Home Gaming Critics are calling SoulCalibur 6 the best entry in the series so far

Critics are calling SoulCalibur 6 the best entry in the series so far

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Judo, Karate and Kung Fu. Fine martial arts in their own rights, but I’d take a weapon any day of the week. Sure, there’s something to be said for mastering a form of combat that was designed to strike back at well-armed oppressor, but hot damn, the great thing about a sword or a massive axe is that you don’t need years of training to know where to point the sharp bits at. Sorry Jiu Jutsu fans who were trained at (points a finger at a random name in a registry) Gracie’s gym, but those are the facts.

Facts which are abundantly clear in the latest SoulCalibur game, which might just be the very best in the series of forged in fire action. Bandai Namco’s looking to the future of the franchise, with an attempt to go big or go home with a series that has always been consistently excellent, but lacking in the almighty sales department over recent years.

Can SoulCalibur 6 rise to the occasion? According to critics, the series is better than ever and its new gameplay mechanics are absolute godsends, to the point where they even cover up some of the rougher aspects of the fine sequel:

Dualshockers – 9.5/10

The six years waiting for a new Soulcalibur game have been worth it. This is fantastic combat with plenty of depth, and even the new Reversal Edge mechanic is a godsend.

IGN – 8.9/10

I still remember sitting down for the first time to play Soulcalibur on the Dreamcast and hearing Jeff Manning’s voice echo across the room. This is a larger-than-life series that deserves a lot of love and care from its creator: and with VI, it got it. The recent documentary that openly acknowledges the past faults of the series gives me hope that Bandai Namco is going to right the Soulcalibur ship.

Destructoid – 8.5/10

The sixth entry in Bandai Namco’s weapons-based fighting series makes a strong return.

TheSixthAxis – 7.0/10

Back after a six year hiatus, SoulCalibur VI proves that the series has lost none of its sparkle. If this is the final SoulCalibur we ever see (and we sincerely hope it isn’t), at least we can rest assured that the series went out with a bang rather than a clang.

Metro – 8/10

The best SoulCalibur VI of recent generations, with an accessible but tactically deep combat system. But while the single-player options are much improved they’re still far from perfect.

Gaming Bolt – 9/10

SoulCalibur VI is a statement game from Project Soul that does almost everything right. Smart gameplay refinements, a ton of content, the return of the original cast, and excellent teaching tools makes this the best SoulCalibur in years and prove that the soul still burns 20 years later.

Soulcalibur 6 swings its signature tale of swords and souls on October 19, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Now if you’ll excuse me, apparently there’s a gang of blue-suited Jiu-Jutsu practitioners who wish to have some words with me over that opening statement.

Last Updated: October 17, 2018

25 Comments

  1. Why did you ruin the picture of Ivy like that?!?! You Bastard

    Reply

    • Original Heretic

      October 17, 2018 at 14:45

      If had used Geoff’s face instead of Burt Reynolds, now that would have been funny.

      Also, I just don’t get why Burt Reynolds was used.

      Reply

      • Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

        October 17, 2018 at 14:54

        Soul…. Calibre.

        Reply

        • Original Heretic

          October 17, 2018 at 14:58

          Still lost…

          Reply

          • Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

            October 17, 2018 at 16:58

            Mr Burt Reynolds passed away. Rest his soul… Calibre.

          • Original Heretic

            October 17, 2018 at 17:24

            But why is his face in place of Ivy’s? Is there some reference I’m missing?

          • Original Heretic

            October 17, 2018 at 17:24

            But why is his face in place of Ivy’s? Is there some reference I’m missing?

          • Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

            October 17, 2018 at 18:17

            That, sir, I do not know. I also couldn’t figure it out

    • Pariah

      October 17, 2018 at 14:52

      At least it wasn’t Darryn’s face. Small victories.

      Reply

  2. Original Heretic

    October 17, 2018 at 14:47

    D, you do know there’s a difference between traditional Jiu Jitsu and the stuff that the Gracies teach, yeah? The Gracies are BRAZILIAN Jiu Jitsu.
    Yes, a very important distinction to make.

    It’s the difference between a martial art that incorporates various striking and grappling techniques and one that focusses purely on grappling.

