At each point in the plot you have to fight a battle under special circumstances - early examples being one where the wind pushes you off the edge of the arena, or where you have to land twenty hits on an opponent within twenty seconds. Compared with the wafer thin arcade modes on offer in other beat 'em ups (and also here, but only as one element of the game), this is practically an in-depth RPG - complete with a money system, an experience system, a branching path through the quest and a lengthy narrated plot. Of course, if you don't fancy having to learn playing styles for different weapons, you can just select Classic play modes which don't feature this functionality.Īnother addition to the game is vastly overhauled quest mode, called Weapon Master, which forms the main single player element of the game. Costumes just look pretty - weapons, however, actually make a slight difference to how the game plays, and while the default weapon for each character is arguably their most "balanced", unlocking new weapons does allow you to fine-tune the character to your favoured style of play. One new element, for example, is the weapon system in the game, with "Extra" modes that allow you to pick between different weapons for your character as well as choosing different costumes. What they have done, however, is added new layers to that gameplay in order to keep fans of the original engrossed without alienating new players. This isn't necessarily a bad thing Namco has clearly realised that the basic gameplay of Soul Calibur wasn't broken, and opted not to fix it. Certainly, the game feels very familiar, and anyone who spent any time with Soul Calibur will have no difficulty getting to grips with their favourite characters in SCII. Many of the characters from Soul Calibur return, and in some cases their moves are very similar - even down to using the same motion capture data for the animation, we suspect. The sequel to the game, on first viewing, looks very similar to the Dreamcast original. On another level, it was the gameplay - which was not only supremely fast and dramatic, as you'd expect bladed combat between two people who really know their kung fu to be, but was also incredibly accessible for new players, while still containing enough subtlety to keep hardcore beat 'em up enthusiasts engrossed for months. So then, what set Soul Calibur apart from countless other beat 'em ups? On one level, it was the graphics the visuals of the original Dreamcast game still look absolutely stunning, even now, and more impressive than the artwork was the animation, which gave every character a measure of graceful, flowing motion that you don't generally find outside the very best martial arts movies. It's not realistic in the slightest - those seeking Bushido Blade-style sword combat or breaking limbs and sprays of arterial blood will want to look elsewhere (like their local friendly psychiatrist, perhaps) - so as you chop away at your enemy, rather than filleting them up like a carcass in a butchershop, you're just knocking lumps off their health gauge. This is a traditional enough 3D beat 'em up, complete with combos, throws, air juggles and all that guff - but everyone in it carries a bloody great sword (or other bladed or bludgeoning weapon of choice). In case you've never played Soul Calibur, a brief run-down of how the game works is in order. The differences between the versions are minor - but the real question is whether or not it can recapture the magic of the original? Is this worth developing a bad case of bleeding thumbs over? Does the soul still burn? A Hero Seeks a Sword. Hoping that the same fate will not befall its sequel, Namco has decided to bring Soul Calibur II to every platform it could find - so if you go down to your friendly local retailer today, he'll be happy to furnish you with a version of the game for the GameCube, Xbox or PlayStation 2, whichever your poison may be. The sequel to the well-regarded PSone title Soul Edge, it remains to this day one of the most graphically stunning, finely balanced, accessible and engrossing fighting games ever created - but as fate would have it, Namco decided to release it exclusively on the Dreamcast, thus consigning it to being deservedly adored and championed by hardcore gamers, and almost entirely ignored by Joe Public. The original Soul Calibur is, for the majority of the gaming public, probably the best beat 'em up they've never played.
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