Am I being petty?

My old account no longer seems to exist *sob*.

Not counting one or two times of Soul Blade at the arcade, I have followed the Soul series since Soul Calibur 2. Soul Calibur 2 and 3 where probably my favourite fighting games of all time; I was disappointed with 4, but still got my money's worth out of the game. I have still not bought Soul Calibur V, even though it is almost half the price of other games. I am instead waiting to see a second-hand copy on shelf. It is not the price I am quibbling over, rather I do not want to support Namco on this game. I feel that buying it new sends Namco a message that it is OK to release an incomplete product.

Honestly, how hard would it have been to polish the story a little? Would it have taken that much time to add simple endings to arcade mode (like the classic Tale of Souls mode that made this game fun solo)? Heck, just a simple mode off the menu of nothing but text and concept art telling you the stories of all the characters, perhaps giving the character relationships (like, you know, every other Soul Calibur game) would have been easy and, in my opinion, an essential addition to the release. I am also kind of salty about the character removal/replacement, but I suspect Namco intends people to use CaS over the main characters. That probably is how most people would play anyway. I am probably the only person lamenting its disappearance in some recent games, but Gallery Mode? I always loved unlocking all the gallery items, and scanning in some concept art is about the easiest part of making a standard fighting game.

I was getting worried today that I am perhaps just being petty. Do you think this is the case?

This isn't a mystery- the answer is it's a fighting game, and good stories are not genre standard or required. They are afterthoughts.

The new dev team is made up of former tournament players. Their stated goal was to make the game a viable competitive fighter as the last 2 iterations were a little too fluff heavy. As such, the play is the thing. The rest is window dressing.

I don't think that's petty at all. I've always said that the only way a consumer can truly show disapproval is not to buy the product. There have been many major games I haven't bought for that reason. If you feel they didn't do a good job but still want to play the game, go ahead and buy it used.

That being said, keep in mind that the SC series isn't a huge seller, so the margin of earning enough to justify there being a 6 or not is pretty narrow. Maybe if you buy it used, at least buy the DLC costume packs and the upcoming DLC, so they get some at least.

It really comes down to this: Do you enjoy the game enough for there to be a Soul Calibur VI? If so, consider buying it new.

No, it's understandable how you might think so, considering these were standard additions in previous SC games, but previous SC games didn't require those additions if you consider SC is a versus fighting game series at its very core. But it is admittedly jarring to see the admittedly extra features we've grown accustomed to stripped in this new title.

That said, I strongly agree that they could have polished the story more. In my opinion, SCV really has (had) the potential to be the best SC installment if it kept the arcade opening and endings of previous iterations, or had a lot of its character roster more involved with the main story. At least that way we know why the hell half the cast is in the game fighting, and learn about the fighters we use to play.

That is a pretty good argument: buying SCV is an investment into the future of the series (presumably with Namco answering the criticisms of this game). That said, they have likely already made their mind up about this so a late entrance is unlikely to change things. Still, an excellent response and one that will more than likely change my mind when I next walk into a store.

People frequently bring that up whenever someone talks about the solo content in a fighting game. Unless you live in Japan or a major US city, more than likely there is little-to-no fighting game community for local play. In addition, outside Japan/US, you probably do not have a good enough Internet connection for online play. Essentially, this alienates the majority of the world. In my local area, most people stop playing fighting games in late high school; playing past that is looked down upon. If I were to approach gamers less than half my age, people would scream paedophile before I could press start ;) Virtua Fighter 5 is an example of a game with absolutely butt-kicking single-player through its Quest Mode (which uses AIs based on actual player inputs taken from Japanese arcades to create hundreds of virtual opponents you can face, each with unique play styles).

People can make their own communities. stop using that as an excuse.

Your suggestions are valid.

I enjoy concept art and basic stories. Motives are entertaining for fighters, and usually outright ridiculous, but it holds the nebulous together.

Unfortunately, withholding a purchase will ultimately kill the franchise in its entirety. So your complaint will shift from Why Is There No Picture Gallery to Why Is Namco Lame And Not Making Soul Caliburs.

Wow, way to make a broad, sweeping statement with nothing to support it. Some people can, yes; others cannot. That hardly means that the casual players (last I checked, this was the casual board) cannot want to play the game in the manner they want to, when that manner happens to be one of the original modes and was used in every game prior to this one. If people where satisfied with no explanation to the past 17 years, or who half these new characters are, would there be dozens of threads about it on this forum?

