Sega had a bit of a rough time in Japan following the launch of the Dreamcast. Then they halved the price and things got a bit better. Then Namco released Soul Calibur...
Andy Ashwin

And?
Sales went through the roof. And once you've seen Soul Calibur in action, you'll be next in line. This game is so damn good you'd think Namco were just teasing us with the Tekken series on PlayStation. In fact, think Tekken 3 with weapons and the best graphics ever seen on a console and you'll begin to understand just how good Soul Calibur is.

Steady on! Tekken rules!
Tekken ruled, past tense. Who knows, maybe the next incarnation of Tekken (on PlayStation 2, no doubt) will be better than this, but for now Soul Calibur is the new king. There are loads of characters, killer combos, beautiful backgrounds and enough to keep you coming back over and over again.

Mint! Tell me about the characters.
There are 10 to choose from initially, each with a distinct style and look. One of the most impressive things is their size. Pit Sophitia against Astaroth and you'll be amazed by the height advantage of the latter. It works remarkably well though, with Sophitia making up for her diminutive stature by means of speed and technique (and looks). All the female characters in the game have very impressive curves; in fact, there are no straight lines in sight (apart from the weapons, of course). As with Tekken, there are plenty of extra characters that can be unlocked by completing the game. Our favourite is currently Maxi, an Elvis lookalike with nunchuckers... erm, numbchuks... dumbf... damn... you know, those Bruce Lee things made from a broom handle and a bit of chain.