Necrid
Encyclopedia
is a playable character
in the Soul series
of weapon-based fighting
video games. Designed by comic book
artist and toy designer Todd McFarlane
through a collaboration with Namco
, the character first appeared in video game console
ports
of Soulcalibur II and later as part of an action figure
set created by McFarlane Productions. Though designed and named by McFarlane, Necrid's concept and physical build were outlined by Namco, who aimed to target North American
audiences with the character. Necrid's spoken lines in the game are unintelligible, and no voice actor
has ever been credited.
According to the game's back-story
, Necrid was once a human warrior. He sought and found the cursed sword Soul Edge, only to be pulled into the dimension that the sword's spirit inhabits. Escaping the dimension with his body drastically mutated, his memories and sanity initially lost, he now wields various forms of energy as weapons, while searching for fragments of the shattered Soul Edge that soothe the pain caused by his separation from the dimension's energies.
The character has received a mixed response. Some sources, such as GameSpy
, criticized the character's design for clashing with the game's aesthetic, while UGO Networks praised the visual appeal of the character when in motion. Some publications, such as Insert Credit, have called Necrid one of the best characters introduced to the series; others, such as 1UP.com
, deem him one of the worst.
Series producer Hiroaki Yotoriyama learned that comics creator Todd McFarlane
was a fan of the Soul series and that McFarlane had praised their characters' designs. In 2003, McFarlane was interested in creating a new video game based on the Spawn
comic book franchise; his search for a developer resulted in a deal with Soul publisher Namco
. When the topic of toys arose in discussions, McFarlane and Namco reached an agreement to release a line of action figure
s based on Soulcalibur II characters. Afterward, Namco proposed that their company design a new character for video game console
ports
of the game, an idea that McFarlane accepted because he considered it an opportunity to create a toy based on Necrid's finished design.
Necrid's design targeted North American audiences, specifically fans of American comic book
s. Although McFarlane received most of the credit for the character, Necrid was the result of a collaboration; Namco outlined the then-unnamed character's traits, such as his in-game role and physical build, and McFarlane's company completed the design. As a result, both companies hold a partial copyright for Necrid, with Namco's rights to the character as a derivative work
of McFarlane's illustrations.
-like ridge on his head. The fingers on his right hand have claw points, but his left hand is much larger and has three fingers with large, talon-like bone claws. Two large, ram-like horns extend from opposite sides of his left wrist, toward and slightly beyond his elbow. His clothing consists of dark blue pants, large metal sandals held together by bandages, and armor plating covering his abdomen, the sides of his legs, and the back of his lower right arm. A pulsating red jewel described by McFarlane as a "power plant" is set in a circular piece of metal strapped to his chest. At about feet (196 cm), Necrid is the second tallest Soul series character whose height is known.
Necrid's alternate appearance differs heavily, and features scaly, reddish–orange skin. Additional differences include teal eyes, black pants, and a blue jewel. The protruding bones are isolated and bigger on his left shoulder and arm, and appear crystalline. A pauldron
covering his right shoulder is fastened to the jewel's support harness, and the armor on his legs incorporate a pair of greaves. He wears a fauld on his abdomen, and bandages wrap around his stomach. A mask covers his face and is held in place by two straps around his head.
Necrid's speech is unintelligible, and the vocal samples in the game's sound test
feature are named after emotions, such as "Determination" and "Indignation". He is the only speaking Soulcalibur II character whose voice does not change when the player selects a different language setting.
that the sword's spirit, Inferno, inhabited. Instead of battling Inferno, he fled, and became trapped in the dimension for years. Warped physically and mentally by the dimension as a result, he escaped during the closing events of Soulcalibur, but quickly found that, without the dimension's energies, he experienced intense pain and would eventually die. Attacking travelers he perceived as enemies, he happened upon a fragment of Soul Edge and felt his pain dampened. Pursuing other fragments of the sword, he encountered Talim, who was also seeking them, and helped defeat the resurrected Inferno. His memories and sanity restored by the battle, Necrid closed the entrance to the void, trapping himself within.
