The Dreamcast version of Soulcalibur is an enhanced port of the 1998 arcade game by Namco. It was released worldwide in 1999 and features “ten new characters” and enhanced new graphics.

Well, actually, it doesn’t feature ten new characters, it just duplicates the existing ten characters and gives them alternate outfits… Which is a bit cheeky if you ask me!

From the main menu, you can choose between seven different play modes, and some options. The play modes are: Mission Battle, Vs. Battle, Arcade, Time Attack, Team Battle, Survival and Practise.

“Arcade” mode is the most straightforward, it being a more or less identical version of the arcade game (where you fight CPU opponents in a knockout tournament).

“Mission Battle” is a single-player game where you have to complete missions and move around locations on a map.

“Vs. Battle” is the multiplayer, human-versus-human side of the game.

“Time Attack” is where you have to fight through a certain number of fighters in the shortest possible time.

“Team Battle” is where groups of fighters slug it out for team dominance. Note that this is a ‘tag team’ type game, where fights remain one-on-one.

“Survival” mode is where you fight an endless bunch of enemies, until you can fight no more.

And “Practise” mode allows you to fight custom matches without any risk or restrictions, to improve your skills and understanding of the game.

There’s also a “Museum”, where you can view data and objects, many needing to be unlocked by playing the game and earning achievements.

Overall, Soulcalibur on the Dreamcast is both an excellent port, and an arguable improvement over the arcade game. The extra play modes definitely add more depth to the game. You can also control the camera during victory dances, which is another nice feature.

Soulcalibur on the Dreamcast is a wonderful game to play now. It still has all the ‘zip’ and ‘pizazz’ of a top-end arcade fighting game, over 25 years after it was first released.

Soulcalibur Dreamcast = 20 playable characters:
Arthur, Astaroth, Hwang, Ivy, Kilik, Maxi, Nightmare, Sophitia, Taki and Voldo. Plus unlockable alternate outfit versions of all of the above.

More: Soulcalibur on Wikipedia