Another fighting game...sigh... (Soul Calibur (DC))

Member Name: trussellp

Product:	Soul Calibur (DC)
Date:	13/03/02 (92 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: moves, charecters

Disadvantages: graphics fir a DC

People always say that games can only get to a certain stage of excellence, the nirvana of home entertainment, and then it's a downward scale from that point on. Playstation owners told us that peak was hit with the tremendous product that was Tekken 3, and we believed them. But, with Soul Calibur, Namco, the company also behind the Tekken series, have rewritten the rule book.

This game is a must own, let's get that point across from the off. For fans of beat 'em ups who relished the Tekken series on the original Playstation, this is worth buying a Dreamcast for, simply to play it. For anyone who's not a fan of the genre, pick this up and you'll be converted for life. Graphically, it's amazing, running at a smooth 50 or 60 frames per second with no slowdown whatsoever. The backdrops to the fights are sublime, and the animation on the characters themselves incredible, down to varied facial expressions and a multitude of different fighting stances.

Each character in the game carries a weapon with them as opposed to basic hand-to-hand combat, and when these implements collide, you see the sparks flying up as the fighters grimace, and often there's a dazzling display of sound and light to add to the proceedings. Video games in the home have never looked this good. The sound in the game is okay, although the characters speak in Japanese, often with no translation. The music is adequate but the sound effects really add to the tension in a heated battle.

However, this would all be worth little if the actual gameplay wasn't top draw, and, being as this game is from the creative minds behind the Tekken series, you know your're not going to be let down. This game teases you in, allowing you to hit simple but satisfying moves just by bashing at the buttons, then grips you as you attempt to learn intricate button combinations to pull off ever more awe-inspiring moves...

The game rewards you for being abl
e to execute these manoeuvres not just by making them cause huge amounts of damage to your opponent, but by making them look absolutely amazing, having your jaw drop to the floor as you pull of a throw that in itself isn't all that special; but coupled together with the superb sound, the darkening skies and the scintillating beams of light that surround it, becomes incredible. And even a simple kick or hack looks great. Far from being a frustrating game, in which you need to memorise a five button sequence simply to floor your opponent, here you really do feel like an expert from that start...after all, no rookie could make a move look THAT good!

The fights are always fast-paced and tactical, as you have to take into account the amount of energy remaining on the health bars of both you and your opponent, the different weapons that you both possess, and the varying strengths and weaknesses of each character. Some fighters have enormous axes that can hit you and take you out from a long way away, but are so cumbersome that they make the bearer of the weapon slow and uncoordinated. Other characters carry knives which may not do much damage, but allow them to be quick and get in with precise attacks, zipping away before the bigger weapons have a chance to hit them.



Therein lies the beauty, as you try to work out the best way to see off your opponent, and then set to work, pulling off those gorgeous moves, having a whale of a time. The game never gets frustrating, the characters respond quickly to your commands....I really can't find fault with this product.

There are also more game modes here than in most beat 'em ups, ranging from the standard arcade mode, in which you must see off a number of opponents one at a time on your path to glory, to the wonderfully entertaining story mode, in which your character travels the globe in pursuit of the mysterious 'Soul Calibur' sword, fighting various opponents along th
e way. In this mode, many battles have special stipulations, such as only allowing you to win the battle by throwing your opponent (as opposed to slashing them with a weapon or punching them) or having to hit your opponent 20 times before they can do the same to you. This keeps the game fresh with each new challenge, and teaches you to master all the different ways of playing. The game rewards you for excelling by unlocking new characters to play with and sometimes even new game modes, leaving you with something different to play for each time.

Summary: