Soul Blade
PSX Secrets FAQ
Soul Blade
PSX Secrets FAQ
Soul Edge/Soul Blade PSX "Secrets" FAQ v2.1 07 MAY 97
-------------------------------------------- Richard Uyeyama
http://www.best.com/~ruyeyama/psx/hiawa.html ruyeyama@best.com
Document formatting, organization, and wording Copyright 1997 by Richard
Uyeyama and Justin Pierce.
SoulBlade is trademarked and Copyright 1995, 1996 by Namco, Ltd. All
rights reserved.
A note from Richard:
Due to increasing time demands from other sources, Justin (Pierce) no
longer has the amount of free time he feels should properly be devoted to
this SE/SB Secrets FAQ. Thus, he has passed the upkeep duty to me. Given
his apparent confidence in me, I'll do my best not to let him down. Or any
of you. =)
In any case, since the FAQ has now officially changed hands, please do not
bother Justin with any further e-mail pertaining to the FAQ! He'll just
have to forward them over to me. Rather, all such e-mailings should go to
me (Richard Uyeyama) at: ruyeyama@best.com Thanks. And now, a few words
from Justin...
A few words from Justin:
The purpose of this document is simple: to clear up any and all of the
random questions being posted to Usenet about the "secrets" in Soul Edge
for the Sony PlayStation. Too many times have I seen incorrect postings
and the same questions asked over and over again. I figure this should
shut you all up for a while. :)
As a side note, please read the entire manual for the game. A lot of
general information that answers many of the questions posted to Usenet can
be found there. Actually, you should read the manual for every game you
buy. :)
Contents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
0. Document History
I. Secret Characters
a) Siegfried!
b) Sophitia!
c) Sophitia!!
d) Soul Edge
e) Seung Han Myong
II. Edge Master Mode
a) The Eighth Weapon
b) Winning Requirements
1. Air Combos
2. Critical Edge
3. Disarm Your Opponent
4. Throw Technique
c) Text Zoom
d) Weapon/Character Examination
III. Alternate Endings
IV. Miscellany
a) Character Outfits & Colors
b) Sophitia, ummm, Supplementary Color Codes
c) Winning Poses & Quotes
d) The Replay Camera
e) Vs. Mode / Team Battle Mode Stage Cycle
f) The "Namco" Opening Voice
g) The "Soul Edge" Title Screen Voice (Japanese Ver. Only)
h) Logging Time
i) Reversals
j) Missing Attacks
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
0. Document History
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
v2.1 - Character examination commands added to EMM section
- Sophie codes added to Miscellany section
- Some quotes and rough translations added to Winning Poses section
- Vs./Team Battle Mode stage cycle info added to Miscellany section
- Less wear-intensive method for logging time added to Miscellany
- Reversals section added
- Taki unlisted move added (backflip)
- Minor editing to various sections
v2.0 - FAQ changes hands from Justin Pierce to Richard Uyeyama
- Method for getting Han Myong clarified
- Sophitia alternate ending addition
- Mitsurugi ending command addition and clarifications
- Seung Mina ending command addition
- Li Long ending command quantified
- Voldo default ending addition
- Outfit color clarification (P1 vs P2)
- Winning pose clarification
v1.9 - "Soul Edge" Title Screen Voice added to Miscellany section
- Weapon Examination added to Edge Master section
- Undocumented attack for Taki found
- Clarifications on winning poses made
- Clarifications on the game timer made
- Rumored method to get Han Myong disproved
- Rumored method to get eighth weapon confirmed (!)
v1.8 - Clarifications on the Critical Edge made
- Rumored method to get Han Myong added
- Rumored method to get the eighth Edge Master weapon added
- Edge Master book zoom section added (II.c)
v1.7 - Spelling errors fixed
- Clarifications on "!" characters made
- Second method to get eighth weapon added
- Clarifications to air combos made
- Throwing added to Edge Master section
- Missing Attacks added to Miscellany section
v1.5 - How to get alternate endings
- How to choose winning poses
- Opening "Namco" voice
- Controlling the replay camera
- Section IV, "Miscellany", added to cover all this crud
- Information originally in section III moved to IV
- Credits added
- This update actually came out on the same day as v1.2 8P
v1.2 - Alternate method to obtain Soul Edge confirmed
v1.1 - New canned-combo added to Soul Edge's moves list
v1.0 - Launch version
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Secret Characters
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I.a) Siegfried!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Siegfried! is an alternate version of the normal character, this one decked
out in the "Evil Bad Guy" (tm) armor of Siegfried's "bad" ending, lugging
the Soul Edge. The weapon performs no differently than his original.
