Soul Calibur IV

10 Review to this product

• 

  Bilbo Baggins
  July 31st, 2008 on 5:21 am

  Rating

  I must say that in all honesty that this game may be why I bought a PS3. I remember hearing about 6 months ago hearing about how the new soulcalibur would have Darth Vader(the ps3 version anyway) I was convinced I had to get a PS3 from that moment on. It was a difficult hunt since supplies were limited (not as limited as the Wii thankfully) but I got my hands on a PS3. Then I played the waiting game. I got several cool PS3 games but all the while I was waiting for the big day to come. Well, now it has arrived.

  Getting to the actual game, I think it was quite worth the wait. The core gameplay really hasn’t changed too much but I enjoy the tweaks like armor damage where you can shred your opponents gear until they are standing in nothing but their skivvies. A major new element is the inclusion of skills, abilities that make your character stronger. But the real heart of the game lies in the customization. Being able to tweak the abilities and appearance of the main characters is quite fun. You can develop different builds. For instance you can make a Power Mitsurugi or an Impact Mitsurugi etc. etc. Probably the only thing I didn’t like was that there was no rpg type mode in this game like 3 had. That might have been my favorite part of that game.

  All in all I think this is a great game and it kicks butt.

  P.S. Darth Vader kicks butt, too.
• 

  Kaira
  August 2nd, 2008 on 8:26 am

  Rating

  I’m well aware that hardcore Soul Calibur fans will read my title and say, “Huh? Nothing really compares to the original Soul Calibur!” But in all honesty, I feel the gameplay is smooth and balanced, easy for both advanced players and novices alike to enjoy.

  What will hit your eyes first are the excellent graphics and breathtaking detail. Character models are upgraded to add more facial expressions, a very welcome addition, considering how Soul Calibur III had almost none. There is a much higher level of detail in the characters’ outfits, which are all quite good. You can actually see scars on Mitsurugi’s skin. Of course, depending on your preferences, you may or may not appreciate the general increase in bust size and scanty clothing amongst the female characters.

  Each character has his/her own story, and you can play as them in the Story Mode, which starts off with a few paragraphs of that character’s story before pitting you against five levels of fighting foes. There’s a difficulty setting for this mode, so you can choose either “Normal” or “Hard.” In both cases, each progressive level is increasingly hard, and at the end, there is a short ending scene. Here, the graphics are absolutely stunning. The only thing that could have been improved was the lip movement. It looks like the makers didn’t feel like fitting the English words to the mouths, which were originally designed for Japanese words. The voice acting is so-so and can be switched to Japanese if you find English too painful to listen to. Yet compared to Soul Calibur III, the ending scenes have improved by far, although their is no “interaction” or opportunity for an alternate ending. However, the mode has become shorter since the last game, maybe a little too short.

  The next single-player mode is Tower of Lost Souls. You “ascend” the tower, fighting batches of levels at a time. You’ll fight any number of levels in a batch (it varies), and while you’re in that same “batch,” you have to make sure you don’t lose too much health, since it won’t be replenished between levels. You get to choose a team of characters to use (the number of characters varies), or just one character, depending on the level. As you ascend the tower, the levels will get harder. You will also have the opportunity to unlock items for the Character Creation Mode. Tower of Lost Souls feels like a substitute for the traditional Survival Mode, which is no longer in the game. For some, that can be a sad thing, but I personally don’t feel like it’s much of a loss. Your own preferences decide whether or not it’s bad, so I’ll let you decide if it’s a plus or minus.

  Now, one of the most interesting modes in the game is the Character Creation Mode. You can use the fighting style of any main Soul Calibur character, and once again, the level of detail is extremely impressive. You can change the character’s physique (muscularity and size). You can’t make any characters that are very fat. They’re all pretty fit, no matter what size or muscularity level you choose. There are several voice options, and you can change the pitch to whichever way you see fit. The color options are very extensive as well (a full palette with nine degrees of brightness). With this mode, you can also create new outfits for the main characters (but that is all you can do.. no physique, skin, or eye color changes). There are fifty slots total for all creations, including those custom outfits for the main characters.

  There are also several extra features that give more depth to the gameplay. Different pieces of clothing on a created character or edited main character will change “attack,” “defense,” or “health” stats of that character. Skills can be attached to different weapons, depending on the amount of skill points a character has received (and that is done by playing more with that character’s style). The Soul Gauge is also new. If you block your opponent too much and attack too little, the gauge will decrease until your health bar flashes red, giving your opponent a chance to perform a Critical Finish, which is a special, fancy attack that instantly ends the match. It doesn’t happen too frequently while playing against friends or in single-player modes (besides training), so luckily, no one can abuse it.

  Another fun feature: your armor breaks! If you get hit enough (Hi, Mid, or Low), then pieces of your outfit will break off, making you more vulnerable to damage. It’s fun to watch it happen. The only danger is that your created characters’ pieces will be destroyed entirely. So, for example, if you have a character wearing pants, instead of simply ripping, the entire pair of pants will come off, leaving that character in just underwear (I guess that’s not a danger for some).

  If the game falls anywhere, it’s online play. There’s some lag, so quick moves like guard impacts are more of a liability than an asset. And the downloadable content is just a way to squeeze more money out of your pockets. Get it if you like, but Namco Bandai could have easily spared you the trouble by leaving it on the game disk for free.

  Oh yeah.. and there are bonus characters. Darth Vader and the Apprentice are entertaining additions to the game. There’s even a battle stage styled after Star Wars. I found the imbalance between the two characters shocking. The Apprentice is fast, has killer combos, and is quite.. cheap. Vader is slow, but powerful and more balanced. You can’t give either of their weapons to created characters or change their outfits, so they remain as unique bonuses. The other bonus characters aren’t worth mentioning. They’re a useless addition.