To date, Necrid has appeared in only one game of the series, Soulcalibur II. He did not appear in the original arcade version, but was added later when the game was ported
to the GameCube, PlayStation 2
, and Xbox
video game consoles. When asked whether the character would return in Soulcalibur III, Yotoriyama replied, "Necrid has gone on vacation."
, æther
, and chaos, represented in game as equipable alternate weapons with varying effects and attributes. Necrid also incorporates acrobatics
into his fighting style through a variety of flips and kicks.
Several of Necrid's attacks duplicate physical motions and properties of attacks used by other characters in the series. However, each attack causes his weapon to extend from then retract into his hands, resulting in different visual cues than the move they derive from. Some attacks combine elements of two other existing character moves; for example, Dragon Blaze begins with one attack used by Maxi and ends with another from Nightmare. Despite this fact some moves are unique to Necrid's repertoire, such as Elder Topaz, an attack stance that allows the use of an altered set of attacks for a short time, and Void Cannon, which creates a small explosion on the ground at varying distances from Necrid.
. Text in each version of the game's box art
also drew attention to Necrid. Namco later featured the character in promotional items, such as artwork, screenshots, and an animated emoticon
, which they distributed to IGN
and other news outlets. McFarlane Productions distributed one thousand copies of a limited-edition lithograph to promote the character at E3 2003. Drawn by Greg Capullo
, the lithograph featured a comic-book rendition of Necrid, fighting Spawn in one of the game's arenas. In August 2003, Namco included a sculpture of Necrid in a set of five based on different Soulcalibur II characters. The figure was based on Necrid's secondary outfit, stood 6 inches (15.2 cm) tall (with a base), and allowed for adjustment of its head and arms. McFarlane Productions later gave the sculptures and copies of the game as prizes in a contest named after the character.
Critical response to Necrid varied. University of Delaware professor Rachel Hutchinson cited him as an example of the cultural stereotype of human vs. monster, a "mutated or damned [creature] deviant from the human norm" that the game's human characters are expected to vanquish. A staff writer for GameNOW
magazine called the visual design "silly" and compared the character to an "old-school He-Man
character", but added that Necrid's gameplay was decent. Another magazine, GMR, described him as an example of "bad American comic book design". IGN's Kaiser Hwang called Necrid a "disappointment" and questioned the character's design in comparison to others in the series; he also felt Necrid was "filler" rather than a complete character. GameSpot
made similar comments in their review of the game, as did GameSpy. IGN's Xbox article editor described the character's inclusion as an unnecessary marketing ploy and would have preferred new characters made without McFarlane's involvement; the editor also wrote that Necrid did not "vibe" with the rest of the game. Podcasters in the 1UP.com's podcast
Retronauts criticized the design as well and wrote that the character's name was used as a synonym
for "shitty"; they further added that McFarlane had "tainted" the game with Necrid's inclusion; host Jeremy Parish stated "I could close my eyes and draw a better character".
Other reviewers praised the character's gameplay and design. An editor for the video game website GameZone wrote that his attacks compensated for his appearance and described him as "cool"; the editor also praised both his weapon and fighting style. Adam Sessler
and Morgan Webb
of X-Play
stated that, while Necrid did not seem to fit the aesthetic, the character did have some appeal. UGO
's Doug Trueman stated Necrid's weapon had to be "seen to be believed", and described him among other new characters as "[adding] something spectacular to the Soul Calibur pantheon". Tim Rogers of website Insert Credit called Necrid "a work of digital art both in form and function" and added that "as far as console-only characters go—everybody wins with Necrid". Despite their negative remarks, an editor for IGN listed Necrid as eighth on their list of the top ten characters contributed to the Soulcalibur games by designers outside Namco and wrote that while they felt the character's gameplay was unbalanced, it added to Necrid's appeal; the editor wrote "what do you expect from a man who shares a symbiotic relationship with the very energy that powers Soul Edge? If you needed to clean house in [Soulcalibur II], Necrid was the man for the job."
