SoulCalibur VI Review

A tale of souls and swords eternally retold...that line still gives me chills. I realize I am a bit late to the SoulCalibur 6 review party, but I really wanted to take as much time as I could before giving my final thoughts. So, let's begin!

Welcome back to the Stage of History


Project Soul announced the game at The Game Awards 2017, and development on the game began three years prior. Motohiro Okubo (praise be), producer of the game, said that SoulCalibur 6 was created in celebration of the franchise's 20th anniversary was well as it being what the fans yearned for. Get ready to unsheathe your swords and ride into battle!

The Wait is Over! Let's Begin!

When it comes to the single-player experience, SoulCalibur 6 delivers above and beyond to provide a compelling story with characters that seem like they could've existed during the time period. There are two story modes: Libra of Soul (a mode where you can create a character and journey a world map taking on side missions and collecting weapons), and Soul Chronicle (a more traditional story mode).

Speaking of creating a character: the beloved, fan-favorite feature of the franchise, Create-A-Soul, returns and you can make your fabled hero or heroine that you'll challenge your friends online with. There are a good many armor pieces, clothing, weapons, accessories, and items to choose from to make your character with. It might not be as robust as SoulCalibur 4 or 5 but I've seen a lot of creativity and variety (so it's pretty awesome).

All-in-all, if the competitive aspect or learning the game isn't quite your cup of tea, then absolutely yes you will enjoy the game's singe-player content.


Single-Player Content Rating: 9/10

A Return to Form (for the most part)

SoulCalibur 4 and 5 introduced meter to the series as well as other mechanics. Now historically, SoulCalibur has never had meter in it, and I really want to touch on the competitive/technical aspect of things here. SoulCalibur, especially 2, what with the implementation of the 8-way running system, set the standard for 3D fighting games not just for the series, but for all 3D games, really. Well, that and Tekken, seeing as the two development teams worked together on it. That being said, in Soul Calibur 2 and 3, the game was very free-form. What I mean by this is: you could play the game how you wanted; you could leave your own personal flair into it. This being evident in the way that movement was faster, easier, and far less restricting. Combos were extremely easy and very short. There were advanced things you could do and some character-specific combos that were huge, but for the most part: combos were just launcher and another hit. Combos were rarely anything of 4+ hits. The advanced aspects of the game came in movement, learning your characters moves, guarding, step-guarding, guard impacts (the parry system of the game), Ring-Outs, and Soul Charge usage.

When it came to SoulCalibur, and this is especially true in 2, the game was just so balanced and heavily focused on chess-like play with movement, parrying, and ring-outs. You didn't have to learn crazy, elaborate combos that took hundreds of hours of training just to memorize to then worry about trying to land it on a human or someone online. You could pick up a character, learn their moves, pull off combos that were both basic and advanced and deal heavy damage. It wasn't about the combo execution; it was about your movement, your knowledge of the character, how you worked to ring them out, the spacing and pokes and simple mix-ups. It was about the mind-games; it was about how you played the game.

Now, with all of that being said: is any of that essence still alive in SoulCalibur 6? In my opinion, yes it is (but not fully). The movement speed of 6 is much like 2 and the free-form nature is there. In many ways you can still play the game how you want. It's just that the inclusion of meter and making Soul Charge and Critical Edges (super art moves) meter-based is not a core identity of traditional Calibur. Soul Charge was a mechanic that never needed meter. Super moves were never in the game before SoulCalibur 5. Combos in the game are a lot longer than they used to be. There's crazier set-ups and combos you can do. In a lot of ways the game added instead of simplifying. But with all of the in-depth systems and intricacies, it feels like SoulCalibur. You can still have your own playstyle and signature flair. Competitively, it's just not as great as SoulCalibur 2 (it might never be), but it's still extremely deep and fun to play and watch. New mechanics such as Critical Edges (was in SoulCalibur 5) and Reversal Edge (rock-paper-scissor type system) aren't great but hey I suppose if the game is to continue to thrive, it has to have some extra spice to it, even though, in all honesty, it really isn't doing the game too much good.

