SBC #48 Link & Soulcalibur 2

Has anyone considered that retro gaming may be killing gaming?

For the purpose of this essay, I am going to ask you, dear reader, not to be a crazy person. I understand that is a big ask! I am, after all, a fellow crazy person. I collect videogames. I compulsively collect videogames even when the act of “collecting” does not make any sense. For an easy example, I like the Mega Man series quite a bit. And Capcom just announced Mega Man 12! So, in order to drum up additional interest, Capcom put Mega Man 11 on sale on the Switch digital storefront. Of course, I already own a physical copy of Mega Man 11. I also own every version of every Mega Man collection across multiple consoles and portable systems. But I do not own Mega Man 11 digitally for the Switch/Switch 2. In order to play Mega Man 11, I would have to walk all the way over to my collection of Nintendo Switch games (which is just inside arm’s length of my active Nintendo Switch 2), find my copy of Mega Man 11 amongst the collection (which is organized by genre and alphabetized), and then go to all the effort of popping that game into my Switch 2. I might even have to eject another game and meticulously put that one away! So, for five bucks, I bought a digital copy of Mega Man 11. Now I can play it whenever without getting up and losing all those valuable calories. So, yes, I fully acknowledge that these are the actions of a crazy person.

Thus, as a crazy person, I am asking you to put yourself in the mind of someone that is not crazy. Let us assume gaming is not a way of life for you, person reading a gaming blog years after blogs fell out of favor, and is merely a hobby that is occasionally entertaining. In fact, given the current state of the world at large, let us assume that your income is not wholly devoted to playing videogames. I’m sorry if this is impossible to imagine! I know that many of my readers put their videogame budget above what is required for food, housing, candles, and caring for family members/pets. But assume that those items “irl” are more important to you than the current status of Donkey Kong and the many bananas he could be collecting with you right now. In short, adopt the notion that gaming is no greater a factor in your existence than it ever was for your grandma (bonus points if she did not live to see even a single Banjo and/or Kazooie).

So, person who isn’t all that into gaming: how many Soulcaliburs do you need?

Well, alright, if we are going by grandma rules, the answer is obviously a resounding “zero”. Generations of humanity have lived and died without ever once experiencing the majesty that is Voldo. But let us assume you have a passing interest in gaming, and want a weapons-based fighting game. You would think that “hitting each other with swords” would be a whole, unending genre in gaming. But it turns out there are only so many sword fighting titles. And, what, are you going to play Battle Arena Toshinden? Bushido Blade? Get out of town. No, you want the best, and by “best” we mean “the franchise that occasionally includes Yoda.” Oh! Snap! I love that muppet! We should investigate the availability of morally suspect aliens further. You have to buy the best Soulcalibur for you, after all.

So the Soulcalibur series has a bit of a funny tick. There are always returning “soul” characters. There are always new characters of dubious quality. And, starting with Soulcalibur 2, there have been “guest characters” in every title. And guest characters can be extremely unique! Soulcalibur 2 was released on three different systems at its release, and it had three separate guests for each console. And that vaguely happened again for Soulcalibur 4! This led to a weird situation where, right from the beginning, “guest characters” were known to be temporary, and were not expected to return for future editions. If you were a Zelda fan, there was exactly one game on one system that would ever support Link battling Seong Mi-Na. So, for a full list that will allow you to make an informed decision on your preferred Soulcalibur…

• Soulcalibur 2 included Heihachi Mishima on the Playstation 2, Link on the Nintendo Gamecube, and Spawn on the Xbox.
• Soulcalibur 3 technically did not have any guest characters, but KOS-MOS of Xenosaga, Taira no Kagekiyo from The Genji and the Heike Clans, Valkyrie from Valkyrie, and Gilgamesh from The Tower of Druaga all appear with appropriate “parts” from Create-A-Soul, so we are going to count it for the Namco-heads.
• Soulcalibur 4 was the Star Wars one. That initially only had Darth Vader on the Playstation 3 and Yoda on the Xbox 360, but they were eventually allowed to comingle through DLC. Both games included the Star Wars Celebrity Apprentice. Also, we got Angol Fear of Sgt. Frog (if those words mean anything to anybody).
• Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, the PSP version of Soulcalibur 4, had popular Mortal Kombat Kharacter, Kratos.
• Soulcalibur 5 got Ezio Auditore of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, which seemed like so much more of a get at the time. We also have Devil Jin via the same alchemy as was featured in Soulcalibur 3.
• Soulcalibur 6 got us Geralt of The Witcher, 2-B of NieR Automata, and Haohmaru of Samurai Shodown.
• Soulcalibur Legends is right out, but we will note that it did include Lloyd Irving of Tales of Symphonia for some godforsaken reason.

