Soulcalibur Legends review

A double-edged sword of fun hacking-'n'-slashing and weak action/adventure gameplay

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Fun Wii-mote hacking and slashing

  • +

    Cool boss battles

  • +

    Showing grandma what the Wii can do

Cons

  • -

    Repetitive enemies and levels

  • -

    Where are the puzzles and platforming?

  • -

    Drab visual presentation

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Nov 28, 2007

Bringing Soulcalibur's weapon-based brand of fighting to the Wii seems like an obvious choice; the series is all about swinging and slashing with a variety of death-dealing devices, and the Wii's motion-sensing tech practically puts those weapons in your hands - sort of. The thing is, Namco Bandai has traded the one-on-one fighting game focus of a traditional Soulcalibur game for a shallow hack-'n'-slash, action/adventure offering. The result is a mildly entertaining, but variety-starved Wiimote-waggling affair that'll have you sweating more than a Wii Sports tennis marathon.

To be fair, the controls work pretty well. Despite the absence of deep fighting mechanics in favor of near-constant Wiimote-waving, you will get the tactile sense that your hand-flailing acrobatics are accurately translating to the on-screen action. Slash left or right and your avatar follows suit; thrust the Wii-mote forward, and a heroic jab to your adversary's midsection plays out in-game. A nice lock-on camera also keeps the focus on the fight.

It's all fun for awhile, but the Wiimote-as-sword novelty starts to wear thin when you realize that's pretty much the extent of the game's appeal. Staples of the action/adventure genre - platforming and puzzling - are few and far between, levels and enemies are maddeningly repetitive, and the visuals, aside from cool character designs - especially some screen-filling bosses - are drab and lacking detail. As a competent and satisfying action/adventure title it just falls way short, amounting to little more than a one trick, Wiimote-waving pony.

More info

GenreAction
DescriptionSome solid hack-'n-slash gaming that'll also make for a nice Wii tech demo to show your non-gaming friends. But in the end, Legends lacks lasting appeal.
Platform"Wii"
US censor rating"Teen"
UK censor rating""
Alternative names"Soul Calibur Legends"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
Less
Matt Cabral
A full-time freelance writer based in Lizzie Borden's hometown, Matt Cabral has covered film, television, and video games for over a decade. You can follow him on Twitter @gamegoat, friend him on Facebook, or find him in the basement of an abandoned building hoarding all the canned goods, med-kits, and shotgun shells.