Soulcalibur stabs XBLA through the heart

by Xav de Matos { Jul 2nd 2008 at 9:30AM }

Looking for an upgraded fighting game with no widescreen support, online or modes to unlock? No? Well, if you change your mind Soulcalibur is now available on the Xbox Live Arcade. The classic fighter dropped as the lone release for the Arcade (as far as an actual game goes) and will hit your digital wallet up for 800 MS space-creds. Preparing gamers for the forthcoming Soul Calibur IV, the HD upgraded classic is a mixed bag. Probably one of the best fighters of its time, the XBLA exclusive feels so stripped down it would be more at home propped up on cinder blocks. Which sucks because it's still a rad game.

Tags: namco, namco-bandai, soul-calibur, soulcalibur, xbla, xbox-live-arcade

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Jcarpio @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:51AM

i'm just going to use this game to reacquaint me to the soul calibur universe and controls before the retail game comes out. I'm a bit out of practice since i haven't had a dreamcast or a ps2 in a while.

Roto13 @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:41AM

If you need a refresher for the Soul Calibur universe itself, there's always this:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/file/533008/26537

Jcarpio @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:57AM

Actually i need an on-hands refresh of the game..

but thanks for the link.

maltinej @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:04AM

rad?

Boff @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:12AM

Extremely, dude.

Xav de Matos @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:27AM

Effin' Rad actually.

itsburnsie @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:35AM

I'd say not rad, actually.

No mission mode killed this purchase for me. I'll be hanging on to my Dreamcast version instead.

Shogan @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:23AM

I played the demo and was excited to relive some nostalgia without hooking up the Dreamcast. This seems different from the original game, though. It's been a while, so maybe it's just me.. I don't think so though.

Maverick Saturn @ Jul 2nd 2008 10:43AM

Sounds a bit of a waste of time to be honest, I guess none hdd owners have nothing much to worry about now.

PerfectStrategy @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:04AM

How the hell is this game stripped-down? The original never had online play or 16x9 graphics. The updated HD graphics look superb too.

Everything else is here. The museum where you can hear all the characters' lines, survival, team attack, etc.

According to Metacritic/Gamerankings this is THE best fighting game of all time. For $10 it is clearly worth it. This game is about 10 times better than SFII, online play or not.

The only thing missing is the Mission Mode. But I played through the entire thing on the Dreamcast and honestly it was just to unlock everything. Not having to go through that slog all over again is actually a positive. You have all the characters and modes unlocked from the start, and I think that is exactly what XBLA players are looking for.

I don't know what else to say. I assume the writer has never played Soul Calibur or is just a bit of a dim-wit. I would put Soul Calibur right up there with Rez HD, Castlevania SOTN, Ikaruga, and Vigilante 8 (probably) as must-have XBLA titles.

Xav de Matos @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:23AM

Not having a missions mode and having it all open is why it's stripped down.

What is the incentive to play? Nothing to unlock, no online...

Fact is I love SOCAL and it should have gotten better treatment than this.

I agree that the original was one of the best fighting games of all time, in fact I say as much in the post... but this version isn't.

SABCA @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:44AM

Yeah, even with the omissions, it's pretty funny that this is one of the most feature-packed games on XBLA.

I do have to agree with the fact that as much as I loved it, I'm happy not to have to play through mission mode again.

I mean, I LOVE unlocking things in games. But to do it AGAIN in a game I already did it in multiple times... it starts to lose it's luster.

Minus the online, think about how much more content-packed this game is with extras, then any of the other fighters on XBLA... it makes it feel silly to complain about anything missing.

SABCA @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:30AM

If they cut out the content from mission mode, I'd hate it. But with all the content there... the only real problem is the lack of an online VS mode.

If a brand new XBLA game came out with quality comparable to SC's graphics, extras, and presentation, it'd be epic.

I feel no problems with the games timing and reactivity. The game loads very fast and seems very solidly ported.

I just hope we get Online play as free DLC sometime in the future, like PS3 got with Tekken DR.

SABCA @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:32AM

Oh yeah, and no one ever mentions the lack of the opening edit mode. I really wish that was there. Heck, I'd love to see THAT brought back in SCIV, because it was just such an awesome extra.

Big Filth @ Jul 2nd 2008 11:53AM

its fighting game, not a mission game. that was just a bonus feature.

the core gameplay is still there, and I dont remember fighting online on the dreamcast.

it would be one thing if you could not fight, but you can. stop crying.

Mighty Healthy @ Jul 2nd 2008 1:52PM

I'm kinda in the middle.

I agree that just having a version of SC on XBLA is a win, and that the meat of the game is undoubtedly there.

However, it's almost criminal to take away missions: a mode that broadened the replay value and accessibility and was a feature in and of itself.

Couple that with the lack of online play (a key feature for retro games/retreads on XBLA), and the majorly missed opportunities make SC XBLA instantly forgettable for some.

