052 4 Not a heavy gamer , but some how have managed to collect 10 + games .
However , this is the game I play the most .
Well , arcade mode , or tower mode , I have to say is awfully boring .
Go online and play against other players ! It is quite the fun despite some lagging .
After 1300 + wins and 2100 + looses . . . I'm not the best fighter or even a good player at all , but I could at least say that I have played enough matches to say that this game has quite the depth as a fighting game .
See you in PSN if you happen to pick it up . I only play Amy based custom characters with pale skinned female , dressed in all white with vampirelish look . . .
084 4 This game is a very good game however the story mode is very short and lame . A very solid fighting game though . Tons of characters and awesome moves . The one thing I was disappointed about though was the quest to go through and collect all the different swords and go through dungeons as in the previous games . I miss that . Other than that it is a great game and you can create your own character with its own fighting style and equipment . SWEET .
076 4 Now here's a game that is very clean in it's programming . I give it 5 stars because the level of detail and thought put into this game is substantial . There are many characters to choose from . Online play is definitely great . If you like fighting games , then this will definitely hold you over for a while . I recommend buying .
080 4 The best fighting game out of any other fighting game series . Most of the modes and characters from the Soul Calibur series are here . And new modes and characters such as Online and Tower of Souls . The new characters are Algol , Hilde , Angol Fear , Ashlotte , Kamikirimusi , Scheherazade , Shura , Darth Vader , and Vader's Secret Apprentice from the game Star Wars : The Force Unleashed . Character Creation is more detailed . The new armor and weapon only improves the game due to the better graphics . But the only downside is the online . Most matches either fails to connect , lag like crazy , disconnects during a match , or doesn't find a match . But , none of these online problems take away from the game . Other then that this game is perfect and you should buy it right away .
092 4 Great Game if you are into the Soul Series . Online would be perfect if there aren't a lot of lag .
088 4 Soul Calibur is the 4th installment in the Soul Calibur series . New additions are the inclusion of new modes such as Tower of Souls and the create a character mode . Also new , is the inclusion of Star Wars characters , Yoda in the 360 version , and Darth Vader in the PS3 version . They are great , but not that much to make a big impact on which version you get . I would recommend the PS3 version however , especially because of the superior game pads . The game is extremely addictive and fun . Some claim that it gets boring after a while , but i still find it quite enjoyable . I would recommend it for any fan of the series , or fighting games in general .
058 4 Love Fighting based games and I think this is one of the best so far on the PS3 system to date .
060 4 Great graphics and game play . Game is also fun to play . I would recommend for the casual to the extreme gamer .
064 4 The game has a great fun factor . However I found it was somewhat short in the story mode . Character creation was perhaps the best part of the game . I would love to create a fighter with Darth Vader's fighting style however I haven't found a way to do this so am not sure whether this is even possible .
078 4 Its a nice game . Still , I was expecting more from a PS3 game . Anyways , it is the best game there is in stock !
098 4 I have played all the past soul cailbur games and they always have really good modes like weapon master in two and many other modes in three but in four they removed all those modes and all they added was a tower mode that was alright and online which is alright . so i would recommend this game but you just have to know ahead of time that it is not as good as the other soul cailbur games .
108 4 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 . . .
116 4 Soul Calibur IV for the PS3 is a fun , quick play in campaign mode . The visuals are good and there are a lot of characters ( plus a character creator ) to use . Different skills and fighting styles keep the play fresh . There is an update for the PS3 version which is detected and installed from the PlayStation Network when the game disk is first inserted . With the update I found the load time to be very quick , and if you fail a level and then retry , the load time is very quick . There are a lot of options to keep game play interesting , for a fighting game .
120 4 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 .
122 4 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 !
124 4 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 .
132 4 I'm not familiar with any of the preceding Soul Calibur titles but I am impressed by this release . The controls are very intuitive without getting too complicated ( ie . Tekken ) . The graphics are incredible and the animation is very impressive . Overall this is a great fighter and I would easily reccomen this to anyone looking for a next-gen fighter .
144 4 My husband loves this game . I think he spends more time making characters than playing the game . Some parts can be a little hard , but he just makes a stronger character .
151 4 Great graphicas . Fight modes are excellent . The addition of Characters and fight abilities brings a lot more to the game that its predecessors . I wrealy recommend purchising it , you will get a lot out of it .
155 4 I am a real fan of fighting games , but It seems like they were trying to sell this game with the novelty of Vader and large breasted women . I feel the game is too short and is a cluster of different play modes that I really don't care about , The story mode ends before it begins it seems like , which is a shame . I honestly can't say I recommend this as a game to purchase , but more of a rental over the weekend .
157 4 Somehow I thought this game would be funner . I guess I didn't know enough about the franchise . If you like endless sword fights getting harder and harder then this is the game for you , if you get bored fighting the same fights over and over look somewhere else .
Deception . After getting Tekken 5 DR for PS3 I found I was missing out on a lot of great fighting games over the years . On to the review , I found this game to have a relatively deep combat system , a decent amount of unlocks / custom characters and a short story mode . First off the graphics are crisp & detailed , they did Darth Vader justice and this game is very addicting .
Modes of play : Single Player Modes = Story : It is like the arcade but at the very end you get to see a short cut-scene of your chosen character gaining ultimate power . Tower Of Lost Souls : A series of levels ascending & descending the tower , when you ascend you fight overpowered fighters and unlock the next level & when you descend you fight lots of weaker enemies . There are treasure chests you can obtain by meeting specific conditions during each floor & if you get a treasure chest you unlock a item that can be used for the character creation mode . Arcade : just like the name implies , you fight through increasingly difficult opponents till you get to the final boss . After each match you will be graded on how well you did and after beating the final boss you get an overall grade & score . You can try to beat your time , score and grade by going through the mode again . Training : Just your usual practice mode to learn basic mechanics or learn harder combos.Versus Modes = Standard versus - Regular versus mode without equipment or effects ( more on this later ) . Special Versus with equipment and effects .
Now on to character creation where you can customize existing characters and create your own . You can equip new / special swords , armor and completely change the look of standard characters but there is a catch each item has different attributes and changes your stats . These different stats only apply in specific modes but when they are on your character has special abilities like auto grapple break and increased health . With the amount of abilities that are already there you can make countless versions of classic characters , with a limit of 50 custom characters this adds a lot of replay value . Some characters like Darth Vader limits this to changing the light saber and a gem for special powers , so don't get your hopes up of making a custom Vader . As I said before these stats and powers to apply to certain modes so you can still have your custom clothes on during the restricted modes , just with normal stats . I didn't dip too deep into created characters but as far as I can tell you can make only human characters and all the fighting styles to choose from are standard styles . So if I chose the Yoshimitsu fighting style my character would look different but be an exact clone , with the same special moves and everything . I am kind of disappointed by the create a character mode as I would rather use the actual Yoshimitsu instead of a clone but I take it as nice bonus to this game . Also for every character there is style level and as you fight and get better you level up the style unlocking new special powers in which you can add to that specific character .
The combos in this seem like short bursts and you will have to make your own long combos . It is not like Tekken where everyone has a insanely devastating combo ( although the final boss sure does ) . I didn't like the fact that almost every arena has a deathtrap that can end the round instantly or the fact that there is no mode where it is impossible for that to happen , it just feels cheap . Just about every character is balanced except for the final boss ( obviously ) and the apprentice who has extremely overpowered moves . There is a armor system , when you attack the same spot over and over that specific armor piece will fall off making hits to that area more devastating . Every character has a soul crush move that will instantly defeat the opponent in one move , it is nearly impossible to pull off though . Basically if the opponent blocks too much his / her health bar will start flashing red , when this happens you have two choices - do a unblockable move and land it or parry an incoming attack , when you do that the opponent will be dazed and you can press the finisher button to end the round with a slick finisher . As I said it is near impossible to pull of as you only have a couple of seconds to meet the requirements to pull it off and most characters ' unblockable moves are very slow / easily avoidable . There is a Museum mode with concept art and ending but I'm not gonna get into that as its pretty self-explanatory . Overall this is a very good fighting game that is fun for beginners and truly rewards experienced players . I recommend this game to anyone who likes fighting games as it has tons of replay value and extremely fun gameplay . On a side note Banai Namco seem to love micro transactions as they already released a armor pack and music tracks today , they will probably continue to update the game for a fee as they did with Tekken 5 DR . Now I don't agree with their charge for things that should have / probably are on the disc business but this is a solid game to begin with so I am not faulting them for that .
08 / 18 / 08 Update - Well after playing this game non-stop for two weeks I decided to play the online matches . It is very basic : ranked & player matches , in the player matches you can play your friends and take turns fighting with up to four people . The ranked matches allow you to raise rank , unlock more items and fight random people . I must say ranked matches are pretty much broken and unfair . First ive had many people quit before the match ends taking away my victory in a very cheap fashion . People have found infinite moves that loop over until the round ends , once caught in one of these your character has no time to respond and your opponent will repeat until the match is over . Its funny because all of the people I played who used this technique were at a very very high rank , its obvious how they got that high . This game clearly favors cheap players and button mashers , nothing angers me more than getting beat by a complete noob because of lag / ring out or rock paper scissor button mashing . I have had my PS3 for a long time and not once did I feel the need to block anybody , that is until I played this game . All I can suggest , if you play someone who is cheap / quits just go into the XMB right after the match and go into Players Met and add the top person to the Block List immediately . The ranking system is very flawed : if I have 98 / 100 points till rank up I have to win two matches in a row to rank up because it will cap at 100 / 100 first match then carry over next match . So if I lose then all my extra points are lost , thus I have to win two matches in a row effectively level capping me at whatever rank I'm at . Then the characters , the only way I can describe it is that its like rock paper scissors : Kilik ( rock ) VS Sigfried ( paper ) ( this is not a * true * example ) Kilik is at a disposition to the point that Sigfried can press square the whole match and Kilik would have absolutely no opportunity to fight back . Lag , anyone who's ever played online knows what lag is and universally despises it . When there is lag consider the match lost period , I cannot stress this enough YOU WILL LOSE not to a skilled player no you will lose to lag . Lag is the worst in fighting games and its quite frequent in this game , you press a button a whole second later it registers . The match making system is worthless too , it often sends you to a full / empty match . You are better off hosting a match and waiting for a opponent - DO NOT play with anyone that has less than 3 signal strength , as I learned the hard way . I completely hate the fact that there is a CHUNK of unlocks you can only get playing online as it alienates people without internet connection . I also didn't like the fact that Namco locked the save so I cant use my custom characters over a buddy's house . So at this point I am only playing ranked matches to get unlocks and playing friends in player match , even though I absolutely hate ranked matches .
