Customer Reviews

Soulcalibur Legends

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have always been a fan of the Soul Games. When I was a kid I loved Soul Blade and have owned every game after that. So when I noticed Soulcalibur Legends at my local store, I snatched it up right away. As I played this game, I realized something. The Soul games are the best fighting games I have ever played, it just doesn't translate well to the adventure genre.

The control scheme for the Wii is pretty easy to use and the graphics are solid, the main gripe I have is the gameplay itself. This game is incredibly easy and the levels are extremely repetitive. The story moves along at a decent pace, it just really isn't that interesting. All that being said, play this game. I just wouldn't shell out 50 bucks for it. I haven't had any of my buddies over since I got the game so the multiplayer action might redeem SC: L, but it took me only a few hours of play to beat the Quest mode.

Legends is a good addition to the Soul mythos, I just can't recommend this game to anyone but a completionist.

Soul Calibur Legends follows the story of Siegfried, and expounds upon the story between the games Soul Blade and Soul Calibur. Along the way you meet several more characters from the Soul Calibur Universe.

Ultimately, how you view this game depends purely on your preferences. Soul Calibur Legends shares characters and a storyline from the Soul Calibur series - that's it.

Let me try it this way: if you like Streets of Rage or Final Fight (which I do), you'll probably like this game. If you liked Sword of the Berserk, you'll be extremely familiar with, and enjoy, this style of game. If you're a hardcore Soul Calibur fan yearning for a more in-depth back story than what the Soul Calibur series provides in character endings, you may or may not like this game. If you're looking purely for an in depth combat game for the Wii like... hmm, oh, the Soul Calibur series, you will not like this game. And as we see from previous reviews, this is generally the case.

As far as action games go, the story arc is fairly in-depth; though, compared to RPGs, the storyline is almost non existent. The game assumes you know these characters, so there's very, very little character development for playable characters. Sometimes irritatingly, we learn much too much about the NPCs.

Repetition is the hallmark of beat 'em ups. There's no getting around that, otherwise Final Fight would've been a five minute game. If you're not a fan of or cannot tolerate mindless repetition, steer clear. Where this game shines is the combat system, which is tailored beautifully for the Wii.

Instead of the repetitive button mashing, almost all fighting controls are done with the nunchuk and wii-mote. Quickly flicking the nunchuk will have you strafe and dash, and moving the wiimote will result in an attack.

Let me be clear: there isn't much else past this. The gamely relies solely on these mechanics for enjoyment. There's no alternate configuration, i.e. using the gamecube controller. Quite frankly, if that were the case, this game would be exceedingly dull.

Finally, you need a bit of patience as Siegfried is a bit of a slow character, so the true enjoyment of playing isn't with him but with faster characters unlocked later, such as Lloyd, Sophitia, and Taki.

The good: The combat is surprisingly satisfying, since there's a tactile element (duh) that other games of this genre lack. The storyline is interesting, in that it fills in some of the gaps in the Soul Calibur universe. If you remember the mission mode from the SC series, the missions are set up in the exact same fashion, and finishing a mission averages about 10 minutes - a good amount of time for 'get in, get out' casual playing.

The bad: Because there are a lot of enemies, you'll find yourself with the dreaded 'wii elbow'. I can't imagine playing this game for several hours straight, since fatigue does affect the gameplay. The missions are too repetitive (you'll find yourself in the same locations fairly frequently), and there are too many of them - this kind of genre almost requires the game span to be short, which this game is not.

The gist: the actual gameplay is where this game shines, but Namco dulled it by making too much of it. Thankfully, missions are short so you can play when you please, but don't expect to finish this game anytime soon. Four stars for gameplay, three stars overall for the game.

A spin-off to a successful franchise is almost never a good thing. The games are usually weaker than the main series and there's usually not as much effort put into them. There are a few exceptions but not many. Soul Calibur Legends is not an exception. In fact it may very well be one of the worst video game spin-offs to hit the scene in recent memory.

There's not much of a story here. You get to watch a cutscene take place and get an introduction as to what's going on, but from there the story becomes a confusing mess. It almost makes no sense. That aside, you'd think the gameplay would be something to admire but that may very well be the worst part about this game. There's really not much to it and sometimes it's just downright unfair.

You'll go into a level by selecting a character a two companions. You see some of your favorite Soul Calibur characters like Astorath, Sophitia and Taki. You'll even be able to play as Lloyd Irving of Tales of Symphonia fame. The controls aren't bad here. By swinging the Wii Remote you'll be able to do horizontal and vertical slashes. You'll use the Nunchuck to move your character around. You can also block attacks, perform charged attacks and strife around. The motion sensor controls of swinging the remote for sword swipes feels a little tacked on at times, though. It isn't that, which is annoying about the controls. What's annoying is that there is no challenge to the game whatsoever. If you simply swing the wii remote horizontally or vertically like a madman you'll have no problem fairing in combat.

You're also approached by the same enemies over and over again. This wouldn't really be a problem if there were a variety of them. It's basically the same three things over and over again. Worse than that, however, is the level design and camera. The levels are horrible in their design. There are traps that come from no where and sometimes the camera just doesn't work well enough. You may round a corner and the camera won't work out well enough for you to be able to see yourself before you take damage. Level designs are also boring and uninspired.

The game is reduced to being nothing more than a hack and slash. And it'll mostly consist of you swinging the wii remote in a craze. There's nothing challenging here at all. The level designs and gameplay as a whole are repetitive.

There's also a two player co-op mode, but that can't save the gameplay at all. There's even a versus, but you can use the same madman waving technique that you used in the actual adventure to do battle. In short, it's boring. If you really want to fight against a friend, it'd probably just be better to invest in one of the main series games.