Siegfried! cannot use the Edge Master weapons.
To get Siegfried!, simply obtain all of his weapons in the Edge Master
mode. He will be selectable in all modes other than Edge Master by moving
the cursor past the edge of the character list.
I.b) Sophitia!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sophitia! is an alternate version of the normal character, taken from the
beginning of her arcade mode ending. She wears no armor over her clothing.
Sophitia! performs no differently than Sophitia, although she cannot use
the Edge Master weapons.
To get Sophitia!, simply obtain all of her weapons in the Edge Master mode.
She will be selectable in all modes other than Edge Master by moving the
cursor past the edge of the character list.
I.c) Sophitia!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sophitia!! is another alternate version of Sophitia. She is wearing the
white swimsuit from her alternate Arcade mode ending (as well as the US
Soul Blade intro CG animation). Sophitia!! performs no differently than
Sophitia, although she cannot use the Edge Master weapons.
To get Sophitia!!, simply obtain all 70 of the weapons in the Edge Master
mode. She will be selectable in all modes other than Edge Master by moving
the cursor past the edge of the character list.
I.d) Soul Edge
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Soul Edge, the Demon Sparkplug, and the last character in the game, will
become accessible after finishing the game at least once with each of the
10 standard characters. His icon will appear between Mitsurugi and
Siegfried on the character list.
Also, for those who are too lazy to finish the game with every character,
Soul Edge will become playable after 20 hours of game time have been
logged. You can check your logged time in the upper left-hand corner when
viewing the records section (the one selected from the title screen, not
the one with the swords on it).
Soul Edge has the same moves as Cervantes with the following additions:
Command Level Damage WDamage Rec
f+B,B,d+A MML 15,15,40 7,7,7 SSC
A+B,B,B MMM 28+28(56),19,54 3+3(6),6,7 SSS
A+B,B,d+A MML 28+28(56),19,30 3+3(6),6,7 SSC
b+A+B M 44 8 8
b,f - -- - S
b,f,K L 33 0 S
A+B+K M 25+15+15+15(70) 20 S
d,d/f,f+A+B+K - 10+24+30+30(164) - S
I.e) Seung Han Myong
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
There has been much speculation over the true method to release Seung Han
Myong as a playable character. I believe I've found an accurate assessment
of the conditions necessary. Here it is:
If at any time after SoulEdge becomes available as a playable
character, the game is completed (Arcade Mode) with Seung Mina,
immediately after having been completed with Hwang, Han Myong will
become available as a playable character.
So from a clean slate, you can actually release Han Myong by playing
through the game a mere 11 times (I've done this), so long as your 10th
time through (which releases SoulEdge) is with Hwang. (And then, as
stipulated above, follow that immediately with Seung Mina...)
Of course, if you release SoulEdge by logging 20 hours on your game (see
the SoulEdge section, above), then you only have to play through the game
twice to release Han Myong (I've verified this). Once with Hwang, then
once with Mina (immediately after Hwang). Of course, I personally think
playing through the game 9 or 10 times is more time-efficient than waiting
20 hours, but...
Okay, things which (as far as I can tell) are *not* conditions: Release or
use of Special Weapons (one does not need to release any Special Weapons;
though one can probably use any weapon(s) one pleases, if any Special
Weapons are available for use). Use of alternate endings (standard endings
can be used; the endings can even be cut off with the START button, and
that's still okay). Use of Continues. Game settings (set the game as easy
(or hard) as you want!).
There has been a rumor going around Usenet that Han Myong will become
playable after logging 30 hours on the game. This rumor is NOT true.
Sorry, but you'll have to fight it out. :)
Han Myong has the same moves as Hwang with the following additions:
Command Level Damage WDamage Rec
d/b+B M 15 0 S
b,f+B M 35 0 S
K,K,K HMH 26,35,35 0,0,0 SSS
K,K,d+K HML 26,35,16 0,0,0 SSC
f+K,A HH 26,56 0,9 SS
f+K,B HM 26,46 0,9 SS
b+K,d+K HL 40,24 0,0 SC
f,F+A+B,B MM 75,49 9,3 SS
u/f+B+K MH 30+20(50) 2+2(4) S
b+B+K U 60+55(115) - S
A+B+K M 28+20+15+14(77) 20 S
HCF+B+K 18+15+10+18(138) - S
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. Edge Master Mode
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
II.a) The Eighth Weapons
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is a concrete method to earning the eighth weapon for each character.