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
in the Soul series
Soul (series)
The is a weapon-based historical fantasy fighting game series by Namco Bandai Games. The series revolves around a sword that, after years of bloodshed and hatred, gained a soul of its own, the Soul Edge, and the sword forged to counter it, Soul Calibur. The series is special in that each character...
of weapon-based fighting
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
video games. Designed by comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
artist and toy designer Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn....
through a collaboration with Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
, the character first appeared in video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
ports
Computer port (software)
In computer programming, port has a wide range of meanings.A software port is a virtual/logical data connection that can be used by programs to exchange data directly, instead of going through a file or other temporary storage location...
of Soulcalibur II and later as part of an action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
set created by McFarlane Productions. Though designed and named by McFarlane, Necrid's concept and physical build were outlined by Namco, who aimed to target North American
North American
North American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
audiences with the character. Necrid's spoken lines in the game are unintelligible, and no voice actor
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
has ever been credited.
According to the game's back-story
Back-story
A back-story, background story, or backstory is the literary device of a narrative chronologically earlier than, and related to, a narrative of primary interest. Generally, it is the history of characters or other elements that underlie the situation existing at the main narrative's start...
, Necrid was once a human warrior. He sought and found the cursed sword Soul Edge, only to be pulled into the dimension that the sword's spirit inhabits. Escaping the dimension with his body drastically mutated, his memories and sanity initially lost, he now wields various forms of energy as weapons, while searching for fragments of the shattered Soul Edge that soothe the pain caused by his separation from the dimension's energies.
The character has received a mixed response. Some sources, such as GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
, criticized the character's design for clashing with the game's aesthetic, while UGO Networks praised the visual appeal of the character when in motion. Some publications, such as Insert Credit, have called Necrid one of the best characters introduced to the series; others, such as 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
, deem him one of the worst.
Conception and history
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane is a Canadian cartoonist, writer, toy designer and entrepreneur, best known for his work in comic books, such as the fantasy series Spawn....
was a fan of the Soul series and that McFarlane had praised their characters' designs. In 2003, McFarlane was interested in creating a new video game based on the Spawn
Spawn (comics)
Spawn is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in a monthly comic book of the same name published by Image Comics. Created by writer/artist Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1...
comic book franchise; his search for a developer resulted in a deal with Soul publisher Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
. When the topic of toys arose in discussions, McFarlane and Namco reached an agreement to release a line of action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
s based on Soulcalibur II characters. Afterward, Namco proposed that their company design a new character for video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
ports
Computer port (software)
In computer programming, port has a wide range of meanings.A software port is a virtual/logical data connection that can be used by programs to exchange data directly, instead of going through a file or other temporary storage location...
of the game, an idea that McFarlane accepted because he considered it an opportunity to create a toy based on Necrid's finished design.
Necrid's design targeted North American audiences, specifically fans of American comic book
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
s. Although McFarlane received most of the credit for the character, Necrid was the result of a collaboration; Namco outlined the then-unnamed character's traits, such as his in-game role and physical build, and McFarlane's company completed the design. As a result, both companies hold a partial copyright for Necrid, with Namco's rights to the character as a derivative work
Derivative work
In United States copyright law, a derivative work is an expressive creation that includes major, copyright-protected elements of an original, previously created first work .-Definition:...
of McFarlane's illustrations.
Design
Necrid is a bald, green, and muscular humanoid. His eyes glow bright red, and short bones protrude from his left arm, back, jaw and a MohawkMohawk hairstyle
The mohawk is a hairstyle in which, in the most common variety, both sides of the head are shaven, leaving a strip of noticeably longer hair...
-like ridge on his head. The fingers on his right hand have claw points, but his left hand is much larger and has three fingers with large, talon-like bone claws. Two large, ram-like horns extend from opposite sides of his left wrist, toward and slightly beyond his elbow. His clothing consists of dark blue pants, large metal sandals held together by bandages, and armor plating covering his abdomen, the sides of his legs, and the back of his lower right arm. A pulsating red jewel described by McFarlane as a "power plant" is set in a circular piece of metal strapped to his chest. At about feet (196 cm), Necrid is the second tallest Soul series character whose height is known.
