As if having a projectile-tossing character in a non-projectile based fighting game wasn’t bad enough, said projectile had to be purple bubbles. The hideous? Algol’s hands can also turn into small cannons that shoot-I kid you not-bubbles. The great? He is one with the swords, able to summon blades from his body at will, which would have thrown a neat new twist on the tired formula SC had fallen into with its past bosses where the swords possess their wielder. In other words, Amy absorbed everything good about her elder and left him with the junk (much like what Kilik did to Mina.)Īlgol, the boss, crosses great ideas with hideous ideas. Despite her petite size and shorter range, she puts her parent(ish) figure to shame (much to the dismay of Raphael fans) with a slippery rapier style that can evade via sidestep, auto Guard Impact (aGI), and (more importantly) she’s nowhere near as linear as Raph and his tap-tap-step-lunge style (aka, Preperation). Stage Four charges can damn near one-shot her opponents however, good luck surviving those thirty seconds holding the button down.Īmy, the kinda-sorta-not really new character, has gone from existing as a cameo in Raphael’s cutscenes in SCII to being a “bonus character” in SoulCalibur III to full blown main character. Stage One charges don’t have the juggle/Ring Out potential of the Stage Two and Stage Three charges (which can be chained together to form her infamous “doom” combo). Furthermore, Hilde has four stages of charges depending on how long the player holds said buttons. Holding the appropriate button down for various lengths of time will charge a special move which the player can unleash by releasing the button in question. Hilde, the lone original character, uses a short sword and spear and introduces an entirely new mechanic to the Soul Series: charge moves. And while there’s a few relatively reliable options to provoke the mood change, there’s no guarantee Tira will cross over when you want her to. Thus you have to stay on your toes when using her. Unlike characters with multiple stances (Siegfried) or weapon states (Ivy) where the player has absolute control, Tira’s moods can happen randomly during the fight (usually after taking damage.) So, you may find yourself attempting to perform a move exclusive to Tira’s Jolly mood, only to find she's slipped into Gloomy mood when you weren’t paying attention. Now she has two different moods (Gloomy and Jolly) where her posture, her vocal inflections, and roughly half her moves change. Tira, for example, received an entire overhaul. While Taki’s changes felt more like tweaks and refinements, other characters received more drastic changes. SCIV’s boss, Algol (right), can generate blades from his body, shoots bubbles (don’t ask), and fights with his throne (you just think I’m kidding.) Besides, the tools she gained eclipses the ones she lost the rhythm of her attacks was more fun and most importantly she felt balanced against the rest of the cast. It was great for aesthetics, but pure suicide against veteran players. The uppercut was nearly useless in II, and IV gave her a combo that covers the same ground and transitions into her Possession stance which is infinitely more useful (not to mention fun.) As for her 8-way-run combo? Again, no real loss. For example, she lost her uppercut-slash and a neat looking 8-way run combo that swept enemies off their feet. Right away, her moveset seemed greatly reduced, but somehow more effective. To test the waters, I selected the character with whom I was most familiar, Taki. And SoulCalibur III went crazy with character creation, Chronicles of the Sword, and a whole array of game modes with the ‘Soul Arena’ (such as fighting a giant statue, collecting coins, a version of hot potato, et cetera.) And so I return to that question: haven’t I been waiting for a fighting game to come along and cut through the crap? To focus on the fighting again? Who cares about the fluff? Let's talk about something important. Eventually the idea expanded to include extra mini-games. At first it was simple variations-Team Battle, Survival Mode, and Time Attack Mode. isn’t this what I’ve been waiting for?”įor years, fighting games felt the need to expand beyond their core concept. It abandons standard fighting game modes of play such as Team Battle and Time Attack (not to mention the character profiles and Battle Theater from SCII & III.) Then after a moment’s pause, I realized, “wait a minute. It goes on to tell a ridiculous and incomprehensible story where battles take place on bland stages to uninspired music. It opens with an underwhelming intro that pales compared to its predecessors. It was with initial disappointment that I noted SoulCalibur IV skimped on the extra features. Critical Finishes encourage and reward aggressive play. Zasalamel makes Taki pay for turtling by sending her into the void.
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