002 4 I'm not much of a video game reviewer , and I'm certainly not a serious gamer but I do enjoy blowing off an hour or two every once in a while playing games . Up until we rented this on gamefly I had never played a Soul Caliber game before . I enjoy fighting games provided there are some speedy characters involved . My Hubby and I enjoyed this game enough to pay the extra loot to keep the game so we are now the proud owners of Soul Caliber IV .
What I liked :
1 ) I didn't have to hit 40 sequential buttons to get the character to do something cool , in fact my inner button masher was quite happy with the moves that I was able to do right off just by smashing in patterns .
2 ) The graphics are good , the surrounding areas are cool to look at and you can smash up your surroundings , which is always fun . The playable characters come in a wide variety and all look fairly good ( some of the women are ridiculously proportioned but whatever ) . They have a variety of weapons that are quite fun and all look great .
3 ) The characters level , meaning the more you play with one , the more options you get with them .
4 ) The online option is interesting , but for some reason the pairing doesn't seem up to snuff , I mean why would the computer match up a level 1 with a level 41 ? It seems that it should be a bit more balanced as to who it sets up against who .
5 ) The tower is a blast , and it's HARD ! basically you have to fight different groups of baddies on each level of the tower to ascend to the next one . . . we're on level 20 or so now and it's no walk in the park ! The good thing is that each level has a way for you to unlock another article of clothing to use in your character creation .
6 ) Character creation , this can be quite fun , and I'm really bad at it . My hubby can spend over an hour tweeking his dude . . . I just slap some clothes on them and go .
7 ) The other options are your standard Arcade mode and the story mode , both of which allow you to unlock different playable characters .
What I don't care for :
1 ) When you are either beating the tar out of someone or they are laying the smack down on you , armor can break . . . effectively leaving your character almost completely in the nude . Now I'm not sure who gets their jollies from video game semi-naked people , but I'm not one of them .
2 ) It would be great if the female characters weren't trapsing about with their boobs hanging out wearing thongs . . . and the closeups of the boobs and booties gets to be rather tiresome . . . men wonder why more women don't play video games . . . this is one of the reasons .
3 ) The commercial showed Darth Vader fighting Yoda . . . um . . . you only get Vader on the PS3 version , apparently Yoda is on the Xbox version . It would have been nice to have had both .
4 ) The loading times from fight to fight get a bit tiresome , especially in the tower when you just got your derrier handed to you and you have to re-fight the same guy for the 15th time and there you are ; waiting for 2 minutes or more to reload the battle .
5 ) In the character creation I should be able to pick some better undergarments for my people just in case all of their clothes get busted off so that they aren't standing there in a bra and thong .
Still , I love the game , it's an absolute blast and well worth a purchase ( especially used )
006 4 I am a huge fan of the Soul series . I remember sinking quarters into the arcade over a decade ago . When Soul Calibur first came out on the home consoles , it was like a dream come true . Many hours were spent playing that game instead of working on papers in college . Soul Calibur 3 was definitely my favorite . I even had the chance to work on the artwork for the UFS card game based on SC3 . I think my huge involvement and love of Soul Calibur , especially the SC3 , is what ultimately led to some of my disappointment with Soul Calibur 4 . . .
The good :
- - The graphics are incredible ! The animations are smooth and the characters move with a beautiful fluidity . The faces in particular look much better with each iteration , and SC4 definitely made leaps and bounds in the character models .
- - Online play at last ! Not once did I experience lag . It's fun to practice on the CPU , but far more fun to take on complete strangers . Even if you lose , you get to see how other people play and you start improving so when your friends come over , you can summarily embarrass them .
- - Best character-creation mode EVER . Sure SC4 did not reward you non-stop with character-creation items the way SC3 did , but the depth of the new system is something you have to experience to appreciate . I love the amount of customization you're allowed , though I miss the CC-unique fighting styles .
- - Tower of Lost Souls . They call it that because you will sink hours of your life there .
- - A cool tag-team dynamic that lets you switch characters in the middle of a fight . Definitely useful when you need a variety of styles .
- - Critical Finishes are cool when conditions are right and you can pull them off . I'd rather be beaten with one of those than a Ring Out any day .
The bad :
- - Yoda is cheap . You can't even grab him . In fact , the Star Wars characters seem FAR out of place , but this isn't the first time SC has done crossovers . What bugged me the most is that the Character Creation didn't allow you to make Jedi characters . How utterly unfair to add the license but not allow customized lightsaber wielders .
- - No Team Versus battles . I can't understand why they would remove this , maybe Namco believed if you wanted to play against another human , it's better to do so online in standard / special vs mode ?
- - The storyline seems extremely thin , and the character endings are pretty lacking compared to SC3 . There's no interactivity in the cutscenes or endings and some of the hidden characters don't even get animated endings .
- - There are no shop girls from SC3 !
- - Chronicles of the Sword is gone . It was one of my favorite modes from Soul Calibur 3 . It contributes to my overall feeling of a lack of story in this game .
I love most of the additions to the game , including the game modes and some of the new characters . I can't understand why Namco chose to remove some of the modes from the previous game though . They really need to release more downloadable content too . On its own , this is a fantastic game . It has great graphics , a balanced fighting system and enough features to keep you busy for a while . The character creation is something all fighting games should learn from . But ultimately , if compared to past games of the series , you get a sense that this game seems a bit rushed in the substance department . I hope this isn't really supposed to be the last of the Soul Calibur series , because it didn't really tie up a lot of the characters stories in my opinion .
007 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
For as much as Namco's Soul Calibur series has stayed the same , the more fun the weapons-based fighter has become . Soul Calibur IV is no different , offering up a plethora of fighters that bear familiar faces to fans of the series , as well as even offering Darth Vader ( yes , Darth Vader ) as a bonus fighter for the Playstation 3 version of the game ( while XBox 360 gamers get Yoda ) , and stands as the best fighter to hit the PS3 yet . Like previous installments in the series , the fighting engine is surprisingly deep yet even more surprisingly accessible for those new to the series , and is rewarding as well . It should also be noted that Soul Calibur IV looks magnificent ( especially on the PS3 ) and fully displays some brilliantly animated graphics that are vibrant and nicely detailed . Even better is the game's online play which is smooth , lag-free , and tons of fun . The only real downside to Soul Calibur IV is that the game's single player mode isn't hard to get through at all , and there's no team battle mode either , which is really disappointing . Despite that though , Soul Calibur IV is a wonderful and incredibly good installment of a great fighting series that deserves your attention , whether or not you're a veteran or newcomer to the Soul Calibur universe .
010 4 I had Soul Calibur on Dreamcast and SC2 on Gamecube ( never played SC3 ) but now I bought this one on PS3 as I liked the first 2 . I played it for an hour or so and quit it in disgust for what they had done to my beloved franchise . As others have said the story mode is ridiculously short and repetitive between characters ( I miss the original SC story mode with different parameters in battle ) . On top of that they had modified the way my usual character ( Siegfried ) played with missing combos and different attacks . Even the interface was not as clean and polished as I was used to with the menu options being placed on these ugly swords and the character selection screen having super tiny portraits and trading card like blow ups instead of fully rendered characters when you moved over them . To top it off the game only runs in 720p ( this is the case for both xbox and ps3 versions despite what some people claim ) .
I kept forcing myself to return to the game hoping I would find something I liked and I have to say that over time it has started to get better . Yes the menus and the single player are not as good as the first one , and I do miss the stories and detailed endings ( as cheesy as they were I still liked watching them ) , but that was usually the stuff that got me into the first to games not what kept me playing . I later figured out that they split up siegfried's moveset into 2 with nightmare ( formerly they were just clones but don't know if that changed in 3 ) . In fact none of the characters are quite as clone-ish as they were in previous iterations even if they do have ' similar ' movesets . After time I've been able to find other characters who haven't changed as much as Siegfried like Cervantes ( who I was happy to see got his armor costume from SC back so you don't have to be the cheesy pirate like in SC2 ) .
As far as the create a character goes , when you unlock and purchase a lot of the equipment it is quite versatile to make a character you like but there are restrictions as far as I can tell . The gear gives you different attributes so it seems like you can choose to make a character whose appearance you like with otherwise worthless stats , or to max out your stats with a goofy or dull looking character . Would have been nice to make the 2 independent of each other . Maybe there is a way to do this but I have not figured it out yet .
All I can say is if you were horrified like me when you first try the game , give it some time and at least the multiplayer can keep you entertained . Still sad though that it doesn't have the polish or sense of completeness I got with the first two games .
012 4 To start I have never played any of the Soul Calibur games , Ive really only played / play the 2D Mortal Kombats & MK : Deception . After getting Tekken 5 DR for PS3 I found I was missing out on a lot of great fighting games over the years . On to the review , I found this game to have a relatively deep combat system , a decent amount of unlocks / custom characters and a short story mode . First off the graphics are crisp & detailed , they did Darth Vader justice and this game is very addicting .
