Soul Blade

It's no secret that fighting games are one of the favorite types of games here at our offices.

It's also common knowledge that one of the most popular fighting games around here is Namco's PlayStation hit, Tekken 2. Recently, we received a copy of Namco's newest 3-D fighting game for the PlayStation. Soul Blade. Everyone was wondering if it would be able to compare to Tekken 2.

After a few extensive game playing sessions with it, it looks as if Soul Blade has the potential to be a worthy successor to the Tekken series. In fact, there are some areas where it is even better than the mighty Tekken 2.

On a purely cosmetic level, the graphics are excellent. The characters are much more smoother and detailed looking than 3-D fighters of the past. Even with the incredible amount of detail (especially in the face), the characters animate smoothly.

Each of the 10 characters has a different weapon at his/her disposal, ranging from a typical sword to a spear to a pair of nunchakus. In addition to the typical health meter, you also have a separate energy meter for your weapon. When you block attacks with your weapon, its energy level gets lower and lower. When the meter drains completely, you lose it. Now you are much weaker than before and at quite a disadvantage.

In addition to the character graphics looking fantastic, the backgrounds themselves are also beautiful. They are completely 3-D and feature a surprising amount of finely detailed animation happening during the fight. Another nice little touch is the trails of light that your weapons leave after you pull off a powerful attack. This adds nothing to the gameplay, but it makes the proceedings much prettier.

A big plus for all fighting games is that they can have an extremely long life span. After all, you can play against a friend again and again, or you can attempt to master every character. In order to keep Soul Blade fresh for a long time, Namco has packed it with seven different modes.

There are the typical Arcade and Vs. Modes that every fighter features. There's a Team Battle Mode where you can create a team of up to five players to compete against another team. A Time Attack Mode tests how quickly you can waste your opponents, and the Survival Mode sees how long you can fight with one energy bar. There is even the popular Practice Mode to perfect your fighting style and special moves.

The most unique mode, however, is the Edge Master Mode. This is basically the equivalent of a Story Mode, where you choose a fighter to control, move around on a map and fight various opponents. What makes this different than the normal one-player game is the fact that you will earn a new weapon after beating an enemy. Plus, there are various types of matches. For instance, some opponents can only be defeated with throws or by throwing them out of the ring. Some even gain their health back as quickly as you can take it away!

With such incredible graphics and unique modes of play, it is little wonder that Soul Edge is quickly gaining such popularity here at the office. The more we play it. the more impressive little features we find. This just makes us want to keep coming back for more. As long as Namco continues to make such fun fighting games, we will be getting less and less actual work done.

Overview

From the makers of the awesome Tekken series comes Soul Blade. If you think Tekken and Tekken 2 are cool, imagine outfitting the fighters with weapons and even better graphics, and what you will get is quite possibly the best fighting game of all time.

Soul Blade boasts 10 characters with a ton of special combo attacks. Each of the characters are after one goal: obtain the legendary Soul Edge. This is a sword that is rumored to be the most powerful weapon in existence. In the past, anyone who tries to gain possession of the sword has not come back to tell about it. Still, the 10 fighters will stop at nothing short of being the owner of this magical weapon. But be warned, the Soul Edge is powerful but possibly cursed.

Gameplay

Let's start this review at the beginning. The first thing you will see when you pop in your Soul Blade disk is the intro. Normally, I skip over the intros because they are usually pretty standard stuff. This is not the case with Soul Blade. The intro is absolutely incredible. It is almost worth the price of admission alone. The graphics are probably the best I have seen on the Playstation and it is obvious that an enormous amount of time went into the creation of the cinemas.

Let's face it. An intro is nice, but it really has nothing to do with how the game plays. So after watching the beautiful intro, does the game stack up or fall on its sword? The answer is yes, the game stacks up. To start with, this is not just a Tekken ripoff. The only thing that this game has in common with Tekken is the fact that it is a fighting game. That is where all similarities stop. Soul Blade uses a weapon-to-weapon combat system that is best compared to the original Battle Arena Toshinden.

The battles all take place in different arenas. The arenas range from a floating raft to a deep grass field. Each arena has a boundary, and if one fighter is knocked out, the battle is automatically awarded to the fighter remaining in the ring. In the raft arena, you will actually knock the other fighters into the water and they are sucked under. The arenas will vary depending on the game mode selected and normally cycle randomly.