I will always have the temptation in the back of my mind to purchase the game, as an achievement whore and occasional retro gamer...but I can easily see why it's not on someone's radar, despite being Soul Calibur.

ccc @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:16PM

I have to disagree on this one.
Soul Caliber is EASLY the best game available in the marketplace. The only thing missing from the dreamcast version is the intro and edgemaster mode.
At 10 dollars this game is a total steel. SC2 nor 3 managed to produce the magic this game has.
This game looks better than anything in the arcade, the soundtrack is eons ahead of ANYTHING else in the arcade. If you don't have friends that come over and play sorry, it is a bummer it's not online but thats a namco decision probably due to the fact that SC4's online play and sales would most likley suffer as a result. This is my 70th arcade game and I couldn't be more satasfied with this game.
Anything bad anyone has to say about this game either dislikes fighting games or is nit picking.
Anyone that likes either fighters or the Soul Caliber series(whether they still have it on dc or not) would just be stupid not to by this game for multiple reasons.
Amazingly the pile of shit d-pad on the 360 controller works flawless with this game to add to it, unlike SSF2THDR where you will basically need to go and buy yourself something else to play with if you wanna be able to showcase your skills.
Last thing, honestly I'm willing to bet that this version can still hold the "best Soul Caliber game ever" award even after SC4 comes out.
Better graffics don't mean a better game and we learned that leason from SC2 and 3 however small of a graphical enhancement they had over the original DC SC.

This is a HUGE bone Namco has thrown the 360's way and it's amazing to say the least don't bash it for imaginary reasons.

AoE @ Jul 2nd 2008 1:50PM

Agreed!

Mission mode I could care less about, fighting games in my world are a social thing (as in, social in real life, a group of friends around the livingroom style) not a single-player (or for that matter online) experience. Now widescreen? That would have been nice, but I'll take it either way.

animeman_59 @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:39PM

No online mode means no sale.

I'll just stick to my DC version and save $10.

Xav de Matos @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:41PM

That's kinda my point too. I still have my Dreamcast hooked up so I think I'll stick with the original if they aren't doing anything to make it better for XBLA.

AoE @ Jul 2nd 2008 1:46PM

I'd rather save my dreamcast's laser for games that haven't been ported to xbla personally...

Edge @ Jul 2nd 2008 1:10PM

The sad part is that this stripping down will keep me from purchasing it. No online multi is UNFORGIVABLE.

Neon Jebus @ Jul 2nd 2008 1:25PM

I tossed in Soul Blade into my PS3 the other day to play around. Man have we come a long way. I couldn't bring myself to play it the graphics were so bad.

And this coming from a guy that still plays Galaga from time to time.

AoE @ Jul 2nd 2008 1:51PM

I think we can all agree that early 3d is far more painful than 2d sprites of any generation.

Procris @ Jul 2nd 2008 1:46PM

Cheap cash in = cheap cash in :/ Not really much else to say. The lack of online multiplayer really hurts the title in my opinion. I have SC for my dreamcast, i'm going to skip this, not worth the money. Not even for nostalgia.

No online multiplayer in this day and age is a joke. I'd rather not have it on XBLA than have it in its current form.

Bitter Kevin @ Jul 2nd 2008 2:42PM

Does it have all the different weapon variations from mission mode? Or are they cut out too? That could be a dealbreaker for me.

RockerAnimeFreak @ Jul 2nd 2008 3:33PM

I'll get this for now... When Battle Arena Toshinden 5 comes out its going to kick EVERY OTHER FIGHTING GAMES ASS! =) This is coming from a guy that played Battle Arena Toshinden since 1996 and still has and loves it to this day! B.A.T. ages suprisingly well for a fighting game!

Ujn Hunter @ Jul 2nd 2008 4:12PM

Lack of Mission mode kinda stinks, I'll DL the demo though and see if it's worth it... I'll probably buy it seeing it was my favorite DC game... but the mission mode and unlocking things was what kept me playing it.

BFBeast666 @ Jul 2nd 2008 4:33PM

I was sceptical at first, since SC is one of my all-time fave games EVER. The omission of Mission Mode was a big hit to my euphoria, but since the rest is there, I broke down and got iit.

To be honest, the only reason AFTER unlocking everything was to rack up those survival and extra survival streaks anyway. Since I can do that here AND compare with others on an online leaderboard (which the DC version didn't have), I'm all set.

Too bad one of the achievements involves Ivy's mega-throw, since I always sucked playing her.

The Orz @ Jul 2nd 2008 4:58PM

Ah, no one noticed Voldo's bull head cod piece has returned. That more than makes up for not having a mission mode (not really, but still, yay for avoiding senseless edits).

It should also be stated that all of the voices are in Japanese with no English option aside from subtitles. Personally, I'm grateful.

It's a fine versus title for local matches, what with the faster load times and convenience of being able to play wireless. Online would have been incredible, but I suppose we'll have to settle for really freakin' great.

As for Ivy's suffering, I once read that it's easiest to think of it as rolling two fireball motions after the initial down-forward, up-back movement. Worked for me, and though I can't pull it off for the life of me during a versus match, the CPU is polite enough to stand there without attacking long enough for it to connect.

Neuromancer @ Jul 2nd 2008 5:03PM

What bothers me most about this game is the visuals, if they had added widescreen and prettied up the graphics a little I would have been all over it.