Modes of play : Single Player Modes = Story : It is like the arcade but at the very end you get to see a short cut-scene of your chosen character gaining ultimate power . Tower Of Lost Souls : A series of levels ascending & descending the tower , when you ascend you fight overpowered fighters and unlock the next level & when you descend you fight lots of weaker enemies . There are treasure chests you can obtain by meeting specific conditions during each floor & if you get a treasure chest you unlock a item that can be used for the character creation mode . Arcade : just like the name implies , you fight through increasingly difficult opponents till you get to the final boss . After each match you will be graded on how well you did and after beating the final boss you get an overall grade & score . You can try to beat your time , score and grade by going through the mode again . Training : Just your usual practice mode to learn basic mechanics or learn harder combos.Versus Modes = Standard versus - Regular versus mode without equipment or effects ( more on this later ) . Special Versus with equipment and effects .
Now on to character creation where you can customize existing characters and create your own . You can equip new / special swords , armor and completely change the look of standard characters but there is a catch each item has different attributes and changes your stats . These different stats only apply in specific modes but when they are on your character has special abilities like auto grapple break and increased health . With the amount of abilities that are already there you can make countless versions of classic characters , with a limit of 50 custom characters this adds a lot of replay value . Some characters like Darth Vader limits this to changing the light saber and a gem for special powers , so don't get your hopes up of making a custom Vader . As I said before these stats and powers to apply to certain modes so you can still have your custom clothes on during the restricted modes , just with normal stats . I didn't dip too deep into created characters but as far as I can tell you can make only human characters and all the fighting styles to choose from are standard styles . So if I chose the Yoshimitsu fighting style my character would look different but be an exact clone , with the same special moves and everything . I am kind of disappointed by the create a character mode as I would rather use the actual Yoshimitsu instead of a clone but I take it as nice bonus to this game . Also for every character there is style level and as you fight and get better you level up the style unlocking new special powers in which you can add to that specific character .
The combos in this seem like short bursts and you will have to make your own long combos . It is not like Tekken where everyone has a insanely devastating combo ( although the final boss sure does ) . I didn't like the fact that almost every arena has a deathtrap that can end the round instantly or the fact that there is no mode where it is impossible for that to happen , it just feels cheap . Just about every character is balanced except for the final boss ( obviously ) and the apprentice who has extremely overpowered moves . There is a armor system , when you attack the same spot over and over that specific armor piece will fall off making hits to that area more devastating . Every character has a soul crush move that will instantly defeat the opponent in one move , it is nearly impossible to pull off though . Basically if the opponent blocks too much his / her health bar will start flashing red , when this happens you have two choices - do a unblockable move and land it or parry an incoming attack , when you do that the opponent will be dazed and you can press the finisher button to end the round with a slick finisher . As I said it is near impossible to pull of as you only have a couple of seconds to meet the requirements to pull it off and most characters ' unblockable moves are very slow / easily avoidable . There is a Museum mode with concept art and ending but I'm not gonna get into that as its pretty self-explanatory . Overall this is a very good fighting game that is fun for beginners and truly rewards experienced players . I recommend this game to anyone who likes fighting games as it has tons of replay value and extremely fun gameplay . On a side note Banai Namco seem to love micro transactions as they already released a armor pack and music tracks today , they will probably continue to update the game for a fee as they did with Tekken 5 DR . Now I don't agree with their charge for things that should have / probably are on the disc business but this is a solid game to begin with so I am not faulting them for that .
08 / 18 / 08 Update - Well after playing this game non-stop for two weeks I decided to play the online matches . It is very basic : ranked & player matches , in the player matches you can play your friends and take turns fighting with up to four people . The ranked matches allow you to raise rank , unlock more items and fight random people . I must say ranked matches are pretty much broken and unfair . First ive had many people quit before the match ends taking away my victory in a very cheap fashion . People have found infinite moves that loop over until the round ends , once caught in one of these your character has no time to respond and your opponent will repeat until the match is over . Its funny because all of the people I played who used this technique were at a very very high rank , its obvious how they got that high . This game clearly favors cheap players and button mashers , nothing angers me more than getting beat by a complete noob because of lag / ring out or rock paper scissor button mashing . I have had my PS3 for a long time and not once did I feel the need to block anybody , that is until I played this game . All I can suggest , if you play someone who is cheap / quits just go into the XMB right after the match and go into Players Met and add the top person to the Block List immediately . The ranking system is very flawed : if I have 98 / 100 points till rank up I have to win two matches in a row to rank up because it will cap at 100 / 100 first match then carry over next match . So if I lose then all my extra points are lost , thus I have to win two matches in a row effectively level capping me at whatever rank I'm at . Then the characters , the only way I can describe it is that its like rock paper scissors : Kilik ( rock ) VS Sigfried ( paper ) ( this is not a * true * example ) Kilik is at a disposition to the point that Sigfried can press square the whole match and Kilik would have absolutely no opportunity to fight back . Lag , anyone who's ever played online knows what lag is and universally despises it . When there is lag consider the match lost period , I cannot stress this enough YOU WILL LOSE not to a skilled player no you will lose to lag . Lag is the worst in fighting games and its quite frequent in this game , you press a button a whole second later it registers . The match making system is worthless too , it often sends you to a full / empty match . You are better off hosting a match and waiting for a opponent - DO NOT play with anyone that has less than 3 signal strength , as I learned the hard way . I completely hate the fact that there is a CHUNK of unlocks you can only get playing online as it alienates people without internet connection . I also didn't like the fact that Namco locked the save so I cant use my custom characters over a buddy's house . So at this point I am only playing ranked matches to get unlocks and playing friends in player match , even though I absolutely hate ranked matches .
014 4 I've played each major console Soul Calibur game to date , and at this point , I'm kinda done with the series . It really feels like I'm playing the same exact game , over and over with a new character here and there , and spruced up graphics as the systems go on . There are just two reasons why I bought this one in the first place - it was cheap , and I wanted to see how nice Ivy looked on a current generation console . Isn't that terrible ? Hey , at least I'm being honest here . I've always been more of a Guilty Gear and Street Fighter player . SC never got ahold of me , despite consistently being a gorgeous game series and using weapons instead of hand to hand combat .
If you haven't played a SC game before , it's just a 3D weapons-based fighting game . You can move around your opponent , win via Ring Outs and . . . man , that's really it . For the gameplay , the game is fun if you're playing casually or with a bunch of friends taking turns . SC has never been much of a competitive game , especially considering that most people use the term ' button masher ' at some point when describing it . And that's completely true - anyone can beat the game or another person if they just randomly hit buttons . To this day , I don't know how to do Mitsurugi's better moves , but doing standard attacks and grabs seems to get me on to the next round just fine . The characters aren't that balanced either , and you'll rarely see anyone using a good 70% of the roster . And they went and did the tie-in for The Force Unleashed , throwing The Apprentice and Darth Vader in here . Vader is weird to play as , and can use some Force powers , but plays like an SC character . The Apprentice however , is very cheap and definitely overpowered . He could've been the final boss in the main game modes and aside from not fitting in with the SC world , it would've been a good battle .
So what's new with SC4 ? Not much . You can play online - always cool for fighting games , but depending on your connection there could be lag , and that always kills the fun unless you master the timing ( yes , some people actually do that ) . There's a Tower of Souls mode , very similar to the modes in pervious SC games that gets you money to unlock more items and weapons , and offers some real challenge , like beating 3 enemies in a row via Ring Out , or switching to your partner instead of wasting everyone with just one character . The main thing I like is the Create a Character mode . There are tons of clothes , armor , accessories and everything to help make a truly unique character of your own . If you want your guy to wear pants on his head , go for it - you can do it here . There's also downloadable content like Christmas outfits and of course for the ps3 version here - Yoda . You have to pay more than you should for him , and he's such a cheap character that people will just get mad if you use him , but if you want all the characters , you'll need him . Also , you can now break armor and weapons , and get a kind of instant kill attack . Should you keep blocking attacks , your armor will break ( not that some characters have much armor to begin with ) . It's a nice addition but it didn't happen enough when I was playing to affect gameplay . Lastly , I have to give them some credit for the new character that fights with both a spear and a short sword . I love playing as lancers in any game , and it was good to see a lovely lady representing the class finally . ' turns out that she's one of the better characters too .
Visually , the SC4 continues the tradition of looking incredible . Animations are smooth and never jerky , and they've gotten better on rendering things like hair and cloth . The music is generic , and I never paid much attention to it , but the voices match their characters well in both Japanese and English , for the most part .
Really , most of my negative comments aren't that negative . It's just that the series desperately needs something new . If you haven't played a game in the series , you might like it more than someone like me did . SC4 is great to look at , even with it being an older game now , but if you want a deeper or just plain more memorable fighting experience on the ps3 , go for Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo or BlazBlue .
016 4 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 . . .
018 4 The game is fun enough to play . It's a very solid fighter . For some reason I went in expecting both the story mode and character customization to have much more depth .
The story is horribly bland . I'll leave it at that .
Once you unlock a lot of the equipment in the game you can customize characters ' appearances to a great degree . However , I would have appreciated being able to mix up move sets rather than just copying an entire move set of the original , pre-made characters . Examples of being able to toss your own moves together would be those pro wrestling games and the obscure Kingdom of Paradise ( PSP ) .
I guess if you aren't expecting much story or being able to customize move sets , then you can have a lot of fun just beating up on the computer and other players . The skill level of the players online seem to vary greatly . Some folks are ridiculously good and others seem like ( and might actually be ) four year olds .
020 4 Soul Calibur has always been one of my favorite fighting games . SC4 is no different . The game has almost everything I could ask for . Custom character setup has been greatly improved . Now you can choose which style you want your character to fight like instead of being assigned a certain discipline . The graphics and control is outstanding . I also like the addition of Star Wars characters ( especially Apprentice Starkiller ) .
The different skill sets in the game makes the game very deep and gives it a lot of replay value . The game even has a new and improved boss from the last SC game . One thing that I miss is the Battle Theater mode and Exhibition Theater mode . For some unknown reason , these two modes , which were in every single SC game before SC4 have now been removed . The game could also use a few more stages and more clothing for the Star Wars characters . As a matter of fact , I would have loved to see a Force Gauge skill set for Star Wars characters . If your character has Force Gauge A then his Force Gauge will never deplete . Unfortunately this was never put into the game but this is still in my opinion the best fighting game of the year .