And that’s your list! Give or take a few Tekken luminaries, if a guest character appeared in a game, they were never seen ever again. So if you are currently sitting at a desk littered with God of War funko pops, you know which version of Soulcalibur is best for you.

Oh… wait. There is still the whole “accessibility” thing…

Soul Edge / Soul Blade was the original “Soul” game, and it was only available in arcades and on Playstation (1). Grandma probably does not have one of those available. Soulcalibur kicked off the “calibur” numbering, and that one is still available to play today thanks to an Xbox 360 release that can still be ported forwards. Soulcalibur 2 is sneaking by on that same Xbox 360 clause, and also appeared on the Nintendo Gamecube Virtual Console with the Nintendo Switch 2, inexplicably making it the most readily available retro Soul title. Meanwhile, it looks like Soulcalibur 3 never left the arcade and Playstation 2, so that’s going to be difficult to play. Soulcalibur 4 gets the Xbox 360 forward-compatibility again, but the Playstation 3 version is lost to time. The PSP version is absolutely never appearing again anywhere. Soulcalibur 5 is Xboxing along, too, and Soulcalibur 6 is the modern (2018) release that is available on anything contemporary (except the Switch[s]).

So the Soulcalibur franchise is unusually accessible. Miraculously, Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur 2, Soulcalibur 4, Soulcalibur 5, and Soulcalibur 6 are all (technically) available on the most modern Microsoft console (some have been delisted, but may still be in your collection). If you only have a Playstation 5, you can only play Soulcalibur 6. And if you have a Nintendo Switch 2, you have access to Soulcalibur 2. If you have a modern console, you do have the option of playing at least one Soulcalibur title. You may only have a choice on the Xbox, and, while some versions are completely lost to time (sorry, KOS-MOS), if you want a weapons fighter, you have something obtainable.

So the question then becomes: do you need another Soulcalibur?

The earliest available Soulcalibur title that may be in your digital collection is Soulcalibur (Xbox 360), which first saw release in the arcades in 1998. Soulcalibur 6 first saw consoles in 2018 (the same year as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate). That is a twenty-year gap. Soulcalibur is old enough to drink! But you can theoretically play Soulcalibur and Soulcalibur 6 side-by-side (if you are crazy, like yours truly), and learn that not all that much has changed in two decades. The graphics are better, there are many things that can be described as “smoother”, and Soulcalibur 6 certainly has its share of mechanics that are unique to the latest entry… But it is still Soulcalibur. It is still just Soulcalibur. So if another Soulcalibur is released, you know the faithful (crazies) will buy it. But why should you, Fictional Grandma? As of this writing, Soulcalibur 6 is 90% off on Steam. It is full price on the consoles, but how long before the next sale when it is five bucks like its PC brethren? And if you are good with something a little older, Soulcalibur 2 on Nintendo Switch 2 is practically free. It is included with their online service. Yes, that service is optional, but you may buy it just to rack up wins in Pokémon, and then try out a tale of swords and souls while you have some downtime. Equally “free” are all four levels of NES Donkey Kong, or the hours of gameplay available in a 2002 release that was designed to compete with The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker or Kingdom Hearts FAQ #10: Cowardly Level DesignKingdom Hearts. Even going back to the original Soul Edge on Playstation, this is a fighting game franchise that has always included hours of content. Want to go explore a dungeon for some reason? Soulcalibur 2 has got you covered! Any Soulcalibur could cover you for days.

