Broken Destiny? More like Broken Cannon

by Pramath Parijat

Fun factor: Average

Worth to: Rent

A half-decent fighting game but comes off as a big disappointment to those versed in the Soulcalibur mythos.

2009 is the year of the PSP. Or so we’ve heard. A spate of aggressively marketed new releases, an all new (and arguably useless) iteration of the hardware, and renewed third party support means that the PSP stands to actually becoming a viable competitor to the DS again. However, the PSP’s fabled comeback hasn’t exactly gone well so far. Resistance: Retribution was a decent enough title, but bombed at retail, Rock Band: Unplugged was meh, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite seems to have made no impact whatsoever despite a visibly increased effort on Capcom’s part to market the game to western audiences, and now, we have this.



Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny is a mockery and travesty of the Soulcalibur universe, a barebones fighting game with nothing to offer whatsoever that should be of any interest to the average gamer at all, and a story that makes Super Smash Bros Brawl’s SubSpace Emissary mode seem like a literary masterpiece.

Players are warned from the start

It appears that next to no effort was put into making this game. The arenas are ripped right out of Soulcalibur IV, with no modifications to speak of whatsoever (though it is initially cool to see all those glorious Coliseums recreated on your small screen in stunning detail), all characters are available at the onset, so you don’t really have to work to unlock anything.

Though a vast array of clothing items can be unlocked in the game’s wardrobe, unlike in Soulcalibur IV, dressing up your character has no effect whatsoever, except for a cosmetic change. So don’t go about expecting an increase in your attack stat just because you equipped your character with that cool looking pair of elf ears. This means, then, that there is no incentive to unlocking these at all, and that again, there really is nothing that you would want to actually play the game for.

There IS a story mode in the game, that is dubbed The Gauntlet mode. However, there is no need for any spoiler alerts: the story here is best spoiled. It begins with an ominous sign, a warning flashed on our screens that the story of the mode is not related to the Soulcalibur cannon whatsoever. By the time we finish the story, we are thankful that we were forewarned: the story in the Gauntlet mode is a joke, providing bizarre new twists, and giving each new character an inexplicably absurd new facet to his or her personality (Yun-seong can talk to aliens. What? No, really. What?).



At the end, we are thankful that the ordeal is over, and that this game is a spin-off, because if this game was a legitimate part of the Soulcalibur universe, then said universe would have become a standing joke, and longtime veterans would have sworn off the series forever.

Kratos rocks, as he should

As far as gameplay is concerned, Broken Destiny plays pretty much as you would expect any console iteration of the franchise to play. Of course, that is only as far as the superfluous aspects of the combat system are concerned, because like I’ve already said, the game loses all the depth that the series is otherwise renowned for. The gameplay of the Gauntlet mode is largely a joke, with each of the thirty “challenges” lasting you barely two minutes.

The highlight of this game is undoubtedly the inclusion of Kratos, which would have been infinitely cooler had the rest of the game been worth more than a second glance. Kratos is the only character in the game who actually makes it through unscathed, which is thankful because Kratos is one character I really do not want to lose respect for. His arsenal of moves makes it from God of War II as it is, so that you can use all of his God powers, toss people in air using Icarus wings, and dress yourself up in his God armor. An odd choice pertaining to him has been made, so that we can only dress him up in his God of War gear. In hindsight, though, I suppose it is good, because I really do not want to see Kratos fighting with elf-ears on (The horror! The horror!).

As far as multiplayer mode is concerned, the game gets a bit better. There’s a good deal of fun to be had in fighting with a real, live opponent, but the functionality of this multiplayer mode is severely limited thanks to the glaring (and baffling) omission of an online mode. The multiplayer mode’s local fights are improved thanks to there being practically no load times in the game (one of the few pluses), which can be brought about by installing the game on your memory stick.



As far as the game’s presentation goes, everything looks and sounds exactly as you would expect, and again, this s one of the redeeming features. The orchestral soundtrack, and the memorable one liners that the characters throw at you make every fight seem like a serious and epic encounter, which causes for a serious conflict with the game’s otherwise (unintentionally) campy and corny nature.

Summary

Ultimately, Broken Destiny is not really a bad game. It’s half-decent, I suppose, but it comes off as a big disappointment to someone who has been avidly looking forward to it. Also, the series’ fabled mythos are absolutely slaughtered and butchered, so fans will be shaking their heads in dismay, and newcomers will be shaking with silently suppressed laughter. However, I would advise you to stay away from this one unless you are really desperate for something to play on the PSP, and have already exhausted the wealth of options available to you. That is because, when all is said and done, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny is a game that is best forgotten.