LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Soul Edge: Soul Edge'
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Consistently referred to as the "evil sword" throughout the series, Soul Edge has a reputation for devouring souls. The weapon is ... known to be a shape-shifter – which form it takes depends on its current owner. Only those with great mental discipline can retain their will while wielding this weapon.[1] In the games, a common trait of selecting Soul Edge as a combative weapon is that it depletes the health of the player whilst giving increased attack power or even draining an opponent's health upon contact. Either way, it is not unusual for the player to lose the battle as a result of weilding the weapon, regardless of the opponent landing the finishing blow, and thereby living up to its in-game legend of "consuming" its wielder.
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Influenced by such 3D fighters as Tekken and Virtua Fighter, Soul Edge has equally enjoyable gameplay and better-detailed fighting environments. However, the animation is not as smooth as Tekken's. Players select from 8 different characters (each from a different era), including Cervantes and Greek fighter Sophitia. The fighting system is weapons-based (swords, axes and the like), and control is as follows: 8-way joystick for versatile movement and four buttons for horizontal slash, vertical slash, kick and guard maneuvers. Each character has a number of flashy special moves that are simple to pull off, but crucial to employ strategically. A typical health meter is in place, but the game ... has a flaming sword meter, which shrinks when attacks are blocked.
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Three years later, the blade had recovered its power, and the time was nearing for Astaroth to take Soul Edge from Nightmare's grasp. But Astaroth never saw his opportunity. Of all the souls harboring hatred for Astaroth, one soul with an irrepressible desire for vengeance reached Nightmare's stronghold in Ostrheinsburg and destroyed the golem. This man sought to avenge his comrades who were slain by Astaroth.
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Hearing word of a sword known as Soul Edge, he became convinced that he could slay his father's murderer if hefound thisultimate weapon. He searched through the battlegrounds in every region he traveled. Eventually, he came across a sword in a Spanish harbor that emitted a strange aura beside the corpse of its owner, who appeared to be a pirate. The dead body returned to life, covered in flames, as if to protect the sword. Upon defeating the apparition, he reached for the hilt of the mysterious blade.
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Though Soul Edge's power was vastly diminished, there were still many of its fragments scattered throughout the world, expanding Soul Edge's influence far beyond the sword itself. Notably, Cervantes de Leon carried another version of the cursed sword, born from fusing several fragments together, as did Taki with one of her blades. Even though the sword was sealed, its fragments still emitted the evil energies of the cursed blade.
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The characters from the previous installments (and that's pluralized to include the early 90s game Soul Blade/Edge) are carbon copies of their former selves. Main man Mitsurugi is an ace with the katana and the amazingly nimble ninja Taki is ferocious and fast with her blades. Ivy's snake sword is still one of the coolest weapons ever (unless you're her opponent and on the last dregs of your health meter) and Voldo is still a fantastic mixture of unpredictability and grace. Most of the new characters fit perfectly into the Soul Calibur scheme. Although it seemed like there was no room to create different, balanced characters, Raphael and Talim find those gaps and fill them well. Raphael is an agile, strong and lanky fencer.
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Soul Edge'