Zero Punctuation: Soul Calibur IV

[XPats]

@Sparcrypt

Because of time, I can't reply in a point by point fashion. I did want to say however that you do bring up some valid points, as well as point out flaws in my argument.

Yes, I agree, Yahtzee's opinions of this game are valid because as you said, different types of players play different types of games, plus his critique of this game is on point if you wish to look at it from his point of view is correct. The same problems remain still exist however. Extending these criticism to all fighting games may seem clever, and in some cases those criticisms seem to apply to other fighters, but I find it inherently incorrect, and may turn a person away who is actually willing to learn for all the wrong reasons.

You are right about the difference between reviewing, and play testing. However, it would seem that it would be disengenuous to review any fighting games without a frame of reference for what they were made for.

No time now, but I should be back

 

[hitheremynameisbob]

Everyone remember that he's talking about the single-player with the grab-spamming. If the AI can be beaten by a cheap, repetitive strategy then it has a significant flaw, regardless of how a real person would fare against it.

 

[the big kahuna]

Not to kill one's fun, but after playing Soul Calibur IV for my usual trial period of a day I came to give up on SC4 because, as Yahtzee said, the only selling point for the game is Darth Vader, Yoda, and large-breated women in skimpy outfits. It's a game for the die hard fans of Soul Calibur and hardly anyone else.

 

[Doug]

*sigh* One day he'll review a fighting game and the fans won't go onto a forum and starting going 'OMG! So unfair! With a 20 point combo you can so easily counter X Y Z'

 

[Vortigar]

There's a top percentage of players in every fighting game you won't beat with button mashing (the 'competitive' players), the rest are fair game. It takes quite a bit of dedication to get to that level and you'll constantly have to work to keep yourself there. 95% (or more) of the people who buy a fighting game aren't interested in playing it to that level though.

In this light reviews of fighting games are usually completely useless.

Panayjon:
It is yet to be determined how balanced SC4 is, and thus whether it makes for a competitive game. SC2 was already a bit of a mess. SC3 was total crap. A lot of the hardcore fighters left the game during 3. So it'll take some time before an accurate judgement on how top-level SC4 plays or what it even looks like. Personally, I've got to stick some more hours in before I can make a personal judgement on whether I want to put in some time to get to a competitive level.

Funny thing is, the most balanced fighter out there, VF, also has one of the smallest fanbases in the west (all characters represented at SBO in the final 32, which game manages that? Exactly, none but VF). More imbalanced games like CvS2, MvC2, 3S, ST, Tekken, SC and DoA are have a much larger following. Mortal Kombat, which was never even taken seriously as a tournament worthy fighter has possibly the most fans of all in the west.

Bodiddly:
Take a chill pill please.
And watch the mailbag showdown episode while you're at it.

 

[laikenf]

Yahtzee COMPLETELY misses the point with fighting games. I'm not a real fan of the Soul Caliber series, but I'm a Street Fighter and Guilty Gear Freak and all I can say is this: I HATE playing against button mashers, it's VERY easy to beat the crap out of them, they post no challenge to me because they have NO SKILL or whatsoever (just look at the confused look on that poor soul's face). To me this review was rather pointless, it's like asking a metal head to review a Mariah Carey album (of course he's gonna trash the hell out of it). I know that it's his style and everything but if you're reviewing any given product you must look into every aspect of the it; he didn't mention anything about the excellent soundtrack, the clean crisp graphics and the very responsive controls the game has (those 3 elements are WAY more significant in a fighting game than a god damn story line which he so profoundly emphasized on). But, it's his reviews so what can I really say.

 

[Alstan]

Even I agree most of the things Yahtzee says, I really love this game.

I agree about the story mode, the story itself (but all the stories in fighting games are crap), and the biggest mistake in this game: the challenge level (I really miss the hero quest in SC2)
I don't care if they add Yoda, Darth Vader or edited characters, or the girls have more tits and less bra size, I'll still play with Talim, Raphael, Kilik and Maxi.
But the most important thing in fighting games is the combat system, and SC is for me the only game not based in mashing random buttons.

EDIT: Anyway, your review is funny as always. Next week Too Human maybe?

 

[Stelman257]

Few things straight here. Putzhee plays on easy. Only reason he didnt here is cause normal was as low as he could go. Didnt even think to try hard untill after he started his review.

Yes, you can go through normal using just grabs. You can also go through it just banging around buttons since it is the mode meant to use to figure out how to fucking play. You can not get through it on hard at all by just using grabs. You can get through maybe one fucking round before the AI scales and starts wooping that ass. Arse. wtvr

Lets just find out, everyone here who has the game try it!! how many rounds in did you make it before the AI scaled and started omg omg omg started COUNTERING YOUR GRABS?!?!!?. Thats right, Putzhee left out the fact that there are counters in the game. Hell, even have skills to auto counter them!!! Left that out didnt you champ? Prolly didnt know how to what with the C.H.U.D. hands and all.

