Saint Seiya: Soldiers' Soul

This fighting game is great if you're a fan of the anime, but otherwise it might not be the brawler you're looking for. On one hand, die-hard fans of the franchise will be thrilled that all the Gold Saints and their special abilities (each fighter has two special moves) have been included, but you can't choose your fighter in the main mode, only unlock new ones for subsequent missions. There's a lot of backstory to get to before each battle, which may please some, but the story is convoluted, to say the least (perhaps it's been lost in translation).

The actual fighting is fast and frantic as you move around a 3-D battlefield to knock your opponent into oblivion. The controls take a bit of getting used to, but seasoned fighting-game fans will soon master the normal and strong punches, combo strings, dashes, aerial moves, and burst attacks. Players will also charge up their "Seventh Sense Meter" over time, which unlocks special Big Bang attacks. It's pretty fun once you get the hang of it (including some serious button-mashing, which during review worked some but not all of the time). The game also offers an online multiplayer mode, but there aren't any players active in the multiplayer lobbies to challenge. The result is that, unless you're a huge Saint Seiya lover, there's little here for fighting fans looking for the next big thing.