Did the soul burn better at home than the arcade? We take a slice out of day 4 at our look of Dreamcast games to find out.
Following behind Sonic Adventure, Soulcalibur is the second best-selling game on the Dreamcast. A launch title, the game featured improved graphics, sound, and new modes over the arcade port. A launch title, it was the one game that sold consistently throughout the console’s lifespan.
There were a couple of innovative features put into this fighting game. The player had a wider range of movement that gave the gamer a sense of real 3D. It also allowed players to “buffer” their moves. You could basically plan out an attack while performing a defense, for instance.
The best feature I like was the ability for the winning player to keep performing moves on their opponent after they were K.O.’d. Being able to taunt with repeated kicks to the other person on the couch is a nice touch.
The game received near perfect scores and is considered by some to be one of the greatest games of all time. I wouldn’t take it that far, but it is one of best fighting games I’ve played (and I’m not a big fan of fighting games).
It’s spawned a slew of sequels but none have really attained to the status of the original title. If you’re itching to play it can be found on Xbox Live Arcade but a huge drawback is the lack of online play. There was a little HD updating and some basic leaderboards, but it’s not been well received because of this. However, being one of the most prolific titles on the Dreamcast it can still be found rather easily.
Nightmare was awesome. “Nightmare was seriously wounded, but the soul still burns.”