<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
second	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
series	O
,	O
preceded	O
by	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
in	O
December	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
released	O
in	O
arcades	O
on	O
July	O
30	O
,	O
1998	O
,	O
it	O
ran	O
on	O
the	O
Namco	B-Application
System	I-Application
12	I-Application
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
in	O
1999	O
with	O
new	O
features	O
and	O
improved	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
North	O
American	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
September	O
1999	O
as	O
a	O
launch	O
game	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
and	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
successful	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
became	O
available	O
as	O
a	O
downloadable	O
title	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
's	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Live	O
Marketplace	O
in	O
July	O
2008	O
and	O
it	O
is	O
forward	B-General_Concept
compatible	I-General_Concept
with	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
along	O
with	O
the	O
sequel	O
,	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
centers	O
on	O
the	O
pursuit	O
of	O
the	O
legendary	O
weapon	O
known	O
as	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
,	O
now	O
in	O
the	O
possession	O
of	O
a	O
warrior	O
known	O
as	O
Nightmare	O
,	O
who	O
slaughters	O
countless	O
people	O
to	O
satisfy	O
the	O
blade	O
's	O
bloodlust	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developed	O
closely	O
with	O
Namco	O
's	O
Tekken	B-Application
development	O
team	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
few	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
ports	O
that	O
outdid	O
their	O
arcade	O
parent	O
performance-wise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soulcalibur	B-Application
received	O
unanimous	O
critical	O
applause	O
upon	O
release	O
;	O
it	O
is	O
the	O
fourth-highest-rated	O
video	O
game	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
98	O
rating	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
biggest	O
innovations	O
introduced	O
by	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
to	O
the	O
gameplay	O
system	O
of	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
,	O
is	O
the	O
eight-way	O
run	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
,	O
simply	O
holding	O
down	O
a	O
joystick	B-Device
direction	O
causes	O
the	O
character	O
to	O
move	O
in	O
that	O
direction	O
,	O
giving	O
the	O
player	O
a	O
sense	O
of	O
freedom	O
and	O
deepening	O
the	O
strategy	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soulcalibur	B-Application
also	O
improved	O
gameplay	O
with	O
"	O
forgiving	O
buffering	O
"	O
,	O
executing	O
the	O
input	O
for	O
one	O
move	O
before	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
character	O
has	O
finished	O
recovering	O
from	O
his	O
or	O
her	O
previous	O
move	O
,	O
and	O
leads	O
to	O
executing	O
a	O
quick	O
succession	O
of	O
moves	O
(	O
other	O
fighting	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Tekken	B-Application
and	O
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
series	I-Application
have	O
relatively	O
strict	O
buffering	O
requirements	O
,	O
meaning	O
expert	O
timing	O
is	O
required	O
to	O
pull	O
off	O
many	O
combinations	O
,	O
but	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
features	O
much	O
more	O
lenient	O
timing	O
to	O
successfully	O
execute	O
a	O
buffer	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Finally	O
,	O
the	O
Guard	O
Impact	O
offensive	O
blocking	O
maneuver	O
shown	O
in	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
was	O
given	O
a	O
deeper	O
range	O
of	O
techniques	O
in	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
,	O
allowing	O
players	O
to	O
push	O
back	O
or	O
redirect	O
attacks	O
past	O
themselves	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
swatting	O
away	O
an	O
opponent	O
's	O
weapon	O
to	O
stun	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soulcalibur	B-Application
was	O
originally	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
dramatic	O
overhaul	O
,	O
with	O
all	O
new	O
characters	O
apart	O
from	O
Mitsurugi	O
from	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
nine	O
of	O
the	O
11	O
characters	O
from	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
ended	O
up	O
carrying	O
over	O
to	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
by	O
the	O
time	O
the	O
roster	O
was	O
finalized	O
in	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
version	O
(	O
Cervantes	O
,	O
Hwang	O
,	O
Seong	O
Mi-na	O
,	O
Mitsurugi	O
,	O
Rock	O
,	O
Siegfried	O
,	O
Sophitia	O
,	O
Taki	O
,	O
Voldo	O
)	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
additional	O
ten	O
new	O
characters	O
joining	O
the	O
ranks	O
(	O
in	O
the	O
South	O
Korean	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Mitsurugi	O
was	O
replaced	O
by	O
an	O
English-Japanese	O
swordsman	O
named	O
Arthur	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
new	O
character	O
Maxi	O
has	O
a	O
fighting	O
style	O
and	O
move	O
set	O
influenced	O
by	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
's	O
Li	O
Long	O
(	O
the	O
only	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
starting	O
characters	O
not	O
to	O
return	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
fact	O
,	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
only	O
added	O
one	O
original	O
playing	O
style	O
,	O
belonging	O
to	O
Ivy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Consequently	O
,	O
Namco	O
has	O
been	O
working	O
since	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
to	O
gradually	O
separate	O
the	O
individual	O
styles	O
of	O
the	O
