Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
The original Soul Calibur debuted in the Arcade in 1998. And though it wasn't popular in the Arcade initially, it did have an enormous release on the Dreamcast. The original Soul Calibur is said to be one of the greatest games of all time. It's a shame then, that the XBOXLive Arcade game is more insistent on porting over the Arcade version as opposed to the Dreamcast variation of the game. The variation that was, by all standards, a far superior version. And more than that, the game was left in the standard 4:3 ratio.That's not to say that any of this makes SoulCalibur in and of itself a bad game. The original game is still fantastic to this day. It is a marvelous game that any fan of the fighting genre ought to take a moment to play and get acquainted with because there are not many fighting games out there like it. It ranks highly among critics and fans for a reason (it is also one of the few video games to retain its five star rating on Amazon.com after all these years). This review isn't here to talk about the mechanics of SoulCalibur, however. Or how fantastic it is. It is here to talk about the conversion and how I feel XBOXLive Arcade owners aren't being allowed to have the full experience of the game in and of itself.
One of the reasons that SoulCalibur was so jaw dropping and defining upon its original release was because the home console release included so much more than the Arcade release. It included a lot more modes and things to do than what the Arcade could actually provide. There was more than Arcade. There was a survival mode and a mission mode to keep you going. There was also plenty of things given to you as a result of mission mode. You collected points to unlock Artwork. But Mission Mode is gone. This may not be a big deal, but this is sort of what really separated SoulCalibur from its Arcade Counterpart. The fact that there was an actual single player experience. And the missions were quite amusing and interesting. Players were actually working toward something by unlocking artwork. The Art Gallery is still here, at least and you get all the artwork, but it begs the question as to why they opted not to provide anything else. Granted it is XBOXLive Arcade, but we've seen some other games on XBLA that aren't specifically Arcade stylized in their approach. Games like Scott Pilgrim or Castle Crasher or the newly released Battleblock Theater all have distinctly console style things about them as well. SoulCalibur isn't a lazy port, it's just one that feels like it could've given players everything. The Dreamcast version isn't rare by any means, but the Dreamcast version is the only version where gamers can get the full experience of what the original SoulCalibur is. And it feels like the XBOXLive Arcade has taken that away.
We haven't even gotten into the things that would've been a nice touch that they nothing with. Yes, the graphics are HD but not going the extra mile to provide a 16:9 wide screen presentation is kind of lazy considering they had no problem doing this with other ports to the XBLA. Again, these are things that might not be so bothersome in the long run... but for much of this, it seems like it would be more worthwhile to find a used Dreamcast and a used copy of the game. You'd get more bang for your buck in terms of content and you'd hardly notice some of the more artistic changes. The original Soul Calibur is still a gorgeous game no matter how you slice it, and playing in Standard Definition is not going to change that.
What is more than likely going to disappoint many players, however, is that the port to the XBLA has no online support whatsoever. Other fighting games put on the Arcade were given online support to be able to play against anyone.
Soul Calibur is a great fighting game. One that should be played by everyone. It's just a shame that so much of the XBLA port is a very watered down version of the classic we've all come to love over the years, and that most of us still retain memories for. If you still have a Dreamcast, you're better off trying to find a copy for that system. If not, the XBOXLive Arcade is not the definitive way to experience this classic.
Best Deals for SOULCALIBUR
Soulcalibur is Hands down one of the best Fighting Games ever!And without a Doubt the Best/Must Own Dreamcast game ever!The 360 Arcade version is Close to Perfect!
A Major Plus a HD Version which is killer
The Controls being shifted from the DC Controller to the 360 Controller are very good once u get the feel for the layout.
If you are a fan of Fighting Games or just a Super fan of Games that are just Fun and Pure at the same time
It's a Must have Arcade Title 10/10
No comments:
Post a Comment