022 4 Fighter graphics have improved , yet can't say the same thing about stages and background . They look and feel dull .
Vader certainly makes his presence felt . Nice addition to the line up .
I don't care for single player modes , I just use them to make gold to unlock stuff . Didn't enjoy it in other games , not enjoying it here . If I wanted to watch CGI , I would have bought MGS4 .
Multiplayer is another story . With these graphics and fighters the game has no equal . Especially if you master Vader . I usually play offline with my friends . They love it , I love it , end of story .
If you liked it before , you will like it again . You can always try it before you buy it . Recommended , highly .
024 4 Namco has given gamers an excellent fighting experience with Soul Calibur IV . It is both visually stunning and entertaining to say the least .
PROS :
The developers of this game have put alot of effort in visual effect and game play . The characters move fluidly from one move to another without appearing choppy and plastic . One move K.O . ' s are no longer an annoyance ( I.E . sliding attacks . . one button B attacks ) . Combos seem much more technical ; moreover , this is really isn't bad as it really weeds out button mashers . BTW . . The finishing moves for each individual characters are very , very swt .
The character creation feature in this game is alot of fun . Lots of room for individuality .
Cons :
There is plenty of trophy's and prizes along the way that would keep gamers thoroughly engrossed in the game ; however , I believe that the biggest flaw for this game and it's fans is the non existent story - line that I thought made Soul Calibur . . Soul Calibur .
Oh and don't get too exited about Darth for the PS3 console . . he's quite lame . The slow bastard . I'm pretty sure Lucasarts wanted to keep Namco from allowing any modifications in the character creations for the Star Wars characters , but I was still pretty disappointed when I couldn't make a pretty in pink lady Darth Vader LOLZ .
025 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Just looking at these character models and backgrounds in Soul Calibur IV is enough to make your mouth drop open . I'm not usually into this kind of game , but I have loved the Soul Calibur series since I got the first one on Sega Dreamcast . The story and tower modes are fun , but they really don't last as long as they should for the price of $59.99 . If you play online you will get much more out of your purchase , otherwise , renting would be your best option . These kind of games do get a little boring after awhile , so don't sit around and play it all day when you first get it .
Where else can you play as Darth Vader , choking and slicing your way through your opponents ? Adding the Star Wars stage ( with authentic music ) and Vader makes this game truly epic . I heard that the XBOX 360 ' s Yoda might be available as a download in the future for the PS3 . If that happens it doesn't take a genius to know which matchup will be the most popular online and offline .
026 4 Just looking at these character models and backgrounds in Soul Calibur IV is enough to make your mouth drop open . I'm not usually into this kind of game , but I have loved the Soul Calibur series since I got the first one on Sega Dreamcast . The story and tower modes are fun , but they really don't last as long as they should for the price of $59.99 . If you play online you will get much more out of your purchase , otherwise , renting would be your best option . These kind of games do get a little boring after awhile , so don't sit around and play it all day when you first get it .
Where else can you play as Darth Vader , choking and slicing your way through your opponents ? Adding the Star Wars stage ( with authentic music ) and Vader makes this game truly epic . I heard that the XBOX 360 ' s Yoda might be available as a download in the future for the PS3 . If that happens it doesn't take a genius to know which matchup will be the most popular online and offline .
028 4 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 .
030 4 The first Soul Calibur game I played was Soul Calibur 2 . I didn't get to play Soul Calibur 3 , so I'm not a total SC fan , but I enjoy the series more than other fighting games due to it's simple fighting system .
The Good :
The graphics are incredible . The character models look fantastic ; Darth Vader never looked this good , and each character is incredibly detailed . Even Starkiller looks better in this game than he does in The Force Unleashed . And , as always the cutscenes look great .
The sound design is as good as you'll find in a fighting game , with nostalgic sounds of metal bashing against metal . The lightsaber effects are great as well . The dialogue and voice acting is cheesy , but that's become a staple in the series and it's pretty entertaining . Some characters have better voices than others .
Fighting is as fluid and simple as always . Casual players will find it accessible enough to button mash and get by , while hardcore players will find some depth with it and get rewarded for mastering it . It's well balanced . New features have been added , such as armor breaking and the critical finish . There's a large chance that you will never use critical finishes due to the requirements you need to pull one off , and most of them aren't worth the trouble .
The Bad :
Single player is absolutely pathetic compared to the previous installments , with only three modes , not counting training mode . The story mode is terrible and short , with re-used cutscenes and only FIVE stages . Tower of Lost Souls is too hard for the casual players , and only appeals to the hardcore players who can handle plenty of punishment , or players who want to collect every item in the game . Arcade mode is fairly lengthy and is the only enjoyable part of the single player . But even that can't save it .
Character customization provides a few hours of fun , but it loses it's excitement after a while . You can choose the gender , alignment ( Good , Evil , Neutral ) , hair style , voice and voice pitch , facial features , armor , weapon skills , etc . And while there's tons of equipment to unlock and equip , and plenty of weapon skills , much of it seems like it's more for style than usefulness .
Finally , the online play is a welcomed addition , but is very laggy . Lag can be anywhere from a nuisance to controller smashing frustration . Cheap shots and hit-and-run techniques are much more useful than trying to pull off more advanced combos , if you are even able to pull them off with the lag .
045 4 Despite minor flaws , this game was darn near perfect ! The graphics were phenomenal , the gameplay was easy to grasp , and the replay is worthy of recognition .
However , my only complaint was the character customization . I prefer a little more in-depth customizing , rather than already pre-rendered faces and standard-set body height . I wish more could have been done with it , but i'll leave it be .
Overall , this is a great game and I will be playing it for . . . . well , we'll see how long XD
047 4 Soul Calibur IV lacks variety and innovation . In contrast to its predecessor , it's actually a couple step back .
The graphic upgrade is evident . Fluidity and overall enjoyment are still high , but the game lacks depth .
Regardless , Soul Calibur IV is worth picking up for any console owners at its current low price , and remains a welcomed addition to the genre .
048 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
the game is beautiful in terms of graphics .
the game play is the same from the ps2 version ( SC2 , SC3 , ) , but only slightly different with some new characters .
because im a soul calibur fan , i loved the game .
and the character creation had an over haul since it first debuted on the ps2 .
over all , i liked it .
049 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
the game is beautiful in terms of graphics .
the game play is the same from the ps2 version ( SC2 , SC3 , ) , but only slightly different with some new characters .
because im a soul calibur fan , i loved the game .
and the character creation had an over haul since it first debuted on the ps2 .
over all , i liked it .
050 4 the game is beautiful in terms of graphics .
the game play is the same from the ps2 version ( SC2 , SC3 , ) , but only slightly different with some new characters .
because im a soul calibur fan , i loved the game .
and the character creation had an over haul since it first debuted on the ps2 .
over all , i liked it .
054 4 First I have to give SC props . It's definitely one of the best video games I've ever played . The graphics are amazing , the play is fast and furious , and it's just so much fun to whomp your opponent like a redheaded stepchild . I loved SC2 and SC3 , and I was so excited when I heard about 4 .
First , I love how they included Darth Vader and The Apprentice in SC4 . I knew I was getting Vader , but . . . I think his name is Starkiller actually , well , he was a lovely surprise . I could only be happier if they gave me Jane Eyre and Elvis Cole . I love how you can edit the fighters ' clothing now . I love Ivy , but I'm not crazy about seeing her butt cheeks hanging out . I created a version of her in coulotts , flip flops , and a neat updo . And of course you can create your own characters . And there are some really funny and awesome weapons available now , such as hula hoops , giant squids , a ladle and pot lid , a surf board , shish kebabs , a huge chicken leg , and a giant corn cob ! You can create Colonel Sanders if you so please . How fun is that ? Heck , maybe I'll try to create Jane and Elvis on my own . . .
Here's what I hate about SC4 : 1 ) Your character's defense depends on his / her wardrobe . That is , if you send Ivy running around in just a tee shirt and coulotts and flip flops , she's not going to defend herself as well as if she's wearing a breastplate and gauntlets . Okay , it's logical , but it's new and it bugs me . 2 ) They changed all the combos ! I had to relearn what buttons to press to get the character to do what I wanted . What a pain in the neck ! It seems like there are half the throws available , too . 3 ) The Moves list has been shortened dramatically . You can still do a lot of combos and such , but they only provide a partial list . 4 ) What happened to the camera controls ? I used to love to control the camera in SC3 . You can't do it here . 5 ) The load times are so long now . It's a PS3 ! Come ON ! 6 ) You can't go on missions anymore , or build teams .
Quite a few nits , huh ? But I still love playing it , and I'm looking forward to SC5 .
062 4 When the Dreamcast hit US shores back in ' 99 we were all rewarded with a platform for the greatest fighter ever : Soul Calibur . The first game in the series set the tone for its brilliant sequel , the suprisingly - disappointing third iteration , and then this gem : SOUL CALIBUR IV . Simple Namco recipe was to add weapons into its brilliant 3D fighter formulas . Although nothing like Tekken or its forefather Battle Arena Toshiden this game takes weapons brawlers to a new realm . Especially with this current generation's Soul Calibur . Never before has the series been online , SOUL CALIBUR IV is online enabled .
In case you don't know who the guests are this time around its Star Wars leaders Yoda and Vader . Nothing compared to Spawn or Link but its a return to a much loved tradition of guest fighters . Having light-sabers into the mix adds spice and fan-fare . I like Yoda even more after being recently unlocked on the Playstation store . The roster of characters doesn't end at Star Wars many of the characters were done by GUEST character designers from the manga / anime world . Angol Fear and Asholette are examples of these guest-designed characters . Lets end this raving review here because its obvious if your a fan of fighting games SOUL CALIBUR IV is already in your collection . Join us in the ever active online community with crazy customized characters ( its back from 3 ) and challenging battles .
