Soulcalibur

July 8,2008 - With the upcoming release of Soul Calibur IV for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in a few weeks, it seems almost inevitable that the original Soul Calibur would find its way onto one of the download services. Well, it’s not quite the original, but a conversion of the Dreamcast version. Is Namco trying to rekindle interest in the franchise or is this just a cheap cash grab? We’ll soon see.

Soul Calibur released to arcades in 1998 and on the Dreamcast as a launch title in 1999. When the game came out on the Dreamcast it was widely praised as the game to have if you owned the console, and was one of the system’s best sellers. This had a lot to do with the game’s smooth fighting system, which to this day is still one of the more finely balanced around. It sported a myriad of game modes, and visuals that put the arcade version to shame. Most of this has remained intact for the Xbox Live Arcade port of Soul Calibur.

This version of Soul Calibur offers up almost all of the modes available in the Dreamcast version. The standard Arcade Mode, Versus, Time Attack, Team Battle, Practice, and Survival modes are all present and accounted for. Also present is the Extra Survival mode which is similar to the standard one round Survival mode, only that the winner is the one who can land the first clean strike. This mode was irritating back then, and it’s still irritating today. One of the game’s Achievements is tied to this mode as well.

The Museum mode is also present in this version of the game. You can view art galleries, CG renders, and various other game-related art. Character Profiles, Demonstrations, and Battle Exhibitions are also accessible from the Museum. The Dreamcast version’s biggest mode however, the Mission Battle mode, is not present. This was the mode where you would take on various battle challenges which would earn you credits to purchase weapons and other content for the many characters. It was one of the more interesting modes of the original console release, and it’s sorely missed. To compensate for this, all of the game’s unlockable characters and costumes are available from the start.

Namco has kept the gameplay unchanged from the Dreamcast version. This is both good and bad. While it’s great that the gameplay remains faithful, this also means that you still have to tap down twice on the D-Pad to evade. This was something that was the source of much frustration to some, and after a few hours with this game, it will be one of those bitter-sweet memories. There’s nothing quite as annoying as intending to sidestep a Middle attack and instead end up crouching and eating that attack in the face.

The Live Arcade version has also received full Xbox Live Leaderboards, but that is as far as the game’s online functionality goes. Online play is not present - the addition of this mode would have gone a long way to get people excited for Soul Calibur IV’s online modes, but sadly Namco just missed their opportunity. The only multiplayer you can get in this version is two players on the same console.

Visually Soul Calibur has been tweaked a bit. The resolution has definitely been cranked up, and the game looks better for it. Some neat lighting effects have been added in as well, but other than that, the game remains basically the same. The game originally ran in a 4:3 aspect ratio, and that hasn’t changed for this release. Even if you run the game on a widescreen TV, there is no way to play the game in full widescreen mode. This is disappointing, because quite frankly, borders suck. Would it have been too much to ask for a true 16:9 mode?

Where this version really falls flat is in the audio presentation. To get the game to a reasonable download size, Namco had to compress the game’s audio. The result is what once sounded crisp and clear is now a tinny, crunchy mess. The music just doesn’t seem to have the same sort of range as it use to, while the sound effects, including character and announcer voices all sound either crispy or muffled. It’s a shame; this version of the game just doesn’t do the original audio justice. It sounds a lot more like a late 16-bit game than a game that was only one console generation behind.

Soul Calibur for Xbox Live Arcade is a game that could have offered so much, but instead delivers only the bare essentials. The removal of the Mission Battle mode cuts down the game’s replay value considerably. With the new 350 megabyte download limit for Xbox Live Arcade titles, this shouldn’t have even been an issue. The same goes for the compressed audio. While it’s inevitable that some compression has to happen to get the game to a decent download size, this game shows that it is possible to cut a game down too much. It has all of the major bits, but lacks the little extra touches that could have made it a true must-have. That said, the game is still fun, even if it’s got a few nagging flaws.

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