Soul Calibur on XBLA ...??

Post by **RadarScope1** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:44 pm

Help me out all you Dreamcast people.

So I LOVED Soul Blade on PS1. My roommates and I spent hours and hours playing it on PS1 my freshman year of college. I also spent a lot of time playing each character in Edge Master Mode. It added a TON of replayability to the game for a single player.

I never owned a Dreamcast and don't plan to get one anytime in the future (just don't have room for more consoles - I'm maxed out). I would love to get SC as a download and experience that type of gameplay again. The newer the series goes the less it appeals to me (Yoda? Vader?) but this release is really hitting my sweet spot for nostalgia, price and depth of gameplay.

BUT! They took out the Mission Mode - which I'm assuming is the equivalent to the Edge Master Mode in SB. If it had this, it would be a certain purchase, but since it doesn't I'm on the fence. There's also no online play, but I don't much care about that. I'd probably end up playing it with friends on the couch most of the time anyway.

So I'm asking the people who really like both SB and SC - If I liked SB would this be worth getting even without the Mission Mode? I'm inclined to spend 10 bucks on just about anything. Hell, I've paid much more than that for games as collectibles that I never even play ....

Post by **claudio** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:19 am

its a great fighting game if you have other people to play with, really great.

Post by **Doctor Fugue** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:28 am

If you don't have a Dreamcast

...then yes download it. Have you played it in the arcade or on someone else's DC? The DC version is superior, especially for VGA mode and the extras like the Mission mode that you mentioned (and is missing from XBLA).

SC is quite a bit different from the earlier game, but in a great way. It also happens to be one of the most universally respected games of ALL TIME, so that at least warrants some consideration.

Try the demo...that should tell you. Obviously it isn't out just yet so I can't tell you my impressions, but the absence of Mission mode is quite upsetting to me also.

Seriously, what the heck am I talking about. Go download it! There should be no question. If you don't have a DC, get this game NOW. If you like fighting games, get it. If you like Soul Edge, get it. If you like games in general, get it.

The only reason not to get it is if they screwed up the port. We'll know by tomorrow.

Post by **ZenLogikos** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:05 am

I'm not getting it, but I've owned it on DC from day 1. I'm kind of split on whether to recommend it to others. On one hand, it is a great game, (lessened with the items that have been removed), but on the other hand, there is really no reason to play it over Soul Calibur II(Link), or III(character creation), or waiting for IV.

Post by **Mozgus** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:12 am

Um, SC1 didn't have a true Mission Mode. It wasn't as fleshed out as Soul Edge's was. You aren't missing much. SC2 brought it back to true form with the unlockable weapons with unique stats and such. Then SC3 fleshed it out even more, into a fire emblem mode of sorts.

Post by **Doctor Fugue** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:57 am

Well, really the mission mode is just a nice extra for most people. I'm a little disappointed, but all that needs to be there is the fighting mechanic.

Edit: Mozgus, I just want to say I'm not trying to make your point sound useless...in fact it is a very GOOD point that the later Soul games have much more involved extras. Someone like me, though, can't be bothered with them and the "mission mode" in the first one was just about the maximum amount of extras I can handle...you see what growing up in an arcade has done to my brain?

Post by **Mozgus** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:12 pm

Doctor Fugue wrote:Well, really the mission mode is just a nice extra for most people. I'm a little disappointed, but all that needs to be there is the fighting mechanic.

Edit: Mozgus, I just want to say I'm not trying to make your point sound useless...in fact it is a very GOOD point that the later Soul games have much more involved extras. Someone like me, though, can't be bothered with them and the "mission mode" in the first one was just about the maximum amount of extras I can handle...you see what growing up in an arcade has done to my brain?

I know. There's just no denying that SC1 had the weakest single player offering of the entire series. Soul Blade's mission mode is actually my favorite still because it was character specific. In the later games, you would just change characters at any point like nothing happened. The visual journal thing was such a nice touch.

There's also no denying that Soul Blade still has the best soundtrack of all 4 games, containing 3 full scores, as well as unique music for the character endings and mission mode. SC3 came pretty close though, as it took the best stuff from SC2, and fixed up quite a few tracks from SC1.

Post by **RadarScope1** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 6:36 pm

I have played the game, mostly in the arcade. I know it's different, but the general idea is still the same. I remember liking what I did play on coin-op and the DC.

So the MM wasn't character specific, eh? No map or story (even if was text-only)? Sounds more like a "challenge" mode, then. At least there are some challenges in the XBLA version.

Post by **Ack** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:13 pm

Yeah, "Mission Mode" in everything after Soul Blade was exactly that, a bunch of challenges to beat with whoever you wanted. Still, I felt it improved my game by challenging me in certain matches. Personally I love Soul Calibur enough that I'd pick it up if I had a running Xbox. I felt it was the most well-balanced of the SC titles, with 2 suffering from issues with its special characters and 3 just not feeling very polished to me.

And if Survival is still there, then I say pick it up. Right now.

Post by **RadarScope1** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 8:27 pm

Ramatut4001 has the full game so maybe he can give a full report. Survival Mode is in there - there's an achievement for it anyway.

Meanwhile the demo feels great! It's pretty much the game I remember (that being Soul Edge/Blade). Feels pretty darn good with the 360 controller, too. Using LT to guard feels pretty natural. This series was always my fave 3D fighter. Never cared at all for Tekken and I always felt like Virtua Fighter was too much into hardcore territory. Overall it was always this and SF2 for me as far as fighters go.

Hmmm... I think I'll purchase, but not until I get back from my vacation in a couple of weeks. Then I'll sink my teeth into it.