The thing that makes Soul Blade so cool is the different game modes. The problem with fighting games in the past has traditionally been the fact that they are limited. You either fight the computer or fight your buddy, and that is all the game has to offer. In Soul Blade, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Of course, the game has the traditional Arcade Mode, which is either one player against the computer or a one-on-one battle against two players. The game ends when you are defeated by the computer. Next, you can play the Vs. Battle Mode. This is a two-player competition that allows you to set handicaps for stronger players. The third mode available is the team battle mode. This is one of the best modes. You will select the number of characters you will use (between 1 and 5) and select the characters (the same character can't be used twice). You will battle either the computer or a human opponent. When your character is defeated, you go on to your second character selected. When your character wins, you move on to the next fight, but your health level is only slightly replenished. This means that if you barely win the battle, it is likely you will not survive the next. This is a great feature because you are not only fighting to survive the current round, but your defense has to be sharp so you can survive the rounds following. The fourth mode available is the Survival Mode. This is a competition to see how many opponents you can defeat before losing all your health. The kicker is this is the same as the team battle mode. When you defeat an opponent, your health is only minimally recovered, so defense is important. The fifth mode is the Time Attack Mode. This is a competition against the clock. The object is to finish all the stages and complete the game against the clock. The last mode is the Edge Master Mode. This is the coolest mode in the game. In this mode, you advance along the storyline of the game, and as you defeat opponents, you acquire the ability to use their weapons. The farther you go into the game, the more difficult it becomes to defeat the opponents.

The in game fighting in Soul Blade is where the game really shines. There is little lag time between button selections and the execution of the desired move. The characters move very fluidly and quite fast. A big complaint I have about other fighting games is that they feel like they are moving in slow motion. Soul Blade is one of the best fighting games when it comes to real-time movements.

The assortment of characters available is fairly decent. There is a good assortment of weapons available through the different characters. You can fight with dual swords, long blade swords, nunchucks, three-bladed hand knives, short sword and shield, huge sword, giant axe and, if you're lucky, the Soul Edge sword. All of these weapons have their advantages, and the best advice I can give is to try each character and see which one works best for you. I found myself thinking I found the one for me and then trying a different character which I started liking more than the one before. Oh well, I guess that just means that most of the characters are good.

Graphics

Like I mentioned above, the graphics in the intro are outstanding. This is definitely worth watching more than once. It is one of those intros you will play for your friends that are not fortunate enough to own a Playstation just so they can see how cool the Playstation is. The graphics in the game itself are very sharp and the fighting backgrounds are very detailed. You will find yourself becoming fully immersed in the whole atmosphere of the game which is a sign of a well done game.

Bottom Line

Soul Blade may very well be the best fighting game on the market today. I really enjoyed the numerous game mode options. It keeps Soul Blade from being another boring beat-up the opponent and that is all type game. You will find that there is hours and hours of fun to be had in each mode which makes for a quality title. This is a game that every fighter fan should own. If you are not a fan of fighting games, rent it anyway just to watch the intro.

Overview

From the makers of the awesome Tekken series comes Soul Blade. If you think Tekken and Tekken 2 are cool, imagine outfitting the fighters with weapons and even better graphics, and what you will get is quite possibly the best fighting game of all time.

Soul Blade boasts 10 characters with a ton of special combo attacks. Each of the characters are after one goal: obtain the legendary Soul Edge. This is a sword that is rumored to be the most powerful weapon in existence. In the past, anyone who tries to gain possession of the sword has not come back to tell about it. Still, the 10 fighters will stop at nothing short of being the owner of this magical weapon. But be warned, the Soul Edge is powerful but possibly cursed.

Gameplay

Let's start this review at the beginning. The first thing you will see when you pop in your Soul Blade disk is the intro. Normally, I skip over the intros because they are usually pretty standard stuff. This is not the case with Soul Blade. The intro is absolutely incredible. It is almost worth the price of admission alone. The graphics are probably the best I have seen on the Playstation and it is obvious that an enormous amount of time went into the creation of the cinemas.

