So normally I tend to review a whole series, but I thought for this year to change that a bit and only review the things that I have actually seen, read, played or listened to. In the case of
Soulcalibur, I have only played the main numbered games up to the latest one which came out last year. So when it comes to fighting games, most tend to be all about fists, powers and hand to hand combat. But since
Soulcalibur, we have come to know that there are also some fighting games which go against the norm and try something new for it to have an edge over the competition.
Super Smash Bros. introduced us to the idea of an up to eight player fight where its based on how many times a fighter gets thrown off the stage, loses hp or lives and other rules. While the likes of
Tekken and
Mortal Kombat introduced the idea of having a story mode and a unique but powerful move to finish off your opponents. Then you got the
VS Capcom series which played on the idea of crossover fighting games. Which finally brings us back to
Soulcalibur which introduced the idea of have weapon based matches. So let's grab our swords and get right to it:
Also just to clarify, I'm only reviewing the games I have played which are some of the numbered games. Not yet played all of them, but I hope to one day.
II
So I'm choosing not to go and talk about the plot of each game as they are largely very similar, but also confusing to explain. The basic premise is all about this sword known as the Soul Edge which is known to have immense power and there are fighters who want to either harness that power or destroy it. Since this game, there has been at least one guest (or third party) character in each of the game and what makes II unique in that area is that for each platform it was released on, the guest character would be different. So on the Gamecube you get Link from
Legend of Zelda which as we all know is a first party Nintendo series and of course the Gamecube is one of their creations so that makes sense. The PS2 version has Heihachi Mishima from
Tekken with the game series having made most of its appearances on the PlayStation line of consoles so that also makes sense. And on the Xbox version, you get Spawn who is the odd one of the three as he was never exclusive to Xbox in any way, but I guess he's there because licensing any of Xbox's actual exclusive characters was difficult. It also came out in arcades and an HD remake was made which contained all the fighters except for Link. So all the arenas have walls which prevent any ring out scenarios which the series is known for having. Characters can use step and avoid Technics to avoid any attacks as well as using powerful moves like the three step Soul Charge, some kind of clash system and a guard system too. It also has all the usual fighting modes you see in many fighting games such as arcade, team battle mode, time attack, survival and training. Each mode has an extra variant too to allow for more weapons which helps in each character's story. So I think overall it feels like the average fighting game just with weapon based combat which as I said gives it an edge. The presentation is good, the graphics are OK for the time the game was released, but I think most people will get a kick out of the arcade version more than the home console release. That is unless you are a fan of any of the guest characters. But otherwise, its a good game and a great start for the series at least in my case. 8/10
IV
This time around, the story largely revolves around a Soulcalibur sword and people's own experiences with it as well as bringing back the Soul Edge as well. So seeing as this game came out before Disney's takeover of LucasFilm, there are three
Star Wars characters in the game. Although each are voiced by their regular voice actors at least from the series' video games, TV shows and cartoons, no one can really beat their film actors. Anyway so initially PS3 players would get Darth Vader and Xbox 360 players would get Yoda while both get Starkiller from
The Force Unleashed also. But recent DLC has made it so that everyone can play all three of them which is great despite the cost of one of those fighters. All the modes are back as well as a customisation feature that lets players create their own fighters which was bought back from
III and this time players can use the base model of the game's established characters to create their dream creations. It also has a few features that while new to
Soulcalibur other fighting games have it as well such as changing characters during battles, critical finishers and an online mode. While it may have a lot of familiar features, the game is still very good. Plenty to do and it takes advantage of the
Star Wars characters' abilities with using the Force. Another good game, but may be too familiar to fighting game veterans. 8/10
V
So here we have the fifth numbered title which unlike the rest of the series does have a story, but not a well thought out one that involves two siblings and a curse that was set onto one of them through contact with the Soul Edge. The guest character this time is what many would call the face of
Assassin's Creed, Ezio who brings his fighting abilities as an assassin with him. Most of the modes already established are back with a story mode that is more limited than before and an enhanced way to unleash powerful attacks against opponents. If I'm being honest, while the presentation and the graphics are good, this game feels like the weakest of the series as it adds nothing really new to the series while making some serious limitations to some areas and minor enhancements to others. But that being said, the game would work well for anyone that's new to the series so in a way it is good in that regard. Its just veterans that may have problems with it than everyone else. 7/10
VI
Despite the name,
VI serves as a reboot to the series but attempts to unearth some hidden truths that were never seen in the very first game. Two guests appear this time around which are Geralt from
The Witcher series and 2B (YoRHa No. 2 Type B) from the game
Neir: Automata. Gameplay is largely the same as before but removes many of the limitations that
V had and brings back a few fan favourite characters as well. This game is a major improvement over the last game as it has almost everyone back in the roster, a much better story mode and it being a reboot makes it newcomer friendly too. Plus as the first game for PC, Steam players can enjoy it now which is great. 8/10
So while its not a perfect series,
Soulcalibur is great for those who love fighting games with fantasy elements thrown in. Some of the character designs may be obnoxious and unrealistic whereas the use of guest characters may be too limited. But overall, its a good series that I hope continues on in the coming years even though Namco have their work cut out with doing this and another well known fighting series. 8/10
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