For comparison's sake, the Xbox Live Arcade version costs $10 and features better graphics, more modes (like, an actual versus mode) and physical controls. There are more modes planned for the iOS version but ... really, fifteen dollars?
PSA: Soulcalibur now on iOS, is twelve freaking dollars
by Richard Mitchell 
on Jan 19th 2012 12:30PM
70
For comparison's sake, the Xbox Live Arcade version costs $10 and features better graphics, more modes (like, an actual versus mode) and physical controls. There are more modes planned for the iOS version but ... really, fifteen dollars?
Reader Comments (70)
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:32PM Wizardsofwaverly said
I would totally get this but my iPod is 2nd gen :(
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:33PM AlphaOneZero said
tbh the best days i had with soul calibur were in the past on my dreamcast, so im not too bothered about missing this due to the insane price
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:34PM Enigma7ic said
I will never pay more than 2 bucks for an ios game. Been burned too many times in the past...
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:08PM tendoboy1984 said
@Enigma7ic
It's sad that people think the value of video games is actually $2. This is what Apple's pricing has done to dilute our minds.
Now we expect every game to be as cheap as possible. You expect Super Mario 3D Land to cost $10 or something?
Reply
It's sad that people think the value of video games is actually $2. This is what Apple's pricing has done to dilute our minds.
Now we expect every game to be as cheap as possible. You expect Super Mario 3D Land to cost $10 or something?
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:11PM HobbitGamer said
@tendoboy1984 But this is a old game with less features for more money than it is on another platform. It doesn't really compare to pricing of a brand new game.
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Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:25PM SmashZilla said
@tendoboy1984
I think the quality represents the price.
Many iphone games are "quick play" with not much content, justifying the low price. Doesn't mean the games are low in quality and fun but many aren't worth more then say a few bucks imho.
I don't think Mario 3DS is a good comparison. Soul Calibur is an old game that's been ported before AND is CHEAPER on platforms that offer a better experience in content/visuals/control (opinion but I think people would agree).
So is the premium of the game being portable on your cell phone worth $15? I would argue no.
In comparison, Street Fighter 4 was $10 bucks (I think) when it came out. SF 2 Collection was $4.
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I think the quality represents the price.
Many iphone games are "quick play" with not much content, justifying the low price. Doesn't mean the games are low in quality and fun but many aren't worth more then say a few bucks imho.
I don't think Mario 3DS is a good comparison. Soul Calibur is an old game that's been ported before AND is CHEAPER on platforms that offer a better experience in content/visuals/control (opinion but I think people would agree).
So is the premium of the game being portable on your cell phone worth $15? I would argue no.
In comparison, Street Fighter 4 was $10 bucks (I think) when it came out. SF 2 Collection was $4.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:26PM lolkeits said
@Enigma7ic
While Soul Calibur is probably a bad example, as touch controls are arguably least well integrated into a fighting game, I'd like to point out that there are plenty of $10-15 quality games (I believe Dead Space debuted at $10, and there are multiple Square Enix RPGs, voice acting and all, for the $12-15 mark, plug FFT, FF3, Secret of Mana, etc) to be had on iOS that are not only remarkable quality, but also significantly cheaper than any single game you'll find on a Vita or 3DS.
Order and Chaos has great controls, is literally WoW in your pocket, and is $7 with a $3 annual subscription fee (THREE dollars). Aralon is basically Oblivion in your pocket, a huge, 40-50 hour easily open world RPG that's $7 and controls well with touch controls. The Modern Combat series is surprisingly good, control-wise, is a COD/BF experience on iOS and is $7 a pop. Dungeon Hunters is a hack and slash, $7 a pop for 1 and 2, number 3 is free with microtransactions, etc.
Plenty of cheap options, and often you'll get 8-10 games on an iPad for the price of one PSP Vita game. Different experiences, pros and cons for each, is my point.
