SoulCalibur

Common Sense Media says

Best features of popular console game missing from app port.

Age(i)

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Quality(i)

 
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What parents need to know

Ease of play

The game features a button layout similar to what you would find on an arcade machine or specialized console controller, but it's not especially responsive and doesn't work well with the gameplay of an iDevice. 

Violence

Players battle with swords, knives, and other melee weapons -- as well as punches and kicks. None of the attacks involve any blood or gore, but there are plenty of sounds of suffering.

Sex

Several of the female -- and always buxom -- characters wear revealing outfits highlighting their cleavage.

Language
Not applicable
Consumerism

The game features a prominent link to the video trailer for a forthcoming SoulCalibur console game.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Not applicable
Privacy & safety

Some privacy concerns. Players can opt in to Apple's Game Center to track scores and achievements, and for some games, challenge friends. Players can send and receive friend requests using an email address or Game Center nickname, revealing the first and last name associated with each party's Apple ID and, in the case of email requests, the sender's email address. With iOS 5, players can opt to have a private or public profile, which can include a photo. With a public profile, your real name is visible to all other players, and Game Center will recommend you to other players using your real name. With a private profile, only your friends can see your real name, and Game Center will not recommend you to other players.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that SoulCalibur is an iOS adaptation of the popular console and arcade fighting game. There's a substantial amount of violence, but nothing is gory or bloody -- even with the inclusion of weapons like swords and axes. Some characters dress provocatively and there are advertising elements for a console version of the game. Note also that the game will not run on anything less than an iPhone 4, iPad 2, or fourth-generation iPod Touch. Users can share high scores via the Game Center social network, but participation is optional.

Parents say

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AGE
13
QUALITY
 
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Kids say

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AGE
8
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Is it any good?

QUALITY
 

Given how many other arcade and console games have made it to iDevices, it was only a matter of time before SOULCALIBUR made the leap. But in moving the popular fighting game over, the developers left some of its most popular features out. And to make matters worse, they opted to charge substantially more than other apps. 

The game looks pretty good -- and it's certainly fun for a short period -- but whether you'll find $12 worth of entertainment here is highly debatable, especially with the controls dominating the screen to the point that it's sometimes hard to see what's going on. Should you find this for $5 or less, it's worth a look, but otherwise, save your money for something more polished. 

App details

Devices:iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Price:$11.99
Release date:January 19, 2012
Category:Action Games
Size:215.00 MB
Publisher:NamcoBandai Games, Inc.
Version:1.0.0
Minimum software requirements:iOS 4.3 or later

This review of SoulCalibur was written by

Chris Morris

About our rating system

  • ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
  • OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
  • NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids of any age.

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Quality

Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging, great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging, good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging, okay learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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Parent Written bywrgtyp June 30, 2012
AGE
13
QUALITY
 

High price good game

More than one character wears a thong like clothing and tight fitting clothing mostly for female character so it gets sort of bouncy when they jump you can impale peeps I guess but there's no blood or anything like that there's only one thing that's actually pretty bad it's the fact that you can hit the person when there down and they scream in some cases but it's still a great game yes 15 buck (yes it went up) is high but it's really fun and there's local multiplayer but unlocking characters feels great and you can really change all the controls like wow I love this series so I had to buy it and it wasn't really a let down but I did think there was online multiplayer :(
What other families should know
Too much sex
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Teen, 14 years old Written byMightyLebron December 1, 2013
AGE
8
QUALITY
 

A classic masterpiece that was originally on Dreamcast.

This is a very fun fighting game where you can have lots of fun fighting opponents and learning different combos with all of your favorite characters. This also has the best graphics of all the Soul Calibur games in the series. This game is also available for Dreamcast and Xbox 360 Arcade.
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