066 4 I have played Soul Calibur 1 - 4 . This is a great fighting game , but mainly for multiplayer action . The story itself is way too short and I wished it would have been longer and more meaningful . Actually I would not consider this a story , it is almost like SC3 but with a new boss .
Challenges are great when you fight multiple character's ( 1 at a time ) before you can progress .
A highly improved character creation and weapons upgrade , far exceeding SC3 . Each piece of costume and acessories has it's pros and cons of adding it to your character , so you must balance your characer the best you can .
The tower is the most challenging part of this game , it can get very difficult as you progress .
I recommend buying this game for any Soul Calibur fan out there . It may not be the original many have loved on the Dreamcast , but it is still something you will enjoy on the PS3
Newcomers to the Soul Calibur franchise may not feel up to par with this game , but its a definate rental for you guys .
072 4 I must say that my first impression after purchasing this game was Am I missing something here ? I chose Darth Vader in arcade mode and the credits were rolling within ten minutes of fighting a few different characters . I tried fighting online , but couldn't ever get into a match due to heavy usage . Needless to say , I was disappointed .
A few days later I practiced using many of the different characters and the hundreds of moves that come with them and I realized that this isn't just a regular button mashing fighting game . The controls are VERY precise and pressure sensitive . There's a lot to learn here .
In my opinion this game really shines when you go online . After a week or so of buying this game it got a whole lot easier to find available matches . I love the fact that you can fight opponents online with the same precise controls as in the single player game . Matches rarely go past ten minutes making this a perfect online multiplayer game if you don't have a long time to devote to it . ( I hate getting stuck in COD4 if you have something that you need to get done all of the sudden . )
Anyhow , I highly recommend this game if you like fighting games with precise movements and quick combos . If you have this game , but don't like it , give it another try . You might be pleasantly surprised . I would have given it two stars the day I bought it , but now I shooting for five .
082 4 Soul Calibur IV lives up to expectations , and even blows them away . The colors and graphics make the cost of the PS3 worth it when you see this game . The sounds are great also . I especially like the loud thunderous sounds before each match .
The cast of characters is large and varied . I can't say that I found Darth Vader adding any value though . I am not much of a Star Wars fan , so take that with a grain of salt . The Star Wars level is space looks out of place too . In fact , it doesn't even look like a PS3 backdrop .
I created my own character and have had fun playing as him . . . Stone Cold Steve Austin . The create-a-character system works well , although it has taken some criticism from some reviewers .
Its a great fighting game .
086 4 The game is really nice . The best feature is the character create mode that lets you create your very own fighter , you don't have as much variety among clothes and faces to choose from , but it adds a lot to the game .
The graphics are good , the textures and models are sweet , my only concern are the few jaggies that I had noticed .
The controls are just like the playstation prequels , you will feel a soul calibur game in your hands .
Online is a little laggy , but is playable . Single player is just to short , Soul Calibur II last more than this title in my opinion .
087 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Soul Calibur is the 4th installment in the Soul Calibur series . New additions are the inclusion of new modes such as Tower of Souls and the create a character mode . Also new , is the inclusion of Star Wars characters , Yoda in the 360 version , and Darth Vader in the PS3 version . They are great , but not that much to make a big impact on which version you get . I would recommend the PS3 version however , especially because of the superior game pads . The game is extremely addictive and fun . Some claim that it gets boring after a while , but i still find it quite enjoyable . I would recommend it for any fan of the series , or fighting games in general .
090 4 WOW ! I'm so glad they did a good job on this game , because I love the series and was waiting for it to come to the Playstation 3 console .
Graphics / Sound
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The graphics and sound are beautifully rendered . Everything comes together wonderfully to create the story . . the only thing I don't care for is that ' narrator bit ' at the beginning of every match . . that gets old . .
Controls
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The controls are great . Responsive , and with practice the combos are great . Though it takes some work in this series to mesh the right moves together . It's not as easy to button mash in Soul Calibar as in other games , because not ending the right combos together leaves a pause where you are open to attack .
Game play
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Fighting games are notorious for short play , but with all the extra features in this game you should still have plenty to do . Their real value is in multi-player so if you are a loner it * may not * ( Unless you play online ! ) be the best choice for you . But if you have room mates . . buy extra controllers . : )
People who don't have all day to play games will enjoy it , because rounds are short and can be played in the 5 minutes or so before you run out the door to a meeting , dinner , ect .
Extras
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The character creator is rich , and full of posibilites . If you don't think so . . try looking around the internet . There are some contests going on with people making some awesome characters ! The only stellar improvement to this feature would be to let people download each other's fighters over the network .
There's plenty of costumes , characters , images , ect . to unlock in story mode too , and the guest character is awesome by the way ! ; )
093 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I'm a big Soulcalibur fan . I've been playing the series since the Souledge arcade days , and have bought all the various releases that have come out over the years for the home .
Soulcalibur IV is undoubtedly the best looking release to date , but is more than a bit disappointing beyond that . Sure , it's still the same game , but the single player experience has been eviscerated . There's just a series of increasingly frustrating challenges , and a sort of survival mode , which goes on and on for 50 levels ( or until you accidentally get ringed out and then hurl the controller across the room ) . It's tedious , and a big disappointment compared with the single player experience in previous console versions of the series .
This is offset somewhat by a ridiculously awesome character creation system , which lets roleplaying nerds like me spend hours customizing a character to achieve optimal performance , with the set of special abilities that I want . It's too complicated to describe here , but in a nutshell , there's a bajillion pieces of gear you can get in the game , and ( unlike previous versions ) they actually make a difference to your stats . Some add attack , some more defense , some more hit points , and some add capacity for adding special abilities to your character ( such as poison attacks or resistance to grapple or ringout ) .
The character creation system and graphics alone are worth the price of purchase . The online experience ( which is the main reason I think most people are buying it ) is sort of mediocre , with you being forced to wait in line for a long time when you connect to a server , and then again any time you lose . The lag is reasonable , but still very noticeable on my high-speed line . I have trouble parrying attacks , and finesse characters are much more difficult to play when there's a delay between your controller and the character moving . It's fairly annoying to have your character feeling like its running through quicksand .
Overall , I'm sort of happy with the game . It allows me to play it online , which I dig , but the game's offerings are so minimal , it's obvious that Namco just didn't put a lot of thought into the game's design .
094 4 I'm a big Soulcalibur fan . I've been playing the series since the Souledge arcade days , and have bought all the various releases that have come out over the years for the home .
Soulcalibur IV is undoubtedly the best looking release to date , but is more than a bit disappointing beyond that . Sure , it's still the same game , but the single player experience has been eviscerated . There's just a series of increasingly frustrating challenges , and a sort of survival mode , which goes on and on for 50 levels ( or until you accidentally get ringed out and then hurl the controller across the room ) . It's tedious , and a big disappointment compared with the single player experience in previous console versions of the series .
This is offset somewhat by a ridiculously awesome character creation system , which lets roleplaying nerds like me spend hours customizing a character to achieve optimal performance , with the set of special abilities that I want . It's too complicated to describe here , but in a nutshell , there's a bajillion pieces of gear you can get in the game , and ( unlike previous versions ) they actually make a difference to your stats . Some add attack , some more defense , some more hit points , and some add capacity for adding special abilities to your character ( such as poison attacks or resistance to grapple or ringout ) .
The character creation system and graphics alone are worth the price of purchase . The online experience ( which is the main reason I think most people are buying it ) is sort of mediocre , with you being forced to wait in line for a long time when you connect to a server , and then again any time you lose . The lag is reasonable , but still very noticeable on my high-speed line . I have trouble parrying attacks , and finesse characters are much more difficult to play when there's a delay between your controller and the character moving . It's fairly annoying to have your character feeling like its running through quicksand .
Overall , I'm sort of happy with the game . It allows me to play it online , which I dig , but the game's offerings are so minimal , it's obvious that Namco just didn't put a lot of thought into the game's design .
099 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
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 .
100 4 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 .
106 4 This is easily the best 3d fighting game out there . Balanced ( for the most part ) deep and engaging . Character creation mode is almost a game unto itself and the Tower of Souls game is challenging without being too much of a pain .
That said , the online play needs some work . Game matching is buggy and frustrating . If you're getting this to play online either pass or wait for an update to fix the issues .
112 4 well , its pretty fun if you play it with friends . Anything more than that is just repetitive .
recomend it as a stress relief .
114 4 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 .
118 4 I've played the first and second Soul Caliburs plus the horrid Legends for Wii . I missed out on the original Soul Edge and Soul Calibur III . So those are my qualifications for reviewing a Soul Calibur game . I may not know everything about the SC series , but neither am I a complete newbie .
BUTTON MASHING VS . FINESSE : With Soul Calibur II , I never felt any incentive to get better and learn more than my button mashing roots . While I'm sure fighting purists would think finesse fighting is its own reward , there's little reason to bother when button mashing with Link got me past every character on every game mode of SCII . It's a rare balance to find a game where button mashing can work long enough to get you into the game , but then just by virtue of having played , you start to get some finesse and find out just how deep the control system really is . This is what SC IV does . It still rewards button mashing to a degree . I was able to get through the Arcade and Story modes before learning much about the character I was controlling . But I did have a hard time of it . You'll find that things get significantly easier for you if you learn just a little bit of finesse .
CHARACTER CREATION : You can altar any existing character to a degree . Mostly you can just upgrade their weapon , change out a single stat-altering quality and change some of their abilities . So no gold-plated Vader .
