Soul Calibur (ソウルキャリバー, Souru Kyaribā^?) is the second game in the Soul series of fighting games developed and produced by Namco. Soul Calibur was ported and released for the Sega Dreamcast with improved graphics and new features. The Sega Dreamcast port is often cited as the greatest fighting game of all time, and even one of the greatest games across all genres. It was one the best-selling Dreamcast titles overall. The port came in as second in the Game Rankings All-Time Top 20 games,^[1][2] only behind The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Following the first game Soul Edge (also a game created for the arcade originally and, subsequently the PlayStation) in 1995, the Soul series received a major makeover and was retitled Soul Calibur in 1999. Hence, Soul Calibur can also refer to the series consisting of Soul Calibur and its subsequent sequels (essentially the Soul series minus Soul Edge). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x800, 147 KB) This is the cover art for a video or computer game. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... Namco Ltd ) is a amusement company based in Japan, best known overseas for video games development. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Namco Ltd ) is a amusement company based in Japan, best known overseas for video games development. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the country in East Asia. ... is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... Video games are categorized into genres based on their gameplay. ... This article describes fighting games in which opponents face off in a battle. ... The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, advertising guidelines, and online privacy principles for computer and video games in the United States. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... The Dreamcast , code-named Dural, Dricas and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ... Joystick elements: 1. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Button (computing). ... This arcade cabinet, containing Centipede, is an upright. ... An arcade system board is a standardized printed circuit board or group of printed circuit boards that are used as the basis for multiple arcade games with very similar hardware requirements. ... The Namco System 12 is an arcade system board released by Namco in 1996. ... A computer display monitor, usually called simply a monitor, is a piece of electrical equipment which displays viewable images generated by a computer without producing a permanent record. ... Suppose the smiley face in the top left corner is an RGB bitmap image. ... Official logo of the original Soul Calibur Namcos Soul series is a weapon based fighting game series of arcade games. ... Screenshot of The King of Fighters XI (2005, SNK Playmore). ... Namco Ltd ) is a amusement company based in Japan, best known overseas for video games development. ... The Dreamcast , code-named Dural, Dricas and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ... The Dreamcast , code-named Dural, Dricas and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ... Game Rankings is a website which keeps track of video game reviews from other sites, and combines them to present an average rating for each game. ... The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was a video game released in 1998, and the first Zelda game for the Nintendo 64. ... Soul Edge ) is the first installment in the Soul series of fighting games developed and published by Namco. ... The Sony PlayStation ) is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ... 1995 1995 in games 1994 in video gaming 1996 in video gaming Notable events of 1995 in video gaming. ... 1999 1999 in games 1998 in video gaming 2000 in video gaming Notable events of 1999 in video gaming. ...

Soul Calibur is the name of the holy sword, created to battle the evil sword Soul Edge, around which the games' story-lines revolve. According to a timeline released by Namco on their "Soul Archive" site, Soul Calibur takes place around 1587. These are descriptions of the various mystical weapons in the Soul series of video games. ... These are descriptions of the various mystical weapons in the Soul series of video games. ... 1587 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Overview

Soul Edge/Soul Blade had a strong fanbase, 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 for the Sega Dreamcast, and became a smash hit almost overnight. Soul Calibur, the second game in the series, not the first, was set 3 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. 3D computer graphics are different from 2D computer graphics in that a three-dimensional representation of geometric data is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images. ... A coordinate axis is one of a set of vectors that defines a coordinate system. ... Joystick elements: 1. ... Tekken is a fighting game and first of the series of the same name. ... Virtua Fighter is a 1993 fighting game developed by the Sega studio AM2, headed by Yu Suzuki. ...

Prologue

The mystical sword of the legends, the "Soul Edge", ended in the hands of the dread pirate Cervantes of Spain. For the next 25 years he stayed dormant on the remnants of the port town in Valencia, taking the souls of those who reached him during their search of the sword. His reign of terror was soon to start, but the joined efforts of a divine warrior (Sophitia) and an underground ninja (Taki) stopped him, breaking one of the twin Soul Edge blades in the process. As it was about to tear itself apart, a young knight (Siegfried) approached the port town. The moment he took the hilt of the cursed blade, Soul Edge released a bright column of light into the sky. This was known as the "Evil Seed", bound to bring calamity and death across its path. Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name València (Valencian) Spanish name Valencia Founded 137 BC Postal code 46000-46080 Website http://www. ... Sophitia Alexandra (ソフィーテーア・アレクサンドル SofÄ«tÄ«a Arekusandoru) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Taki ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul series of fighting games, making her debut in the first game on the series, Soul Edge. ... Siegfried Schtauffen (シーグフリード・シュタウフェン ShÄ«gufurÄ«do Shutaufen) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ...