Core Essence and Gameplay Rating: 7/10  

Positives:

• Gorgeous 3D models
• Beautiful stages (many are nostalgic)
• Epic OST (huge plus)
• Varied characters/playstyles (no characters play alike, really)
• Geralt of Rivia (great guest character from The Witcher Series)
• Great roster of characters (almost all fan-favorites returned)
• Combos are easy to learn, even the advanced combos (though some can be challenging) 
• Helpful in-game notes on how to play characters
• Sample combos are included in movelists for characters
• Create-A-Soul is fantastic (many great options, and customizing)
• Critical Edges are super sick and stellar
• Runs at 60 FPS (console included)
• Huge singleplayer modes; 2 story modes
• DLCs are fantastic (they come with more characters and creation parts)
• 2B as a guest character is amazing   

Negatives:

• Reversal Edge could be removed and I wouldn't care too much (I don't hate it but I don't think it's all that good)
• Fundamentally sound and great just not on the level of traditional SoulCalibur (talking about SoulCalibur 1 and 2)
• Some combos could use toning down
• Some of the frame-data should've been handled like it was with SoulCalibur 2

***

(Geralt of Rivia, from the Witcher series; Guest Character)

 (New Character in SoulCalibur 6: Groh)

(New Character in SoulCalibur 6: Azwel)

Final Verdict:

The SoulCalibur series is one of my favorites of all-time. I love this game so much; I play it almost everyday. It's not without its flaws, but the proof is in the soul-pudding; the game is so much fun and is beautifully crafted. The support of the community and the developers is astounding, and it's no wonder why the game received a world tour slated for 2020. I hope the series continues to grow and remain what everyone's souls burned for. It's without a doubt the premier 3D, weapon-focused fighting game.

Overall Game Rating: 8.7/10  

***

Notes: 

Season Pass 1 includes: Tira, 2B (from Nier: Automata), Amy, Cassandra, customization parts, and BGMs.

Season Pass 2 includes: Hilde, customization parts, BGMS, a new guest character from Samurai Shodown: Haohmaru (to be announced), and two other characters to be announced.

Dragon Ball FighterZ Review

DBFZ (Dragon Ball Fighterz), is a game that I always wished for, and thank Shenron that that wish actually came true. Today, we shall hurricane kick our way straight into the action and unleash our inner Saiyans--cuz I gotta say, this game is one of my all-time favorites.

A RECIPE FOR GREATNESS

Personally, the 3D Dragon Ball games were never my favorite. Yeah, the Budokai series was awesome but to me I just wanted a good ole 2D Dragon Ball fighter. Burst Limit was cool but it failed to captivate me. Then, Arc System Works came along. Teaming up with Bandai, Arc Sys were hired to develop the next big Dragon Ball fighting game.

Now, when I had initially heard this, I already knew it was gonna be awesome. I mean--it's Arc System for crying out loud. They're a company that pours their hearts and souls into their fighting games. But you see, there was one detail that was pretty interesting to me and that was the fact that the game would a versus game; a 3v3 fighting game (much like the Marvel Vs. Capcom series). I loved MvC but I didn't play it much nor did I really like the whole 3v3. I just liked watching it. For some reason I absolutely love it in DBFZ.

With veteran fighting-game developers Arc System Works, and publisher Bandai Namco, the highly popular and explosively awesome series of Dragon Ball Z would finally receive a game worthy of its legendary legacy.

ENTER THE ARC SYSTEM STYLE!

DBFZ is a 2.5D fighting game. Much like the Guilty Gear Xrd series, the character models are done in 3D yet the plane of playing the game is in 2D. But you see, here's the real kicker: the game looks nothing like Guilty Gear or really any other game. It looks exactly how it should: like good ole Dragon Ball. Arc System have really paid much attention to the style and character of Dragon Ball, and the fact that they were able to translate it over so beautifully with their 2.5D style is truly amazing. I mean, the game is just so beautiful to look at.

You can feel the punches being thrown forward. You can almost feel the amount of destruction and chaos that happens on-screen. There's so much detail woven into the game, and it all comes together wonderfully. Not to mention, the fact that certain character-specific cutscenes and special event scenes are hidden in the game and are waiting to be unraveled is beyond awesome. It really recreates those iconic and nostalgic moments that many of us witnessed as we watched Dragon Ball growing up. Kinda brings tears to my eyes.