Having only used the Mortal Kombat Armageddon Kreate a Fighter tool before , I can only compare to that . It is nice to have fifty slots worth of character creation ( including the altered main characters you've made ) compared to MK's two slots ( one if you have the Wii ) . Original character creations aren't quite as all encompassing as the MK fighter creation , however . Every one you make must be a human . No tails , horns , wings or faun legs . You also can't do anyone who's really fat or really skinny . Even the faces are chosen from several presets . You can't thin out a nose here , widen the spacing between the eyes there . You have the presets and that's it . Same goes for fighting styles . Where in MK you could have Scorpions spear mixed with Subzero's freeze , Raydan's teleport , Sony'a weapon , any mix of combo's , here you have the style of one fighter and one fighter only . No mix and matching . So basically , you're just making male / female clones of already existing characters . Most annoying of all is that your stats ( attack , defense , guard ) are dependant on what clothes and weapons you give your character . Thus you often have to choose between a great looking weak character or an odd looking uber character .
GAME MODES : Story Mode is great but short . This is how you would unlock character endings and some things to use in character creation . Tower of Lost Souls is the bulk of where you unlock content . But it's also an exhausting gauntlet that can be frustrating endurance trial that feels like trying to open a big steel door by banging your head into it . This is definitely where that finesse that I was talking about comes in handy . Arcade Mode is just like you'd think . Square off against opponents until you get to the end . But there's no ending as a reward . That comes from story mode . Also all the stats you worked so hard to boost in character creation don't mean anything in Arcade mode , only Story and Tower modes . So you're left to wonder why you would bother . Honestly , I'd stick with story mode .
ONLINE : Stay away from it at all costs . If you do a quick join , you'll more than likely find that all sessions are full . You can create your own , but in the off chance that you do find someone , the combination of your lag time and they're button-mashing spamming of moves can and will often end in your defeat before you can even make a move .
FINAL WORDS : This is a great game . While it may seem like I'm being highly critical of this game I wouldn't be credible if I didn't list a games short comings as well as it's high points . It has its faults . But at the end of the day , the graphics are great . The control is some of the best , most highly responsive controls you could ask for . Button mashing versus finesse is balanced better than most fighting games I could name . If you want a high quality , fun fighting game , this is one of the better ones .
125 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Pros :
- Over 30 playable characters
- Deep character customization feature
- Decent online multiplayer mode
- Very solid and fluid combat system that is accessible to everyone
- Star Wars characters ( ie . Darth Vader exclusively on PS3 , The Apprentice and Yoda exclusively on the 360 )
- Extremely fun game to play with friends
- Robust character creation mode
- Tower of Lost Souls mode
- There is an incentive to complete story mode with every character
- Ability to customize controls
Cons :
- Online multiplayer mode can have lag at times
- Darth Vader is the only balanced Star Wars character
- Can not make a Jedi in character creation
- You can unlock all the characters in one day , though the Apprentice is extremely hard to unlock
- Story and Arcade mode are on the short side
- Some characters have revealing clothing , however most of them have alternate costumes that are not as revealing
- Default control scheme makes some combos almost impossible to do
Overall this game is extremely fun and should be picked up by anyone who is a fan of the fighting genre or is looking for the right game to introduce them to it .
126 4 Pros :
- Over 30 playable characters
- Deep character customization feature
- Decent online multiplayer mode
- Very solid and fluid combat system that is accessible to everyone
- Star Wars characters ( ie . Darth Vader exclusively on PS3 , The Apprentice and Yoda exclusively on the 360 )
- Extremely fun game to play with friends
- Robust character creation mode
- Tower of Lost Souls mode
- There is an incentive to complete story mode with every character
- Ability to customize controls
Cons :
- Online multiplayer mode can have lag at times
- Darth Vader is the only balanced Star Wars character
- Can not make a Jedi in character creation
- You can unlock all the characters in one day , though the Apprentice is extremely hard to unlock
- Story and Arcade mode are on the short side
- Some characters have revealing clothing , however most of them have alternate costumes that are not as revealing
- Default control scheme makes some combos almost impossible to do
Overall this game is extremely fun and should be picked up by anyone who is a fan of the fighting genre or is looking for the right game to introduce them to it .
134 4 This latest iteration of Soul Calibur presents a visually appealing and generally fun gaming experience . There isn't a huge change from previous iterations ( never played Soul Calibur 3 myself ) so fans familiar with the series will be pleasantly surprised .
The biggest new feature of note is the custom character creation . The custom character creation section allows players to modify existing ( aside from a handful ) characters and also create an all newish character . The custom custom character has the standard fare present - pick gender , pick fighting style , adjust costumes , adjust coloration , adjust abilities , pick voice , etc .
Unfortunately a few audio and rare visual glitches ( sort of ) do emerge . The first audio glitch folks will notice is that the character banter sometimes butts right up against the announcer's dialog and occasionally even occurs over the announcer's dialog . The sort of visual glitch emerges when two players are fighting next to a wall . The wall simply disappears and leaves a less than immersive view on the action . However , the visual seems more of a decision to keep the camera from going all wonky when players fight next to walls .
Pros :
The controls feel responsive during fights .
Good looking .
Custom characters / custom configurable characters .
Slightly addictive .
Multi-player ( not sure if it does split screen )
Vader rocks .
Every character has a different story .
Cons :
Audio glitches
Doesn't spoil users with things to do - story mode is about 6 bouts .
Could have been delayed 1 - 2 months and been worth the wait - game feels unfinished in areas .
Vader feels so out of place , but is still fun .
No next gen story telling ( no cut scenes / variation of cut scenes . )
Some stories seem more of an after though while some are quite funny .
Story mode could have been a lot more .
Custom matches not present .
135 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Soul Calibur continues it's reign over the fighting with weapons game genre . With the latest installment , some things that you enjoyed about previous titles remain while new features have been added .
In addition , Soul Calibur III's misplaced create-a-character strategy game is gone . For some reason a lot of people thought that SC III wasn't quite the same , or up to par . But it did introduce some new characters , and they - - among some other new / special characters - - return for the 4th Soul Calibur .
When first heard that Star Wars was going to make an appearance , it was met with considerable skepticism . But , in the PS3 version Darth Vader and his apprentice are welcome characters . They are integrated by an added Force Bar which allows them to use the force until it runs out or is replenished .
_ _ Gameplay _ _
The characters feel solid in this one . You can perform some amazing moves with each of the characters , in addition to the new feature of performing a critical on your opponent . Criticals are performed by first knocking off a piece of armor , and then attacking the vulnerable spot . When the opponent's Soul Gauge is depleted you can perform the Critical , no matter what their health status is .
Instead of just gaining levels to show what kind of fighter you are , the levels actually correspond to abilities of that character . All characters in the game and even those that you create have the ability to become better / stronger . Take Taki for instance . After using her for a bit she gains a couple of levels and in the Create-A-Character customization , you can give her a different weapon and change her skills to give her bonuses or abilities during battle . Some are passive , but some can be activated using power from the Soul Gauge . One of Taki's abilities is to become invisible for a period of time ( Repeatedly press default [ R2 ] ) . Some other abilities that could be added were the ability to drain the opponents Gauge with impacts , or to steal some of their HP . The Appeal ability works on gaining an advantage over opponents of the opposite sex , but hurts the character when fighting against the same sex .
Another feature is the Tower of Souls . The idea is that as you work you way up the Tower , the enemies become harder . After you work you way to the top , you've given the option of descending below the Tower , into its depths , for more challenges .
Of course , Gold is the currency of the game , and it's how you unlock weapons , some of the initial characters , clothing / items for customization , and the extra features such as special animations , illustrations , etc .
_ Online _
Another new feature , this one is going to take some getting used to . As it stands now , the feature does need some work . Nice idea , but poor execution . Hopefully a patch will update the problems with the online . ( For example : when losing in a match you can quit to avoid being beaten without a penalty for quitting , and the would-be winner gains nothing )
_ Overall _
All in all this is a great title , and a lot of fun to play . The Story and Arcade modes may be short , but have interesting stories and are easily played over and over to gain experience and gold . I'm also intrigued as to what DLC ( downloadable content ) will be released .
136 4 Soul Calibur continues it's reign over the fighting with weapons game genre . With the latest installment , some things that you enjoyed about previous titles remain while new features have been added .
In addition , Soul Calibur III's misplaced create-a-character strategy game is gone . For some reason a lot of people thought that SC III wasn't quite the same , or up to par . But it did introduce some new characters , and they - - among some other new / special characters - - return for the 4th Soul Calibur .
When first heard that Star Wars was going to make an appearance , it was met with considerable skepticism . But , in the PS3 version Darth Vader and his apprentice are welcome characters . They are integrated by an added Force Bar which allows them to use the force until it runs out or is replenished .
_ _ Gameplay _ _
The characters feel solid in this one . You can perform some amazing moves with each of the characters , in addition to the new feature of performing a critical on your opponent . Criticals are performed by first knocking off a piece of armor , and then attacking the vulnerable spot . When the opponent's Soul Gauge is depleted you can perform the Critical , no matter what their health status is .
Instead of just gaining levels to show what kind of fighter you are , the levels actually correspond to abilities of that character . All characters in the game and even those that you create have the ability to become better / stronger . Take Taki for instance . After using her for a bit she gains a couple of levels and in the Create-A-Character customization , you can give her a different weapon and change her skills to give her bonuses or abilities during battle . Some are passive , but some can be activated using power from the Soul Gauge . One of Taki's abilities is to become invisible for a period of time ( Repeatedly press default [ R2 ] ) . Some other abilities that could be added were the ability to drain the opponents Gauge with impacts , or to steal some of their HP . The Appeal ability works on gaining an advantage over opponents of the opposite sex , but hurts the character when fighting against the same sex .
Another feature is the Tower of Souls . The idea is that as you work you way up the Tower , the enemies become harder . After you work you way to the top , you've given the option of descending below the Tower , into its depths , for more challenges .
Of course , Gold is the currency of the game , and it's how you unlock weapons , some of the initial characters , clothing / items for customization , and the extra features such as special animations , illustrations , etc .