I (Justin) have posted this to Usenet several times, though for some reason
it seems to get ignored.
To get the eighth weapon:
After you finish off Soul Edge and Cervantes, the eighth weapon can be
found at one of the stages adjacent to Spain (Italy is almost always one of
them). Go there and fight. Win. If you win and you did NOT get the
weapon, it is at the other country adjacent to Spain. If you lose and your
character does his/her "time over" animation (on the map), the weapon was
there, but because you lost, it moved. It will always move to another
adjacent country, but never back to Spain. If you lose and your character
just stands there, it was at the other country. The weapon will not move
(I think -- I still have to check this) if you lose at a location it is not
at.
If chasing the ultimate weapon all over the map doesn't appeal to you
(personally, I prefer it), it is possible to just save and if you lose,
press Start + Select to reset the game, then reload and try again. This
way, the weapon won't go more than one space away from Spain. The reason I
do not advocate this is that generally, the further you get from Spain, the
easier your opponents are to defeat.
A third method has recently appeared on Usenet. If you travel back to one
of the first episodes, save your game, and then exit, when you come back to
the Edge Master mode, the eighth weapon will be one space away from where
you saved. In most cases, this is the second episode. This method has
been confirmed to work, making it the easiest of the three.
II.b) Winning Requirements
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This section serves simply to clarify some Edge Master concepts people seem
to have difficulty understanding.
1. Air Combos:
This does NOT mean that you have to hit your opponent when they
jump. Find an attack that lifts your opponent off of the ground
(d/f+B works for most) and THEN hit them as many times as you
can (A,A,A works for most). The more hits, the more damage.
Note that some weapons are heavier than others, and thus may
make you too slow to connect with certain air combos... so when
in doubt, use a lighter weapon. =)
NOTE: You are not limited to df+B for air combos. Some
characters have other attacks which can accomplish the same.
Some examples: Misurugi's d+K,B will give air combo credit for
the second hit, as will Han Myong/Hwang/Seung Mina's f,F+K,K,K.
You may want to check Dave Connoy's combo list (at
http://absolut.sites.uiuc.edu/~japierce, FAQs section) for some
more "creative" air combos for each character (other than Voldo,
cuz he hates Voldo; you can use A,A,B or d+B,B for him in a
pinch).
2. Critical Edge:
Many people wonder why their critical edge doesn't kill. The
answer is that you have to EXTEND your critical edge (i.e.
Critical Edge Combo). The extension for each character is done
between the 3rd and 4th hits of the A+B+K attack. Consult a
moves list (you can call one up during the battle by pressing
the START button and selecting from the menu) for specific
motions.
NOTE: The critical edge saps about one third of your weapon's
energy meter. This means you have three or fewer chances to hit
your opponent AND kill him or her. Make each one count.
3. Disarm Your Opponent:
All this means is to knock your opponent's weapon away. This
means he must block your attacks. Using a weapon with a high
Strength stat should also help. When his weapon flies away (his
sword meter is expended), he will lose all of his life and you
will win.
4. Throw Technique:
This should be fairly obvious, but certain characters have other
attacks that you may not normally consider a throw. These
include:
Rock's ground throw (d/f+G+A)
Siegfried's d/b+B,b+B (second hit only)
Li Long's Slide Tackle (run+K)
Any reversal attacks
You can also check moves in Practice Mode. If Practice Mode
considers it a throw, odds are that EMM will, too...