And it is just one of literally thousands of games immediately available without leaving your couch. Many are five bucks! Or effectively free! Some include Yoda! You might even own a whole library going back twenty years!

Yes, this article exists in response to some recent news stories. IGN released a report last week that videogame physical software and hardware sales are the worst they have been since 1995. Similarly, Steam released data that a meager 14% of playtime by all Steam users in 2025 was dedicated to games released in 2025. Less than 15% of a player’s schedule is spent on new games! But who could blame them. If you started on Steam with The Orange Box back in 2007, you likely have nearly 20 years of “old” games at this point. Why would you need to try anything new? You have a lifetime’s worth of games to play already! Why worry about Battlefield 6 when you’ve got five others that you picked up for five bucks?

Silly grandchild, why worry about Soulcalibur 7 when we already have Soulcalibur 2 at home?

We may be drowning microtransactions, mobile gatchas, and whatever is going on over in the hentai department, but we also live in a wonderful, consumer-friendly time to be an aging gamer. Backwards compatibility has never been more prevalent! All of the current generation consoles are drawing from at least one “completed” console generation (what do you mean Mega Man 12 is going to be on Playstation 4 in 2027?), and all of those consoles support digital purchases. You could have purchased Mario Kart 8 Deluxe the same Christmas Nintendo Switch (1) launched, and still be playing that exact game on your Switch 2 eight years later. There was even some DLC somewhere in there! And Nintendo knows you still have Mario Kart, because they are pricing Mario Galaxy (2007) to compete with Mario Odyssey (2017). … Or… not compete. They know grandma will be content to gift Little Timmy “a Mario game”, so may as well charge $40 for a game that remembers the Bush Administration. It is still a great game! And it is available alongside thousands of other games you can acquire digitally for a Nintendo system that was released six months ago. It will be competing against eleven new find-the-object games by the end of the week!

So game sales are down. The Soulcalibur franchise is inert. And Soulcalibur 2 is immediately available for play on any modern system with a controller. It is all connected. It has never been easier for the average person to play a retro title, whether that be The Legend of Zelda or “that Soulcalibur that had Link in it”. But the downside is that this ease may be impacting gaming’s future. Is the videogames industry going to completely collapse under the weight of our collective backlog? It is unlikely. But will it be even longer before we see Cervantes fighting for a magic sword again? Perhaps only grandma knows for sure.

SBC #48 Link & Soulcalibur 2

Link in Super Smash Bros Ultimate

• He any Good? Even before Marth, Link was the original anime sword guy. But he has other powers! Like a weirdly high number of projectiles with arrows, boomerangs, and bombs. So we can claim he is versatile? Probably a good choice for a lot of players’ first pick. Regardless, I’m always going to pick the toon or Young Link.
• That final smash work? The Ancient Bow and Arrow replaces the Triforce Slash? Link has a final smash, and it completely ignores the Master Sword? Woof. This may be the greatest downgrade, both in power and plot-significance, to ever appear in Smash Bros.
• The background work? Great Plateau Tower is flat and boring. Breath of the Wild had a great big world filled with remarkable locales! Why did Smash Bros. import a repetitive tower? At least there is a nice view. Otherwise, it is one destructible ceiling and half a Final Destination. Nothing to see here.
• Classic Mode: A Quest to Seal the Darkness means that Link takes down a host of characters associated with “darkness”. This is mostly villains, but Bayonetta sneaks in there, too. The final trio are Ganondorf (with a Zelda assist), Dark Link, and then Ganon (Ocarina of Time Monster). I can’t help but think having Ganon following Ganondorf would make more sense…
• First Appearance: It is my controversial opinion that good ol’ left-handed Link feels the most like his “original” character in Super Smash Bros. It is mostly thanks to The Adventure of Link, but this does feel like the 2-D revamp of the N64’s Hero of Time. Kirby gets second place! But they really nailed the Linkness of Link right out of the gate.
• Smash Trivia: There are only four new stages in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate before DLC: New Donk City Hall (of Super Mario Odyssey), Great Plateau Tower, Moray Towers (Splatoon), and Dracula’s Castle. This means Mario and Link were the only characters to get new stages in every base Smash title.

