### Product description

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

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-mapped 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 opponent 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 opportunity 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.

### 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 sword 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 flesh 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 sword-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 swords 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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