Three years after those events, Soul Edge uses Siegfried as its host, and now Siegfried is Nightmare, a knight wearing azure armor. Europe plunges into a vortex of slaughters as he and his followers claim souls to strengthen the blade in its weakened state. Unknown to them, a group of young warriors met on their journey to stop Soul Edge, and with them three sacred weapons join once again.

Character roster

Returning Characters

Starting characters:

• Mitsurugi - Katana
• Taki - Dual Kodachis
• Sophitia - Sword and Shield
• Voldo - Dual Katar

Characters who must be unlocked: Heishiro Mitsurugi ) is a video game character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Taki ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul series of fighting games, making her debut in the first game on the series, Soul Edge. ... A kodachi ), literally translating into small or short tachi (sword), is a Japanese sword that is too short to be considered a short sword but too long to be a dagger. ... Sophitia Alexandra ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An aspis (Ancient Greek Ασπις, IPA [aspis]) is the generic term for the word shield. ... Voldo ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... A Katar (Devanāgarī: कटार), also known as a Bundi dagger, is a type of short punching sword that is native to the Indian Subcontinent and popular elsewhere for swift and quick attacks. ...

• Cervantes - Long-Sword and Pistol sword (introduced on the Dreamcast port)
• Rock - Battle Axe
• Seong Mi-na - Halberd
• Hwang - Chinese Blade
• Siegfried - Zweihander

Cervantes de Leon (セルバンテス・デ・レオン Serubantesu de Reon) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... The term long-sword is ahistoric in the sense that it refers to a different kind of sword depending on historical context. ... Flintlock of an 18th Century hunting rifle, with piece of flint missing. ... Nathaniel Rock Adams (ロック・アダムズ Rokku Adamuzu) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Axe For other uses, see Axe (disambiguation). ... Seong Mi-na (Hanja: 成美那 Hangul: 성미나 Katakana: ソン・ミナ) is a fictional Korean character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... A guan dao or kwan dao is a type of Chinese pole weapon that is currently used in some forms of Chinese martial arts (wushu). ... Hwang Seong-gyeong (Chinese: 黄 星京 Hangul: 황 성경 Hwang Seonggyeong, Japanese: ファン・ソンギョン Fan Songyon) is a fictional Korean character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Chinese Saber (wushu variant used for ceremonial purposes only) Dao (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: tao1) is a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping (sabers), often called broadswords in English because some varieties have wide blades. ... Siegfried Schtauffen (シーグフリード・シュタウフェン ShÄ«gufurÄ«do Shutaufen) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... The Zweihänder (German for two hander) is a massive two-handed sword, designed to capitalize on brute force and shock effect, at the expense of some finesse. ...

New characters

Starting characters:

• Astaroth - Giant Axe
• Ivy - Snake Sword
• Kilik - Bo Staff
• Maxi - Nunchaku
• Nightmare - Soul Edge
• Xianghua - Chinese sword

Characters who must be unlocked: Astaroth (アスタロス Asutarosu) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Axe For other uses, see Axe (disambiguation). ... Isabella Ivy Valentine ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul series of fighting games. ... And distinguish from wip and WIP. A type of whip known as a riding crop The word whip describes two basic types of tools: A long stick-like device, usually slightly flexible, with a small bit of leather or cord, called a popper, on the end. ... Kilik (Chinese: 齊力克 Pinyin: Qílìkè, Japanese: キリク Kiriku) is a fictional Chinese character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Image of a human-shaped silhouette holding a Bo (棒, Japanese Weapon) A bo (棒) is a long stick usually made out of wood or bamboo. ... Maxi ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul series of fighting games. ... The nunchaku (Chinese: 雙節棍, shuāng jié gùn; 兩節棍, liÇŽng jié gùn Dual Section Staff; 二節棍, èr jié gùn Two Section Staff; Japanese: ヌンチャク nunchaku  ; 梢子棍, shōshikon Boatmans staff; 双節棍, sōsetsukon Paired sections staff; 二節棍, nisetsukon, also sometimes called nunchucks, numchuks, or chain sticks in English) is a traditional weapon... Nightmare ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games, making his debut in Soul Calibur. ... Chai Xianghua , Chinese: 柴香華 Pinyin: Chái Xiānghuà) is a fictional Chinese character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... For the novel of the same name, see Eric Van Lustbader. ...