The stages are vibrant, the colors pop and are full of life. Not only are the characters expressive and ooze with cool but so do the environments. You've got lush green islands with waving palm-trees, and epic, chaotic fiery volcano pits, to even being able to battle on an asteroid in the damn galaxy. Of course you also have the easily recognizable stages: West City, the World Tournament, and the Cell Games Arena. Seriously, it's all there.

The combos are flashy, the specials explosive, the supers insane. This game has combat that is fast, brutal, and everything a Super Saiyan could hope for.

Style and Design Rating: 9.5/10

THE STORY BEHIND THE BRUTALITY:

Now, Dragon Ball FighterZ has an original story mode made that does not follow the manga nor the anime of the source material. Basically, clones have begun appearing and you have to unravel the mystery behind it all by pounding their faces with your red-hot super punches. You devise a team, move across a plane point-by-point, and pick up other fan-favorite characters along the way. There are three separate story modes to play. Now, the story itself isn't particularly great in any way but at least they don't retell the whole sagas of DBZ that most games do. The best part about the story modes are the interactions with the characters that are all made especially for the game. The animations are great and Arc System delivers us a fun "what-if-this-happened" sort of experience.

The parts that suck about the story modes are how grindy and long-winded it takes to complete them when the aspect of moving across a board from point A to point B becomes a mindless slug-fest of fights, just to beat down some lackeys to then reach the boss and rinse and repeat. The cutscenes and animations are great but the execution of the gameplay could've been done better--at least in a way that would spice up the repetitiveness.

Overall, I actually enjoyed playing through the story modes but they definitely left much to be desired.



Story Modes Rating: 6.5/10 

AN ONLINE ARENA OF CHAOS:

   
Okay, I know the title of this section might sound a tad misleading, but bear with me, please. The online part of Dragon Ball FighterZ acts as the games central hub/main menu. Yes, you can press a button and it will bring up an actual menu to game's systems and modes, so don't worry. I find it awesome how you can spend your hard-earned zeni on many avatars and stickers and roam around spouting stamps as a mini, chibi Goku or Vegeta...or even Cell. Imagine that! The online is fantastic in that regard, but when it comes to the netcode and lobby connectivity and such--yikes, it can be a mess (hence the title of this category). I mean, one moment you're beating down your opponent or even a friend and the next--boom--suddenly, a network error throws you out. Sometimes, I'll join a lobby and within seconds I receive a network error message and have to choose a lobby again. It actually happens way too frequently and Bandai or Arc Sys or whoever need to fix this entirely.

Other than the occasional network error or 7-10 frame delay, the online aspect of DBFZ is actually extremely fun; especially when played with friends.


Online Experience Rating: 7.5/10 

THE POSITIVES:

• Amazing Graphics
• Stellar 2/3D models and environments
• Runs at 60 Fps (even on consoles)
• Feels like you're playing the anime
• Explosive and destructible stages
• Beautifully chaotic special moves and supers
• Dramatic Intro and Scenes 
• Fun arcade modes
• Extremely faithful to the source material, even to the point of all characters moves being taken straight from the manga/anime
• Masterful attention to detail
• Rockin', electrifying soundtrack that feels like it belongs in the world of Dragon Ball
• Great cast of characters (most fan-favorites are here)
• Beginner-friendly and great for people who don't care to master the game competitively
• 3v3 team battles, ring matches, party battles, party matches, 2v2, 1v1, online lobby characters, stamps, titles
• Online match replay functionality: you can view and save your own matches as well as watching high-level/popular matches

THE NEGATIVES:

• Online netcode needs to be fixed as well as the frequent network errors
• Story modes are a bit lacking
• Lack of some extra game-modes; Arc System should add an offline tournament mode where you can level up your fighter, collect gear, and fight strong opponents or something of the like (kinda like M.O.M. mode in Guilty Gear)

If you love Dragon Ball Z and you love fighting games--then hooboy, are you in for such a great time. Arc System Works manages to deliver a DBZ fighting game that pays justice to the source and unites not only hardcore players and casuals alike, but also many fighting game players from games you'd never expect to cross fate in a showdown of the strongest Super Saiyans. Thank you, Arc System Works and Bandai Namco.

Game Rating: 9/10