Sega Dreamcast: Soul Calibur
November 3, 2008 - 7:37 am - Posted by Brandon W.
Soul Calibur has been hailed one of the greatest games ever created. When released in 1999 on the Dreamcast, Soul Calibur was named the year’s best fighting game at E3.
From there, the game went on to receive perfect scores from leading reviewers such as GameSpot, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and IGN.
So what makes this game so great? When you pick up the controller and play, you instantly notice how smooth and natural the fighting comes to you. Until this time, fighting had never been presented in such a superb way. The way Namco developed the fighting system, allows an individual to complete complicated moved without extremely skilled timing. A vast array of moves gives way to numerous possibilities in defeating your enemy.
The characters are highly detailed, each with their own unique fighting style. Once unlocked, you even have a choice between different costumes. The ground breaking aspect of Soul Calibur was its introduction of the eight way run feature. Never before were fighting characters able to move smoothly in all eight directions. This allows open maneuverability, and a new sense of freedom in attacking and dodging.
Soul Calibur features Arcade Mode, VS Mode, Time Attack, Survival Mode, Training Mode, Exhibition Mode, and Mission Mode. Mission Mode is like a second game built into Soul Calibur. You still choose from all the same fighters, but you are put through various missions. Each mission differs in difficulty, and you are awarded points upon completion.
The cool part is that you can then use your saved points to unlock special characters, outfits, artwork, and exhibition videos. The videos are rather amusing, and can be viewed in Exhibition Mode. The large variety of artwork is quite impressive as well.
Soul Calibur is probably my favorite game for the Sega Dreamcast. In fact, this game is what made the Dreamcast so special for so many people. It is a great game for either the dedicated fan, or the casual gamer who enjoys picking up a controller and fighting briefly. Soul Calibur definitely receives a 10/10 in my opinion.
I also enjoy playing Soul Calibur. It’s a lot of fun for sure. What I find amazing about Soul Caliber is for a game that came out in 1999, the graphics still look great and can easily hold up against some of today’s modern games.
Oh man, I remember Soul Calibur. I use to play it for hours and hours, then one day I stopped playing it and gave the disc to a friend and haven’t seen it since. I should really try and track this game down again and blow the dust off my Dreamcast.
I agree with everyone, Soul Calibur is a true master piece and still looks and plays great. The Sega Dreamcast is such a badass console!
I actually played Soul Calibur over the weekend on my friends system. I personally think that Soul Calibur is one of the best fighters available for the Dreamcast.
I stand strong by my opinion that Soul Calibur is the greatest game for Dreamcast. The most fulfilling accomplishment is unlocking every last item on mission mode. Which character do you guys like using best? My favorite by far is Kilik. I wish we could all battle each other. Soul Calibur is such a great game to play with friends.
I was just talking with some friends today about Soul Calibur and how it looks like a modern game. Namco really did a fabulous job with the graphics and all the other elements of this game. They really pushed the Dreamcast hardware to it’s full potential.
@Brandon: I also like playing with Kilik, but Cervantes De Leon is also a fun character.
Ivy is the best!!