• Lizardman - Sword and Shield
• Edge Master - Imitative power
• Inferno - Imitative Power (Originally SoulEdge from Soul Edge/Soul Blade)
• Yoshimitsu - Katana and Sashimono

Soul Calibur was originally planned to be a dramatic overhaul, featuring only a few select characters to be carried over from its predecessor, Soul Edge. While the initial plan did not exactly follow through--as nine of the eleven characters from the original roster had carried over by the time the game was ported to the Sega Dreamcast--the game still did manage to nearly double the size of the roster from the previous title. Most of these characters were readily available from the second the player opens the package. Aeon Calcos ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An aspis (Ancient Greek Ασπις, IPA [aspis]) is the generic term for the word shield. ... Edge Master ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Imitation is an advanced animal behaviour whereby an individual observes anothers behaviour and replicates it itself. ... Inferno ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Imitation is an advanced animal behaviour whereby an individual observes anothers behaviour and replicates it itself. ... Soul Edge ) is the first installment in the Soul series of fighting games developed and published by Namco. ... --> Yoshimitsu ) (meaning Good fortune light) is a fictional character in the Soul series of fighting games. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... An illustration depicting a typical sashimono, worn with battle gear Sashimono (指物, 差物, 挿物) were small banners worn by Japanese medieval soldiers for identification during battles. ... The Dreamcast , code-named Dural, Dricas and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ...

But although the game added ten new characters, eight of the newcomers were, for the most part, updated versions of previously-existing fighters. Of the three main protagonists, Kilik's moveset was largely taken from Seung Mi Na, Xianghua's from Hwang; and Maxi was a greatly updated version of what Soul Edge's Li Long would have been if he had returned. And of three of the main antagonists, Nightmare's moveset was largely taken from Siegfried, Astaroth's from Rock; and Lizardman was heavily raped by Soul Edge's featured heroine, Sophitia. In the Korean version of the game, Mitsurugi was raped by a Caucasian swordsman named Arthur because the image of the samurai is not very popular with Koreans. Added to that is the fact that both Edge Master and Inferno switch their styles to match randomly-chosen existing characters' movelists with each individual round of fighting. In fact, Soul Calibur only added two truly original playing styles, shown in Ivy and Yoshimitsu; and even Yoshimitsu had some moves borrowed from established character Mitsurugi. Additionally, Taki has experienced a change of her own now that she wields dual tantōs instead of one. Consequently, Namco has been working hard since Soul Calibur to gradually separate the roster's styles until the series features completely original styles for each of its characters. A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ... Seong Mi-na (Hanja: 成美那 Hangul: 성미나 Katakana: ソン・ミナ) is a fictional Korean character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Hwang Seong-gyeong is a fictional Korean character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Li Long is a video game character in the Soul series of fighting games. ... An ... Siegfried Schtauffen (シーグフリード・シュタウフェン ShÄ«gufurÄ«do Shutaufen) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Nathaniel Rock Adams (ロック・アダムズ Rokku Adamuzu) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Sophitia Alexandra (ソフィーテーア・アレクサンドル SofÄ«tÄ«a Arekusandoru) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Heishiro Mitsurugi ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Heishiro Mitsurugi ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Taki ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul series of fighting games, making her debut in the first game on the series, Soul Edge. ... Two Tantō tantō blade hidden in a fan-shaped mounting A Tantō (短刀) is a Japanese knife or dagger with a blade length of about 15 - 30 cm (6 - 12). There is a disputed saying about the tantō, wakizashi, and katana stating they are The Tantō differs from the others as...

