Soul Calibur
|
|
Soul Calibur is a series of fighting games developed and produced by Namco. Originally arcade games, they have been ported to many home consoles.
| Contents |
Games
All games in the series with the exception of the latest were originally arcade games, subsequently being converted to home consoles as follows :
- Soul Edge (1995) - Arcade only.
- Soul Edge Version 2 (1996) - Arcade, PlayStation. (Released as Soul Blade in the USA and Europe)
- Soul Calibur (1999) - Arcade, Sega Dreamcast.
- Soul Calibur II (2003) - Arcade, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube.
- Soul Calibur III (2005) - PlayStation 2.
- SoulCalibur (untitled next-gen sequel) (no release date) - Nintendo Revolution, PlayStation 3 & XBox 360.
The ported versions are known for their extra features, including new weapons, new costumes, art galleries, martial arts demonstrations and involved single-player modes, when compared to the original arcade versions
Soul Edge
| Soul Edge | |
| Missing image Soul_Edge.jpg Screenshot of Soul Blade | |
| Developer: | Namco |
| Publisher: | Namco |
| Game designer: | Hiroaki Yotoriyama |
| Release date: | 1995 |
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Game modes: | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
| Cabinet: | Standard |
| Controls: | Joystick (8-way); 4 buttons |
| Monitor | |
| Orientation: | Horizontal |
| Type: | Raster, standard resolution |
| Notes | |
| One of the first 3D fighting games. | |
Soul Edge (a.k.a. Soul Blade) was the first game in the series. It was the second 3D fighter to feature characters that fought with weapons. While putting weapons in fighters was not a new concept (Samurai Shodown is an example of a 2D fighter with weapons). Apart from the aesthetic benefits, giving the characters weapons allows for a greater diversity between them, meaning there is someone for every play style. One excellent concept of weapon-based combat implemented by Namco is the major factor that range has in gameplay. The slower, longer ranged characters try to deliver their heavy blows from a distance whereas the quicker, faster characters try to get in as close as possible and deliver quick-hitting attacks. All characters have moves that work at varying ranges though, so longer ranged characters can also hit surprisingly quickly and lesser ranged characters will get in the opponent's face within the blink of an eye if the enemy is careless.
Soul Calibur
| Soul Calibur | |
| Missing image Solca.jpg Screenshot of Soul Calibur for the Dreamcast | |
| Developer: | Namco |
| Publisher: | Namco |
| Game designer: | Hiroaki Yotoriyama |
| Release date: | 1998 |
| Genre: | Fighting |
| Game modes: | Up to 2 players simultaneously |
| Cabinet: | Standard |
| Controls: | Joystick (8-way); 4 buttons |
| Monitor | |
| Orientation: | Horizontal |
| Type: | Raster, standard resolution |
| Notes | |
| Sequel to Soul Edge. | |
Soul Edge / Blade had a strong following, but when Soul Calibur was released in the arcades, it was not as popular at the arcades as Namco would have liked or expected. Luckily for the series, Soul Calibur was picked up by the Sega Dreamcast, and became a smash hit almost overnight. Soul Calibur, the second game in the series, not the first, was set 2 years after the original and introduced a revolutionary feature, the Eight-Way Run. Previous 3D fighters had only limited movement along the third axis, with sidesteps and rolls providing useful but unsustained lateral movement. In Soul Calibur, simply holding down a joystick direction causes the character to run in that direction. This gives the player a sense of freedom and deepens the strategy of the game. Soul Calibur also improved game play with "forgiving buffering." Buffering is executing the input for one move before your character has finished recovering from his previous move. It is important for executing quick strings of moves. Tekken and Virtua Fighter have relatively strict buffering requirements, meaning expert timing is required to pull off many combinations, while Soul Calibur's relatively lenient buffering lets players focus more on the game and less on the controls.
Soul Calibur II
Soul Calibur II took aspects of its predecessors and continued and added a clash system, one that is used when two attacks would hit each other resulting in a white flash and no damage to either opponent. Other features included walls (previous games allowed "Ring Outs" on all sides of the arena), and an improved Soul Charge system.
Soul Calibur II also added some new characters with new play styles to the series, among them Talim, Yunsung, Raphael, and Cassandra. It is also notable that each of the three home console versions had unique characters exclusive to that version - Spawn for the Xbox, Heihachi for the Playstation 2, and Link for the Gamecube. Each of these versions also included Necrid, a new character not seen in the arcades, and three limited-play (VS modes only) characters taken from or based on characters from the first Soul Calibur - Assassin, Berserker, and Lizardman.
The Story Behind It All
Soul Calibur is purportedly set in the 16th century, and centers around a powerful pair of demonic, soul-draining swords called Soul Edge. A warrior destroys one of the blades, accidentally allowing the evil energy of Soul Edge to take control and scattering its shards around the world. The remaining sword possesses a German Knight Siegfried, corrupting him and causing him to slaughter innocents for a period of three years. At the same time, another powerful sword called "Soulcalibur" appears and destroys Soul Edge (which reforms). Soul Edge's power was not eliminated, however, and its influence continued to wreak havoc. Multiple fighters pursue the sword for various individual reasons. Some good - some evil - and some just drawn by Soul Edge's power...
Community
With all solid games comes a community of followers and fans. The official website (http://www.soulcalibur.com) has gone through several incarnations. The game has also had many fan sites, sites not designed or funded by Namco, pop up. By far the largest of all such sites is Guard Impact (http://www.guardimpact.com), run by several fans and holding an active forum.
Francescadani_Soul_Calibur_2.jpg
Template:Wikiquotede:Soul Calibur fr:Soul Calibur ja:ソウルキャリバー zh:灵魂能力II