Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny

(Namco Bandai for PSP)
By Mike Delano

Is anyone even challenging Namco Bandai for the 3D fighter crown anymore? Street Fighter and King of Fighters are sticking to 2D and Virtua Fighter 5 didn’t exactly set the world on fire, while Soulcalibur IV and Tekken 6 were both sterling examples of the genre done right. On the PSP, there’s even less competition: Tekken: Dark Resurrection and now Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny tower above all others. This entry in the series follows closely to the model of the 2008 console iteration in that it severely cuts back on the storytelling and single-player experience in favor of a focus on customization and online play. It’s an odd approach here, since while an online focus was obvious and successful on the consoles, on the PSP, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll find a friend who’s itching for some small-screen battles, and hunger for an offline mode meatier than the lame “Gauntlet” mode sets in quickly. There’s a mode that simulates real-life opponents in an arcade setting, but it’s not the same. So while it might feel a little lonely sometimes, that doesn’t detract from the fact that this is essentially Soulcalibur on a portable, superlative visuals and gameplay included.
(www.namcobandaigames.com)