Other winning requirements have been omitted until they prove that
clarification is required.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
II.c) Text Zoom
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a very convenient undocumented feature. It is possible to zoom in
on the text in the Edge Master book using the shoulder buttons on the PSX
pad. The following key tells what each button does:
L1 - Zoom to the upper left-hand corner
L2 - Zoom to the lower left-hand corner
R1 - Zoom to the upper right-hand corner
R2 - Zoom to the lower right-hand corner
Also, while holding down any zoom button, you can scroll the book in any
direction using the direction buttons.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
II.d) Weapon Examination
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
When in the Weapon Room (game mode from the title screen) and when
selecting your weapon in Edge Master Mode, it is possible to examine your
weapons by zooming in, rotating, etc. The following are the commands to
manipulate the weapons in each mode:
Weapons Room:
R1 - rotates clockwise around X-axis
L1 - rotates counter-clockwise around X-axis
R2 - rotates clockwise around Y-axis
L2 - rotates counter-clockwise around Y-axis
A, B, or K - Zoom in/Zoom out on current weapon
Edge Master Mode:
R1 - rotates clockwise around X-axis
L1 - rotates counter-clockwise around X-axis
R2 - rotates clockwise around Y-axis
L2 - rotates counter-clockwise around Y-axis
Left, Right - Zoom in/Zoom out on current weapon
A or B - Test weapon
Character Rotation (EMM only):
When testing a weapon, if you press left or right on the d-pad, you
can rotate your character around the vertical axis. I assume this is so
that you can examine your weapon being used from different angles, but it
can also be useful if you want to examine the characters' different outfits
outside of the constraints of combat or replay...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
III. Alternate Endings
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
As you may (or may not) have heard, each character has two endings. For
most characters, the first ending, this being the one which requires no
user intervention, is not a happy one. The second is almost always more
"pleasant".
To get these endings, you must press a certain button sequence at a certain
time during each character's normal ending. To know when to input the
command, pay attention to the top and bottom of the screen. There, you
will see a small black letterbox. When this letterbox recedes, letting the
action take up the full screen, input the command. Letterbox mode will
return when you enter a successful command (exception: Li Long (see
below)). This should reveal the second ending.
The only exception to the above process is for Mitsurugi's alternate
ending, which will be explained later...
What to press for each character:
---------------------------------
Hwang - A
Rock - B
Taki - G
Sophitia - Right
Mitsurugi - Defeat Tanegashima (see below)
Siegfried - B
Seung Mina - Down, Up or Right+G
Li Long - 20 (minimum) attack commands (see below)
Voldo - Up, Down (repeatedly, quickly)
Cervantes - B
Exceptions, explanations, and extras (SPOILERS):
-----------------------------------------------
Mitsurugi - To get Mitsurugi's second ending, you must defeat a character
named Tanegashima in battle. This is not like a normal battle.
The battle is first person view from Mitsurugi's perspective,
and there are only four actions you can take:
Left - dodge left
Right - dodge right
Up - step towards Tanegashima (6 steps to reach him)
A, B, or K - vertical slash (also steps forward)
Here's a method for beating Tanegashima that seems to work a
good amount of the time: As soon as you are able, dodge right
twice (your second dodge should avoid Tanegashima's first
shot). Then, tap up rapidly to close in fast. When close
enough (Mitsurugi must take 6 steps towards Tanegashima), press
A, B, or K to finish him off. If you are not fast enough, you
may have to dodge twice or more.
Li Long - To get Li Long's alternate ending, you have to hit, at minimum,
20 attack commands during the non-letterbox sequence. Unlike
for the other characters' alternate endings, Li Long's non-
letterbox sequence will not go away upon successful completion
of the alternate ending command, but will always run its full
course in time. Also, as it turns out, the programmable two-
and three-button commands only count as a single attack
(instead of 2 or 3) for the 20 tally; be aware that doing any
of these commands manually might also count only as a single
attack here... Anyway, here's a list of the commands I've
found that will work:
A, B, K, A+B, A+K, B+K, A+B+K, A+G, B+G
Hitting any of those will count as 1 attack for the 20 tally...
So you can hit the same command 20 times, or a combination of
different ones adding up to 20 (or more)... Whatever works for
you. =)
Sophitia - In Sophitia's secondary ending, there is a second place where
the letterbox recedes. There is no third ending, but rather,
as a (still more fan service, alas) "extra", by repeatedly
hitting any buttons at this point, one can temporarily (if you
stop, the mist comes back) clear the mist which otherwise
obscures our view of Sophitia...
Voldo - In Voldo's primary ending, there is a second place where the
letterbox recedes. There is no third ending, but rather, as a
little "extra", one can switch the camera view from Voldo to
Vercci (his master), and back and forth, by hitting the B
button.
