Previews

First look at Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny on PSP

Namco-Bandai unsheathes its weapons-based brawler

First look at Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny on PSP

Far from being fractured, the future of PSP has just been cut a new edge with Namco-Bandai's shocking reveal of Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny. Like a hot knife through butter, it slices through worries of a complete PSP demise with an exclusive, hard-hitting game. Not only does it headline a wave of intriguing new titles, but it promises the same in depth fighting that consoles have been getting for years.

Broken Destiny will deliver a cast of 20 characters, most brought over from the console iterations with a couple new additions. While we weren't briefed on any of the new competitors, we did notice series stalwarts Astaroth, Cassandra, Hilde, Mitsurugi, and Taki. Buxom brawlers like Taki can be left to duke it out in her default duds or customised with an array of clothing and accessories unlocked by winning fights.

Arcade, Versus, and Survival modes will be joined by an exclusive new single player story. No details on what spin Broken Destiny will take on the franchise, though it assuredly puts the Soul Edge and its counterpart at the center of another epic power struggle. The real draw here, though, should be head-to-head bouts in Ad-hoc mode.

Button mashing won't get you through tense battles with your buddies. Broken Destiny intends to transplant the finely-balanced fighting mechanics of the console series onto PSP with flashy critical finishes, powerful soul finishes, and game-changing weapon destruction manoeuvres. Getting up to snuff on your fighting skills should be made easier with the inclusion of more than 80 practice stages. An open-ended training arena is also being promised, allowing you to try out button combos and advanced tactics on dummy competitors.

The controls ought to work well on PSP, the face buttons and directional pad mirroring those used to play the game on PlayStation 3. Much like Soul Calibur IV on that console, an automatic camera shifts as the battle moves about fully 3D stages. Pressing up and down on the directional pad enables you to adjust your fighter's footing. Ring outs haven't been confirmed, although a couple of the stages we saw featured edges that could easily be exploited to throw opponents for the win.

Specifics – whether ring outs are making the cut, what characters line the roster – are sure to be unveiled in June during E3. The game, surprisingly, won't be out long after that as Namco-Bandai is sharpening Broken Destiny for release before the end of summer.

Tracy Erickson
Tracy Erickson
Manning our editorial outpost in America, Tracy comes with years of expertise at mashing a keyboard. When he's not out painting the town red, he jets across the home of the brave, covering press events under the Pocket Gamer banner.