- A complete 3D fighting game that allows for side steps, Soul Blade has twelve colorful fighters (ten standard, two hidden, plus additional costumes for a few fighters), each with various weapons and styles..
- The first ten can be used in all the combat modes, while the hidden two can only be used in versus and arcade mode..
Product description
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What's next in fighting? How about a game that melds 3D
movement, polygon characters, razor sharp graphics, awe-inspiring
moves and a one-of-a-kind combat system? Or, in short, Soul Blade
- arguably the most innovative fighting game on the planet. It's
the 15th century and ten warriors from around the world, each
wielding their weapon of choice, are in bloody pursuit of Soul
Edge - the ultimate weapon. Sure, only one will find it. But it
looks like the critics already have found it. Game Players
magazine voted Soul Blade "Best Game of Show" at AMMO, and NEXT
Generation calls Soul Blade "the most complete fighting game to
date." Obviously, a cut above.
This item is complete and includes game, game case and manual.
There is minimal wear to the labels or manual. Bonus downloadable
content may have already been redeemed. Game carts and disc are
professionally cleaned or resurfaced. This item, while
pre-played, is an excellent addition to your game collection. It
will also be a good playable piece.
From the Manufacturer
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Soul Blade is one of the most popular aracde fighting games
available and its heading to your home (at least it should be if
you buy it). Soul Blade is especially impressive because of its
superior motion-captured texture-ped graphics and it's true
light-sourcing. Coupled with challenging gameplay that emphasizes
side-stepping counter-attacks and strategy Namco has made a
fighting game worthy of the highest praises. A major element that
elevates the quality of Soul Blade is its true 3D environment.
This element not only proves useful in evading attacks but also
for side stepping and attacking. Each player and nent must
constantly re-adjust to attack and defend from the new character
positions. Even when a character is knocked to the ground it is
an rtunity to recover and attack. While the attacks are
powerful and cool to watch constant attacking wil only take you
so far in this game. Success lies in the ability to defend and
counter-attack.
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Review
------
For months gamers have been waiting for Soul Edge, 1997's
hottest PlayStation import title, to make its way stateside. Even
though the intro's psuedo-nudity has been toned down and the name
has been changed to Soul Blade for the American audience, the
game still remains a 32-bit fighting masterpiece. Like fighting
titles before it, this game follows a group of fighters in their
battles around the world. The twist: the combatants all wield
bladed weapons - a welcome change from the hand-to-hand combat
found in most other fighting games.
The storyline of Soul Blade is essentially an excuse for various
showdowns over myriad backgrounds. Set in the 16th century, the
title features warriors from various clans who are on a quest for
the "Soul Edge," a magical some believe holds ultimate
combat power. The warriors include those looking to use it for
goodand evil. The characters include Taki, a female hunter you
wouldn't want to tangle with; Cervantes, a wicked looking pirate
(you gotta love a fighting game with a pirate); Sophita, an
emotional goddess (Namco's description - but how does one become
an emotional goddess?); Voldo, hell guadian (we'll just leave it
at that); Rock (the token slow-moving, "no one uses him"
character); and others. The game also features hidden fighters,
multiple endings and numerous costumes for each character, and
other hidden surprises that out the game.
Soul Blade is visually astonishing from the moment you turn it
on. The cinematic introduction and non-gameplay graphics are THE
BEST yet seen on the PlayStation - nothing else even comes close.
However, the rest of the game's graphics don't reach that lofty
mark: The backgrounds have an amazing look, but the fighters look
only as good in action as their Tekken 2 counterparts. The game
plays smoothly, but the animation suffers, thanks to the
complexity of the backgrounds - that is to say, the game's frame
rate slows down considerably. The sound quality, on the other
hand, is nearly perfect. I don't usually care about game's
soundtrack, but this is possibly the best I've heard - the three
impressive orchestral soundtracks truly compliment the rich
visuals.
Soul Blade offers a number of options: All the standard fighting
game features are present (vs., arcade, team play, and so on), in
addition to the very cool Edge Master mode that allows you to
play any of the ten standard characters in a -quest
throughout the world. Over the course of your journey you pick up
new weapons (eight in all) and watch the story progress. These
storylines, while a bit hokey, are detailed and develop the
characters to a near Street Fighter-like level (i.e. you actually
learn a bit about why they're fighting). Namco has also included
its now signature Practice mode, which is being copied by just
about every fighting game. Namco's, however, is the best: You
determine how your drone attacks you (choices ranging from a
full-on attack to the drone passively standing there and letting
you hit him). As you attempt your moves, the depressed buttons
display onscreen, making it easier to learn the moves and combos.
When you turn on the command menu, almost all of the special
moves and combinations are spelled out for you (not like the days
of the original Street Fighter 2 - where you had to find your own
by accident).
In one-player and two-player mode, Soul Blade presents quite a
challenge with its mix of horizontal and vertical attack, block,
and sidestep controls. It also provides a very entertaining
feature - if both fighters swing at each other, their s may
clash and fly back. The combination moves range from the
simplicity of Virtua Fighter's punch-kick combo to the complexity
of Killer Instinct's multi-hit attacks. The fighting overall is
quite solid and will engross you. Soul Blade is a great fighting
game with its share of flaws. If fast-paced weapon-to-weapon
combat sounds like welcome addition to the ass-whooping arena,
Soul Blade is just the game for you. -- Ed Robertson
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