Kienamaru
84,707
TA Score for this game: 2,332
Posted on 23 April 12 at 14:59, Edited on 09 May 12 at 07:21 |
This review has 26 positive votes and 4 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
SoulllCaliburrrV... I've wanted to review this game since the day it came out... So I'll do a Pros, Cons, and summary type review for anyone who wants to save time on a SC Veterans opinion.
PROS
Player Card- This is not much more than a way to keep traxk of your stats during gameplay. It helps when trying to figure out how much further you need to go for achievements, and you get over 200 titles to give to your character.
Great graphics- This game looks better than SCIV by a long shot. The levels are amazingly designed, the character models look pretty realistic and less bland this time around, and the menu is pretty nice to look at unlike previous SC games. Sparks fly when weapons clash or scrape walls and clothing or hair flow fluidly. Due to everyone having Special attacks you can expect battles to be much more colorful this time around. There's a nice variety from light and dark levels, which look great with the new lighting engine.
Great soundtrack- The music on this game feels like a true SC. It puts me in the mind of SCIII, which in my opinion had the most memorable soundtrack. If you've ever been a fan of SC music you won't be disappointed here.
New Characters- This game has 2 to 5 characters depending how you see it. ZWEI, a human who uses a three handled sword and summoned werewolf. Viola, a sorceress who fights using her bare hands (though she wears a claw) and crystal ball. Patroklos, the son of Sophitia who uses a shortsword and shield. Pyrrha, the daughter of Sophitia who also uses a shortsword and shield. Lastly, there is Omega Pyrrha who fights like a someone more aggressive version of Pyrrha. People say that Patroklos is similar to Cassandra in style, so some people don't consider him "new" in style. Pyhhra fights similarly to Sophitia however, but not enough to be considered a clone.
Gameplay- The gameplay is fast, and fluid for the most part. It is more suited for competetive play but at the same time simplified for casual players. It feels much better than SCIV though it doesn't compare to SCII or SCIII. The gameplay has been sped up dramatically, and 8 Way running is somewhat easier.
Character Creation- The amount of improvements to CAS is nearly endless. You have new faces, new hairstyles, body types, proportion adjustment, eyebrow types, stickers (tattoos), make up, and more. You can change your height, and even customize your weapons this time around. Alignment is no longer affected by clothing, and stats now aren't forced by your clothing. Aside of that there are also some changes such as being able to take snapshots for your character, frame them, and use them for your Character Select Screen. Not to mention a newish dlc update has Equipment coming out every month or so.
Amazing Multiplayer- The online MP seems to be the biggest improvement in my opinion. There is basically no lag, they now have searching, lobbies where you can chat while waiting to fight, and there is even a spectator screen to watch the action while you talk to others through voice or text. The removal of Skills makes the game pretty balanced this time around. You can even make rivals and keep track of their stats or compete with their scores and times in single player modes.
No more Critical Finishes- There are no more one hit kills due to loss in a gauge. Removing 10% of the cheese factor of SC.
Soul Link- This little feature keeps track of your every stat from Win Loss ratio, to perfect wins, or gameplay. Good for those who like to compare with friends, or keep track of achievement progress.
That's all for pros. Now for the Cons... Which I have to post a certain way due to how they affect the game.
CONS
Mitsurugi- Has no relic stance
Yun Seoung- Missing from game
Seoung Mina- Missing from game
Talim- Missing from game
Amy- Presumed Viola, unconfirmed. Assumed Missing from game.
Zasalamel- The immortal man who was removed from the game.
Rock- Removed from game.
Sophitia- Replaced by a look alike who isnt her. A mimic character. Removed from game.
Cassandra- Removed from game.
Setsuka- replaced by a man who is also Patroklos.
Dampierre- a bad character who can only be used if paid for.
Kilik- returns as a Mimic character
Edge Master- The third mimic character.
Critical Edges- Unbalanced severly, characters like Nightmare can deliver a two hit KO. They also freeze time making them basically undodgeable after initiation.
Create A Soul- So much drowned potential here. SCIII Had 15 or so completely unique fighting styles. SCV has one, and they ripped it from Tekken. With so much more customization options it was all wasted because you can still only make clones.
Modes to Play...
Story- Play as Patroklos and Pyrrha in 20 battles, seperated by poorly scribbled still frames, and every now and then a high quality CG cutscene. There is also one or two ZWEI battles in there.
This mode is not fun, or even slightly entertaining.
Arcade- 6 battles with multiple routes depending on who you want to fight. However, there are no endings at all. No destined battles. No boss fights. Simply fight and be done with it.
Legendary Souls- As if the AI needed a reason to go beyond hard difficulty. This mode is a new level of cheap in SC History. Each character takes about 20 minutes to defeat if you have never played SCV.
Quick Battle- 240 Battles each with opponents of varying fighting styles, tactics, and difficulty levels. The best Quick Battle in SC, however there are too many AI spams for it to be consistently fun.
Options- You can no longer adjust the amount of health in vs matches, or set the timer to unlimited.
Missing features- Get up attacks, while landing attacks, impact exchange, parry, an extra mode such as Weapon Master, Chronicles of the Sword, Survival, or even Tower of Lost Souls.
Just Guard- Few people can pull one off, but if you can easily do it, you will never lose. It renders Guard impact obsolete.
AI- The majority of the AI will do the same attacks over and over until you lose or until you stop them. For some reason the AI deals more damage than you and can go... Around... Your guard.
Once again- Advancing Guard, and Soul charge do not return. Clothing still breaks.
Dodging- Works perfectly against human players, not so well with AI.
Guard Impacting- First off the input has been switched to... RT+(back direction). Parrying is gone altogether so you no longer throw people on the ground for a potential combo. To make things worse, there are now two impacts. High/mid, etc, and low. This now relies on your soul gauge, which you can't fill up by charging... Because it isn't there. You have to block and take damage to fill it up. Which once again works somewhat, due to limited defense before your guard breaks. Normally you might manage to impact at most 6 times during a match. The only exception is that certain characters have auto impact attacks which don't require a gauge.
SUMMARY I know I've likely forgotten to cover something but overall the game isn't so bad in comparison to SCIV. Other than that, every game has been better. Good gameplay, fun characters though not nearly enough. Great graphics, levels, and music. This game has enough to keep you busy for a few weeks but I wouldn't buy it unless you're either a long time fan, or you really need a new fighting game.
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