Sunday, January 12, 2014

Not Great Enough


Soul Calibur II HD Online
Namco
PS3 (2013)
_____________________________________________________________________



A decade after it's debut, Soul Calibur II has been treated with an HD facelift and online capabilities. Although it's arguably the best in the series, and inarguably an immediate top-ten fighting game on PSN, it will most likely be overlooked because of the hefty price tag and overdue release date.



Other classic fighters like Street Fighter III: Third Strike and Marvel vs Capcom 2 have been online for years, and Namco released the latest Tekken for free. Tekken Revolution proved that a free fighting game makes for a more competitive and thus more fun experience. Paying twenty dollars now for Soul Calibur II seems like backpedaling in a big way.

The fights look better than ever, and although the online lobbies are archaic, it doesn't take long to find a match. Even so, a bit of music would've been nice if we can't fight the CPU while waiting.



Formerly exclusive to Xbox and PS2 respectively, Spawn and Heihachi Mishima both make a return, although Link is missing for obvious copyright reasons. His presence was a main draw back then and will be sorely missed by players of the GameCube version. Despite the inevitable omission, Soul Calibur II HD Online retains a stellar cast of characters.

Soul Calibur II HD Online is indeed one of the better fighting games on PSN, but it's not among the very best of the best, and to maintain a community of loyal online players, that matters.

Two Heads Are Better Than One


Ibb and Obb
Sparpweed Games
PS3 (2013)
_____________________________________________________________________


Ibb and Obb is a fun little platformer wherein two mushroom-bodied characters must work in unison to overcome mind-boggling puzzles and continue their journey from the left side of the screen to the right

You can play alone with both joysticks, but I don't recommend it. You're going to need the extra hands for some of the impending twitch play and pitch-perfect timing, and having an extra brain handy ought to get the job done twice as fast.



Simple and slick in presentation and easy to pick up and play, it's fair to say Ibb and Obb is an obvious choice for someone into cooperative gaming, although I wouldn't be comfortable calling it a no-brainer.