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E3 2009: Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny
June 3, 2009 | 6:58 PM PST
So finally, after all this time, we get Soul Calibur on a portable. I have to admit, I've been playing a lot of Soul Edge on my modified PSP, and as much as I loved SCIV, the Star Wars characters really threw the balance off. The original plan was to include Star Wars characters in this game, but fortunately that idea was scrapped for someone better suited (Kratos). The last Soulcalibur spin-off (Legends) was for Wii, and it honestly wasn't up to snuff because it abandoned the series core fighting mechanics. SC: Broken Destiny (though technically a spin-off) chooses to follow the path of a true SC title and is so far on par with at least Soul Calibur III, and that's not a bad thing at all.
The demo only included eight characters (including Kratos), but the final tally is expected to hover around 20, though unlockables could push it higher. Most of the move-sets seem to be based on Soulcalibur IV, though there wasn't enough time to do a complete move by move analysis.
The visuals seem to at least surpass SCIII in terms of detail as long as you keep in on a small screen, but they don't hold up as well as SCIII when you output to a larger TV. Regardless, the game is stunning on the PSP's native screen (screenshots really don't do it justice) and the series trademark orchestral soundtracks sound just as good as anything to date on headphones or stereo output. Using the analog nub for a fighting game just isn't a good idea since there is so much play in the stick. You want to use the 8-way D-pad to get your work done, but that also leads to some issues depending on the model of PSP you have. Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny's E3 demo was running on at least three demo stations at the Namco booth. That gave us the opportunity to try the game out on both a PSP 1001 and 3000. With the controls on the old-school model, you'll have a pretty hard time getting reliable commands in and all the sweeping and rolling motions are a terror to perform, but on the 3000, there won't be a single issue. Fighting games just don't function all that well on launch model PSPs, but bear in mind that isn't a knock at Soul Calibur itself whatsoever. Even on inferior PSP models though, Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny looks to set the new benchmark for portable fighting.
The demo only included eight characters (including Kratos), but the final tally is expected to hover around 20, though unlockables could push it higher. Most of the move-sets seem to be based on Soulcalibur IV, though there wasn't enough time to do a complete move by move analysis.
The visuals seem to at least surpass SCIII in terms of detail as long as you keep in on a small screen, but they don't hold up as well as SCIII when you output to a larger TV. Regardless, the game is stunning on the PSP's native screen (screenshots really don't do it justice) and the series trademark orchestral soundtracks sound just as good as anything to date on headphones or stereo output. Using the analog nub for a fighting game just isn't a good idea since there is so much play in the stick. You want to use the 8-way D-pad to get your work done, but that also leads to some issues depending on the model of PSP you have. Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny's E3 demo was running on at least three demo stations at the Namco booth. That gave us the opportunity to try the game out on both a PSP 1001 and 3000. With the controls on the old-school model, you'll have a pretty hard time getting reliable commands in and all the sweeping and rolling motions are a terror to perform, but on the 3000, there won't be a single issue. Fighting games just don't function all that well on launch model PSPs, but bear in mind that isn't a knock at Soul Calibur itself whatsoever. Even on inferior PSP models though, Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny looks to set the new benchmark for portable fighting.
November 20, 2009