IV. Miscellany
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV.a) Character Colors & Outfits
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I (Justin) have only included this because I am sick of seeing posts that
reference the PlayStation buttons instead of the arcade buttons. This
totally ignores anyone with a custom joypad/joystick setup. The following
reference the combinations according to the arcade button names:
G - Guard A - Horizontal Attack
B - Vertical Attack K - Kick
Player 1: Player 2:
Original Outfit, Color 1 A Secondary Outfit, Color 1
Original Outfit, Color 2 B Secondary Outfit, Color 2
Secondary Outfit, Color 1 G+A Original Outfit, Color 1
Secondary Outfit, Color 2 G+B Original Outfit, Color 2
PSX-Specific Outfit K or G+K PSX-Specific Outfit
(only 1 color) (only 1 color)
Do note that the Player 2 costume defaults are the *secondary* versions,
and it is to get the *original* versions that one will have to hold down
the Guard button...
Oh, the above difference also applies when choosing characters in Practice
Mode... so if you're using the Player 2 controller, when choosing your own
character, the player 2 rules apply; but when choosing your practice
opponent (who would be on the player 1 side), the player 1 rules will
apply... which could be kind of confusing if you didn't know that's what
was going on...
IV.b) Sophitia, ummm, Supplementary Color Codes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
As it turns out, after choosing Sophitia's costume, you may also select the
color of the panties she wears with it. Alas, yet more fan service...
Anyway, here are the codes and colors:
After you've selected your character (Sophitia), press and hold one of
the following while the next (i.e. first) level is loading up:
Original outfit: Secondary outfit: PSX outfit:
A - light purple A - white A - pink
B - grey B - aqua B - purplish-blue
K - brown K - brown K - green
A+B - green A+B - light purple A+B - grey
B+K - aqua B+K - yellow B+K - yellow
A+K - yellow A+K - green A+K - aqua
A+B+K - purplish-blue A+B+K - grey A+B+K - brown
(default = white/pink) (default = brown/blue) (default = white)
The above codes work for all modes of the game, though when you have to
input them may be slightly different (for Team Battle, for example, input
code before *Sophie's* first battle, which may or may not be the first
battle... and I think for EMM (I haven't checked this exactly), the input
time is while the map screen is loading for the first time). The G button
doesn't seem to do anything for any of the codes. But if anybody finds
anything further, please send me e-mail. Oh, btw, these codes do *not*
work for either Sophitia! or Sophitia!!...
Note that (as far as I've been able to tell) in Vs. Mode, the above codes
will only work the *first* consecutive time you select the Sophie costume
you've chosen. So if you select Sophie for the second (or third...) time
in a row, the above codes won't work (you're stuck with what you selected
the first time)... unless you also change her costume.
Oddly enough, in Arcade Mode (and in Time Attack Mode), the game reloads
Sophie's panties at the beginning of the SoulEdge stage... so you can
simply do nothing and let them return to their default color, or use one of
the above codes as the stage is loading.
IV.c) Winning Poses & Quotes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Each character has four different win poses (this does not include special
poses for "Time Over" or a win without your weapon). You can control which
one you see by holding the following after you win:
Win Pose 1 - G
Win Pose 2 - A
Win Pose 3 - B
Win Pose 4 - K
Since I've seen some curiosity on the Net about the Japanese win quotes in
the U/C version of the game, here are the ones I've been able to catch, and
some rough translations. Once again, note that these are *rough*
translations, and should not be looked at as canon, dogma, or any other
such thing...
Anyway, here's what I've been able to catch so far... Long vowels are
denoted by a : following the vowel... Oh, and the "SE" quote is the quote
used by the character when he/she defeats SoulEdge in Arcade Mode...
Hwang
G - Yuruse, taigi no tame da.
Forgive me. I do this for the greater good.
A - Sono inochi, ore ga azukaro:.
It looks like this victory is mine.
B - (no dialogue)
K - Kono sho:ri o, sokoku no tame ni.
I fight for the sake of my country.
SE - (same as K)
Taki
G - Tayasui aite da.
What a simple opponent.
A - (no dialogue)
B - Yo: wa sunda ka?
Have you finished your business with me?
K - Kiena!
Begone!
SE - Fu:ma kanryo:! (B pose)
"The deed is done!"
Mitsurugi
G - Denaoshitekoi!
Come back when you're ready!
A - ??
B - Sho:shi senban!
How truly pathetic!
K - (no dialogue)
SE - (same as A)
Seung Mina
G - (no dialogue)
A - ??
B - Kantan ni wa katage agenai wa!
You won't defeat me that easily!
K - Namenaide yo ne!
Don't underestimate me!
SE - Yatta wa, oto:sama! (B pose)
I did it, Father!
Li Long
G - Akkenai yatsu!
You're too easy!
