Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A few notes on this game...
This isn't a review (there's plenty of those available) for Soul Calibur, but moreso a few notes of correction and additions that i'd like to add to previous reviews.First of all, pretty much everything that's been said graphically about the game is true, except the backgrounds are mostly 2D with a few 3D elements. Yoshimitsu's stage is about the only one which i know is fully 3D. Others used 2D elements which moved so that they looked like they had depth. Sound-wise, it's all instrumental, but i feel that most tracks are very fitting and all are well-composed. While i'm a little disappointed to see that Khan didn't provide any of his remixes like in Soul Edge on Playstation, their presence isn't too sorely missed. Concerning more experienced players playing against button-mashers, it really comes down to the skill of the more experienced player. Fighting against a button masher can be tricky in any fighter, though Namco's games do seem to be a bit more prone to it than Sega's VF series, for instance. Anyways, one thimg that a button-masher will do is likely attack high 75%-90% of the time, unless you break that pattern or they see that you're blocking their attacks. Anticipate this and be ready to react with a high guard or guard impact. Versus characters with a large weapon like Astaroth, you can either use the 8-way run, guard impact, or just plain guard against some attacks. Those with shorter weapons like Maxi, need to be dealt with in close, which means fights tend to a be a lot less safe (than the distance fighting some will play with Astaroth or Sigfriend), but it also gives you more chances to time those guards and guard impacts. Note that 8-way runs are less effective for attack evasion due to the fact that the quicker characters will realign themselves faster (unless stick in a combo; newbie Maxi characters are good for that). The basic canned combos (the combos that each character does when you press an attack button thrice for instance) become obvious to spot after a while. If you don't know how to guard against each attack in the combo, go into Practice Mode and play the character that you often fight against (or play them all) and do what your human opponents will do. The attack data conveniently displays where the hits land. Overall, SC is an excellent game, if not a tad bit disappointing in a few less-than-important ways (sound selection, Tekken 2-style character clones). Definitely a worty purchase for anyone who likes fighters. i'd even recommend this for those who aren't totally into fighters since it's detailed graphics and incredible style creates an interest that transcends gaming genres. Now if only Namco would announce a Tekken or Ridge Racer game for DC.
Rating: - Perfection
What can I say about this game that hasn't been said already? It's breath-taking. Amazing. Life-like. Addictive. Mind-boggling. Fun, even if you HATE fighting games. This is the only fighting game I have EVER truly loved. You can't help but develope a bond with your favorite character. Mine is Sophitia. Beautiful, fluid, precise, deliberate. You just HAVE to see this beauty, in her 3rd outfit, doing her Kata in Exhibition Theatre! (After you've "unlocked" that feature, of course) I finished everything there was to finish in this game, 5 months ago. I STILL play it all the time. I'll actually dump my saves on my VMU, and start all over. There is no way you can go wrong buying this game. None. Like I said, even if you don't like fighting games. You'll be hooked in the short amount of time required to learn the basic moves. My son pleaded with me to give it a try, and I was hooked 15 minutes later.
Rating:  - A Fighting Game of the Highest Calibur
I first played Soul Calibur in a local arcade several years ago, not really knowing anything about it. After recieving a Dreamcast for Christmas I made sure that I bought this game. I was floored. Definately the finest video game I have ever played (with the exception of Neo-Geo's arcade version of Samurai Showdown II), Soul Calibur packs in all that a fighting fan could ever wish for. First off, the characters. All conform to the basic archetypes of fighting games. Their edge: each is totally different from the others, their moves, stances, voices and dialogue completely unique. Second, the graphics. This game takes every advantage of the Dreamcast's 128-bit ability. The scrolling is flawless, the 3D effects phenominal. The music and animations, as well as the Japanese voice-overs, are superb and the art gallery, mission mode, and other special features are totally amazing. The gameplay is important as well. Each character has such a varied range of moves and motions that you can play the game for quite a while and never get bored. My current favorite characters as Mitsurugi, Kilik, and, a secret character, Yoshimitsu. However, I do have a few bones to pick with this game. While the nine secret characters available are superb and fun to play, there is not yet an all-inclusive code to access all of them, meaning that you must play through the game close to 20 times to achieve all of them. Also, the secret characters are, though bodily different, subtle rehashes of the original characters, with a few exceptions. Another downfall: I have not yet discovered how to save all of the secret characters onto a VMU. My unit stops after the first 4. This means that after you have gotten all the characters, you'll have to start all over again once you turn the Dreamcast off. The HORROR! Also, the cheapness rating of this game is rather hight. Characters such as Kilik have a distinct advantage over many other "slower" characters and have the ability to continuously thrash their opponents while they're down, virtually upopposed. Players new to the game have a high liklihood of being taken to the cleaners by a more experienced opponent. Despite these downfalls, the game's virtues more than make up for its flaws. If you're looking for a good fighting game with an added dash of panach, check Soul Calibur out. Enjoy!
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