_ Online _
Another new feature , this one is going to take some getting used to . As it stands now , the feature does need some work . Nice idea , but poor execution . Hopefully a patch will update the problems with the online . ( For example : when losing in a match you can quit to avoid being beaten without a penalty for quitting , and the would-be winner gains nothing )
_ Overall _
All in all this is a great title , and a lot of fun to play . The Story and Arcade modes may be short , but have interesting stories and are easily played over and over to gain experience and gold . I'm also intrigued as to what DLC ( downloadable content ) will be released .
138 4 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 .
142 4 I am a long-time player of the Soul Calibur series , and while the newest title in the franchise has much-improved graphics and new modes to play , it boasts little else in the way of interest . The combat moves are the same ( with just a few differences ) , but for the most part , I felt like I was playing SC2 all over again . The character creation mode is fun , but adds nothing new to the game itself . My biggest complaint , actually , is the disconnect bug for the online play mode , and the amazing amount of lag that comes with it .
If you manage to actually stay connected for twenty minutes or more , consider yourself lucky . Online play features random disconnects every few matches , forcing you to reboot your entire PS3 to fix it . For the very few rounds you DO get to play , expect massive lag as your opponent beats on you mercilessly and you can do nothing but stand there and take it . I play World of Warcraft and have NEVER had issues with my internet connection , so it seems interesting to me that I'm having problems now .
All in all , if Namco / Bandai manages to fix the online play , I would be willing to give my review another star . But as it stands , the game offers nothing new in the franchise , and is overall a huge disappointment .
148 4 After two months of playing . . .
. . . Soul Saliber IV is a descent fighting game that barely manages to make you want to give it another go at a few weeks later with your completely inferior character , unless that character is Darth Vader , his stupid Apprentice , Seigfreid or Astoroth ; but before I start hammering this game I'll highlight some of it's good aspects .
Visual-wise , the game is very well designed . The backgrounds are beautiful and illustrious , however , I would have liked to see more involvement with it and the character's themselves , like other games have done , like DOA and the Tekken Series . Some levels are platforms where the character can be knocked off and you have an instant KO . Seeing as how it's the 4th installment , I'm disappointed with this aspect's lack of ambition .
Voice Acting is top-knotched and it goes a long way in sharing the personality of each fighter , since so little is actually made of their past or intentions , which brings me to my next point .
There is no story mode , unless you feel that five different levels , a few paragraphs of reading at the beginning and a two minute cut-scene at the end would fill that void . The characters are dry and predictable , and if you've never played a soul caliber game before ( like me ) , then you won't have a clue what's going on , or even what Soul Calibur is . I only read those beginning paragraphs for the first few fighters before just skipping them all together and going straight to the fight . ( Depending on the character , you'll be joined with another different fighter to help him / her out . I don't know why they would automatically choose another fighter for you and not include this in arcade mode . )
The game mechanics are descent . There is a bit of depth , but if you're a hard core gamer or someome who likes to be intricate , you'll be disappointed to find that combos are sorely lacking . Instead , you're given three and four move combos ( sometimes a fifth ) that have you button mashing over and over . However , this isn't as bad as you'd think . Strikes are performed swiftly , with humanistic speed , however , some characters are slower than others , based on physique .
The customization is what I partly bought this game for . It's pretty good . You can spend ours making characters or refitting the originals but , you can never really get the stats where you'd want them when comparing them with the original attire . Men's apparel goes from pretty awesome to dorky , and women's , fully clothed to very little . My own set of characters are pretty darn awesome to look at . Anyways . . .
Tower of Lost souls is a way to unlock most of these pieces of equipment . It is set up in fifty levels with 1 - 3 characters in each which you have to fight through to get to the top , duh ?
The last few are ridiculously hard , not just because of the difficulty setting of these fighters you're up against , but also because you're health is never reset at the start of each level , you simply go on to the next with what ever measure of Health you had . HP drain will be very important to you , if you buy this game . I still haven't beaten this place myself . It's harder , less fun , and more frusterating the then mercenary levels of Resident Evil 4 on the PS2 .
Online play is pretty solid . I don't go on much , I don't know why , oh wait , because it sucks . Yeah , the game still function smoothly , if you count a slight delay between pressing the button and the actual strike happening . This slight delay is VERY IMPORTANT in a fighting game when split seconds are crucial and round deciders . Still , it is okay , and I would say I'm satisfied since it only happens half the time .
Now for the banting :
All four fools I mentioned earlier are seriously overpowered . This means that you can literally spam a move and you'll win every battle , Astaroth especially . The Apprentice is just plain unfair when fighting him in arcade mode . It takes at least four or five tries to hopefully inch out a win because he moves so fast and freely throughout , grabbing and throwing and attacking you in the air , something no other character can do .
What more , the lack of depth in story line really makes it hard to connect with any fighter . Sure you can make them how you want , but there is never really a connection to draw from , no incentive to continue doing the storylines which will level up your characters .
Why have levels ? All you end up doing is grab moves over and over and over and over until their KO'd . Seriously , I don't want to learn every person's skills so why do I have to level them all up ? For a piece of armor , of course . I don't know why they added this .
Also you can't customize Darth or the Apprentice beyond choosing a power up stone which adds stats so that they can get boosted abilities or the weapons themselves . Also the new additional characters can't be customized either . ( Clothes also deal with these stats as well , which helps you use these boosted abilities ) . . .
Why are some of the female characters so scantily clad with their original attire and why are their breasts so large ? Leave it to male programmers to vent their own sexual frustrations , or fantasies . I end up having to redress some of the characters so that someone doesn't come in my and be like , what are you playing ? especially with Ivy and Shura ; and what's the deal with that bondage-freak-Resident-evil - 4 - Regenerator-sounding Valdo ! He freaks me out and not in a good way .
Overall , it's about a 3.5 out of five . I don't know how to round since I have mixed feelings about it . A casual gamer or one of the more meaty-seeking hard core gamers would find this fulfilling , in a sense , especially for what it's worth now .
152 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Soul Calibur has been a favorite , since Soul Edge on PS1 . It's one of the only , if only fighting games that let's you use weapons . The fighter creation is fun and you'll spend hours creating the perfect looking character . At one point I had green hulk and hulk lady versions , that were ripped to the core with green skin , hair and eyes . Still , they feel like identical versions of the classic character available to you - which of course they are since you give them the style of an already existing model . However , I wish the game had more of a soul and was more than just another fighting game where you beat someone silly until they fall out the ring or at your feet . The experience because of that fact gets sooooo old , sooooo quick . Man , next gen developers need to understand that people need more than beautiful character models , background environments and amazing wisps of hair , oh and cleavage lol . I mean there was so much background to the characters stories that it would've been nice to see it , rather than read 5 paragraphs before you started your climb to the top . I used to look forward to the end CG sequences on the PS2 versions so much , that it made the journey worth it . But now , all I get is the character walking off the screen with the evil sword . I don't know how I feel about that , when the only prize is another character - never unique enough to warrant yet ANOTHER nearly identical match set on my way to where , the top . But what a nice looking journey it is , no ?
158 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Well , all in all it took me about 22 hours to get 30 honors and unlock every bonus character , which , as far as I know , equates to unlocking everything there is to unlock . . So it's a very short game . .
And as for the character creation , there are some new items , but a vast majority is re-used from SC3 , and I think there are actually fewer items total . And as other reviews say , it usually comes down to a choice between useful stats or bearable appearance . I love the new skin tone coloring options , I can get my ideal shades . Also , the option to sculpt body type is a definate bonus .
The graphics are wonderful , as good as you'd expect from this series . I've never been an expert of the game's physics engine , so I can't tell you how the intricasies compare , but in my opinion it's a little easier for me to be successful in this game . In SC3 , I occasionally struggled on Easy , but in 4 I can do respectable ( sometimes ^ _ ^ ; ) against even Edge Master .
I miss the extra modes , like Battle Theatre and Weapon Demonstrations . .
It's got improvements in graphical quality , while a decrease in content leads me to write this game off , overall , as eye candy with low replay value .
159 4 Well , all in all it took me about 22 hours to get 30 honors and unlock every bonus character , which , as far as I know , equates to unlocking everything there is to unlock . . So it's a very short game . .
And as for the character creation , there are some new items , but a vast majority is re-used from SC3 , and I think there are actually fewer items total . And as other reviews say , it usually comes down to a choice between useful stats or bearable appearance . I love the new skin tone coloring options , I can get my ideal shades . Also , the option to sculpt body type is a definate bonus .
The graphics are wonderful , as good as you'd expect from this series . I've never been an expert of the game's physics engine , so I can't tell you how the intricasies compare , but in my opinion it's a little easier for me to be successful in this game . In SC3 , I occasionally struggled on Easy , but in 4 I can do respectable ( sometimes ^ _ ^ ; ) against even Edge Master .
I miss the extra modes , like Battle Theatre and Weapon Demonstrations . .
It's got improvements in graphical quality , while a decrease in content leads me to write this game off , overall , as eye candy with low replay value .
167 4 I own every Soul Calibur game ( asside from the original Soul Blade ) and I can honestly say this game is an insult to the Soul Calibur series . It's as though the people making this thing wanted to dumb it down completely . One of the staples of the Soul Calibur series was the sense of timing while in combat . If you attacked or defended at the wrong moment you would pay for it severely . Far more than in other famous fighting games ( Mortal Kombat , Street Fighter , etc . ) and that sense of timing is almost completely removed in this game making it just another fighter .
When combat is boring you turn to the story ( or vise-versa ) . Anyone who has played the prvious Soul Caliburs will know that they all had long and encompassing story modes . Especially 2 which had a long combat quest with a well written story , and 3 which had a long stratagy style story quest for created caracters . This game has little or no storyline . Old arcade at best .
This game was not made for people to play , it was obviously made for no other reason than to capitalize on it's name and that of Star Wars . As if playing as Star Wars characters would save it , not that that wasn't awsome . It even comes with an advertizement for Star Wars : The Force Unleashed . And that game was so rife with glitches and cliche gameplay it was barely playable at all . Not to mention the fact that to get even the same create a character options that three had you have to purchase them seperately from PSN .