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While Soul Calibur is probably a bad example, as touch controls are arguably least well integrated into a fighting game, I'd like to point out that there are plenty of $10-15 quality games (I believe Dead Space debuted at $10, and there are multiple Square Enix RPGs, voice acting and all, for the $12-15 mark, plug FFT, FF3, Secret of Mana, etc) to be had on iOS that are not only remarkable quality, but also significantly cheaper than any single game you'll find on a Vita or 3DS.
Order and Chaos has great controls, is literally WoW in your pocket, and is $7 with a $3 annual subscription fee (THREE dollars). Aralon is basically Oblivion in your pocket, a huge, 40-50 hour easily open world RPG that's $7 and controls well with touch controls. The Modern Combat series is surprisingly good, control-wise, is a COD/BF experience on iOS and is $7 a pop. Dungeon Hunters is a hack and slash, $7 a pop for 1 and 2, number 3 is free with microtransactions, etc.
Plenty of cheap options, and often you'll get 8-10 games on an iPad for the price of one PSP Vita game. Different experiences, pros and cons for each, is my point.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:38PM Apakal said
@Enigma7ic
World of Goo is like 9 or 10 bucks and its worth every penny.
If my iPad wasn't downstairs and I wasn't lazy, I would peruse the app store for a bit and I could easily come up with more titles of significant quality and value in the $5-10 range.
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World of Goo is like 9 or 10 bucks and its worth every penny.
If my iPad wasn't downstairs and I wasn't lazy, I would peruse the app store for a bit and I could easily come up with more titles of significant quality and value in the $5-10 range.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:46PM InfernoShade said
@tendoboy1984
If you blame Apple you don't understand business. Also it's the Android users that expect everything for free. All surveys and research show that iOS users are will to pay more than Android users. But I do agree that people in general are out of control with $2 being too much. Game developers create some amazing games that are only $5!! Lamers.
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If you blame Apple you don't understand business. Also it's the Android users that expect everything for free. All surveys and research show that iOS users are will to pay more than Android users. But I do agree that people in general are out of control with $2 being too much. Game developers create some amazing games that are only $5!! Lamers.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 2:39PM commonperson said
@tendoboy1984 No what people are comparing is product over platform. I've bought 15 dollar iPad/iPhone games. The Final Fantasy re-releases because they were either equitable or richer in their feature list and were on par for price.
You can compare this product to the Xbox re-release, it looks worse has fewer features and costs more. That's simply not worthwhile and is ill concieved at best.
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You can compare this product to the Xbox re-release, it looks worse has fewer features and costs more. That's simply not worthwhile and is ill concieved at best.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 9:34PM (Unverified) said
@tendoboy1984
I'll start by agreeing with you: people expect too much for too little when it comes to games. I paid I think $5 or $6 for Infinity Blade and it was a great game for a good price. GTA:III is $5 and it is an enormous game with a great deal of content. $5-$7 is the absolute highest I will go for a game on iOS. Soul Caliber is an old game that is available in several forms already(legal and pirated downloads or a $11 disc on ebay). To ask consumers to pay $15 is just ridiculous. It seems like they are hitting with a high price point now to get all the old diehards to buy it and then they will lower the price to $5-$6 (with the occasional sale for .99) which will make sales jump significantly.
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I'll start by agreeing with you: people expect too much for too little when it comes to games. I paid I think $5 or $6 for Infinity Blade and it was a great game for a good price. GTA:III is $5 and it is an enormous game with a great deal of content. $5-$7 is the absolute highest I will go for a game on iOS. Soul Caliber is an old game that is available in several forms already(legal and pirated downloads or a $11 disc on ebay). To ask consumers to pay $15 is just ridiculous. It seems like they are hitting with a high price point now to get all the old diehards to buy it and then they will lower the price to $5-$6 (with the occasional sale for .99) which will make sales jump significantly.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:36PM Gemini Ace said
I hope they sell zero copies.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:37PM AntZero said
I think these companies tend to forget that the smartphone market is very different with prices than the console market..
