Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny

Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny is an entry in the famous weapon-based fighting series, developed by Project Soul specifically for the portable PlayStation Portable console as a fully-fledged installment alongside the series' home console entries. The game builds on the fighting system of Soulcalibur IV and adapts it to the handheld's limited controls, so the player has fewer buttons available but still the same rich palette of strikes, blocks, dodges, and weapon styles the series has stood on since its inception. From its beginnings, the series has positioned itself as an alternative to fist-fighting games like Tekken or Street Fighter - instead of bare-handed strikes, it relies on cold-steel weapon duels, where the length, weight, and speed of each weapon fundamentally change the reach of attacks, the defensive options, and the overall pace of the fight. The portable version retains the character roster, including several fighters created specifically for this entry, and also offers a story mode in which additional costumes, weapons, and bonus characters are unlocked.

A major draw in 2009 was the online multiplayer - on PSP this was still an exceptional feature at the time, letting players test their skills against each other remotely without having to sit at a home console and own a PlayStation 3. The control scheme was reworked for the handheld so that fights could be conducted even without the second analog stick for the camera, which the PSP lacks in the same form as its home console counterparts - the camera therefore runs largely automatically so the player doesn't lose track of the fight. Broken Destiny differs from the series' home console entries precisely in that it was built as a standalone game tailored to the portable console, not as a simplified port of an existing title, which makes it a separate chapter of the series' story with its own place in its chronology. The short, self-contained duels also suit the play-in-short-bursts style typical of handhelds, so a single duel could be played through even during a short break.

Why play it: Broken Destiny suits anyone who wants precise weapon-based combat on hand even away from home - it offers the depth of the main series adapted to a handheld, a full story mode, and online battles, all without compromising on the fighting system that made the series famous.