Necrid's alternate appearance differs heavily, and features scaly, reddish–orange skin. Additional differences include teal eyes, black pants, and a blue jewel. The protruding bones are isolated and bigger on his left shoulder and arm, and appear crystalline. A pauldron
Pauldron
A pauldron is a component of plate armour, which evolved from spaulders in the 15th century. As with spaulders, pauldrons cover the shoulder area. Pauldrons tend to be larger than spaulders, covering the armpit, and sometimes parts of the back and chest...
covering his right shoulder is fastened to the jewel's support harness, and the armor on his legs incorporate a pair of greaves. He wears a fauld on his abdomen, and bandages wrap around his stomach. A mask covers his face and is held in place by two straps around his head.
Necrid's speech is unintelligible, and the vocal samples in the game's sound test
Sound test
A sound test is a function built into the options screen of many video games.This function was originally meant to test whether the game's music and sounds would function correctly, as well as giving the player the ability to compare samples played in Monaural, Stereophonic and later Surround...
feature are named after emotions, such as "Determination" and "Indignation". He is the only speaking Soulcalibur II character whose voice does not change when the player selects a different language setting.
In video games
As introduced in Soulcalibur II, Necrid is a warrior who fought and defeated a former wielder of the cursed sword Soul Edge, and was pulled into the dimensionPlane (metaphysics)
In esoteric cosmology, a plane, other than the physical plane is conceived as a subtle state of consciousness that transcends the known physical universe....
that the sword's spirit, Inferno, inhabited. Instead of battling Inferno, he fled, and became trapped in the dimension for years. Warped physically and mentally by the dimension as a result, he escaped during the closing events of Soulcalibur, but quickly found that, without the dimension's energies, he experienced intense pain and would eventually die. Attacking travelers he perceived as enemies, he happened upon a fragment of Soul Edge and felt his pain dampened. Pursuing other fragments of the sword, he encountered Talim, who was also seeking them, and helped defeat the resurrected Inferno. His memories and sanity restored by the battle, Necrid closed the entrance to the void, trapping himself within.
To date, Necrid has appeared in only one game of the series, Soulcalibur II. He did not appear in the original arcade version, but was added later when the game was ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to the GameCube, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
video game consoles. When asked whether the character would return in Soulcalibur III, Yotoriyama replied, "Necrid has gone on vacation."
Gameplay
Using fighting skills Yotoriyama described as "horrific splendor", Necrid attacks using Maleficus, a transforming, physical manifestation of the energy in Soul Edge. He controls Maleficus by channeling it through his hands to form various bladed weapons, able to set them aside or reabsorb them as needed. Necrid can also attack using other forms of energy, such as ignis fatuusIgnis Fatuus
Ignis Fatuus is a horror attraction on the Mariner's Landing Pier at Morey's Piers amusement park. It is the most recent and only attraction that uses real actors within it, has spectators walk around the attraction and ride in the cart. It is covers of the pier, and lasts 15 minutes; making one...
, æther
Aether (mythology)
Aether , in Greek mythology, is one of the Protogenoi, the first-born elementals. He is the personification of the upper sky, space, and heaven, and is the elemental god of the "Bright, Glowing, Upper Air." He is the pure upper air that the gods breathe, as opposed to the normal air that mortals...
, and chaos, represented in game as equipable alternate weapons with varying effects and attributes. Necrid also incorporates acrobatics
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
into his fighting style through a variety of flips and kicks.
Several of Necrid's attacks duplicate physical motions and properties of attacks used by other characters in the series. However, each attack causes his weapon to extend from then retract into his hands, resulting in different visual cues than the move they derive from. Some attacks combine elements of two other existing character moves; for example, Dragon Blaze begins with one attack used by Maxi and ends with another from Nightmare. Despite this fact some moves are unique to Necrid's repertoire, such as Elder Topaz, an attack stance that allows the use of an altered set of attacks for a short time, and Void Cannon, which creates a small explosion on the ground at varying distances from Necrid.
Promotion and reception
Yotoriyama announced Necrid early in Soulcalibur IIs production for the Xbox, in an interview with the Japanese magazine FamitsuFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
. Text in each version of the game's box art
Computer and video game packaging
Video game packaging refers to the physical storage of the contents of a computer or video game, both for safekeeping and shop display. In the past, a number of materials and packaging designs were used, mostly paperboard or plastic...
also drew attention to Necrid. Namco later featured the character in promotional items, such as artwork, screenshots, and an animated emoticon
Emoticon
An emoticon is a facial expression pictorially represented by punctuation and letters, usually to express a writer’s mood. Emoticons are often used to alert a responder to the tenor or temper of a statement, and can change and improve interpretation of plain text. The word is a portmanteau word...