Features

• Soul Calibur has the basic modes of play presented in most fighting games: "Arcade Mode" (fighting through 8 rounds, the 7th being a pre-defined battle for each character), "VS Mode", "Time Attack", "Team Battle", "Survival" and "Training Mode".
• "Missions Mode" is a mode where the player moves through the various levels in the game, fighting and fulfilling tasks to earn points. The mode has four variations of each of its many missions, each harder than the previous one.
• Points earned in Missions Mode allows the purchase of outfits, specials and various artworks from the game: CG portrait, sketches, character art and fanart are among the wide variety of artwork presented to unlock. Another added feature (unique of the franchise) are the "Exhibition Videos" or "katas". These videos portray the various characters performing a kata with their weapon of choice.
• Unlike Soul Edge, Soul Calibur II, and Soul Calibur III, Soul Calibur lacks the Extra Weapons feature. Each character counts with their main (default) weapon in both 1P and 2P form, along with the version of the weapon used by Edge Master.
• Out of the 19 characters available, 5 of them were granted a 3rd costume, available to unlock in the Missions Mode: Maxi, Siegfried, Sophitia, Voldo and Xianghua. Moreover, each character counted with a "transparent" version of their costume (Arcade only) or a "liquid metal" version of it (Dreamcast port only). There is also the possibility to use an "Unknown Soul" (blackened character) version as well.

Kata (型 or 形) (literally: form) is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practiced either solo or in pairs. ... Maxi ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul series of fighting games. ... Siegfried Schtauffen (シーグフリード・シュタウフェン Shīgufurīdo Shutaufen) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Sophitia Alexandra (ソフィーテーア・アレクサンドル Sofītīa Arekusandoru) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Voldo ) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ... Chai Xianghua (Chinese: 柴 香華 Pinyin: Chái Xiānghuà, Japanese: チャイ・シャンファ Chai Shanfa) is a fictional Chinese character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ...

Dreamcast port

Soul Calibur was released in Japan for the Dreamcast in August 5, 1999; and in North America as a launch title, in September 9, 1999. is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... Super Mario Brothers, a launch title for the NES A launch title is a video game that has been made available to consumers synchronously with its respective video game console, meaning they are the only available games at the time of the consoles launch. ... is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ...

The Dreamcast version of Soul Calibur is often cited as an example of a home conversion of a game being vastly superior to the original. Among the differences were the improved graphics (the DC version often being cited as the prettiest game of all time upon its release), tweaked gameplay, new game modes, new costumes, and the inclusion of an extra character Cervantes de Leon. Cervantes de Leon (セルバンテス・デ・レオン Cervantes de Leon) is a fictional character designed for the Soul Series of fighting games. ...

The Dreamcast version features new modes such as the Team Battle, Survival and the Training Mode. In Missions Mode the player completes various missions to attain points, which can be used to buy various art and costumes. Another feature added is the artwork section, containing both official artwork, fanart and High-res pictures. Also unlockable are a "liquid metal" version of the characters' costume and a "Battle Theater" mode.

The North American Dreamcast Version of the game removes one of Voldo's suggestive codpieces featuring a bull. However, the codpiece is present in the European and Japanese versions.

Reception

The Dreamcast port became wildly successful, with over 1 million copies sold.^[3] Critics also consider it one of the greatest games of all time, receiving perfect 10 scores from GameSpot^[4] and IGN,^[5] and also a perfect 40/40 (second of only six games) by Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. Soul Calibur won the 1999 E3 Game Critics Awards for Best Fighting Game. Soul Calibur was listed as the 43rd greatest game of all time on IGN's 2005 top 100 list ^[6] and voted the sixth greatest game in the 2006 readers' picks version.^[7] Game Informer listed it as the top game on their top 10 Dreamcast games list.^[8]. It is also the second greatest game of all time according to GameRankings.^[9] GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. ... IGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games. ... Cover art for Issue 1 of Famitsū magazine, June 1986, then known as Famicom Tsūshin Famitsū abbreviated ファミ Fami) is a Japanese video game magazine published by Enterbrain, Inc. ... E³ logo The Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly known as E³, was an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association. ... The Game Critics Awards are a set of prestigious annual awards held after the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E³) since 1998 to current. ... IGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games. ...

The Dreamcast version was widely praised at the time and showed off the system's graphical power

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References

See also

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External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Soul Calibur

• Soul Calibur at the Killer List of Videogames
• Soul Archive Namco-sponsored Soul series archival fansite.
• Soul Calibur at MobyGames