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aGundamDownHere
176,416
TA Score for this game: 289
Posted on 18 June 11 at 06:49 |
This review has 17 positive votes and 1 negative vote. Please log in to vote. |
Here is it, the game that started it all after SoulEdge started it all. Meant to show what happened after the evil sword unleashed itself upon the earth, SoulCalibur has its namesake blade come in to save the day, as well as make every word processor think that gamers are too stupid to spell "caliber." Hate to break it to you, OpenOffice, but I don't care about bullets or a person's intangible merits. That said, we may as well take a look at the typo that transcends time and the world.
Fittingly coming to the XBLA, we now have a digital copy of the arcade game of yesteryear. Everything about this game points to the game's origins as a quarter-devouring arcade game, one that would have spelled the end for the series if not for the Dreamcast's daring rescue. The console's popularity countered the arcade's lack thereof, and so the series continues.
While unpopular in the arcades, the series found its home on the early consoles, where players began to realize just how much the game had to offer. Other 3D fighters of the time didn't really take advantage of the third-axis of movement. Some older gamers will remember how futile trying to circle their opponents was, making other 3D fighters just barely fitting that description. SoulCalibur's 8-way Run mechanic made use of all dimensions, allowing for greater strategy with the ability to sidestep, duck under, jump over, or back away from attacks and counter from different directions.
The game also made combos easier by having looser buffering rules. Tekken and Virtua Fighter did and still do have much stricter timing rules, preventing button-mashing by requiring more precise timing between inputting one command, having the character recover or "reset" from that move, and then pressing the next button to continue the attack. Some have and will continue to say that SoulCalibur made button-mashing too viable an option, but even so, the mechanic made the game decidedly easier, faster, and move visually appealing than its competition.
No expense was spared--or rather, made--to change the game's graphics or mechanics. It looks exactly like it did in arcades in '98, and then on the Dreamcast in '99. Thus, for $10 (or 800 M$), players can now experience or re-experience this game from over a decade ago. The controls are the same as its fourth iteration, so the game is essentially an extremely retro version of the retail game, but with fewer characters and features.
The achievements will prove exceptionally easy and in fact natural to veteran players, and newcomers likely won't have much problems either. From beating the game on the highest difficulty, earning a perfect, and winning with low health, the game sports a fairly good list with about as much variation as other fighting games, retail and arcade alike. All the achievements can easily be earned in just a few hours, and gamers can refresh their memory or catch up on series canon in the story and museum modes. Each character's story mode will usually only last 4 to 8 minutes, depending on skill, and arcade mode is a fun distraction for more playtime.
When the swords are back in their sheathes, SoulCalibur is incredibly fun, but more in a nostalgic sort of way than a kid in a candy-and-toy store in Disneyland during summer vacation-sort of way. Playing the game can't be called a "must" for any group of player, but it's still a good way to spend your time. Or if you think that fighting games are a waste of time, then this game is a good way to waste your time. For 800 M$, it certainly isn't too bad.
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Laguna Chibi
2,440
TA Score for this game: 289
Posted on 15 February 13 at 21:19 |
This review has 8 positive votes and 0 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Soul Calibur is the sequel to Soul Blade, a game that I still consider to be the best fighting game on the PSX. And while Soul Calibur is a visual and technological marvel, the gameplay has changed very little. This not necessarily a bad thing, but it is a safe and familiar thing, an old thing. It means that the game is mostly better because of the graphics, for which Sega deserves as much credit as Namco. The combat system is also based heavily on Soul Blade. You have high and low attacks, high and low blocks, and throws. There are about 100 moves for each character, and a nearly infinite number of ways to string them together into combos. If you have good timing, you can also parry attacks, putting your enemy off guard for a few precious moments.
all the standard fighting modes are here: Arcade, VS, Survival, Team Battle, etc. But what really set the original Soul Blade apart from the pack was the amazing one-player depth in its Edge Master mode. Soul Calibur matches that depth with an extensive Mission Mode. In this mode, you attempt missions and fight under peculiar circumstances. For example, you may be in a fight where only the throw moves will cause damage, or the weapons are invisible, or anything else to throw a little monkey wrench in your gears.
The music in this game is amazing! From the haunting organ playing at Ivy's stage to the dramatic, adventurous music of Cervantes' stage, the music is incredible! And the introduction music certainly fit in well with the whole idea of the legacy and drama of Soul Calibur.
Soul Calibur easy nice 200 GS, yeahhh
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Aevx
25,537
TA Score for this game: 289
Posted on 12 May 13 at 01:16, Edited on 13 May 13 at 14:27 |
 This review has 8 positive votes and 0 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
The soul is always burning -- burning for more swords and axes clashing, burning for ring outs. Soul Calibur is one of the best fighting games ever released for the Dreamcast. It's quite awesome that it's been revived and put straight onto the Xbox 360 Marketplace.
Classic fighting – Soul Calibur was always revered for its weapon-based fighting system. It doesn’t have just one type of sword, it had so many variants for its 19 characters: from katanas and rapiers to axes and staffs. It was great to see that type of variety not only in the character you’re playing as, but also in the type of weapon wielded.
Clean graphics – The game was beautiful back on the Dreamcast and it’s still very pretty today. While the 4:3 ratio isn’t the best to look at on a widescreen television, the graphics flow really nicely and the moving backgrounds and great character animations make up for it. The sparks made when your weapons clash is still cool to watch to this day.
This game is a classic. Worth the 800MSP. Easy 12 achievements. The gameplay is a good memorabilia to those who played it long before the 360's release.
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