characters	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
make	O
each	O
one	O
unique	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
mystical	O
sword	O
of	O
the	O
legends	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
"	O
,	O
ended	O
up	O
in	O
the	O
hands	O
of	O
the	O
dreaded	O
pirate	O
Cervantes	O
de	O
Leon	O
of	O
Spain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
,	O
starts	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
1583	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reign	O
of	O
terror	O
of	O
Cervantes	O
was	O
soon	O
to	O
start	O
,	O
but	O
through	O
the	O
joined	O
efforts	O
of	O
Greek	O
divine	O
warrior	O
Sophitia	O
Alexandra	O
and	O
Japanese	O
ninja	O
Taki	O
,	O
he	O
was	O
stopped	O
and	O
killed	O
,	O
with	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
twin	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
blades	O
being	O
shattered	O
in	O
the	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
it	O
was	O
about	O
to	O
tear	O
itself	O
apart	O
,	O
young	O
German	O
knight	O
Siegfried	O
Schtauffen	O
approached	O
the	O
port	O
town	O
and	O
battled	O
Cervantes	O
,	O
whose	O
corpse	O
had	O
been	O
momentarily	O
reanimated	O
through	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
's	O
will	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
moment	O
he	O
took	O
the	O
hilt	O
of	O
the	O
cursed	O
blade	O
,	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
released	O
a	O
bright	O
column	O
of	O
light	O
into	O
the	O
sky	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Three	O
years	O
after	O
those	O
events	O
,	O
in	O
1586	O
AD	O
,	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
uses	O
Siegfried	O
as	O
its	O
host	O
,	O
and	O
now	O
Siegfried	O
is	O
Nightmare	O
,	O
a	O
knight	O
wearing	O
azure	O
armor	O
and	O
sporting	O
a	O
hideously	O
deformed	O
right	O
arm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unknown	O
to	O
them	O
,	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
warriors	O
met	O
on	O
their	O
journey	O
to	O
stop	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
,	O
and	O
with	O
them	O
,	O
three	O
sacred	O
weapons	O
join	O
once	O
again	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
releasing	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
,	O
Namco	O
took	O
some	O
time	O
to	O
evaluate	O
what	O
had	O
made	O
the	O
game	O
successful	O
before	O
jumping	O
into	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
its	O
sequel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Producer	O
Hiroaki	O
Yotoriyama	O
decided	O
to	O
give	O
the	O
sequel	O
a	O
new	O
name	O
instead	O
of	O
just	O
calling	O
it	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
2	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
fresh	O
start	O
and	O
take	O
the	O
series	O
in	O
a	O
new	O
direction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
is	O
a	O
portmanteau	O
of	O
the	O
word	O
soul	O
(	O
as	O
in	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
)	O
and	O
King	B-Application
Arthur	I-Application
's	O
sword	O
Excalibur	B-Application
(	O
ultimately	O
,	O
the	O
name	O
would	O
be	O
used	O
within	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
universe	O
for	O
the	O
holy	O
weapon	O
which	O
would	O
counteract	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
's	O
evil	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
development	O
they	O
worked	O
closely	O
with	O
Namco	O
's	O
Tekken	B-Application
development	O
team	O
,	O
sharing	O
ideas	O
and	O
research	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
described	O
the	O
availability	O
of	O
movement	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
Tekken	B-Application
3	I-Application
as	O
a	O
large	O
contrast	O
between	O
the	O
two	O
series	O
and	O
more	O
tactical	O
and	O
emphasized	O
how	O
it	O
interacted	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
"	O
ring	O
out	O
"	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
for	O
the	O
arcade	O
version	O
of	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
consisted	O
of	O
roughly	O
60	O
people	O
working	O
on	O
Namco	O
's	O
System	B-Application
12	I-Application
hardware	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
team	O
developing	O
the	O
home	O
port	O
was	O
reduced	O
to	O
about	O
forty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Given	O
a	O
deadline	O
of	O
seven	O
months	O
to	O
coincide	O
with	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
launch	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
transition	O
was	O
difficult	O
for	O
the	O
team	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
differences	O
in	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
biggest	O
technological	O
change	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
port	O
was	O
to	O
render	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
stages	O
in	O
full	O
3D	O
polygons	O
,	O
whereas	O
the	O
far	O
backgrounds	O
in	O
the	O
arcade	O
original	O
were	O
flat	O
,	O
two-dimensional	O
images	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Gamest	O
Book	O
series	O
guide	O
book	O
Soul	B-Application
Calibur	I-Application
Skill	O
Up	O
Manual	O
( ソウルキャリバー	O
スキルアップマニュアル	O
)	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
Shinseisha	O
on	O
September	O
27	O
,	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
port	O
of	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
August	O
5	O
,	O
1999	O
;	O
and	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
as	O
a	O
launch	O
title	O
,	O
on	O
September	O
9	O
,	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
North	O
American	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
removes	O
one	O
of	O
Voldo	O
's	O
suggestive	O
codpieces	O
featuring	O
a	O
bull	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
codpiece	O
is	O
present	O
in	O
the	O
European	O
