Introducing Soul Calibur Jr. Edition. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewArt.cfm?artid=15057 The Soul Edge/Calibur series of games has been a staple since the nineties. Considering the series' reputation as fighting games, Soulcalibur Legends for Wii should really be called Soul Calibur Jr. This is an adventure game that lets you play as classic characters from the series. The adventurous story that remains steady through beautifully hand-drawn art and cut scenes is a definite strong point. The music and voice acting are perfect for a rip-roaring epic. So, it's unfortunate that the game is repetitious in form, content, and gameplay.
The controls are generally smooth as long as you don't get rambunctious. If you do flick the Remote carelessly, action transmitted to the screen is random at best. Steady the Remote and you can execute four attacks by flicking the controller up, down, left or right. You press "C" to charge your sword and employ multiple swings for combos. A short while later, you will be comfortable with the controls but tire from their uninspired simplicity. Nothing earth-shattering here.
You progress through levels by either protecting land against the Evils or advancing on land possessed by the malevolent force. The game looks great, but the level and villain designs become repetitious. After a few hours, it all starts to look and play the same. The graphics and sound are great for the Wii, but you won't feel challenged by the game. You slice and dice your way through similar environments and enemies that never evolve. The few puzzles are rudimentary.
There are several playable characters as the game progresses, including series icons Ivy, Taki, Mitsurugi and Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia. You can cycle through your available characters easily and gain access to their special moves. The character design is exquisite, and the attacks look great, but they fail to inspire or advance the game beyond mediocrity and repetition.
Soulcalibur Legends is great for the casual or very young player. With the possible exception of a fan who wants to play his favorite series in a different style with fairly thorough character design, sword fighting lessons are available on the Wii in far better places. Legends is often still thrilling, and provides a Zen moment with mastering the controls. These finer qualities highlight a missed opportunity to re-craft the series and vary its gameplay.
Siegfried, the game's first playable character, ends battles by stating: "Damn, you're wasting my time!" Most players will feel the same way about this one.
Pros:
Top shelf graphics Variety of playable characters Ivy in a thong Cons: Simplistic gameplay Repetitive scenarios Controls are repetitious and tiring Graphics: 8.0 There is a lot of eye candy here but the unchanging nature of the environments and villains will leave you not caring.
Sound: 7.0 The voice acting and soundtrack are a real plus. They help you forget you're playing a boring, simple game.
Control: 6.0 The controls are fun and generally responsive but become repetitious and tiring.
Gameplay: 6.0 Unless you're a casual or young player, you will find it hard to be impressed by the total package. The most likely cause is the feeling of: "Wasn't I here fighting this same guy over an hour ago?"
Lastability: 4.0
You will definitely be inspired to play a better game in the series.
Final: 6.5
Soulcalibur Legends boasts stellar graphics and character design, but tires with repetitive controls and overly simplistic gameplay. The final combination is an attractive game perfect for the casual or young player, the fan, or those curious to see what the Wii can do graphically.
Topic: REVIEWS: Soulcalibur Legends (Read 2915 times)