  And lastly, the music is amazing. It’s dramatic, well-suited to each battle stage, and gets you in the mood to fight.

  Just for the sake of it, here are my stats:
  
  Appearance: 10/10
  
  Sound: 8/10 (This includes voice acting)
  
  Gameplay: 10/10 (Everybody’s balanced)
  
  Fun: 10/10 (Versus mode with friends and character creation are so good)
  
  Replay Value: 9/10

  If you’re a hardcore Soul Calibur fan, you absolutely must buy this. If you skeptical about it because it may not satisfy you as much as the first Soul Calibur, rent it. Either way, this game deserves a look. I can’t find many bad things to say about it. Any criticism is pretty small, and there are no ridiculously bad flaws.

  I have to say, in my own personal opinion, that this is the best fighting game I have ever played.
  
• 

  O. Mariscal
  August 2nd, 2008 on 4:47 pm

  Rating

  Great fighting game. Lots of characters that take a long time to master and yet are fun to use right away. The graphics are nice but kind of hard to notice considering how fast the fighting is.
• 

  O. Carter
  August 5th, 2008 on 1:32 am

  Rating

  This game has been so much fun and I just got it. I love the graphics and the movement. They did make the game more sexual like dead or alive but its still worth playing; especially online. There arent many new things from the old games but it doesnt matter. I guess they felt, why fix it if it isnt broken. People want more more more and that is their main complaint. I’m happy with what I have in this game and will be playing it for quite some time.
• 

  Craig L. Johnson
  August 5th, 2008 on 3:32 am

  Rating

  Love this game! Been playing for the last few days and I’m loving it more and more. The fighting system is easy enough for anyone to play and deep enough for the hard core gamer. The graphics are simply beautiful! The characters flow seamlessly without a hint of stutter. The fighting styles are unique to each character and well balanced. The single player mode is deep enough to keep you entertained for sometime. I haven’t played on-line yet, but expect it to increase the game’s lasting appeal. Get this game if you at all like fighting games, you won’t regret it!
• 

  Jeremias Baez
  August 17th, 2008 on 8:22 am

  Rating

  This is a great game. Great graphics and control.
  
  I find it a little bit easy even in hard mode but it keeps you interested because it has a lot of unlockable items.

  The only bad thing… DarkVader has a fake ligth saber… He gets his but kick all the time.

  Great game.
• 

  Adam M. Lome
  August 23rd, 2008 on 9:31 pm

  Rating

  I have been playing the Soul Caliber series since it first came out , This game is def. an upgrade from the previous ones with more in depth graphics , fighting and character creation. I would def. reccomend this game to anyone who is a fan of the series and while there is not to many next gen. fighting games around right now this is the one to def. own. Plus amazon got it to me quickly on the release date , so i have nothing bad to say…
• 

  Denny
  August 27th, 2008 on 5:47 am

  Rating

  The wait for Soul Calibur IV is finally over. The renovated Character Creations(CAS)has been upgraded with many options available to create a unique soul that deems fit to your liking. Graphics has received an upgrade and is one of the best games out to date. Gameplay has also evolved from the past series. Soulcalibur IV features an all-new Critical Finish system that prevents opponents from blocking too much if they do not want to instantly lose. Overall Soul Calibur IV is a great game that will keep you entertained for years to come.
• 

  Mohamed Omar
  August 28th, 2008 on 9:38 pm

  Rating

  It has been a couple of weeks since the release of soul calibur iv. Fans of the series and noobs to the series have come in line to pick up this amazing fighter by Namco. This franchise has been successful in its previous installments especially Soul Calibur II.
  
  Basically, those of you who are into fighting games should know that this is a 3D-weapon based fighting game. They have everything from Tonfas, Daggers, Samurai swords, Axes, spears, extra large two-handed swords and much more.
  
  This latest installment of the series is delivers high and intense action that will have you play hours and hours with your friends or take it online for more challenges, where people can challenge anyone around the world, and you never know; you just might fight one of the developers and end up beating them.
  
  There are a few modes; story mode, arcade, verses, training, character creation and tower of lost souls.
  
  story mode takes you through the story of the character picked with only one major cut-scene that deals with the character and his/her story. There is arcade mode that features 8 continuous matches against opponents. verses is a one on one with a friend and there are two types of verses mode regular and special. special is with the created characters that have been customized and made in character creation mode. training mode allows you practice and tone your skills in soul calibur iv.
  
  character creation is used for of course as the name implies to create a character with the standard character’s fighting styles, each equipment has status effects to it, such as healing, immune to ring outs, speed up character, strength and defense enhancements and much more. Finally, the tower of lost souls makes you ascend or descend and each floor has special requirements that need to be met to clear the floor.
  
  The music in the game fits everything perfectly with the extra starwars character (the starwars battle stage) added to the game, for the PS3 Darth Vader and the Apprentice, and the XBOX 360 gets Yoda and the Apprentice.

  To bring everything to a conclusion, soul calibur iv is an amazing game, awesome selection of characters with different fighting styles and different speeds and strengths. If you are a fighting game fan then this is a fighting game that you must pick up. So let the SOUL KEEP BURNING AND FIGHT ON SOUL FANS.
• 

  John Edward
  May 13th, 2009 on 10:26 pm

  Rating

  This is a great game. I just wish Yoda was included in the PS3 version. I guess I’m going to have to break down and pay the extra 5 bucks to download the Yoda character from the PS3 network.

  How can they even think about having Darth Vader and not Yoda… I guess they do that to get you to download the character. I guess if Yoda was included, then they would make you pay 5 bucks for Darth Varder…