Look. It’s a fighting game. With swords. And Ezio from Assassin’s Creed.
Developer: Project Soul
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
S.A. Distributor: Megarom Interactive
For fans of: Swords. Fighting. And scantily clad women – fighting.
Reviewed on: Xbox 360
Also available on: PS3
If we had to give it a numerical score: 7.5 out of 10
What I liked
- Best looking Soulcalibur game. In fact a great looking fighting game. Period.
- Surprisingly easy to get in to.
- Best played in multiplayer.
- Character creation is pretty damn entertaining.
Not so much
- Story appears to be an afterthought.
- Sound appears to have been lifted wholesale from SC IV.
- Ezio is a little bit of an unnecessary inclusion.
Overview
The series which started out life as Soulblade has arrived at its fifth iteration (excluding the ‘Legends’ and ‘Broken Destiny’ spin-offs) since it changed its name to Soulcalibur (or SoulCalibur or Soul Calibur…) but appears to have spent most of its marketing campaign focusing on the fact that Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Assassin’s Creed is a new playable character. They probably should’ve saved their money on that licence…
Gameplay and Features
The latest version of Soulcalibur doesn’t really deviate much from the series’ core principle. Beat an opponent to death with a blade of some sort. However, for those of you (well, me) that found Soulcalibur IV (and any other previous versions for that matter) difficult to get in to, this version seems a little more accessible. Purists may baulk at my next comment, but I honestly think the singleplayer component of the game can be beaten by simply button bashing your way through. And that’s why playing the game in multiplayer is the obvious choice for those craving a real challenge.
The game is set 17 years after events in Soulcalibur IV and follows Patroklos in what is meant to be (I can only assume) an epic and sweeping battle against evil and to find the Soul Swords. The real issue with the story is that it comes across as a real afterthought due to its poor plot and vague cutscenes. To be fair, that’s not the game’s strong point, so it is just a nice bonus.
The gameplay itself has seen a number of tweaks – to an average gamer in the genre (me again) the changes may not be obvious, but delve a little deeper and there are plenty of changes that will delight and upset fans alike. The first and most visually obvious change is the inclusion of 12 new characters. The most public of these is Ezio, but while his fighting style is different to the majority of fighters (he really needs to stay up close and personal), it may have been better to simply add a new ‘assassin’ class for those desiring the style. I found myself discarding Ezio after one attempt and heading back to the more traditional fighters – although it’s clear that someone thought adding Ezio was a good idea considering there are achievements attached to using him.
The other big changes are genuinely gameplay related with ‘Critical Finishes’ and the ‘Soul Gauge’ disappearing completely. A new gauge (or meter) has been added, which when charged allows you to execute either a ‘Brave Edge’ or ‘Critical Edge’. In some ways, this change has simplified the fighting in the game, but I suspect that this might be the change that upsets the games hardcore fans the most.
There have also been tweaks to defense – the previous titles ‘Guard Impact’ has been replaced with ‘Just Guard’. The truth of the matter (and a tip for all my future multiplayer opponents) is that I didn’t really notice this change, spending most of my time on the offence. But that’s how I roll.
Along with the aforementioned campaign/story mode, there is the usual smorgasbord of tutorials, one-on-one arcade, online and offline options, along with a pretty comprehensive character creation which kept me entertained for longer than a Kardashian marriage lasts.
Visuals and Sound
The game looks great. I really can’t fault it and it is easily one of the best looking games in its genre – except for the uninspired stills masquerading as cutscenes at times. However, the sound and voice acting is uninspiring. My cynical side wondered if most of it hadn’t simply been copied and pasted from Soulcalibur IV. The music – while equally familiar – does add to the 17th century European setting of the game.
Final thoughts
I get the feeling that this was the version of Soulcalibur that was aimed at the mainstream market. I’ve seen comments that refer to the game as “dumbed down” and a “step backwards”. For me, the series’ fans have lots to enjoy, but there is also plenty of new ideas that should make newcomers not feel intimidated. If you’re looking for something that eschews guns from a first person perspective or lets you beat someone to a pulp sans fists, then this little bit of play sword fighting should be the change for you.
Zombiegamer rating:
