Soul Calibur IV (Xbox 360)

It’s been awhile, but Soul Calibur is back to wow fighting game fans on the Xbox 360. Soul Callibur IV marks the series debut not only on the Xbox 360, but also in the next-gen arena. The improvements show, and Soul Calibur IV is an enjoyable experience for single players as well as with friends, despite some problems.

SCIV is a serious piece of eye candy; characters spring to life with realistic movement and vibrant attacks without slowdown. Stages are robust and detailed, and even the main menus pop with excitement. The sound is superb—beating ancient warriors over the head with broadswords never sounded so good.

Soul Calibur IV looks fantastic in action (Photo from IGN.com)

Gameplay –wise, SCIV is akin more to SCII in terms of character balance and combat with some new elements thrown in. Fights are faster and fiercer then ever due to the new Soul Crush system; block too much and your guard will break, leaving you vunerable to a devastating combo or a round ending Critical Finish. The Xbox controller does its best to keep up, but serious fighters definitely want to invest in an arcade stick; sometimes the wobbly D-pad just can’t cut it. While the new armor breaking mechanics are fun, they don’t necessarily add a new dimension to combat and feel more like a cosmetic add-on included to make battles even more exciting. One big gripe about combat is that button mashing can get you pretty far in this game. There were times where I felt that mashing one button repeatedly was a better plan then actually learning combos. In addition, the AI in the single player mode isn’t very smart or attentive, falling victim to the same pattern of run, grab, run, grab.

With over 30 characters, Soul Calibur IV is a who’s who of the series, bringing in some new characters as well as a huge list of returning favorites. Unfortunately, some of the characters are clones of others and others just seem to be broken. Take Yoda for example. While The Apprentice is an excellent addition, Yoda is a three-foot flying assault weapon that can hardly be hit due to his quick and highflying combat style. He also can’t be thrown, making pinning him down even more impossible as well as making him extremly annoying to fight.

Yoda, while a fun addition, is just broken

SCIV also boasts a robust character creation system, so if you get bored with the main cast, you can create your own warrior. Unfortunately, you can only create characters based on existing fighters, so sometimes it feels as if you’re just creating new skins.

There are plenty of modes to enjoy for both online and off. Single players can take part in the usual arcade and story modes as well as a new survival type mode called the Tower of Souls. However, the main draw this go-around is definitely online play. During test runs, online play was fast and smooth with hardly any hints of slowdown, and challengers were readily available.

Soul Calibur is fun for newbies and veterans alike.

Fans of the series will be pleased, and new players will be happy with what they find. Soul Calibur IV is a solid addition to the series; intense gameplay, a smooth online experience, and a wide range of modes and customization make Soul Callibur IV a must-have for fighting game enthusiasts and other gamers alike.

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