Soul Edge

As version two of Soul Edge is tearing up the coin-op charts, along comes the original version back once again. However, this time you can leave those quarters at home. In December. Namco is scheduled to release the popular arena fighter for PlayStation users to enjoy in the comforts of their own home.

The renown fighting title of arena combat that can be best compared to Tekken will seem to jump to life in the hands of gamers. As of this writing, it appears all the weapon-wielding characters have been included in the home version as well as all those vicious attacks whose effectiveness was as potent as they were impressive to watch. The graphics in this version-as in the arcade-have the same clean look as do the stages where the environments change rapidly. Whether you enjoy a sword-wielding pirate, a battle axe-wielding caveman or a valiant knight, the choice is yours. Each of these characters vary greatly in speed as well as power. But none is supplied without his/her share of finishing combos capable of rocking the opposition. This one is power-packed all the way, though. Now all gamers have to do is wait for its unveiling.

• MANUFACTURER - Namco
• THEME - Fighting
• NUMBER OF PLAYERS - 1 or 2

Namco's new fighter will have Tekken fans drooling into their boots. It's the 15th century and everybody wants to control the destiny of the world. Clans from across the globe battle against each other to find the fabled Sword of Salvation, while others seek the Sword of Destruction. Nobody seems to know what this mystical artifact really represents, and only one will ultimately find out: the winner of Soul Edge. As of press time, the number of selectable characters in the game was undetermined, but from what we've seen so far, this is Namco's most advanced fighting game to date. Each character is polygon-based, but they're texture-mapped so well that you'd be hard-pressed to tell.The lighting effects are breathtaking an, in addition to the stunning graphics innovations, each character has its own fighting style and weapons to use. As in Toshinden, there is a sidestep feature, as well as the expected special moves and combos.