A - Ore o uramuna yo!
Don't hate me for beating you!
B - (no dialogue)
K - Nakanaka yaru na!
You're pretty good.
SE - Ore o uramuna--ungh! (starts like A pose)
Don't hate me for--ungh!
Han Myong
G - Motto shugyo: ga hitsuyo: da!
You require more training!
A - Sore de owari ka?
Is that all?
B - Waga ryu:gi, omoishitta, ka?
Now do you see the strength of my technique?
K - Wakai mono ni wa makenu.
I don't lose to younglings.
SE - (same as K)
Well, hope that helps. Oh, and if anybody is able to decipher the Japanese
(transcribe, not necessarily translate) for the missing quotes (Mitsurugi A
and Mina A quotes), send me some e-mail... thanks.
IV.d) The Replay Camera
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
As an interesting novelty, you have complete control over the replay camera
after a fight ends. The controls are as follows:
Up/Down - Rotate the camera vertically up or down
Left/Right - Rotate the camera horizontally left or right
Button A - Zoom in
Button B - Zoom out
IV.e) Vs. Mode / Team Battle Mode Stage Cycle
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The stages that Vs. Mode (and Team Battle Mode -- the stage marker seems to
be shared by both) battles occur in are not determined by either of the
participants, like in Arcade Mode. Rather, the stages will cycle in a
predictable pattern, which is as follows:
Mitsurugi Stage
Seung Mina Stage
Taki Stage
Li Long Stage
Voldo Stage
Sophitia Stage
Siegfried Stage
Rock Stage
Hwang Stage
Cervantes Stage
Asia Stage (Han Myong Stage)
* Collosseum Stage (Ring Size 20m only; see below)
If you look in the playable music tracks (BGM Test, via the Options Menu),
you'll see that the above order is also the order the stage BGM is listed
in, with SoulEdge and Collosseum Stage missing. As it turns out, one can
actually "insert" the Collosseum Stage into the stage order lineup simply
by setting the Ring Size to 20m in the Game Settings. The Collosseum Stage
will appear, just like in the playable music tracks, right after the Asia
Stage. No similar trick has been found yet to "insert" SoulEdge's stage
into the lineup (which would, as suggested by the music tracks, probably
occur right after Cervantes' stage), but if anybody finds anything, do let
me know...
Oh, there are actually two specific exceptions to the above stage order.
The first is that any vs. battle between Hwang and Mina (i.e. Hwang vs.
Mina, or Mina vs. Hwang) will, as far as I can tell, *always* be in Asia
Stage, regardless of where in the vs. stage cycle you are. Similarly, any
vs. battle between Mitsurugi and Li Long will *always* be in Hwang Stage.
These fixed stages will *replace* the normal stage in the stage cycle.
Interestingly enough, these fixed stages also apply in Practice Mode, in
which the stage is usually determined by one's practice opponent...
Lastly, you can deviate from the cycle to a random stage by holding the
SELECT button (either player... or both) as the stage loads (i.e. just
before the matchup screen). A random stage will be *inserted*
(temporarily) before the next stage in the stage cycle. And while you
cannot change the stage for a fixed stage battle, inputting the random
stage code will change it from a replacement to an insertion...
IV.f) The "Namco" Opening Voice
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
You may have noticed that occasionally the opening "Namco" speech, which is
usually the voice of the in-fight announcer, changes to that of Seung Mina.
There was a rumor on Usenet that there is a method to control this. All of
my experience points to the opposite: there is no way to choose which voice
speaks. However, if anyone can prove me wrong, please mail me.
IV.g) The "Soul Edge" Title Screen Voice (Japanese Version Only)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is possible in the Japanese version of the PSX Soul Edge to change the
way "Soul Edge" is said on the title screen. The methods to control this
are as follows:
To get the Announcer to say "Soul Edge":
Press Select+Start.
To get Seung Mina to say "Souru Ejji":
Hold up and press Select+Start+(L1, L2, R1, or R2).
To get a male voice to slowly say "Soul Edge":
Hold down and press Select+Start+(L1, L2, R1, or R2).
IV.h) Logging Time
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There's actually a method for logging time on the game without putting all
that much wear on the CD unit's motor. Load up the game as normal, then
from the main menu enter the Options Menu. Once you're in the Options
Menu, if you hit the Eject button (opening the lid of your PSX), the motor
will come to a halt and the CD will stop spinning... but since the game
doesn't need to read from the CD for anything, the game will not crash. At
this point, you can safely remove your CD from the system and reclose the
lid (to prevent dust or any other foreign objects from entering while
you're logging time).
