Soul Fighter

While on the surface, the game may seem to borrow heavily from the fantasy-action romp Gauntlet Legends, it actually has a lot more in common with old Sega Genesis games such as Streets of Rage. Only instead of a side-scrolling brawler, this game presents the world in stunning 3-D, with a rather fussy camera-angle system that can be detrimental to both gameplay and your full stomach. Still, since the controls are so simplified--with only three main buttons for kick, punch, and jump--it's hard to fault the game for using awkward camera movement to make things more challenging. A rather odd epicurean collection of power-ups uses pig's heads, roasted chickens, and wood-planked fish to boost your strength. Projectile weapons such as crossbows and throwing axes can be uncovered by brashly shattering treasure chests that are strewn about, or by giving some beastly bag of bones a few soul-freeing punts.

Three characters to choose from make the game slightly more deep, but the lack of two- or three-player simultaneous beast-busting is a serious drawback. The level designs are very simple and uninspired, with an odd amount of backtracking required to finish each one. Soul Fighter is by no means original, but it does deliver a limbic system thrill, like a plotless, yet alluringly action-heavy, Jean-Claude Van Damme film. --Jeff Young

Pros:

• Two buttons can unleash a varied and impressive amount of fighting
• Great frame rates and animation
• Easy to pick up, arcade-style gameplay

• Motion sickness-inducing camera movement
• Replayability reduced by lack of multiplayer mode
• Tediously drawn-out intro movie

Cons
-May cause motion sickness
-Annoying background music
-No multi-player

Turn off the voleun while playing!! It will get annoying


kids like this game   October 27, 2002
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I played this game and when I played it I liked it becuase it is like golden axe.Both of those games are fun to play. Eventhough it is rated for teens I thought it was not too scary, maybe just a little in the dark places. I think other kids will like it.


Could've been better....   August 30, 2001
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I got this game, along with a couple of other games on my birthday from relatives (beware when a relative does such a risky move as this. They usually buy the cheapest game for you, knowing ONLY that you like to play video games). So I popped Soul Fighter in my Dreamcast. Let's start with the pros:
The graphics aren't that bad. the CG scenes could have been a LOT better, and the "king" doing the narraration in the beginning could've used some voice acting lessons. He sounded like a fake Sean Connery. Haha...it is to laugh. Ooops, did I say pros? Well, you can choose from three characters...that's about it. Well, on to the cons:
The first thing that really urked me was the control. I wasn't to thrilled about how slippery the character movements are. If you move with the analog, your character automatically starts running, and if you want to make a short stop, you have to stop really early, so as not to slide. The second thing that literally began to make me nautious, was the awkward camera angles. It's a little difficult to get your bearings and to find out where enemies are with the camera spinning and turning pretty much when it pleases. Of course, there is very little storyline, because it IS a beat 'em up. then there's the issue of lack of fighting moves. You end up wearing out your thumbs and your controller buttons with the lack of good combo moves and fighting strategies (e.g. Streets of Rage 1,2 & 3). The last thing that was a big downer was the fact that with a little tweaking on the above mentioned things and by adding a 2 player option, this game would have been something special. In conclusion, it's not that it's COMPLETELY horrible, but, if a little more time had been put into gameplay, then Soul Fighter wouldn't seem so much as a rushed job. Rent it, or purchase it if you want to have a library of DC games. Other than that, it's not one to write home about.


Nice graphics but terrible controls   June 13, 2000
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

What looks to be an entertaining fighting game is hindered by awkward and edgy controls. You have a choice of selecting 1 of 3 characters each with their own unique fighting styles. Although each fighter is quite fluid in their movements, controlling them so that they hit their target is not quite as intuitive. Button mashing will only create frustration since most moves are made of a sequences - the character will initiate each move accordingly and until he/she is finished you may end up facing a wall with your targets behind you. You can change the view from 1st person to more of an overhead - 1st person is nice if you need to target a long distance enemy or figure out distance for longer weapons (swords). Button mashing will not work as intuitively as most fighting games. Although it isn't unusual to face one enemy at a time, it also isn't out of the ordinary to be bombarded by two or three enemies attacking in what seems like at the same time. Learning to control movement so that you are facing the target will prove to be the largest obstacle. Once you figure that out you can get your character to do a number of very useful and interesting moves. Two different modes will determine whether you have more than one life to lose or see how long you can last with one life option (Adventure mode). The game can be highly frustrating and tends to be more eye candy than entertaining.