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:10PM tendoboy1984 said
@AntZero
$15 is a very good price... IF the game had all the features of the XBLA version.
I payed $39 for Super Mario 3D Land, and if you really think $15 is too expensive, then WTF?!
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$15 is a very good price... IF the game had all the features of the XBLA version.
I payed $39 for Super Mario 3D Land, and if you really think $15 is too expensive, then WTF?!
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:13PM tendoboy1984 said
@AntZero
That's all Apple's fault. They lower the value of games to 99 cents, and now everyone expects games to be that cheap. And you pay a premium price for a premium game. Soul Calibur is a premium game compared to 99% of the indie games on these platforms.
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That's all Apple's fault. They lower the value of games to 99 cents, and now everyone expects games to be that cheap. And you pay a premium price for a premium game. Soul Calibur is a premium game compared to 99% of the indie games on these platforms.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:19PM My Prerogative said
@tendoboy1984
Umm... I think it's time to get off the drugs. $15 is a very bad price for a smartphone game, nevermind one that has a superior version available for cheaper right now. There's no reason this should be more than $3 or $5.
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Umm... I think it's time to get off the drugs. $15 is a very bad price for a smartphone game, nevermind one that has a superior version available for cheaper right now. There's no reason this should be more than $3 or $5.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:33PM arrrgh said
@tendoboy1984
So why is this "premium" version of soul calibur with less content than the XBLA version even MORE expensive?
Give me a break.
If the iOS version is worth $15 with its feature set, then the XBLA version should be even more expensive, since it has more content.
Apple isn't devaluing games, terrible games and inconsistent pricing SET BY THE DEVELOPERS is what's devaluing games.
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So why is this "premium" version of soul calibur with less content than the XBLA version even MORE expensive?
Give me a break.
If the iOS version is worth $15 with its feature set, then the XBLA version should be even more expensive, since it has more content.
Apple isn't devaluing games, terrible games and inconsistent pricing SET BY THE DEVELOPERS is what's devaluing games.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:40PM Kibbles XIII said
I was going to get it but my iphone is one gen too old.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:41PM ItsameMatt03 said
Wow, I remember purchasing a used copy for my Dreamcast years ago for about $8. You'd think the burden of playing a game without buttons would help offset the cost some.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:42PM AntsPai said
(Obligitory Android comment)
Would probably pick this up if it was available to Xperia Play, it really needs titles like this.
Would probably pick this up if it was available to Xperia Play, it really needs titles like this.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:51PM KenobiEagle said
Not on sale, that's 1/4 the price of SoulCalibur V! This is a huge non-decision.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 12:58PM Shockwave said
And this is why the Vita and 3DS exist. If I'm going to pay a premium price I'd rather I get premium content with a control scheme that makes sense to boot.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:11PM tendoboy1984 said
@Shockwave
What's wrong with companies offering premium content on iOS and Android? I thought Apple wanted their products to be considered serious game devices?
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What's wrong with companies offering premium content on iOS and Android? I thought Apple wanted their products to be considered serious game devices?
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:18PM liquidsoap89 said
@tendoboy1984
They sure wont be taken seriously with stuff like this happening!
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They sure wont be taken seriously with stuff like this happening!
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:28PM FeaturePreacher said
@Shockwave
Your so on the money kid. Can't wait to get my Vita action on with Ninja Gaiden Sigma and Mortal Kombat in the spring.
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Your so on the money kid. Can't wait to get my Vita action on with Ninja Gaiden Sigma and Mortal Kombat in the spring.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:59PM Shockwave said
@tendoboy1984
Scaled down graphics, no physical button controls all for a price that exceeds the version that boasts both things? No. I'll pass. Phones are allowed to have "serious" games. There are many genres (RTS, Defense Towers, puzzle games, etc) that work great with touch screens. Fighting games are NOT one of them.
