breath taking. The attention to even the most minor of details is what makes this game look so damn good. You'll see definition in muscles, highlights in the hair, and mind-boggling depth to the shadows on the characters. As impressive as the textures are though, the animation will just blow you away. Models move with an uncanny sense of realism, never bending or flexing in any way other than that of natural human tolerance. But the beauty of the animation doesn't stop there. Just wait until you see the way a character's clothing and hair move independent from the character itself, reacting to the breeze or the surroundings. But most impressive of all is the quivering of muscles when a character falls to the ground or completes a hard-hitting move that leaves him or her motionless for a few seconds. Sheer perfection. Finally, we come to the special effects. While more impressive than most games, they seem hardly noticeable when compared to the quality of the textures and animation. And if you're wondering about the stages themselves, wonder not, for they too have been re-worked and are now present in glorious 3D.

Now its time to examine the sound of SoulCalibur. The voice work is, of course, excellent. Rather than re-recording the game in English, the character voices remain original with added sub-titles for translation. The sound effects are also pretty impressive, equipping this game with a wider array of audio samples than that of most fighting titles. Most important, of course, is the music. This is where I found the only fault present in SoulCalibur. While the music itself is quite extraordinary, for the most part it reminds me of RPG music. In other words, it seems a tad out of place for a fighting game. Don't get me wrong, it's still one of the best video game scores I've ever heard, it's just that more than a few songs fail to get the blood pumping. In fact, some of the songs seem almost tragic, like you're at a funeral or some other similar event. Oh well, it's still good even if it is out of place.

Another outstanding aspect of SoulCalibur is its control. Even on the regular Dreamcast pad, SoulCalibur controls like a dream. Moves and combos are easy enough to pull off (with a bit of practice) and the instantaneous response to your every input is noticeable. Namco really knows how to work with a system and get the most out of it without sacrificing the game itself. Purists may want to invest in an official arcade stick, but only if you absolutely have to play your fighting game with one. Otherwise, you'll find yourself just as happy with the way the Soul Caliber controls on the standard pad.

Almost perfect in design, SoulCalibur is what every game company should strive to achieve in their own product. With a wide variety of modes to play through (see next paragraph) as well as a unique cast of well-balanced characters, SoulCalibur is the ultimate fighting game for a home console. Believe me, I do not say this lightly either. As much as I love and respect Namco, Capcom is still my number one company. However, Namco's first Dreamcast game crushes everything Capcom has done to date. One can only hope this will force companies like Capcom to strive for perfection.

I don't even know where to begin with the list of SoulCalibur's bonuses and extras. First off, there's the Story Mode. In Story Mode, you pick a fighter and go through various missions that have you meeting certain objectives in order to win the match. Objectives are many and varied, ranging from battling invisible enemies to striking your opponent sixteen times before they strike you the same number of times. Winning missions will give you points which you use to purchase pieces of art. Purchasing art will unlock a variety of things including new mission, alternate costumes for certain characters, new modes of play, an exhibition mode, new stages (and variations of existing stages), a mode which allows you to edit the opening movie, and much, much more. Beating the Arcade Mode with all of the combatants will not only unlock new fighters for you to use, but will open up a few other surprises as well. Needless to say, SoulCalibur will keep you coming back more.

SoulCalibur is one of the best reasons to own the Dreamcast. It not only showcases the system's potential, but it is also an extremely fun and solid fighting game. If you don't feel like tracking down either this game or the Dreamcast itself to play it on, SoulCalibur was released to XBLA.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/12/09

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