• Amiibo Corner: There are too many Link amiibos! Going to have to rapid-fire this one. The original Link Smash Amiibo is based on Twilight Princess, and it has amazing detail across the shield, sword, and unfortunate piss pillar. While we are in the neighborhood, the official Twilight Princess Amiibo is similarly detailed, but with an additional little chain-based underskirt. Neat! The third Twilight Princess Amiibo is more of a Midna amiibo, but Wolf Link is there, and his rider has cool hair. Ocarina of Time Link is next, and Nintendo are cowards for not making this a sharp pile of polygons. Conversely, pixel-blocked Original Link is the best. Skyward Sword Link is only notable for apparently wearing khakis to fly through the skies. Then we have a Breath of the Wild Link that is closest to today’s featured character, and a BotW Link that is hooded and riding a horse that looks surprisingly ominous for a hero. Finally, we have Link from Tears of the Kingdom, who has a delightful little magic arm. Did I miss anybody? Yeah, I think that’s all the Links that are not otherwise covered in Ultimate.
• Does Smash Bros Remember Today’s Game? Link can once again fight someone with one degree of separation from Yoshimitsu, but Link’s various guest appearances are otherwise ignored.

Link in Soulcalibur 2

• System: If ever there was an article where this information was already covered… Arcade, Gamecube, Playstation 2, and Xbox for the original releases, then the HD version for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Currently it has returned on the Nintendo Switch 2.
• Number of players: Classic fighting means classic two players.
• So how about those guest characters: Heihachi is just a Tekken character in Soulcalibur… which probably makes Yoshimitsu mad. Link does not feel appreciably like Link (pull out more items, my elf), but he does have a few abilities borrowed from noted titles to feel genuine. And Spawn is just a major disappointment. Dude is practically Darkstalkers-levels of morphing in the comics, but here is just a dude with a hand-axe. If he did not have that one cutscene where he properly perches like Spider-Man, I would be convinced he was just a costume for a generic Soulcalibur reject.
• And that guy: I am going to go ahead and assume that Necrid had Spawn’s original ethereal moveset, and that was determined to be too cool, so Todd McFarlane was contracted to make another Spawn that would be available on all consoles. Thus, “Necrid” could be showcased as a selling point across the board. It didn’t work. Necrid is dumb. I like him! But the consensus is that Necrid is dumb, and I am willing to concede to the groupthink on this one. I am a sucker for Todd McFarlane creations! I want an entire game featuring Venom, too!
• So which Link is this? Link has an ocarina at the ready in his ending, so this must be the Link from Link’s Awakening.
• Become a Master: The big “extra” mode is Weapon Master Mode, which is a complete alternate story where your random (and potentially shapeshifting) main character ventures horizontally across an alternate world to claim/destroy Soul Edge. It sounds neat, but in practice it is simply a series of weird challenges and the worst “dungeons” this side of a cheap Etrian Odyssey ripoff. The whole thing feels like busy work, and you can understand why they drifted into a full tactical game for the next one.
• But the Soul Still Burns: And this was the game right before Create-a-Soul became a standard for the series. Characters like Berserker and Assassin seem to indicate that they wanted something more robust for this title, but were stuck with “just go ahead and imagine Nightmare is actually an original character, do not steal”.
• Play it again: All of the modern versions of Soulcalibur 2 start with nobody additionally unlocked. While some fighters are unlocked pretty quickly in Weapon Master Mode, whether it is 2003 or 2025, you have to play through the totality of that mode to play as Lizard Man. And that’s a shame! That dinosaur needs some love!
• Did you know? SoulCalibur 2 won “Most Addictive Game” in the premiere Spike Video Game Awards of 2003. Nowadays, presenting a game with the title “most addictive game” sounds like a warning to consumers…
• Would I play again: Well, I mean, it’s right there, and it’s not like we have a new Soulcalibur to play.

What’s next? 2025 is over! Let’s talk ill of the dead! Please look forward to it!