Let's face it. An intro is nice, but it really has nothing to do with how the game plays. So after watching the beautiful intro, does the game stack up or fall on its sword? The answer is yes, the game stacks up. To start with, this is not just a Tekken ripoff. The only thing that this game has in common with Tekken is the fact that it is a fighting game. That is where all similarities stop. Soul Blade uses a weapon-to-weapon combat system that is best compared to the original Battle Arena Toshinden.

The battles all take place in different arenas. The arenas range from a floating raft to a deep grass field. Each arena has a boundary, and if one fighter is knocked out, the battle is automatically awarded to the fighter remaining in the ring. In the raft arena, you will actually knock the other fighters into the water and they are sucked under. The arenas will vary depending on the game mode selected and normally cycle randomly.

The thing that makes Soul Blade so cool is the different game modes. The problem with fighting games in the past has traditionally been the fact that they are limited. You either fight the computer or fight your buddy, and that is all the game has to offer. In Soul Blade, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Of course, the game has the traditional Arcade Mode, which is either one player against the computer or a one-on-one battle against two players. The game ends when you are defeated by the computer. Next, you can play the Vs. Battle Mode. This is a two-player competition that allows you to set handicaps for stronger players. The third mode available is the team battle mode. This is one of the best modes. You will select the number of characters you will use (between 1 and 5) and select the characters (the same character can't be used twice). You will battle either the computer or a human opponent. When your character is defeated, you go on to your second character selected. When your character wins, you move on to the next fight, but your health level is only slightly replenished. This means that if you barely win the battle, it is likely you will not survive the next. This is a great feature because you are not only fighting to survive the current round, but your defense has to be sharp so you can survive the rounds following. The fourth mode available is the Survival Mode. This is a competition to see how many opponents you can defeat before losing all your health. The kicker is this is the same as the team battle mode. When you defeat an opponent, your health is only minimally recovered, so defense is important. The fifth mode is the Time Attack Mode. This is a competition against the clock. The object is to finish all the stages and complete the game against the clock. The last mode is the Edge Master Mode. This is the coolest mode in the game. In this mode, you advance along the storyline of the game, and as you defeat opponents, you acquire the ability to use their weapons. The farther you go into the game, the more difficult it becomes to defeat the opponents.

The in game fighting in Soul Blade is where the game really shines. There is little lag time between button selections and the execution of the desired move. The characters move very fluidly and quite fast. A big complaint I have about other fighting games is that they feel like they are moving in slow motion. Soul Blade is one of the best fighting games when it comes to real-time movements.

The assortment of characters available is fairly decent. There is a good assortment of weapons available through the different characters. You can fight with dual swords, long blade swords, nunchucks, three-bladed hand knives, short sword and shield, huge sword, giant axe and, if you're lucky, the Soul Edge sword. All of these weapons have their advantages, and the best advice I can give is to try each character and see which one works best for you. I found myself thinking I found the one for me and then trying a different character which I started liking more than the one before. Oh well, I guess that just means that most of the characters are good.

Graphics

Like I mentioned above, the graphics in the intro are outstanding. This is definitely worth watching more than once. It is one of those intros you will play for your friends that are not fortunate enough to own a Playstation just so they can see how cool the Playstation is. The graphics in the game itself are very sharp and the fighting backgrounds are very detailed. You will find yourself becoming fully immersed in the whole atmosphere of the game which is a sign of a well done game.

Bottom Line

Soul Blade may very well be the best fighting game on the market today. I really enjoyed the numerous game mode options. It keeps Soul Blade from being another boring beat-up the opponent and that is all type game. You will find that there is hours and hours of fun to be had in each mode which makes for a quality title. This is a game that every fighter fan should own. If you are not a fan of fighting games, rent it anyway just to watch the intro.

Soul Blade blazes into the fighting game arena with a unique combination of barbaric brawls, wicked weapons, and head-knocking gameplay. It features the bestlooking 3D characters to date, superstar special effects that include glowing weapon trails, and a devastating list of moves, combos, and options that dominates every fighting game on the market today--including Tekken 2.

Where's Voldo?

The game takes place in the 15th century where war is rampant and rumors of the world's most powerful sword, the Soul Blade, have drawn 10 raging warriors into battle for the mysterious weapon. Each combatant represents a unique style of fighting and uses weaponry particular to their native land, such as Taki, a knives expert from Japan who's eager to slit your throat, and Li Long, a Chinese assassin who's a nunchaku master.

