'SoulCalibur' Ranked Among 'Best Video Games of All Time'

When we consider the most creative, innovative video games ever made, it's typically newer releases that come to mind first. With their improved graphics and complex gameplay mechanics, these are the games that typically stand out as the best that gaming has to offer.

However, plenty of these games would never have been possible without the pioneers that came before them—and among those early games, few have remained quite as relevant and beloved as SoulCalibur.

Originally released in arcades in 1998, SoulCalibur was the second game in its titular franchise. The game sets players on a hunt for a powerful weapon known as Soul Edge, which has fallen into the hands of the villainous Nightmare.

The game was developed by Namco and was a massive success in the arcades—so much, in fact, that it was later ported to Sega Dreamcast in 1999 with improved graphics and new features. This version of the game, which became an immediate console classic, is now the second-highest rated video game of all time on Metacritic.

Sitting at a score of 98% (just one point behind The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time), the game represents an era of video gaming that doesn't exist anymore. It's one of the few entries on Metacritic's list from the classic period of arcade gaming, with most games in the Top 10 being released post-2000.

But SoulCalbur's popularity isn't just rooted in nostalgia. The game was an enormous hit when it was first released, taking home several Game of the Year awards and receiving rave reviews from critics, who praised its forward-thinking mechanics and entertaining blend of challenging gameplay and fun storytelling.

SoulCaliburII was released just three years later, and received an equally impressive amount of praise. The sequel sits at 93% on Metacritic—a fair distance from the Top 10 but still a very favorable score.

In the years since SoulCalibur's release, versions of the game with altered mechanics have been ported to the Xbox 360, Xbox One, and even mobile stores. It remains an untouchable classic that perfectly represents the evolution of video games through the late '90s; first an arcade game, later developed into a console classic, and now hailed as one of the greats that video game fans can play in countless different forms.