What surprises me the most about Soulcalibur 6 is how much hasn't changed over the years. Sitting down to play the game for the first time, I was struck by how easy and familiar it was.

Geralt from The Witcher guest stars in Bandai Namco's revamped fighter, but does the famous single-player mode live up to fan expectations

Excellent fighting system that anyone can pick up and play but which has plenty of hidden depth for more expert players; Good graphics and a wide range of game modes; Geralt works great

The single-player modes have too much boring storytelling and unnecessarily short fights; Low rent presentation and too few new characters

Buy SoulCalibur6 In recent years, the SoulCalibur franchise has become increasingly convoluted and difficult to follow, and none of the games really quite had the necessary spark of success. In short, it was a game that desperately needed a back-to-the-roots reboot.

"Transcending history and the world, a tale of souls and swords, eternally retold." These are the words heard so many times in the past and anticipated to be heard again. Soul Blade , a weapon-based fighter that preceded SoulCalibur -series, was the first game I bought for my PlayStation.

When you pull up a list of the best games ever (as determined by critics) on MetaCritic or GameRankings, you'll notice that Soulcalibur for the Dreamcast almost always inhabits one of the top 10 spots.

When it comes to its bread-and-butter franchises, Bandai Namco generally operates on a principle of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." There's nothing inherently wrong with that approach, but the Japanese video game development company and publisher does have a rather conspicuous habit of bringing...

a return to form that's not without its flaws

Soulcalibur VI is billed as a reboot, but smart improvements to combat and a lengthy (if bloated) single-player push the series forward.

Soul Calibur VI has the heart and soul of what makes a great fighter great. However, Reversal Edge is a mixed bag, and some presentation elements lack visual investment. Regardless, Soul Calibur VI is the complete package, accommodating to newcomers and veterans alike.

Kilik in the name of

Combat is deep and satisfying; Libra of Soul is a great story mode; Plenty of characters to enjoy; Art style in cutscenes is beautiful

Text and dialogue in story modes is lengthy; Voice acting can be hammy; Difficulty peaks can hamper progress