Review - SoulCalibur II HD Online (2013, PS3)

SoulCalibur II HD Online is an updated version of Namco's classic 2002 weapons-based fighter. I've always loved fighting games, and I must have pumped hundreds of dollars worth of quarters into our local SoulCalibur II machine back when the game was first released. It was the first time I really tried getting into a fighter competitively, spending a good portion of the summer of 2002 with my buddies at a now closed arcade at the Searstown mall in Leominster, MA.

Review - SoulCalibur V (2012, PS3)

Namco's fifth installment of the SoulCalibur series, released in early 2012, is without a doubt the most polarizing game in the series. Single player mode has been reduced to a barebones, poorly executed story mode without selectable characters or fun cutscenes. The Guard Impact system, in which fighters deflect incoming attacks, has been massively neutered, and focus has shifted from favoring defense to favoring offense. Popular, long time characters Cassandra, Yun-Seong, Rock, Seong Mi-na, Taki, Talim, Xianghua are gone, some replaced by younger, less interesting new characters based on their style. Series staples Kilik and Sophitia are reduced to Edge Master clones, characters who fight using random move sets. In spite of all the changes for the worse, SC5 is still a fun fighter with a stellar character creator, but it's still not up to par with SoulCalibur 2, released nine years earlier.

SoulCalibur V Customs

 
The best part, by far, of the modern SoulCalibur games is the character creation system. Though only SC3 allows for unique fighting styles for custom characters, 3-5 all offer a great range of hideous monsters for players to build. Below are a wide range of characters made by me and my wife.