Sadly, the graphics aren't stellar either. Much of the game is pretty ugly. Character models aren't so bad but everything is just downright ugly. Even by the Wii's standards it could be better. The voice acting isn't too bad, but the dialog and written script are absolutely horrible.

Even if you're a big Soul Calibur fan, Legends is not a worthwhile game at all. If you've never played Soul Calibur before, don't let this game be your first foray into the series. Pick up one of the games from the main series and pass this one by.

Soul Caliber is a great fighting games series with a very loyal fan base. With Soul Caliber Legends, they tried to convert the series into an RPG. RGP fans will probably find it lacking, but Soul Caliber fans will appreciate the new look at their world.

First, the gameplay. In single player / campaign mode you go through a series of minor battles up until you hit a boss, like many typical RPGs. You swing the Wii remote around like a sword in order to make your attacks. The direction of the swing does matter - for example left-to-right acts differently than right-to-left. You can get a good workout playing this for a while!

That being said, the gameplay gets rather repetitive very quickly. There isn't a lot of thought or finesse involved. Also, the game itself is exceedingly short. You can finish the entire game in one day. With a fighting game you have a lot of incentive to keep playing, either alone or with friends, but here once the game is over, you really don't feel impelled to go back to it.

Normally in games like these the basic game is simple because the multiplayer is then complex and rich. However, Soul Caliber Legends doesn't offer much in this area. There are a few co-op, a few head-to-head and that's about it.

The graphics are a real mixed bag. In some cases, they are really very lovely and detailed. Whoever designed the wood parquet floor should get a gold star. On the other hand, some of the items are hideous looking, as if they were transplanted from a Nintendo-64.

I could complain about the tiny bikini outfit that they put the female into, but that's an issue with Soul Caliber as a whole, not just with this game.

The sound is equally mixed. Sometimes it seems almost good quality - and then at other times the dialogue makes you want to cringe. If this was a fighting game it might not matter much - but in an RPG, the whole point is the role playing environment, and it raelly stands out.

We've played a lot of so-so games through, and this was one we just lost interest in after a while. It's not engaging. And we are Soul Caliber fans, so we were the target audience for this game. I'd suggest this as a game to rent first, and then buy if you find you enjoy it.

Rating: 2/5

You would think for a wii you would have some awsome sword slashing in one on one combat but its not like that at all. Any type of versus is in RPG enviornment so the best part of Soul Calibur is gone. Save your money and buy Soul Calibur 4 instead!!!

When I first heard of this game I thought, Wow a non fighting Soul Calibur game would be great, and my son was ecstatic about it being a fan of SC 2 and 3. Well it's not what I expected. You start out as Siegfried and you hack and slash your way through level after level, fighting the same enemies each level. Nothing wrong with hacking and slashing, especially with the Wii remote. I liked how you control your sword with the controller as you would if you were really in the game. The only problem with it is you are limited to only a few moves. (Wouldn't it be nice if you could customize your attacks, or the sword move the way your controller actually moves?)Anyway after a few levels of repetitive enemy death you fight a boss of sorts. Sometimes the boss will be unique and sometimes it will be a familiar character form the SC series. After these boss battles you will either free a new ally or the guy you just fought will some to his senses and join your team. And that's pretty much it. The big complaints I have is being to limited to what you can do in the game. I'm more into going through and going my own way through the game. I also hate repetitive enemy battles. Mix it up a bit. Every other level looks the same in this game. I did however like being able to switch between characters and the controls were ok, but like I said earlier it could have been better. Overall I feel this game was rushed while in production. No depth, limited control, and a very boring storyline.

Soul Calibur Legends is as a wonderful adventure game based on the ever-popular fighting series. At first I was wondering if it was going to be any good, but after getting into it, I was completely blown away!! The graphics are outrageously beautiful, the sound is mesmerizing, and the game play is stupendous. It's really great to be able to use the Wii remote as a sword and the Wii Nunchuck as the control pad for this game. That makes it all the more interesting and challenging, and it adds to the interactivity of this game. I've only had a Wii since Christmas 'O8, and so far, this is one of the best games I've played for the Wii. Soul Calibur Legends is awesome!!!

It's so nice to spend time with these characters outside of the small ring. It always seemed like such a waste, that such cool characters, were doomed to spend eternity in enclosed spaces, beating up on each other.

The controls are responsive, and immersive. After a prolonged session, you really do feel as if you've cleaved your way through hordes of 'Evils'. Even so, a classic, or Gamecube control sceme would have been a nice option to have. Still, it does become second nature after a time.

The graphics are clean, and detailed. At times, even jaw-dropping. I'm always amused to hear the typical jaded gamer's 'opinion' of Wii games graphics. I'm starting to think either one of us is blind, or the subject is becoming one of perspective.

This is a hack and slash, in the vein of the old walk and punch style of games, with a beloved cast of characters, rpg elements, and revolutionary controls. What's not to like? At the end of the day, it's fun. Plain and simple.

I'm so glad I ignored ( yet again ) the jaded, Wii hating reviews. I think you will be too, if you decide to pick this one up.

Excelent adventure game, I like this type of adventure game, you could play this game for hours and don't be bored. Amazon is a great service. I didn't have any problems to receive, to pay, etc. And I find this game in a great price.

Do not buy Soul Calibur Legends, ok? Trust me, buy Soul Calibur IV or III instead. If you like this kind of game, buy Dynasty Warrior. It's a much better version. Soul Calibur Legends is overall a horrible game. DON'T buy this game if you know what's good for you.