This game is very good,but it lacks a little content.
Graphics : 10/10 Yup.It looks pretty good.After all,let's not forget this is on PSP.The character models are good and detailed,and the stages look great. As for the weapons,they also look nice.The effects from the special(and non) attacks are cool as well.One thing's for sure,if you try(or buy) this game,you won't be dissapointed by it's graphics.
Sound/Soundtrack : 9/10 I really,really like this game's soundtrack,but the problem is,not everyone does. Still,the music in this game is very good.After that,it's up to whether you like "heroic"-like soundtracks.This "heroic feeling" the game's music gives you is good! As for the sound,you can switch between english and japanese voices in the options menu,so feel free to pick whichever of the two you prefer.
Now,for the Gameplay : 9.5/10 Now this is what I'm talking about! Characters in this game wield different kinds of weapons.Cool huh? It is! Each character is unique and has plenty of moves you can do.. The fighting system is deep,and it forces you to both defend and attack.You can also do side-rolls,use just-in-time guards to interrupt your opponnents' combos.You can also side-roll while in mid-air and interrupt combos with your own attacks...if you are smart and quick enough that is.There are also Ring Outs in most stages. Oh,almost forgot.There is also the Soul Gauge system.There is a small circle next to each character's life bar.If depending on how much a player guerds or attacks and guard-impacts,his "Soul Gauge"(the circle thing) will turn more green and then red or darker blue.If your opponent's Soul Gauge is red and it's flashing,you can execute a Critical Finish which finishes off the opponent no matter how much health he has left.Note: Critical Finishes are easy to do.The controls for the game are easy and just good,so you won't have any problems with them.There are a few downsides though.First of all,you may Ring yourself out by mistake and lose a round.Also,you may get annoyed by the whole Soul Gauge thing which will cause you to "drop your clothes",break your defence and suffer a 1-hit-kill if you defend a lot and your Soul Gauge goes red.Nothing really bad though.
Yup! Great gameplay overall!
Characters : 10/10 There are 28 characters in total,all of which are playable right-off-the-bat.All of them are unique in terms of fighting style,looks and attack range.Here's the surprise though...You can create up to 16 fighters from scratch!! Good stuff!
Content : 7/10
Ah yes,this is the only not-so-good part of the game...
Quick Match : In this mode,which is the best and most fun option,you get to fight a LOT of opponents and earn titles as you beat them.Plenty of opponents to beat and plenty of titles to collect. Pretty fun mode.
The Gauntlet : This is the main mode of the game. In it,you have to go through a LOT of missions which will teach you the ropes and how to evade each character's attacks.In the end of this whole thing,you get to fight Algol. This may seem fun in the beginning,but the missions will bore you pretty quickly,while having to hear "Game Over" every single time you fail a mission,will make this mode even more frustrating.
Trials : There are three modes in this :
Trial Of Attack : You have to fight 5 opponents and score points for the attacks and combos you land.
Trial Of Defense : In this mode,you get to fight 5 opponents and score points for counter attacking.
Endless Trial : This is what you would call "Survival"
Training : What you would expect it to be.
Creation : You get to create your own characters from scratch or create edited versions of the already existing characters.
Versus : Well...it's Versus. You can fight it out with your friends!
Records : You can see what "Honours"(something like achievements) you have,view your scores in other modes,etc.
Well,there is a lack of interesting single player modes,as you can see.Most notable is the asbsense of Arcade Mode.So,7 out out of 10 because it lacks important single player content.>
Replayability : 7/10 Well,at first this game will fascinate you,but when you move on to another game,then you may forget about this one and not come back to it so often,because of it's lack of good,non-boring single player modes.Yet,you may come back to it,when you feel like playing a great fighting game.
Overall : 9/10 It's actually 8.75/10. Well,this is a great game! The fighting is the best part and being able to create your own characters is a nice touch. The only downside is that there is a lack of interesting single player modes,and as for the one's that are in the game : Trust me: You will get bored of them after a while. But all in all,a great fighting game! If you don't want to buy it,then I suggest checking it out!