Anyone who likes fighting games with swords should give this one a stab.
Gameplay, 8. You and your opponent are trying to kill each other just like with any other fighting game, but unlike other fighting games you're using weapons, not your fists. Each character has vertical, horizontal, kick, and guard. Be careful not to block too much because that can brake your weapon reducing you to fighting with your fists with a really short range like in Tekken. This puts you at a huge disadvantage obiviously.
The Arcade mode is where you fight each of the game's characters untill you eventually get to Cervantes and after that fight Soul Edge, the evil sword that all the characters are seeking for one reason or another. There's a Vs. Mode you and a buddy can play with each other. If you and your friend differ significantly in skill you can just use the handicap system. The Team Battle mode is where you choose 1-8 characters to fight with and you fight either a friend or a computer player who has the same amount of characters as you. There is a Time Attack mode which works like the Arcade mode but you are required to play 2-win games and the objective is to finish as fast as you can. Survival mode is where you defeat as many opponents as you can untill you die. Each time you defeat and opponent you recover some of your health but you gradually gain less back the further you get. There is also a Practice mode where you can learn a character's moves. There is also a Mission mode where you fight under special conditions.
The game plays great. The characters are well balanced. Each mode is generally enjoyable to play.
Graphics, 8. For 1997 the game looks good. Unlike in Tekken you can actually make out the character's faces. Another thing they didn't have in Tekken is 3D backgrounds.
Sound, 8. The music is all right. It's nice to actually see voice actors in this game. In Tekken there are only grunts but in this game there's dialogue not only in the endings but when you win a round.
Value, 9. This game will last you a long time before you can bored with it. There aren't that many characters to earn but there are plenty of modes to play around with.
Difficulty, Just Right. You can change the difficulty in all the modes except for Survival so the game is only as hard as you want it to be.
Tilt, 8. I generally liked this game. I don't like it quite as much as the Soul Calibur series but it's a good game to have if you have a Playstation and don't care for Tekken very much.