And that's pretty much it. You can wander about anywhere in the Options
area you want, and as long as you don't try to play any BGM tracks or exit
to the Main Menu, the game will not need to read from the CD, and time will
continue to build up (as you can watch in the Records section). Of course,
since wandering about the Options area doesn't trigger any of the Auto-Save
points, you'll have to manually save at some point in order to preserve
your time spent...
Do be aware that although this method won't put much wear on the CD motor,
the PSX unit itself will be no less succeptible to potential overheating
through extended periods of use. In other words, it's recommended that you
not use this method for longer periods of time than you would normally use
your game system. So leaving your system on for 20 hours straight in order
to release SoulEdge as a playable character (or whatever) may not be a good
idea...
Oh, also be aware that since in using the above method, you'll be doing
something Not In The Normal Scheme Of Things, you do so completely at your
own risk, and any damage (to the system, the game, or anything/anybody
else) that may result will, because of the presence of this warning, be
completely your own responsibility.
Ahem. Okay, now that we got that legal stuff outta the way... =) Not that
I think the above will cause any serious damage, of course. I personally
think it to be pretty much safe (i.e. no more dangerous than popping the
lid while the CD's still spinning would normally be), having used it
successfully myself. I've even successfully released SoulEdge as a
playable character in this manner (the game doesn't need to read from the
CD in order to mark SoulEdge as being playable).
Do note, however, that if there's some future time-released event that
*does* need to read from the CD when it's triggered, not having the CD
present may have an undesirable effect (perhaps skipping over the event, or
even crashing the game). But then again, it may not. Of course, I'm
beginning to think that there may not be any more time-released events,
but... (shrug) And anyway, one can always put the CD back in just before a
likely period of logged time...
IV.i) Reversals
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The manual isn't entirely clear on reversals, so I'm including this section
in the FAQ. Certain of the characters (only four of them (unless you count
Sophie! and Sophie!!, that is...)), in addition to normal throw moves, also
have reversals, which are throw moves which take advantage of your
opponent's attack. In other words, when your opponent attacks, you stop
(or catch) that attack and immediately execute a counterattack. To do a
reversal (reversals are listed in the game-internal moves list, btw),
simply press Back+A+G. The timing is about the same as for a Guard Impact
(Forward+G). However, not all moves can be reversed. Here's a list of
what each character can reverse:
Taki K attacks
Sophitia B, K, and CE (Critial Edge) attacks
Mitsurugi B and CE attacks
Li Long K attacks
Reversals will not, as far as I know, work for low attacks.
IV.j) Missing Attacks
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Currently, there are four known moves that do not appear in the internal
move lists for the PlayStation. These are:
Sophitia:
Hold G and press B - Stab, with same characteristics as her
f+A stab
Rock:
When your opponent is down with their legs toward you,
d/f+A+G will perform his ground throw.
Taki:
Spinning axe kick: When back is turned to opponent, press B+K
Backflip (like the one she does in the OP sequence): u/b,b
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Credits
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All uncredited info from V1.9 and previous may be attributed to Justin
Pierce; similarly, all uncredited info from V2.0 and onward may be
attributed to Richard Uyeyama.
Big thanks to the following people for helping make this FAQ so huge:
jockej@kuai.se, for info on the alternate ending commands.
Donny Chan, for the helpful suggestions, Taki's undocumented attack
(spinning axe kick), and forwarding several secrets to me (Justin).
Marc Rousere, for reminding me (Justin) to put the Edge Master book zoom in
the FAQ.
Peter Albanese, for confirming the third method for getting the eighth Edge
Master weapon.
Dragonmaster X, for disproving that goofy Han Myong rumor.
Mark Magdamit, for providing the commands to examine your weapons.
Dave Connoy, for some helpful comments.
Gregorio Diaz, for the EMM character rotation info.
and of course...
Justin Pierce, for starting the whole thing.
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E-mail questions, comments, corrections, or additions to Richard Uyeyama at:
ruyeyama@best.com
Updates to this FAQ can be found at Heroes in a Warlike Age:
http://www.best.com/~ruyeyama/psx/hiawa.html
If you have questions, or if you have comments about the FAQ,
please email the maintainer of this FAQ. For other questions, email us at
Webmaster@vidgames.com.