, which they distributed to IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
and other news outlets. McFarlane Productions distributed one thousand copies of a limited-edition lithograph to promote the character at E3 2003. Drawn by Greg Capullo
Greg Capullo
Gregory “Greg” Capullo is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on Quasar , X-Force , Angela and Spawn ....
, the lithograph featured a comic-book rendition of Necrid, fighting Spawn in one of the game's arenas. In August 2003, Namco included a sculpture of Necrid in a set of five based on different Soulcalibur II characters. The figure was based on Necrid's secondary outfit, stood 6 inches (15.2 cm) tall (with a base), and allowed for adjustment of its head and arms. McFarlane Productions later gave the sculptures and copies of the game as prizes in a contest named after the character.
Critical response to Necrid varied. University of Delaware professor Rachel Hutchinson cited him as an example of the cultural stereotype of human vs. monster, a "mutated or damned [creature] deviant from the human norm" that the game's human characters are expected to vanquish. A staff writer for GameNOW
GameNOW
GameNOW was a United States-based video game magazine that was published by Ziff-Davis from November 2001 to January 2004. There are 27 issues of GameNOW in total. In addition to video game consoles like PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, and Game Boy Advance, GameNOW also covered games for...
magazine called the visual design "silly" and compared the character to an "old-school He-Man
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's successful toy line Masters of the Universe...
character", but added that Necrid's gameplay was decent. Another magazine, GMR, described him as an example of "bad American comic book design". IGN's Kaiser Hwang called Necrid a "disappointment" and questioned the character's design in comparison to others in the series; he also felt Necrid was "filler" rather than a complete character. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
made similar comments in their review of the game, as did GameSpy. IGN's Xbox article editor described the character's inclusion as an unnecessary marketing ploy and would have preferred new characters made without McFarlane's involvement; the editor also wrote that Necrid did not "vibe" with the rest of the game. Podcasters in the 1UP.com's podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
Retronauts criticized the design as well and wrote that the character's name was used as a synonym
Synonym
Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...
for "shitty"; they further added that McFarlane had "tainted" the game with Necrid's inclusion; host Jeremy Parish stated "I could close my eyes and draw a better character".
Other reviewers praised the character's gameplay and design. An editor for the video game website GameZone wrote that his attacks compensated for his appearance and described him as "cool"; the editor also praised both his weapon and fighting style. Adam Sessler
Adam Sessler
Adam Donovan Sessler is co-host of X-Play on G4 with Morgan Webb and, as of December 17, 2008, editor-in-chief of G4's game content for the network. He is the only remaining television personality from the G4's origin network ZDTV.-Background:Sessler was born in Berkeley, California...
and Morgan Webb
Morgan Webb
Morgan Ailis Webb is a co-host and senior segment producer of the G4 show X-Play, and host of the show G4 Underground...
of X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
stated that, while Necrid did not seem to fit the aesthetic, the character did have some appeal. UGO
UGO
UGO Entertainment, Inc. is a website providing coverage of online media in entertainment targeting males age 18–34. The company is currently based in New York, New York, United States. On July 24, 2007 it was announced that Hearst Corporation would acquire UGO Entertainment...
's Doug Trueman stated Necrid's weapon had to be "seen to be believed", and described him among other new characters as "[adding] something spectacular to the Soul Calibur pantheon". Tim Rogers of website Insert Credit called Necrid "a work of digital art both in form and function" and added that "as far as console-only characters go—everybody wins with Necrid". Despite their negative remarks, an editor for IGN listed Necrid as eighth on their list of the top ten characters contributed to the Soulcalibur games by designers outside Namco and wrote that while they felt the character's gameplay was unbalanced, it added to Necrid's appeal; the editor wrote "what do you expect from a man who shares a symbiotic relationship with the very energy that powers Soul Edge? If you needed to clean house in [Soulcalibur II], Necrid was the man for the job."