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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Fighting Developer: Namco Bandai Publisher: Namco Bandai |
and a large cast of characters that will whet the appetite of any fan of the series. “Soulcalibur IV” is a great addition to the “Soulcalibur”
series, despite its limited problems, and would be a welcome addition to any collection.The “Soulcalibur” series has been one series
that has continued to get better and better with every addition. Making its debut to the
“Soulcalibur IV” is a great game for anyone who has been following and enjoying the series over the years. There are over 30 different
characters to play, several amazing stages for players to battle in and enough special moves to keep even the most hardcore gamer
busy trying to memorize. This time around the game also features a large number of modes and unlockables that will keep players
engaged, along with a new online mode that lets players challenge other “Soulcalibur” fans around the world.
The game offers the standard Arcade and Story modes that have become familiar to fans of the fighting game genre. Players may be
surprised that nearly every character in the game has their own story to play through, but sadly the Story mode only lasts a few rounds
and can get through a character in ten minutes or less. There aren’t really any cinematic scenes except for the one toward the end of
the game.
The Tower of Lost Souls in the other single-player option that gives players the chance to either ascend or descend the tower, facing
challenges along the way. If players ascend the tower, they will be able to select a stage or set of floors to fight through which usually
involve heavily weighted battles where players fight against several overpowered enemies. When players fulfill certain conditions, they
are rewarded with equipment unlocks for the fairly robust Character Creation mode and allows them to advance further up the tower.
Descending the Tower of Lost Souls is an entirely different matter. Players select two characters at the start to use in a tag team style,
players then stick with those fighters through the entire event. Each floor brings a new set of enemies that must be defeated and
players receive items after clearing certain levels. This is only possible because the character that isn’t being used slowly gains health
until they are tagged in, so if players keep one fighter in long enough, the other can refill their health. Though this is a great feature of
“Soulcalibur IV,” it feels as though it could have been deeper with a better contextual narrative and a wider variety to match types.
However, having this way of unlocking content is nice and will add many more hours to the overall experience of the game.
Most of the unlocking that players will be able to do in the game opens up more items to be used in the Character Creation mode. Not
only can player customize existing characters, including their equipment, weapons, skills and hairstyles, but players can also create
new characters from the ground up, though they usually look like copies of preexisting fighters in the game. Being able to set up
different skills works well and allows players to tune their characters to match the player’s own personal fighting style. Also, the
equipment and weapons help set how many points can be spent in certain skill categories. Acquiring skills is ruled by a player Style
Level which increases as they use their character. If a player uses a character a lot, that specific character’s Style Level goes up and
gives players access to more skills for that character. Also, the more players play the game, the more equipment they will be able to
unlock which will give them even more options for their character customization.
Of course “Soulcalibur IV” offers the standard Versus mode which will be used by a lot of players in order to jump into a quick match
with either a friend or an AI opponent. This has become one of the most important modes of any fighting game and it is nice to be able
to play through a Versus mode instead of playing through an entire Arcade game.
One of the downfalls in the game is with the online multiplayer function that is available for the first time in the franchise history. Players
can face competition online and participate in either ranked or unranked matches. Players can also use their own customized
characters in the online arena which many players will probably enjoy. What is so frustrating about the online mode is the fact that there
are moments of lag that may be brief, but in a fighting game, can change the outcome of a match. When the online network is filled with
online players, the amount of lag often increases, causing a lot of frustration to those that are trying to fight in matches online.
Though the basics are the same between the Xbox 360 and the PS3, the one thing that everyone may be wondering, “What about the
Star Wars characters included in the games?” The PS3 version of the game features Darth Vader, while the Xbox 360 version is graced
by the presence of Yoda. However, both versions of the game get the Apprentice, the main character from the upcoming “Star Wars:
The Force Unleashed” game.
Overall, this is a game that fans of the fighting genre and fans of the series need to get. Also, for those that are looking for a new
fighting game should check out this game, it is worth the time and money.
series, despite its limited problems, and would be a welcome addition to any collection.The “Soulcalibur” series has been one series
that has continued to get better and better with every addition. Making its debut to the
“Soulcalibur IV” is a great game for anyone who has been following and enjoying the series over the years. There are over 30 different
characters to play, several amazing stages for players to battle in and enough special moves to keep even the most hardcore gamer
busy trying to memorize. This time around the game also features a large number of modes and unlockables that will keep players
engaged, along with a new online mode that lets players challenge other “Soulcalibur” fans around the world.
The game offers the standard Arcade and Story modes that have become familiar to fans of the fighting game genre. Players may be
surprised that nearly every character in the game has their own story to play through, but sadly the Story mode only lasts a few rounds
and can get through a character in ten minutes or less. There aren’t really any cinematic scenes except for the one toward the end of
the game.
The Tower of Lost Souls in the other single-player option that gives players the chance to either ascend or descend the tower, facing
challenges along the way. If players ascend the tower, they will be able to select a stage or set of floors to fight through which usually
involve heavily weighted battles where players fight against several overpowered enemies. When players fulfill certain conditions, they
are rewarded with equipment unlocks for the fairly robust Character Creation mode and allows them to advance further up the tower.
Descending the Tower of Lost Souls is an entirely different matter. Players select two characters at the start to use in a tag team style,
players then stick with those fighters through the entire event. Each floor brings a new set of enemies that must be defeated and
players receive items after clearing certain levels. This is only possible because the character that isn’t being used slowly gains health
until they are tagged in, so if players keep one fighter in long enough, the other can refill their health. Though this is a great feature of
“Soulcalibur IV,” it feels as though it could have been deeper with a better contextual narrative and a wider variety to match types.
However, having this way of unlocking content is nice and will add many more hours to the overall experience of the game.
Most of the unlocking that players will be able to do in the game opens up more items to be used in the Character Creation mode. Not
only can player customize existing characters, including their equipment, weapons, skills and hairstyles, but players can also create
new characters from the ground up, though they usually look like copies of preexisting fighters in the game. Being able to set up
different skills works well and allows players to tune their characters to match the player’s own personal fighting style. Also, the
equipment and weapons help set how many points can be spent in certain skill categories. Acquiring skills is ruled by a player Style
Level which increases as they use their character. If a player uses a character a lot, that specific character’s Style Level goes up and
gives players access to more skills for that character. Also, the more players play the game, the more equipment they will be able to
unlock which will give them even more options for their character customization.
Of course “Soulcalibur IV” offers the standard Versus mode which will be used by a lot of players in order to jump into a quick match
with either a friend or an AI opponent. This has become one of the most important modes of any fighting game and it is nice to be able
to play through a Versus mode instead of playing through an entire Arcade game.
One of the downfalls in the game is with the online multiplayer function that is available for the first time in the franchise history. Players
can face competition online and participate in either ranked or unranked matches. Players can also use their own customized
characters in the online arena which many players will probably enjoy. What is so frustrating about the online mode is the fact that there
are moments of lag that may be brief, but in a fighting game, can change the outcome of a match. When the online network is filled with
online players, the amount of lag often increases, causing a lot of frustration to those that are trying to fight in matches online.
Though the basics are the same between the Xbox 360 and the PS3, the one thing that everyone may be wondering, “What about the
Star Wars characters included in the games?” The PS3 version of the game features Darth Vader, while the Xbox 360 version is graced
by the presence of Yoda. However, both versions of the game get the Apprentice, the main character from the upcoming “Star Wars:
The Force Unleashed” game.
Overall, this is a game that fans of the fighting genre and fans of the series need to get. Also, for those that are looking for a new
fighting game should check out this game, it is worth the time and money.
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