SoulCalibur

"A Fighting Gamer's Fighting Game"

Soul Calibur

Say it aloud, it has some power to it. That is because it is perhaps one of the greatest games ever created. I say that as someone who considers themselves a Fighting Gamer, in that my favorite games are Fighting Games.

Soul Calibur is the second game in the series with Soul Blade on the Playstation as its precursor. At the end of August Soul Calibur 2 will be released on the PS2, Gamecube, and X-Box simultaneously, so that all may enjoy its glory. I write this review now to reinforce that Soul Calibur is STILL a worthy game to play despite the impending release of its successor.

Graphics: 10/10
When it first came out Soul Calibur stood head and shoulders over all the competition. Even today it still looks beautiful and the combatants move smoothly without clipping or losing quality. The backgrounds are rendered with great detail and each is different than the last. Such as arrows fired in the background at Mitsurugi\'s stage. During combat the glowing light that accompanies weapon swings and the shimmering bursts of light from blocks and parries. Even compared to games coming out years later Soul Calibur still holds its own, the true mark of a quality game.

Music/Sound: 9/10
The music isn\'t like that of some of Square\'s epics, but then again what is? As far as fighting game tracks go Soul Calibur\'s are top notch. I\'ve listened to them for over 100 hours and I\'m still not turning them down so I doubt many will grow weary of them. Character voices are mostly well fitted to their respective characters and combat cries sit well, although you may get tired of Sophitia\'s shrieks after a while.

Character Choices: 9/10
I know of few games who\'s characters are as unique and varied as Soul Calibur\'s. The only downside is that there are quite a few \'\'mirror\'\' characters, (Rock-Astaroth, Kilik-Seung-Mina, Edge Master-Inferno) who\'s weapons, styles, and moves closely shadow each others. The individual characters are, well, very characterful. Ranging from the samurai Mitsurugi, to the undead pirate Cervantes, to everyone\'s favorite dominatrix Ivy, and the wild freak Voldo. The characters are different enough that everyone should be able to find one who they like. Attack styles are also heavily diversified. There are slow, heavy hitters (Astaroth, Rock, Siegfried), Fast Attackers (Taki, Xianghua), and totally unique characters (Ivy, Voldo, Maxi).

Gameplay: 10/10
The actual gameplay of Soul Calibur also shines as brightly as its graphics. The combat system is of a level that anyone can pick it up instantly, but innumerable hours can be spent mastering the higher concepts of the game. Some people have complained that the fighting system is conducive to \'\'button-mashers\'\' I am forced to disagree. I mean no offense, but if you are being defeated by someone who seems to be button mashing then you may be over-rating your skills. Button mashing may beat a novice player but I\'ve been to tournaments and against experienced players a button masher never wins. Once you recognize attacks they are easy to block when the person doing them has no strategy. An experienced player can easily launch successive combos that will make short work of the offender. If button mashers have the edge then spend some time in practice mode (which on a side note is excellently presented and incredibly useful). Beating all of the various quests and unlocking everything is both time consuming and rewarding.

Replay Value: 10/10
This is where the game really shines, its still as much fun to play the 1000th time as it was the 1st and almost all the plays in between are just as enjoyable. The system is so deep that you always stand to learn something and it always seems that there is another character to master.

Play Modes: 9/10
The one thing that keeps soul Calibur from getting a 10 in play modes is its lack of a weapon finding mode such as Soul Blade had. However its point system and art rewards are interesting as well. The museum mode is large and has not only the graciously large gallery, but also the endearing martial arts demonstration (Unique to Soul Calibur as far as I know). Just make sure that you watch Maxi’s double weapon demonstration when you acquire it. Arcade mode provides a challenge and has enough levels of difficulty to be challenging to everyone but the most skilled of veterans. Versus Mode has enough options to make it accommodating. Team Battle is fun for a while but its lasting appeal is limited. Time Attack is the only “True” way to see who can clear the game the quickest (because you can just beat arcade on very easy and one round matches, and the time is treated the same as a very hard clear with five rounds). Survival is a good place to test your skill and it has kept me challenged for a long time. Extra Survival is interesting, but no where near as good as Survival and you will quickly tire of it in all likelihood.. And of course, as previously mentioned, the Practice Mode is very useful and quite engaging.

Final Score: 10/10
While it may not be perfect it’s a lot closer than most fighters will ever come to that lofty title. If has something to offer to everyone from the greenest rookie to the hardened master. Even people who “Don’t play fighting games” seem to enjoy a casual match. The only warning I would give is that it is a very different variety of fighting game and some jaded Tekken and Street Fighter players who are set in their ways seem to give it a bad report because its not their game of choice. Personally I was always a Tekken player, but after Tekken 4\'s performance and the arcade debut of Soul Calibur 2 I have been thoroughly converted to the king of weapon fighting games. I recommend that everyone at least give the game the benefit of a rental, and for the most fun potential make sure to play wit some friends.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/03