Just...whaa...i just....no
No, Soul Calibur Legends is not a fighting game, but a "spin off" action platformer... Legends takes the series away from one on one fighting and into 3rd-person action, with players facing off against multiple enemies simultaneously. Enemies consist of classic Soul Calibur fighters as well as some new beasts. Players use the Wiimote and nunchuck controllers to control their on-screen counterparts directly. Slashing the Wiimote horizontally or vertically results in respective horizontal and vertical slashes. The nunchuck is used to move your character around and can be shaken for evasion and other special types of movement. Buttons are included for jumping, guarding, and some special moves.
Soul Calibur Legends had the chance to be what Tekken Force Mode was to Tekken 3 and Tekken 4. Unfortunately, it doesn't come close to being as deep or enjoyable as Tekken Force or even Tekken 5's "bonus" action platformer Devil Within. Why couldn't a stand alone title surpass or even live up to the level that a "bonus mode" was for Namco's other hit franchise? What went wrong Wii? First, characters feel incredibly dumbed down to say the least, and when compared to their fighting game counterparts, are missing most of their moves, combos, and unfortunately can't even change stances. I expected this going in, since the Wiimote seems to have limits, but I also expect more from a franchise that has associated it's name with "quality," until now...
The Wiimote controls aren't a complete disaster... Your character will attack accordingly when you thrust, slash horizontal, or vertical. Combos can also be performed by alternating your attacks. It's fun for a while, but then you realize you'll be doing the same combos over and over again. There are some special attacks you can do by holding down the special move button or jumping and attacking, but there aren't that many variations. The vast movelists that put Soul Calibur characters on the map, are non existent in Legends. If Soul Calibur characters played in the fighting games like the way they do in Legends, the Soul Calibur series would have died a long time ago. There's more variety in the original Soul Edge, than there is in this game.
The control scheme will actually change depending on the character, with new playable characters being unveiled as you progress. Players can select two characters to take through the one player mode, and can freely switch between them at will. The only big downsides about this feature, is that you can't really perform "tag combos," and when your partner comes into the fight, he or she drops from the sky, as your current character "evaporates" into thin air........... Yes, that was a long awkward pause of disappointment, the same exact one I had while playing this game. In addition to "mindless" combat, players will have to deal with traps and other obstacles in dungeons, more annoying than anything else. Honestly, it doesn't take much to mow down hordes of enemies while slashing away with the Wiimote; it actually doesn't take any skill. I never imagined a Soul Calibur game wouldn't require any skill to play it. Amazing.
The story mode and presentation...*sigh* Let's just say it's a let-down. The cut scenes are filled with "pop up" 2D art, and really don't do much justice at all, besides evoking laughter. And if you're not laughing at the cut scenes, you'll definitely be laughing at the English character voice acting; HORRIBLE! And no, turning on Japanese won't make the game that much better, but it might stop you from laughing so much. Ohh, and did I mention the graphics in this game are borderline horrible? Soul Calibur Legends on the Wii looks like a first generation Playstation 2 game... Ouch! Besides a few cool "giant" boss fights, there's just nothing visually stimulating about this game.
So it can't be all that bad right? Is the 2 player mode enjoyable at all? The 2 player mode offers Co-op, Competition, and VS Mode. The game runs at a smooth 60 FPS when playing 1 player mode, BUT... You guessed it, 2 player mode runs at a shoddy 30 frames per second. The VS mode is hardly entertaining, since only 7 characters are selectable. And after playing something as fun as Urban Reign, with 60 + characters and tons of moves, this "third person" fighting engine is simple lacking in more ways than one.
Closing Comment : Soul Calibur Legends might be entertaining for the "kiddies," or for those who are completely uncoordinated and have no hopes in ever being good at Soul Calibur. But for many fans of the series who have become familiar with the deep gameplay and story of Soul Calibur; unfortunately I will have to advise you to steer clear of this game. This is simply a shoddy action platformer with the Soul Calibur name slapped on it...