Soulcalibur was one of those games that defined a generation. Gone were the days of two dimensional fighting games. With Soulcalibur came total 3D environments, the lighting, textures, camerawork, and physics of certain female anatomy, laid the foundation for the fighting genre we know today. Dreamcast was the golden child of the video game world, and Soulcalibur was one of the finest games designed for it. Fast forward nine years, and now Xbox Live Arcade is letting us relive our happier days. For a mere $10, you can now play SC on your 360, and regale in your youthful days.

Soulcalibur has always been a button masher’s paradise. I recalled this as I started going through arcade mode. I never really learned anyone’s moves in the original SC, so I resorted to mashing colored buttons until Sophitia started whooping everyone in her path. Time Attack and Survival Mode are both present (With XBLA leaderboards for the hardcore SC players), but Quest Mode is gone for some reason.

I’m also disappointed that Namco Bandai opted for the direct port rather than do any sort of graphics re-rendering. They could have at least modified the aspect ratio so I didn’t have to look at those dumb black bars on my TV. Achievements are a little tricky at times. Most of them are fairly straightforward, but the “defeat Ultra Hard without losing a single round” seems like a lot of effort for 25 measly Gamer Points.

If you are a hardcore fan of the series, $10 is a small price to pay to relive the good old days. If you are new to the series, go find it in the arcade or play this on one of your friend’s machines before making the purchase, and hang your head in shame that you are not part of one of the most enthralling fighting franchises in history.