Fighting games on Sony’s PSP have been hit-or-miss when it comes to taking all the good qualities from the console version and cramming into a UMD. For every King of the Fighters: Orochi Saga there’s a Tekken: Dark Resurrection that proves the PSP is capable of doing justice to the fighting genre. Joining the likes of Dark Resurrection is Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, one of the best portable fighting games to come along on a handheld in a long time.

 
Pictured Above: How most of my dates end.

Of course, Broken Destiny doesn’t bring all the things from the sword fighting series such as Arcade mode and a few other game modes but this game comes close to being just as good as Soulcalibur IV in terms of gameplay and a few other juicy extras. You can even create your own fighter with more than 500 options to make your own original fighter or recreate a favorite character (I easily created anime/manga character Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach as well as Cammy from the Street Fighter games). A Training mode can also be found so you can learn each fighter’s moves and special attacks.

While these extras are great to have, though, it’s the gameplay and character roster that makes this such an impressive little package. You’ll find a number of returning favorite to the ring such as Ivy, Taki, Nightmare, Voldo and Mitsurugi just to name a few as well as other new favorites such as Amy, Setsuka, Hilde, Tira and the flamboyant Dampierre. Thankfully, the game skips the Star Wars characters and opts for a better master of the blade, God of War’s Kratos. Kratos is not only able to hold his own in a fight against even the most powerful Soulcalibur characters but he is also one of the coolest characters to step foot in the arena seeing as he brings all his recognizable signature moves and most of his abilities.

As I mentioned earlier, the game’s Arcade mode is left out so you won’t get a lengthy campaign with a story for each of the characters. Instead, you will find single-player modes such as Quick Match, Trails (with three different routes) and the game’s only story-driven mode called The Gauntlet. The game’s Quick Match pits you against any of the available opponents on the roster and it’s a good way to get some training while earning titles that will unlock extras. Trails offers three paths that will test certain skills via challenges like the Trail of Attack, Trail of Defense and Endless Trail (where you take on a seemingly endless stream of opponents).

 
“Bow before the wrath of Rhino Face! What? Why does everyone laugh when I say that?”

Then there’s the lengthy and actually quite entertaining story mode called The Gauntlet that serves as yet another training mode that offers up multiple small challenges and will pit you against all the characters on the roster. The game mode follows your chosen character on a quest to aid Hilde who travels far to find rare medicine that could save her father’s life. Told via text dialogue, the story is actually quite funny and offers a more quirky side to each of the characters that they oftentimes feel out of place within the Soulcalibur universe. Still, it’s great to see a lighter side to the characters.

While the fact that the loss of Arcade mode for this portable version is disappointing, the game’s controls are not. In fact, the game plays like a dream whether you prefer the analog stick or the D-pad for movement. If you’re a veteran Soulcalibur fan, you’ll be pulling off all the characters complex moves without any trouble and the framerate runs as smooth as a baby’s bottom so the action flows flawlessly. This is definitely the type of game anyone can simply pick up and start playing right away and it’s thanks to the solid controls.

There is another disappointment, though, and it comes in the form of a lack of online multiplayer. You can challenge a friend via Ad Hoc and it runs just as good as the single-player game so you can always play against a friend whether you use the available characters or each of your own created characters.

As far as the graphics are concerned, Broken Destiny looks even more amazing than the last PS2 Soulcalibur game and Soulcalibur III looked amazing. Not only do the characters look and move quite beautifully but also the backgrounds and visual effects really stand out in this PSP game. Really, the visuals in this game will not fail to impress and make you proud to be a PSP owner.

 
“Stop saying that! I do NOT look just like Larry King!”

Meanwhile, the sound also plays a role in making this feel just as if you’re playing the console version. The soundtrack hasn’t changed and that’s not a bad thing and you won’t even mind hearing the same tune over and over again. The narration before each match is back and the voices are still so-so like in past games in the series.

Prepare to give your thumbs a real workout because Broken Destiny is a surprisingly outstanding and downright addictive portable Soulcalibur game you really should have among your PSP collection. Sure, we wish there were more single-player goodness as well as online multiplayer but what is here is nothing to sneeze at and certainly worth every dollar if you love the series or a great fighting game for the PSP. 

Gameplay: 8.5
With a robust roster of fighters and the ability to create your own, Broken Destiny offers up plenty of action that’s similar to the fourth console installment. Aside from that, the game modes - like Gauntlet - offer just a few solo challenges that will have you craving more. I don’t know about you but adding Kratos to any game just makes said game even more cooler.

Graphics: 9.0
Not surprisingly enough, the PSP is capable of displaying visuals that is just as good as the PS2 and this game proves it. Not only are the backgrounds and character models just so amazingly gorgeous but it looks amazing even on a small PSP widescreen.

Sound: 8.5
The music is still quite gorgeous and sweeping like in past games in the series but you’ll often hear the same tune often throughout the game. The voice acting is simply Ok but the more comical voices will not fail to put a smile on your face.

Difficulty: Medium
You will find that certain challengers will give you a true challenge than some other characters so expect much resistance from the likes of characters like Yoshimitsu, Nightmare or even Algol. Trails mode has a few challenging scenarios.

Concept: 8.5
Arcade mode is a no-show in this portable version but Gauntlet and Trails will happily keep you company. The character creation mode has hundreds of different creation options to create some really interesting fighters. God of War’s Kratos is definitely a great addition.

Multiplayer: 8.0
There’s multiplayer via Ad Hoc and it runs just as smoothly as the single-player game but we would have loved some online play. If Namco Bandai wanted to see a girl cry then mission accomplished.

Overall: 8.5
Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny for the PSP is an impressive portable fighting game that is just as amazing and just as addictive as the console games. On the single-player front, we wish there was more but there’s enough here to keep fans more than happy.