    Reply

    • Pariah

      October 17, 2018 at 14:50

      Japanese Jiu Jitsu also includes elements of Kendo and Aikido. Brazilian is built for MMA/Street fighting, while Japanese is an actual martial art. I trained both, but it’s been many years.

      Reply

      • Original Heretic

        October 17, 2018 at 15:05

        Almost exactly this.
        Yes to your first sentence, no to your second.

        The Gracies were taught BJJ when Mitsuyo Maeda went to Brazil and got patroned by Helio Gracie. Maeda had the plan to develop the grappling side of Jiu Jitsu into it’s own unique style. It IS a martial art. I wouldn’t classify it differently just because it’s not 100s of years old. I mean, c’mon, Jeet Kung Do is martial arts and that’s, what, about 50 years old?

        BJJ became what the upper class Brazilians trained in, while the lower class trained in Luta Livre.
        Dude, they used to have full on street brawls between the two schools, akin to the kind of stuff you’d see in an old Chinese kung fu movie.

        MMA (not MMO…ha!) as we know it today was mainly born from the original UFC events, which were completely No Holds Barred (I’ve watched some of those events, and I really can’t handle seeing a guy getting whacked in the nuts continuously, terrible shit). The Gracies were behind those for the most part, because of the nature of the tournament (it was billed as ‘style vs style’). They were intent to show the world that their fighting style was the best. Which was also why they entered the least physically imposing family member, Royce Gracie, who went on to win UFC 1, 2 and 4. He wasn’t knocked out of 3, he withdrew because he was so damn tired after his bout with Kimo (Royce had to get carried out, he was so exhausted).

        Since then, BJJ has become the grappling martial art of choice for MMA fighters.

        Reply

        • Pariah

          October 17, 2018 at 15:11

          I concede to your far superior knowledge on the subject (no sarcasm). Today I learned.

          Also, MMO. Lol. I’m chock full of typos today. I still blame everyone else.

          Reply

          • Original Heretic

            October 17, 2018 at 15:17

            That MMO thing had me chuckling…

            When I first got into watching MMA, I devoured all the knowledge on it that I could. Of all the info above, I literally only had to Google Maeda’s name, just couldn’t remember it.
            I’ve watched documentaries, read online articles, read numerous Fighters Only magazine issues (while I could still find them in PE, the bastards stopped bringing them down here a couple years back already!).

            The rivalry between BJJ and Luta Livre got so out of hand that it culminated in a live TV thing in Brazil. It was decades of grudges, being settled in three separate matches.
            Brazil TV thought they were getting a pro wrestling type of thing. Imagine their horror when, in the one match, the BJJ guy ties his opponent’s arms and legs up, then proceeds to start landing headbutts to the poor oke’s nose. Continuously.

      • Dresden

        October 17, 2018 at 15:06

        MMO? Would be pretty cool if they added a BJJ skilltree for warrior in WoW 😀

        Reply

        • Pariah

          October 17, 2018 at 15:07

          Yeah I fixed it a little while ago. Refresh. Too many MMOs in my time have rubbed off on me. I blame everyone else.

          Reply

          • Dresden

            October 17, 2018 at 15:12

            My bad. I’m having a slow day and commenting on typos is about the most stimulating thing I can do right about now.

          • Pariah

            October 17, 2018 at 15:13

            And apparently I’m providing plenty typos to comment on, so by all means 😀

          • Original Heretic

            October 17, 2018 at 15:14

            You also having a slow day? Jeez, mine is creeping. I’m even reading comics online (can send you a link if you want, everything is there!).

            Due to this being my last month here (last 7 days now, actually!), I’m being given less and less to do.

        • Original Heretic

          October 17, 2018 at 17:07

          They can’t even get the BJJ controls right in a full on MMA game…

          Reply

    • The D

      October 18, 2018 at 10:23

      Tell me more about Gracie Jones Jiu Jutsu.

      Reply

      • Original Heretic

        October 18, 2018 at 10:25

        Careful now. I might take you seriously.
        Once I really get going, you’ll regret having made such a request!

        Reply

  3. Pariah

    October 17, 2018 at 14:48

    This was the only fighting game I ever truly enjoyed. Taki is life, btw.

    Reply

    • Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

      October 17, 2018 at 14:57

      Tali died in Mass Effect 3

      Reply

      • Pariah

        October 17, 2018 at 16:57

        Taki. That was an interesting typo.

        Reply

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