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Soul Calibur V (and the downfall of fighting games in general)

post #1 of 12
2/4/12 at 8:37pm
Thread Starter 

I picked up Soul Calibur V today while I was preordering Kingdoms of Amalur. My buddy and enjoyed the previous Soul Calibur entries, and I figured it would be a fun time-waster on the off chance we play some games. 

 

Has anybody else given it a shot? I can't say I'm thrilled with it. At first I was disgusted, because I haven't loathed a main character this much since Tidus in FFX. I was also bothered because there are fights you are going to lose. Guaranteed. I don't mean they're fights you're supposed to lose so you can advance the story, I mean you drop the AI opponent to half health and suddenly he explodes at you in a 15 hit combo that drains 3/4 of your health bar... and then hits you three more times before you can get up. Doesn't always happen, but it's almost as if the game kicks itself in the ass to keep you from winning three fights in a row. More than once, I tossed the controller in frustration (admitted rage gamer, though nothing has made me flip for a few years). 

 

I was extremely put off at first, and debating taking the game back (rent first, right? Would have been smart). On a whim, though, I put in Soul Calibur IV and went through a few battles. I found myself frustrated again in that it felt like there were forced fights where you amounted to a punching bag. It made me realize that my frustration in that case comes from the fact that the AI opponent never feels more skilled than me... the game simply ups the cheapness factor. I wanted the game to be a test of skill, not a test of patience in the vein of "Well, now I'm down two fights to none. Let's see if I can come back."

 

Does anyone still play fighting games? Does anyone still enjoy them after the advent of online gaming? I notice they're less popular than they were fifteen years ago, that's for sure. I think my time with the genre has been spent. 

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post #2 of 12
2/5/12 at 7:50am

I would say that fighting games were all but dead this gen. But they've definitely made a comeback after Tekken 6 and Street Fighter 4 came out in '09. Fighting games are at their peak for this gen at the moment, and last year we got tons of stellar fighters that did well commercially in Mortal Kombat, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and The King of Fighters 13. And this year we're getting Street Fighter x Tekken, and Dead or Alive 5 so I would say fighting games are doing very well, as well as they can this generation.

 

However, as far as Soul Calibur V goes, I feel like it's a bit of a step back in some ways. Patroklos is indeed a terrible main character, the sudden shifts in his personality is ridiculous, going from a cold blooded killer who shows no mercy, to loving family man in a matter of seconds. The way that the story is told, is quite dated. Had they had prerendered cutscenes rather than those stupid scrolls than it would be more tolerable. And as with most fighting games, there is a sheer lack of content. I know not every game can be Mortal Kombat and come packed with lots of stuff to do on disc, but a little more than just story and vs would be nice.

 

I didn't play Soul Calibur IV, so I don't really know how it compares, but I feel like the gameplay in this is very fluid and responsive. Combos are hard to connect a lot of times but thats what practice is for.

 

And let me just say that Soul Calibur has beaten all fighting games at: ONLINE PLAY. It's pretty flawless from the hour or so that I've played. No lag or glitches like there are in SF4 or MK. And it has a server list which is always a plus in my book.

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post #3 of 12
2/5/12 at 9:38am

This entire thread can really just boil down to the fact that we all miss arcades.

 

XBox Live is awesome indeed, but let's not even pretend it's even remotely the same as walking into a room surrounded by 20 other guys like it's Fight Club, and leaving a quarter on the rim of the screen.

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post #4 of 12
2/5/12 at 10:07am

Yeah, I skipped this one for the same reasons listed here...my money goes to the new Blazblue thats being released this month, plus, there's that new Virtua Fighter 5 version being released later this year.

Also looking forward to Skullgirls, for some weird reason, while im on the fence about SFxTk.

Finally, a note to developers: Every single player campaign in a fighting game should live up to Mortal Kombat (2009); long, interesting, and best of all, it had you control several characters, thus helping you find the one you liked for online play.

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post #5 of 12
2/5/12 at 10:07am
Thread Starter 

Upon further review, I think part of the problem is that it's unbalanced. Unabashedly so. A huge character with massive reach, like Nightmare or Astaroth, is no slower than a small character with a small weapon. It also rewards the weaker player, because getting hammered on fills your super move bar. I mean really? Getting your ass kicked for two fights gives you a devastating unblockable super attack?

 

Yeah, the game is fluid and looks nice, and with two balanced characters in a human vs. human match, it can be pretty good. But as a solo venture  (or with people who just mash the RB with the Kali-Yuga and keep you halfway across the screen the entire match), it's grating and not very much fun. 

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post #6 of 12
2/5/12 at 10:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Justin Clark View Post

This entire thread can really just boil down to the fact that we all miss arcades.

 

XBox Live is awesome indeed, but let's not even pretend it's even remotely the same as walking into a room surrounded by 20 other guys like it's Fight Club, and leaving a quarter on the rim of the screen.


Also, you just cant punch a guy in the shoulder over Live.

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post #7 of 12
2/5/12 at 10:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by UrchineSLICE View Post

I would say that fighting games were all but dead this gen. But they've definitely made a comeback after Tekken 6 and Street Fighter 4 came out in '09. Fighting games are at their peak for this gen at the moment, and last year we got tons of stellar fighters that did well commercially in Mortal Kombat, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and The King of Fighters 13. And this year we're getting Street Fighter x Tekken, and Dead or Alive 5 so I would say fighting games are doing very well, as well as they can this generation.

