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Soul Calibur
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Graphics & Sound:
O.K., take perhaps the most gorgeous arcade fighting game to date, add more frames per second, clean the graphics even more, and increase the fluidity of the characters’ movements, and there you have Soul Calibur for the Sega Dreamcast. UHH... excuse me while I throw this tantrum of joy; WOO HOO TRA LA YEA BABY YEAH! I am talking animated grass in the backgrounds, individual finger animations, animated hair and clothing. The characters are breathing for crying out loud. It is so realistic that if you are not careful, you may receive a concussion from a flailing nunchaku. Well, you may wonder if the sound is as good as the graphics, and my answer to that is DAMN SKIPPY. Fully orchestrated instrumentation, pure voice-overs, and arcade announcements taken from the coin op.
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Gameplay:
Close your eyes. Now try to imagine a game in which the characters react as quickly as you can think of a move. Now open your eyes, damn it, and go buy Soul Calibur and a Dreamcast. You are given two attacks, a guard, and a kick. Hundreds of combinations are now in your command as you move throughout a 3D environment. Dodge, parry, duck, jump, and beat the living daylights out your opponents using some familiar fighting characters such as Mitsurugi, Yoshimitsu, Astaroth, Kilik, and many more.
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Difficulty:
Dependent upon the level you choose in the Option screen, Soul Calibur goes from ‘watch me make the computer punch my knuckles with its forehead,’ to ‘someone call my momma, because I can’t whip ‘em.’ Needless to say, the true difficulty lies in locking horns with another living breathing victim, uh... oh, I mean opponent. Nothing like talking trash to a friend and making him hate you for the rest of the day. However, don’t take anyone for granted. This game is so fast-paced that you may be on the receiving end of some colorful criticism.
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Game Mechanics:
With Soul Calibur, you get a 3 dimensional ring, two fighters in the ring at a time (with several to choose from), a life meter, and a timer. Now mash buttons till your thumbs hurt and hope that your girlfriend doesn’t beat you too badly in front of the fellas. Best two out of three falls, with ring knockouts being considered a loss. Your objective is to beat, kick, and cut your opponent until his life meter is completely depleted. Pretty much same basis of all modern fighters.
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-Sabumnim, GameVortex Communications AKA Larry Callier |
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