*golf clap* Congratulations, you managed to make a meaningless argument on the Internet. You can collect your Guy Forks mask from the pavilion.

I agreed with you for the most part Im just saying that you shouldn't list that there are no communities in certain areas because it is possible to create one, calm that noise.

Its not always possible to create a community for offline play. I'm a mute woman living in an area that, while not dangerous, tracking down people close enough to come over to my place, or me to go to theirs, would be asking for trouble. For people like me, Online is it. That said, I do have an online community of friends I play with and single player really isnt all *that* big a deal for me. But it is for some people.

And to Elric, I'm glad I could help at all. And you're right, one purchase won't matter much in the grand scheme. But its like voting.. if a thousand people say their vote doesn't matter, then its not one lost vote. Its a thousand.

Maybe I should pose it like this: If you have friends that have the game (on your friends list) and you put a lot of time in playing IV online, or think you will V, its definately worth buying new because that's what you'll be doing with it most. If you arent going to play it online, and dont have people nearby to play it with, it likely won't be worth it.

I have something to contribute here.

My one and only experience meeting SC players in person was a bad one, to say the least.

First of all, the neighborhood I had to drive to made me wish I was carrying a gun. It was that bad. Gangs, meth labs, and homeless crack heads aimlessly wandering the streets.

Out of the 5 people who were there, 2 of them were the biggest drama Queens I've ever met. One guy, who was the biggest, dumbest, inbred redneck POS, YELLED AND SCREAMED EVERY TIME HE LOST A MATCH. He was also physically threatening his GF right in front of everyone, saying "I'm gonna hurt you, woman!". She cowers defenselessly as if he's hit her many times before.

Now, since I was a guest in their house, I said nothing. But I gotta tell you, all I wanted to do was fucking hurt him! Any man who hits women deserves not only an ass-beating, but jail time as well IMO. I seriously felt so bad for her I wanted to cry. My father was abusive, I feel that pain.

Needless to say, that's the last time I'm gonna attempt to start a "local scene". You really just don't know who people are until you meet them.

Now, I know that I have a reputation of being somewhat of a loud mouth whiner on 8wayrun, and sometimes my text may suggest a bitter soul underneath. I can say honestly say that in person I am quiet, collected, introverted. I have a very shy and stoic personality.

That guy though, was pretty close to unleashing the lion within me. It takes me quite a lot to lose my cool, but when I do, I scare myself. The last thing I want to do is put myself in another situation where I might lose my cool, do something stupid, and end up in jail.

PS: That redneck looked like the closest thing you can get to having down-syndrome without actually having it. I seriously thought when I first saw him that he had down-syndrome. My best guess is that this guy was inbred.

Without knowing more about your connection, I couldnt help there. If its wireless, try wired.. I ran an ethernet cable around the cieling edges clear across my house rather than use wireless. Could be other people or devices using bandwidth, you could be firewalled.. I'd go through all the steps you can first. Unless you're on dialup, you should be able to find some players that you can get a good signal to

I wouldn't say it's particularly petty - in essence, as with every game purchase all the individual decision to buy or not boils down to is what matters to you...

Personally - there are quite a few issues that I have with the current iteration of SC.. one of them is the roster decisions that were made - however, i know that this is personal for every different player and I just happened to be one of the unfortunate group who had theirmains from previous versions changed/ommited (seriously - i mained Kilik, Taki, and Assassin/Hwang/Yun-Seong) and all I can do is get over it and learn some new mains.

However, I also do not like the fact that they once again left out Team VS Battle (surely it would be so easy to put this back in, and I have read so many comments about people who want it),, and I also feel as you do that they majorly cut corners regarding the overall presentation (this is emphasised by the fact that the only other current-gen fighter I have apart from SCIV is Marvel vs Capcom 3, which is about as polised, detailed and presented to perfection as a fighter can get, and I don't think people would argue against that having tournament playability).

At the end of the day though, SC has been by far and away my favorite fighter since I first played Soul Blade... I never got on with any other fighters apart form Tekken Tag (only Tekken that wasn't painfully slow), Mortal Kombat, (missed the most recent one due to being abroad), and MvC (in a purely casual 'holy crap-that's some awesome crazy shiznit' fashion). The Project Soul series just has something special about it, and even with the gripes I have with the latest version I know full well that I will end up playing the hell out of it and get more than my money's worth...