However, as far as Soul Calibur V goes, I feel like it's a bit of a step back in some ways. Patroklos is indeed a terrible main character, the sudden shifts in his personality is ridiculous, going from a cold blooded killer who shows no mercy, to loving family man in a matter of seconds. The way that the story is told, is quite dated. Had they had prerendered cutscenes rather than those stupid scrolls than it would be more tolerable. And as with most fighting games, there is a sheer lack of content. I know not every game can be Mortal Kombat and come packed with lots of stuff to do on disc, but a little more than just story and vs would be nice.

I didn't play Soul Calibur IV, so I don't really know how it compares, but I feel like the gameplay in this is very fluid and responsive. Combos are hard to connect a lot of times but thats what practice is for.

And let me just say that Soul Calibur has beaten all fighting games at: ONLINE PLAY. It's pretty flawless from the hour or so that I've played. No lag or glitches like there are in SF4 or MK. And it has a server list which is always a plus in my book.

Pretty much all of this. Especially Online Play which isn't locked behind any of the 1st Purchase Code Bullshit other publishers are doing these days. This has dominated our lunch time and after hours playtime at our studio; some more hardcore brought in their fighting sticks as we bunch up in the conference room with the 110 inch screen. Does bring back arcade memories hard. But this is just a mere holdover until SFxTekken comes out.
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post #8 of 12
2/5/12 at 1:14pm

Hybris, I...Love playing Fighting Games!  Since  2D beat em ups have all but disappeared, with the exception of Classic Compilations, I do not play much else!  However, In addition to Soul Calibur V, which I will be picking up soon, my wishes have been fufilled!  Sledge Hammer, Where you drive a state of the art...Battletruck equipped with...31 Flavors of Weaponry more deliciously destructive than...Baskin and Robins!  Sledge...HAMMERS the gaming competition February 22nd!  The only disappointment is that...David Rasche Star of...Sledge Hammer is not the driver, and that...Peter Gabriel is not the...EEEEEvil Villain!  Ideally his song...Sledge Hammer would be the title track!  Also coming is my far more anticipated...Street Fighter X Tekken on March 6th!  March 27th brings about...Capcom Digital Collection featuring sequels...1942 Joint Strike, Commando Wolf Of The Battlefield, and HD version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Final Fight, and Magic Sword!  With 2012 being Street Fighter's...25th Anniversary, apparently there will be some kind of compilation or...Something yet revealed to Celebrate!

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post #9 of 12
2/6/12 at 8:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by duke fleed View Post

Hybris, I...Love playing Fighting Games!  Since  2D beat em ups have all but disappeared, with the exception of Classic Compilations, I do not play much else!  However, In addition to Soul Calibur V, which I will be picking up soon, my wishes have been fufilled!  Sledge Hammer, Where you drive a state of the art...Battletruck equipped with...31 Flavors of Weaponry more deliciously destructive than...Baskin and Robins!  Sledge...HAMMERS the gaming competition February 22nd!  The only disappointment is that...David Rasche Star of...Sledge Hammer is not the driver, and that...Peter Gabriel is not the...EEEEEvil Villain!  Ideally his song...Sledge Hammer would be the title track!  Also coming is my far more anticipated...Street Fighter X Tekken on March 6th!  March 27th brings about...Capcom Digital Collection featuring sequels...1942 Joint Strike, Commando Wolf Of The Battlefield, and HD version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Final Fight, and Magic Sword!  With 2012 being Street Fighter's...25th Anniversary, apparently there will be some kind of compilation or...Something yet revealed to Celebrate!



Maybe I just outgrew the genre or moved away from it. I'm definitely not an impartial judge!

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post #10 of 12
2/7/12 at 12:50am

Hybris, I will not ever drop...Fighting Games as a favorite.  There are almost no more...2D Beat Em Ups like...Double Dragon, The Punisher, Advanced D&D or Shooters like...Metal Slug, Contra, Heavy Barrel...except in Compilations.  I do not care for...Any of the 3D shooters...Call Of Duty et al and I am not a...Huge fan of 3D fighters except for...Soul Calibur and next years Tekken X Street Fighter!  Without either I might not play...Any more videogames, and I have been playing them since the original...Mattel Intellivision in 1979!

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post #11 of 12
2/17/12 at 2:21pm

I disagree completely about fighting games, they are hitting a stride. I might be a little biased as I had an 80% online in SCIV but I really like SCV. It's a little hollow in some places, a little silly in others (with replacement characters) but the fighting is very clean and organic. The AI does get crazy at times, but if you know and study the combos you can totally rip apart people. As for the genre itself...the new Mortal Kombat anyone? That was one of my GOTY and the best fighter to come out in like 5 years.

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post #12 of 12
2/17/12 at 3:50pm
There is only one reason I prefer Mortal Kombat to other various fighters, the ability to FINISH HIM/HER!

While various games have had fluid engines (and the recent MK was a massive improvement), nothing like truly putting an exclamation point to a battle with a fatality (or friendship, babality, or animality).

Also Johnny Cage will punch you in the nuts.
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