NOW WITH KRATOS – WITH NO EXPLANATION WHATSOEVER!!!

Kratos + Soul Caliber = Awesome. Having been a fan of the series since it first hit on the PlayStation in 1997, I approached this entry with a cautious eye – portable versions of established fighting franchises are hit-and-miss at best. And as excited as I was to play as God of War’s protagonist, I was equally as concerned with the history of games built around a franchise tie-in, which in many cases leads to releases with shiny looks and no real meat to the gameplay or story. That being said, let’s see where Soul Caliber: Broken Destiny ends up.

The best aspect of the game is multiplayer – hands down. Online isn’t offered but the lag-free local/ad hoc matches against a friend are always the best way to enjoy any fighting game. Thankfully you can perform an install right to your memory stick which eliminates the long loading times (well done there folks). Gauntlet Mode reveals additions to the already deep gameplay that you’ve all come to expect from Soul Caliber. Aerial controls, interrupts, throw escapes, and stun recoveries to name a few. All these additions add a flavor that is solely Broken Destiny’s – and they make the fighting even more strategic. At the same time those of us who are stubbornly attached to their personal styles can still make your way through matches as you always have. Graphically Broken Destiny is what you have come to expect from the series. Great character models, arenas taken right from Soul Caliber IV and beautiful animations are all there as they should be. Musical scores and sound effects from special moves immerse you completely – so get ready to throw on those headphones. Presentation-wise this is as solid of an entry as any other Soul Caliber.

For those of us who have enjoyed the robust aspects of past entries, this release comes up a bit…thin. First off the only storyline that is offered is through the Gauntlet Mode which in itself is a series of training exercises. The story offered: a laughable collection of facts about staple characters riddled with T.M.I. (good to know that Nightmare is a weeping nancy boy – thanks people), none of which could be considered a true story continuation. Considering that these events take place after SCIV one would expect some sort of explanation of why they’re there, why they are still fighting and just where the hell did Kratos and Dampierre come from any-damn-ways?! I mean really, no arcade mode?! Really?! Items can still be earned and unlocked but unlike SCIV, none of them have any effect on your character’s stats, they’re just…costumes. And why leave out online matches? It just seems that many of the staples of Soul Caliber have been removed form this release for little-to-no reason. It gives the game a cheapened feel that may leave fans of the series with a bad taste in their mouth.

Overall I can recommend Soul Caliber: Broken Destiny for a purchase. Does it add to the mythology and time-line? No. Does it move the series forward? Not really. Is the fighting fast and fun featuring a Sony favorite? Yep. The difficulty is obviously geared towards veterans so newcomers may want to cut their teeth on a past release. Don’t expect a deep experience from Broken Destiny, simply enjoy what it has to offer. Knocking the crap out of people. Huzzah.