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Scaled down graphics, no physical button controls all for a price that exceeds the version that boasts both things? No. I'll pass. Phones are allowed to have "serious" games. There are many genres (RTS, Defense Towers, puzzle games, etc) that work great with touch screens. Fighting games are NOT one of them.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 2:08PM Pikachief said
@tendoboy1984
What's wrong with it is that stuff like this, isn't premium content. It's a watered-down Soulcalibur with bad controls and cost more than the XBLA version.
3DS games I expect and would love to pay at $40 like Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. iphone games I expect at $1-$3 with some games being a bit higher like Infinity Blade 2 I bought for $7.
Most iphone and android games are made with short bursts of gameplay sessions in mind, not full fledged games. If they want their games to sell like premium, full, 3DS and Vita games they should be making games with equal quality.
Doom is $5 on XBLA but $7 on iOS!? lol
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What's wrong with it is that stuff like this, isn't premium content. It's a watered-down Soulcalibur with bad controls and cost more than the XBLA version.
3DS games I expect and would love to pay at $40 like Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. iphone games I expect at $1-$3 with some games being a bit higher like Infinity Blade 2 I bought for $7.
Most iphone and android games are made with short bursts of gameplay sessions in mind, not full fledged games. If they want their games to sell like premium, full, 3DS and Vita games they should be making games with equal quality.
Doom is $5 on XBLA but $7 on iOS!? lol
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:01PM commonperson said
I will pay for an iOS game but a reasonable price. 15 dollars for a product with fewer features that exists on a platform I also own is not going to sell. Honestly I forsee this being a flop.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:03PM briscott said
WTF? More than a used copy, the XBLA version, and does not even have physical controls? No thanks.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:12PM tendoboy1984 said
@briscott
Of course it doesn't have physical controls, it's a smartphone game silly.
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Of course it doesn't have physical controls, it's a smartphone game silly.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:06PM ungeheier said
is also NOT going to be purchased by me.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:07PM BPMOmega XBL PSN Steam said
Why would I pay more for an inferior version of the game?
(virtual gamepads suck, end of story)
http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/SOULCALIBUR/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258410904
It's $10 for the "HD" version on Xbox Live Arcade.
(virtual gamepads suck, end of story)
http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/SOULCALIBUR/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258410904
It's $10 for the "HD" version on Xbox Live Arcade.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:10PM (Unverified) said
Namco decides to go with Square Enix's tactics it seems...
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:12PM Roto13 said
Ha ha ha, Namco
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 1:13PM PR0F3TA said
lol i love how whiney you all sound over a mobile game that's not $5 or less. The best solution is not to buy it. I bought a Korg iKossilator app for more then $20, why?, because it was something *I* wanted and felt like an alright asking price. So why should this or any other game be any different. PvZ/Peggle was $10 when it first came out.
Gamers are such a bitchy children.
Gamers are such a bitchy children.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 2:20PM James816 said
@PR0F3TA
God forbid these readers express an opinion that doesn't agree with yours. Go ahead and feel superior in your contentment. It doesn't change the fact that $12 (on sale) is an outrageous price, well beyond a potential buyer's psychological price-point barrier.
Reply
God forbid these readers express an opinion that doesn't agree with yours. Go ahead and feel superior in your contentment. It doesn't change the fact that $12 (on sale) is an outrageous price, well beyond a potential buyer's psychological price-point barrier.
Posted: Jan 19th 2012 2:42PM darkinchworm said
@PR0F3TA
Let me break it down for you:
Versions with superior feature sets are available at lower prices through other means. $10 for XBLA, easily less for Dreamcast.
$12 or $15 for the same game with less features and a horrible interface for fighting games? That's worth a bitchin'. Some things are best voted for with the wallet, some things warrant verbally slapping an organization across the face repeatedly (see: SOPA).
Reply
Let me break it down for you:
Versions with superior feature sets are available at lower prices through other means. $10 for XBLA, easily less for Dreamcast.
$12 or $15 for the same game with less features and a horrible interface for fighting games? That's worth a bitchin'. Some things are best voted for with the wallet, some things warrant verbally slapping an organization across the face repeatedly (see: SOPA).