and	O
Japanese	O
versions	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
European	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
distributed	O
and	O
advertised	O
by	O
Sega	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
examples	O
of	O
a	O
home	O
conversion	O
of	O
a	O
game	O
being	O
graphically	O
superior	O
to	O
its	O
original	O
arcade	O
counterpart	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
version	O
features	O
new	O
modes	O
such	O
as	O
Team	O
Battle	O
,	O
Survival	O
,	O
and	O
Training	O
Mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
Namco	O
Bandai	O
Games	O
announced	O
a	O
port	O
of	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
would	O
be	O
released	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
port	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
European	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
version	O
and	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
download	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
on	O
July	O
2	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
game	O
included	O
HD	O
updated	O
graphics	O
and	O
various	O
Live	O
leaderboards	O
,	O
online	O
play	O
was	O
absent	O
which	O
makes	O
it	O
an	O
exception	O
amongst	O
most	O
games	O
ported	O
to	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
features	O
from	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
version	O
(	O
Museum	O
,	O
etc.	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
Mission	O
Battle	O
)	O
are	O
also	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
19	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
Namco	O
Bandai	O
released	O
a	O
port	O
of	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
for	O
Apple	O
's	O
iOS	B-Application
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
a	O
Universal	O
App	O
to	O
run	O
at	O
native	O
resolutions	O
on	O
iPad	B-Device
,	O
iPhone	B-Device
,	O
and	O
iPod	B-Device
touch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
no	O
longer	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
store	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
20	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
Namco	O
Bandai	O
released	O
a	O
port	O
of	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
platform	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
on	O
their	O
September	O
1	O
,	O
1998	O
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
third	O
most-successful	O
arcade	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
sold	O
in	O
excess	O
of	O
one	O
million	O
copies	O
by	O
December	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
second	B-Application
biggest	I-Application
selling	I-Application
game	I-Application
on	I-Application
the	I-Application
system	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blake	O
Fischer	O
reviewed	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
Next	O
Generation	O
,	O
rating	O
it	O
five	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
Beautiful	O
,	O
deep	O
,	O
and	O
far	O
more	O
compelling	O
than	O
any	O
3D	O
fighter	O
in	O
recent	O
memory	O
,	O
Soul	B-Application
Calibur	I-Application
is	O
reason	O
enough	O
to	O
own	O
a	O
Dreamcast.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
universal	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
,	O
garnering	O
perfect	O
10/10	O
scores	O
from	O
GameSpot	O
and	O
IGN	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
for	O
nearly	O
a	O
decade	O
the	O
last	O
game	O
to	O
receive	O
a	O
perfect	O
rating	O
from	O
IGN	O
,	O
until	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Grand	B-Application
Theft	I-Application
Auto	I-Application
IV	I-Application
in	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
second	O
game	O
ever	O
to	O
get	O
a	O
perfect	O
40/40	O
from	O
Japanese	O
gaming	O
magazine	O
Famitsu	O
(	O
the	O
first	O
being	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ocarina	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2017	O
,	O
game	O
review	O
aggregator	O
website	O
GameRankings	O
has	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
version	O
ranked	O
as	O
the	O
seventh	O
best-reviewed	O
game	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
highest-scoring	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
fighting	O
game	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
also	O
holds	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
98	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
highest-rated	O
video	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
across	O
all	O
consoles	O
and	O
platforms	O
,	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soulcalibur	B-Application
was	O
named	O
as	O
the	O
number	O
one	O
best	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
game	O
by	O
Game	O
Informer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
IGN	O
ranked	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
as	O
the	O
fifth	O
best	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
game	O
,	O
while	O
ScrewAttack	O
ranked	O
it	O
sixth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GamesRadar	O
named	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
the	O
best	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
game	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
on	O
their	O
list	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2005	O
,	O
GameSpot	O
ranked	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
as	O
the	O
sixth	O
best	O
launch	O
title	O
yet	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
not	O
only	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
greatest	O
launch	O
games	O
or	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
greatest	O
fighters	O
,	O
but	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
greatest	O
games	O
ever	O
.	O
</s>