Soul Blade offers Arcade, Versus, and Survival battles, but it's the Edge Master mode that pushes the game ahead of its competition. This mode allows you to take one character through a series of fights and collect new weapons unique to that fighter upon victory. For example, after defeating her first opponent, Taki has the option to trade in her knife for a bladed fan that does more damage but is slower to strike. So depending on whether you prefer to fight with speed or power, you now have the option to use the weapon that best suits you, adding an entirely new level to your fighting strategy. You can then store the weapons on a memory card and use them in any mode you chose, including the two-player Versus mode.

Taki This, And That

Savage moves enable you to beat, stab, slice, and dice opponents with vicious violence that is sure to excite fight fans to unbelievable heights. Bow down to the new king of fighters, and the first gotta-play-it game of the year.

Graphics

Soul Blade offers stunning 3D characters, amazing light-sourcing where you actually see day turn to night during a match, and beautifully detailed backgrounds that are sugar to both the eyes and the soul.

Sound

Mesmerizing music and realistic-sounding sword-clanking provide your ears with magic, but the announcer's voice at the end of each match becomes annoying.

Control

Combos, juggles, throws, dodges, counters, and weapon lock-ups highlight the championship-caliber control. If you block too much, your weapon shatters and you're forced to fight the rest of the round with your bare hands.

Fun Factor

Namco's tradition of top Dsted fighting games continues with Soul Blade, a title that combines the familiar feel and gameplay of Tekken with its own touches of superior graphics, fantastic features, and a deadly arsenal of weapons. Soul Blade heads the early list for best fighting game of the year.

Following on the heels of the PlayStation's number-one fighting game, the makers of Tekken 2 have come up with something new for fight fans. This time it's Soul Blade (originally Soul Edge, Version II in the arcades). With Namco's strong reputation behind it, Soul Blade looks like it may be another big 32-bit winner.

Ya Gotta Have Soul

Ten great-looking fighters, cool moves, a weapons meter that punishes you for being too defensive (the more you guard, the more likely your weapon will break), and an exciting combo system have Namco headed toward another hard-hitting bestseller with Soul Blade.

Features

Soul Blade is a weapons-based fighter along the lines of Star Gladiator. The gameplay consists of fast, smooth fighting action and rapid button/joystick controls. There are four buttons to contend with--horizontal attack, vertical attack, guard, and kick.

Soul Food

This very early look at the game, based on screen shots and videotape, shows some incredible moves. The slightly revamped combo system now includes more juggles and longer combos.

Take the best parts of Tekken 2, add swordplay, improved graphics, and intense sound--and you have Soul Blade in a nutshell. Part of Namco's re-released classics set (retailing in stores now for an incredible $19.99), Soul Blade was to fighting games what nuclear weapons are to war--the end all butt-kicking close-the-shop-and-retire last call. It features 10 warriors from around the world, each with his or her unique fighting style, gorgeous backgrounds, great animated cinemas, multiple weapons, and more. Although not technically a Tekken 2 sequel, it contains all the great linking moves, combo fighting, and counterattacks of Tekken 2--but with weapons.

Soul Blade would soon be overshadowed by Tekken 3, but before its reign ended, it secured a place in the souls of fighting fans everywhere. One of the true PlayStation cult classics. Soul Blade will not disappoint you. Are you up to the challenge?

Sophitia!, Sophitia!!, and Siegfried!

Sophitia!:

Finish Edge Master mode as Sophitia and collect all eight of her weapons. At the fighter-select screen, put the cursor on Hwang and press Left once. You should land on a hidden ?-box, Sophitia!. Now you can play as Sophitia without any armor.

Sophitia!!:

Collect all eight weapons for every character in Edge Master mode. At the fighter-select screen, put the cursor on Hwang and press Left once. You should land on a hidden ?-box, Sophitia!!. Now you can play as Sophitia in a one-piece swimming suit.

Siegfried!:

Finish Edge Master mode as Siegfried and collect all eight of his weapons. At the fighter-select screen, put the cursor on Cervantes and press Right once. You should land on a hidden ?-box, Siegfried! Play as Siegfried, possessed by the evil power of SoulEdge.