Anyhow, random monologue over - i'm sure if you buy it you'll end up finding plenty to keep you occupied offline (arcade mode, legendary souls mode, vs battle against cpu to earn titles and unlock everything, and of course CaS)

Can I point out that setting up an offline community in places where people don't play it for example I live in New Zealand it's hard to find NZ players on anything let alone Soul Calibur and then you need to find those who are near you and are willing to learn and play. I have a few friends who like the game but none of them have played me in years for they cough mash buttons and I actually know how to play (quick step/just guard/ etc) which they put no effort into learning hence never play me so it is harder than just point and say "Make a community it is easy!".

Also on a note closer to the original topic yes I would love Team Battle back that was amazing and would also not mind other single player modes for I have no offline competition and online from NZ to anywhere other than Aussie lags bad so more single player stuff would really help with the offline aspect for those people who don't have online or those in places with no good connection online games.

I just bought a (new) copy of SoulCalibur V. I have extremely low expectations and do not anticipate getting my money's worth, but I do like the idea of considering it an investment in the future of the series and the genre.

Guy FAWKES.

Le Bello wonders why everyone is moaning about the quality and scope?

Le Bello applauds PS for creating such a fine product with a limited team, short time-frame and relatively meagre budget. Consider these things when critiquing the game.

Le Bello wasn't aware everyone in the world was a professional game developer. I'm inclined to agree with Le Bello.

<-- Professional developer, has worked on a team for a small, `side-project' product of a big company (equivalent to SoulCalibur to Namco). I know the issues and limitations intimately. I know that most of the problems are caused at management level; the rest in Sales/Marketing. I have also never signed off on something this incomplete and have taken complaints over equivalently disastrous decisions all the way to the top to prevent them.

WuHT, if people stop paying Namco they will not do anything. The math is pretty simple: returns below forecast, project is cut.

As for the meltdown, your comment shows you have absolutely no comprehension of just how big an issue this is for Japan. They had been in recession for 20 years(!) and their economy crashed further. Major world economists are now describing the Japanese economy as being ``in mourning''. The loss of the reactor has also caused a massive loss of power on the national grid, leading to scheduled power outages (essentially, power rationing), something that is obviously crippling to software development. The technology industry in Japan is presently imploding too. This goes far beyond Namco and impacts on all other fields, such as robotics and even automotive. I would suggest you stop being so ignorant and start looking at facts before you start making sweeping statements.

Then you ought to be aware of the that whole 'deadline' thing.

PS, as previously stated, managed to churn out the most balanced SC to date with a smaller team and a much smaller budget, considering SCIV was supposed to be the last one, the series wasn't given much consideration.

Yet they've managed to provide the smoothest gameplay yet. Granted Story Mode suffered for it, but they did the best with what they had.

With the new Cepheus Store model, it's clear they're pushing for funding through that, and Daishi being commited as hell is clearly wanting to give us more bang for our bucks. If you have a problem with story mode, which is understandable, then at least bear in mind that there IS one.

As Mr Minds said, Daishi and his new team are compromised of mostly competitive players. Their job was to make sure the gameplay was fluid. They did that. And it probably required less work than the story mode did.

With such a small budget they've managed to release the game with all the necessary bits:

If the fighting good? Yes.
Are the online options good? Yes.
Is there a story at all? Yes.
Are there enough offline options for 'casuals'? Yes. (CaS, LS, Quick Battle, Arcade, Story...)

Whilst the story left much to the imagination, and a lot of character's stories weren't included (Which Le Bello does think is a mistake) calling the game unfinished is like saying a cake isn't finished because it's got less frosting then you want.

Stuff was left out, big deal. Stuff is left out of every game, as you should well know. Budget restrictions mean cuts. Cuts means people are unhappy. If Daishi is true to his word then he's still trying to implement everything. Will they charge for it? Of course they will. By my understanding sales have tanked and they'll need all the help they can get to prove there's still a loyal customer base.

If you have any understanding of business then you'll know that they realised the best product they could and are still working on it. Were this game so unfinished and poor they'd have let it die. Clearly this is a labour of love. on behalf of the dev team.