Now lets find out how well it works against a real oppenent in a real match(since it so overpowered), seeing as how only a complete looser would sit around on a fighting game and just play the computer. Nobody does that, lol. How many matches won? Z-E-R-O Why? cause of omg omg omg COUNTERS and auto skillz and the fact that a competant player is WOOPING YOUR ASS or ARSE at the fucking time you easy mode mother fucker.

How did you like the critical finishers Yuhtzee? Oh, my bad you prolly didnt see any.

*Slaps face with palm* Are you serious? He only said he'd go try hard to throw out that technical difficulties thing, making his review ever more funny. Also how do you know that he ONLY tried on hard after starting his review? He could've done it to make the review more funny like i said, or are you secretly spying on him? Your a freak if you are.
Next he posted on his website just now:
"So this week's review was Soul Calibur IV, a predominantly multiplayer console game, so obviously I forced it to live up to the single player experience and hated it. But hey, I did play some rounds against my roommate and spamming throws seemed to work alright there, too."
See he played against someone and still won by spamming throws. While his roommate might not have been top-notch at SC, i was able to play Soul Calibur 2 like that as well, on HARD. Against my friend, i also smashed buttons like i said, i won and he's really good at fighting games, gets a lot of practise from Tekken.
Also as you can see he hated the game. His opinion stands you can't say anything about that.

Regarding Ivy, Christ i agree how stupidly retarded are Ivy's clothes/tits in this game? Just make a freaking porno out of it while your at it.
All fighting games except "Street Fighter", and "Tekken" should face the fucking wall in shame of that.

 

[GokoWildheart]

I'm in the same sort of area with i dont hate beat'em ups but i also dont get them . I dont like some of the one's were you need alittle pratice time to learn how to play and make some intresting fights but i do hate the one's were you can win far to easy with or just in a number of hits.

All in all this review sum's up pretty much what beat'em ups are like to people that just dont get them ^^. Thank you again for brighting up another pants on head day yahtzee

 

[EchetusXe]

I agree with everything you said but I am still going to buy Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe just so I can play as the Joker.

 

[Lord Krunk]

Funny thing is, unlike most reviewers, he didn't mention Soul Calibur's excessive use of boobs. However, he probably got over it during the Ninja Gaiden review.

 

[Doug]

Funny thing is, unlike most reviewers, he didn't mention Soul Calibur's excessive use of boobs. However, he probably got over it during the Ninja Gaiden review.

Indeed, he's been overdoing his boob quota lately whilst ignoring his penis and gay jokes. Poor Yahtzee, the stress of it must be killing him

Bodiddly:
Take a chill pill please.
And watch the mailbag showdown episode while you're at it.

Well said.

 

[Archaeology Hat]

Well, at least Yahtzee is given to truthfulness this week. He doesn't 'get' fighting games. Because he didn't mention what fighting games, all of them, Soul Calibur no exception, are about. Beating Up Your Mates. Seriously, no-one buys a fighting game for any other reason than to play it against other human beings in order to twat them in the face by proxy.

I'd have to raise my hand and claim the name nobody then. Nobody I play games with often enough enjoys fighting games at all. I play them by myself and I have a lot of fun. Lately fighting games have included little goals I enjoy working on and a wider variety of characters. SC4 is a gift to all solo fighting game players. You have achievements to unlock, the tower to ascend and descend, every story mode to complete, characters to customize almost endlessly, and the neat extra 'missions' of the tower to complete in order to get better equipment.

And to everyone agreeing with Yahtzee about the throw button.. Please. I understand that if you don't 'get' fighting games you wouldn't get this about them. In my house we call that chicken fighting. Backing the opponent into a wall and performing the same move or repeatedly doing any move over and over again just because it works, vs. human or cpu, is just plain wrong in the true fighting game player's book of morals. If you chicken fight, it sucks the fun and the sense of accomplishment out of everything.

Any game that allows you to "chicken fight" in the first place is flawed.

 

[Telekinesis]

I'm not sure what I like most about Zero Punctuation - the actual review, or the comments made later by fanboy who start shouting at him that he sucks and how awesome their game is.

I have to quote Yahtzee here and ask why it affects you so much if you enjoy your glorious game as much as you do - unless there's that doubt in the back of your mind that you're just convincing yourself you're having fun

 

[Xenon Pretzel]

I have to quote Yahtzee here and ask why it affects you so much if you enjoy your glorious game as much as you do - unless there's that doubt in the back of your mind that you're just convincing yourself you're having fun

There are three kinds of people who disagree with Yahtzee.

1- The idiots who disagree because it's Yahtzee
2- The idiots who disagree because Soul Caliber 4 is "TEH 1337357 GAEM EVAR N U JUST SUK LOLOL"
3- The people who disagree because Yahtzee is intentionally ignoring the good points. In a video game review, I expect to see good AND bad. This entire thing was just mindless bashing, it doesn't matter how bad the game is there is ALWAYS a good point, similarily it doesn't matter how good the game is there is always a bad point.

The point is- Yahtzee's stopped reviewing games and started shouting at them.

 

[Poptart Fairy]

Yet you ignore the positive comments he's aimed at games recently. SC just wasn't one of them.

I think you fall into category number two here, Xenon. :>