A bsent for more than half a decade, SoulCalibur 6 seeks to leave its mark on history once more, retelling the tale of souls and swords that propelled it into the limelight back in the '90s.

Get 'em Geralt When in doubt, put a Witcher in your game (or a Jedi, or a Hero of Hyrule, or an assassin, or Hellspawn, or...you get the point). The character creator is off the chain, offering scores of races that completely veer off course from the typically human-centric notions of old.

SoulCalibur makes its long-awaited return on the current gen systems, the last being SoulCalibur V back in 2012 (excluding remasters and mobile ports). So with it being six years in the waiting, does SoulCalibur VI live up to previous instalments

Sublime and fulfilling gameplay

New heights reached in Soulcalibur, create your own character with an array of weapons and customization!

Maths was never my strongest subject in school, nor was it one that got my blood pumping, so you can imagine, sitting in a maths lesson at 3PM on a Friday afternoon wasn't my idea of fun, and yet, on Friday September 26, 2003, I couldn't wait for it. Why you ask

I could shower and shave while this thing is going from one round to the next. It turns an otherwise fast paced fight that should take a few minutes into about a half hour to get through 8 rounds.

Great gameplay, and terrific customization and creation!

a return to form that's not without its flaws

Making a fighting game that pleases all audiences was always going to be tricky. The hardcore fans want more characters and stable online modes, without dramatic gameplay changes. Casual players need to be shown the ropes, and single player gamers need offline content to keep them coming back - even if they only ever plan to take on the computer. Soul Calibur VI does a respectable job of all of those things. New gameplay mechanics are relatively easy to pick up, but tricky to master. The roster has grown enough without becoming overwhelming. The two story modes will keep players busy for a long time, although it's nowhere near as engaging as Injustice 2's stellar campaign. It could certainly do more to hold the hand of new players, though. This is something Capcom, Netherrealm and Arc System Works do brilliantly, but Namco seems happy to let gamers discover combos for themselves. So while the flashy new super moves might be easy to pull off, fitting them in around everything else can feel like hard work. That means it's only a must-buy for series fans eager to see the story universe expanded. For everyone else, it's a decent arcade fighter, but one that demands a little too much of your time to get beyond the basics.

Two comprehensive story modes; Generous character roster; Accessible gameplay with plenty of depth for veterans;

Online netcode not the best; Story can feel like a slog at times; Tutorials only basic, not all that helpful; Day one DLC characters? Not cool;

Two comprehensive story modes; Generous character roster; Accessible gameplay with plenty of depth for veterans;

Online netcode not the best; Story can feel like a slog at times; Tutorials only basic, not all that helpful; Day one DLC characters? Not cool;