That's cool then. I'll chalk it all up to internet text not conveying tone of voice. I could like the new AI if it were structured better. I'm not sure my real complaint is with difficult AI as with inconsistant AI. Maybe you're a SC expert, I myself am probably average, but even below me in skill are first time buyers. In other fighting games, you learn to play on the easy level, get better in the middle level, and hone your reflexes on the god level.

You said you were concerned about prospective buyers being turned away by the negative criticism of the AI. I agree that no player should be turned off from buying this incredible game. I do think though, that if they don't know what's coming, they aren't going to have any fun at all when they pop in the game, start up the game's very first playable mode, and lose in 3 seconds. If this is a person's first Soul Calibur experience (which is a shame in itself, I loved the other three), what a harsh learning curve the game presents. It's as if Namco expects casual players to spend their first 50 hours in the practice mode before dipping into the fun. I managed to overcome the AI to unlock most of the stuff (I think), by virtue of prior soul calibur experience (I already knew the fundamentals - to an extent), and a modest dash of cheapness (though some would say there's no such thing as cheap, in playing to win). If this was my first fighting game, I'd have thrown a fit and smashed my controller 100x more than I do now. I'd have probably given up.