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.

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.

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

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.

Although unquestionably a genre staple, SoulCalibur has been on the quiet side for the better part of the decade. The lukewarm reception of SoulCalibur V and Bandai Namco's unsuccessful forays into the free-to-play and mobile markets have dealt the series a terrible blow.

Easy to learn; hard to master combat system is rewarding; Fantastic animations; Engaging online

Dull storytelling; Combat horribly weighed down in single-player modes; Serviceable; but lackluster selection of modes

Soul Calibur VI all takes place in the late 16th Century, but… don't worry, you won't get a deep history lesson here, as it's all about the improbable, but hugely enjoyable and furistic-feeling hack ‘n' slash from what is definitely my favourite fighting game franchise of all time.

Syed enters the arena to see how strong this fighter's soul still burns

Refined and updated combat, new mechanics add a new dimension to fights; Defensive play no longer punished; Story mode encourages experimentation with fighting styles; Gorgeous visuals and smooth framerate; Stellar soundtrack Fun, over-the-top voice acting

Currently unstable online mode; Crippled character creation; Story mode outright, ignores gameplay at times; Player choices have negligible consequences; Japanese audio is, poorly balanced

Probably one of the easiest fighting games to get into. A whole lot of meaty single player content to get your hands on. And probably the best character customization in any fighting game period. It also has a TUTORIAL! Very rare in fighting games.

Soulcalibur VI is a fantastic reboot of a timeless classic. I think the last time I played the original Soulcalibur was in 2008 when it was released for the Xbox Live Arcade. Now, another ten years have passed and once again Soulcalibur VI proves this series is just as good today as it was two...

Positives + Controls feel great + Great creation tool + Good standalone story

Negatives; Small starting roster; Limited customization; Gameplay to presentation ratio; Core content stripped for DLC