Summary : If you want a good fight with no distractions this is a good game . If , however , you are a serious fan of the Soul Calibur series , STAY AWAY FROM THIS GAME ! ! ! ! !
169 4 Let me first off say , I love video games . I have since I've been 5 years old when I played my first video game for the Nintendo . I have played Soul Calibur with friends , family . . . Everyone . I went to the PX yesterday ( Marince Corps store ) and was going to pick up a game for the PS3 since it seems one of the best things to do on base ( Without traveling 45 minutes ) is to play video games . The clerk reminded me that Soul Calibur just came out so I nearly had a heart attack and ran to the stand and grabbed a copy . The cover art was awesome . Sweet .
So I get up to the counter and am about to ring up the game , the clerk hits the enter key on the cash register and all the power goes out for the entire store . That should of been my sign not to buy this game , and most likely was . I did get it anyway though .
I brought it home and went to a church event with one of my fellow Marines and after coming home later on that night I couldn't wait to play it . I opened up the case , took out the Bluray Disc and put it in the PS3 . It booted up and then started saying You can't play without a game save , click ok to make a game save . . . . Ok , Thats fine with me , * Click *
Starts loading up , get's to the screen . . . SOUL CALIBUR 4 ! ! !
Awesome .
Get to the menu , Woah , the menu is really simplistic . . . Strange . I headed off to the single player mode automatically and hit Story mode and proceeded to play with Raphael . it then proceeds with a very simplistic story of why Raphael is fighting . . . Strange I said . I use to remember when Soul Calibur was REALLY in depth . Maybe this is just a one time thing , a Quick story . So the fights come up , it's one vs three . Though I'm all buffed out with made fighting power ups . I keep fighting . . . One , two , three , four matches down . . . One cut scene of us going over the water and hearing a wierd sound . Ok . That doesn't make any sense at all . Finally Stage 5 comes up , and . . . what's this . . . Is this the Boss battle already ? . . . It can't be , this has to be a mini boss . . . something , the game cant BE THIS SHORT . I fight the boss , and all of a sudden it shows a about 2 minute ending clip ( Which was kind of cool , I have to admit . )
Then the screen goes black , and not to ruin the surprise for you but the game ends by leaving you 1 sentance to sum up exactly what happened after Raphael acquires the sword .
1 SENTENCE .
Credits roll , and I have beat the game using Raphael . In under 15 minutes .
To top that off , the character creation sucks . There isn't enough customization in it to satisfy hardcore gamers or in my opinion fans of the series . The best way to describe this game is its like the first version of the game that came out on the dreamcast . With Better graphics , and less fun .
You better have a friend to play you at this game , even then though its a huge let down .
174 4 Soul Calibur fans won't find too much new here , and that's not necessarily a bad thing .
Most of the original characters are available when you start the game ( instead of having to unlock them later ) , the moves are more or less the same , and the graphics are great . The controls are quite responsive , and as in every previous iteration , it takes longer to watch the end credits than it does to beat the game in story mode .
And . . . as in every previous iteration , there are unreasonably long Now Loading screens , though they've improved the speed in Arcade Mode .
And now . . . a word about Star Wars . . .
WHAT ?
Sure , I knew that Darth Vader was going to be in the PS3 version , and Yoda in the Xbox 360 version , and blah , blah , blah . I figured they were just unlockable characters that I was free to ignore .
Not so , in Arcade Mode . Not only are you inexplicably transported to space after level 6 , but the two Star Wars characters become ridiculously difficult to beat for no obvious reason . We're talking Shang Tsung or Motaro cheap from the Mortal Kombat series .
It isn't that they're unbeatable . It's just that it makes no sense at all . I don't think I've ever seen a licensed product so obviously shoehorned in to a game . It totally kills the mood of the game , and the spend 15 minutes , then make a sandwich gameplay .
Getting back to Story Mode , when you finish with a character , you don't really get any sort of story or closure as you did in previous versions of Soul Calibur . Instead , you get a three-second variant of now I have it ! , followed by a black screen with a sentence or two .
If you haven't played any of the previous versions , you may enjoy this . Or , if you're really big in to Star Wars , I guess you'll get a kick out of playing as Darth Vader or The Apprentice . Otherwise , I think this is a pretty huge letdown for Soul Calibur fans out there .
I really wish I had rented this , instead of pre-ordering it months ago .
179 4 when is this genre going to evolve ?
at least with shooters you have to put the crosshair on your enemy before mashing the trigger button .
I can defeat anyone using a one button mash .
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
After two months of playing . . .
. . . Soul Saliber IV is a descent fighting game that barely manages to make you want to give it another go at a few weeks later with your completely inferior character , unless that character is Darth Vader , his stupid Apprentice , Seigfreid or Astoroth ; but before I start hammering this game I'll highlight some of it's good aspects .
Visual-wise , the game is very well designed . The backgrounds are beautiful and illustrious , however , I would have liked to see more involvement with it and the character's themselves , like other games have done , like DOA and the Tekken Series . Some levels are platforms where the character can be knocked off and you have an instant KO . Seeing as how it's the 4th installment , I'm disappointed with this aspect's lack of ambition .
Voice Acting is top-knotched and it goes a long way in sharing the personality of each fighter , since so little is actually made of their past or intentions , which brings me to my next point .
There is no story mode , unless you feel that five different levels , a few paragraphs of reading at the beginning and a two minute cut-scene at the end would fill that void . The characters are dry and predictable , and if you've never played a soul caliber game before ( like me ) , then you won't have a clue what's going on , or even what Soul Calibur is . I only read those beginning paragraphs for the first few fighters before just skipping them all together and going straight to the fight . ( Depending on the character , you'll be joined with another different fighter to help him / her out . I don't know why they would automatically choose another fighter for you and not include this in arcade mode . )
The game mechanics are descent . There is a bit of depth , but if you're a hard core gamer or someome who likes to be intricate , you'll be disappointed to find that combos are sorely lacking . Instead , you're given three and four move combos ( sometimes a fifth ) that have you button mashing over and over . However , this isn't as bad as you'd think . Strikes are performed swiftly , with humanistic speed , however , some characters are slower than others , based on physique .
The customization is what I partly bought this game for . It's pretty good . You can spend ours making characters or refitting the originals but , you can never really get the stats where you'd want them when comparing them with the original attire . Men's apparel goes from pretty awesome to dorky , and women's , fully clothed to very little . My own set of characters are pretty darn awesome to look at . Anyways . . .
Tower of Lost souls is a way to unlock most of these pieces of equipment . It is set up in fifty levels with 1 - 3 characters in each which you have to fight through to get to the top , duh ?
The last few are ridiculously hard , not just because of the difficulty setting of these fighters you're up against , but also because you're health is never reset at the start of each level , you simply go on to the next with what ever measure of Health you had . HP drain will be very important to you , if you buy this game . I still haven't beaten this place myself . It's harder , less fun , and more frusterating the then mercenary levels of Resident Evil 4 on the PS2 .
Online play is pretty solid . I don't go on much , I don't know why , oh wait , because it sucks . Yeah , the game still function smoothly , if you count a slight delay between pressing the button and the actual strike happening . This slight delay is VERY IMPORTANT in a fighting game when split seconds are crucial and round deciders . Still , it is okay , and I would say I'm satisfied since it only happens half the time .
Now for the banting :
All four fools I mentioned earlier are seriously overpowered . This means that you can literally spam a move and you'll win every battle , Astaroth especially . The Apprentice is just plain unfair when fighting him in arcade mode . It takes at least four or five tries to hopefully inch out a win because he moves so fast and freely throughout , grabbing and throwing and attacking you in the air , something no other character can do .
What more , the lack of depth in story line really makes it hard to connect with any fighter . Sure you can make them how you want , but there is never really a connection to draw from , no incentive to continue doing the storylines which will level up your characters .
Why have levels ? All you end up doing is grab moves over and over and over and over until their KO'd . Seriously , I don't want to learn every person's skills so why do I have to level them all up ? For a piece of armor , of course . I don't know why they added this .
Also you can't customize Darth or the Apprentice beyond choosing a power up stone which adds stats so that they can get boosted abilities or the weapons themselves . Also the new additional characters can't be customized either . ( Clothes also deal with these stats as well , which helps you use these boosted abilities ) . . .
Why are some of the female characters so scantily clad with their original attire and why are their breasts so large ? Leave it to male programmers to vent their own sexual frustrations , or fantasies . I end up having to redress some of the characters so that someone doesn't come in my and be like , what are you playing ? especially with Ivy and Shura ; and what's the deal with that bondage-freak-Resident-evil - 4 - Regenerator-sounding Valdo ! He freaks me out and not in a good way .
Overall , it's about a 3.5 out of five . I don't know how to round since I have mixed feelings about it . A casual gamer or one of the more meaty-seeking hard core gamers would find this fulfilling , in a sense , especially for what it's worth now .
147 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
After two months of playing . . .
. . . Soul Saliber IV is a descent fighting game that barely manages to make you want to give it another go at a few weeks later with your completely inferior character , unless that character is Darth Vader , his stupid Apprentice , Seigfreid or Astoroth ; but before I start hammering this game I'll highlight some of it's good aspects .
Visual-wise , the game is very well designed . The backgrounds are beautiful and illustrious , however , I would have liked to see more involvement with it and the character's themselves , like other games have done , like DOA and the Tekken Series . Some levels are platforms where the character can be knocked off and you have an instant KO . Seeing as how it's the 4th installment , I'm disappointed with this aspect's lack of ambition .
Voice Acting is top-knotched and it goes a long way in sharing the personality of each fighter , since so little is actually made of their past or intentions , which brings me to my next point .
There is no story mode , unless you feel that five different levels , a few paragraphs of reading at the beginning and a two minute cut-scene at the end would fill that void . The characters are dry and predictable , and if you've never played a soul caliber game before ( like me ) , then you won't have a clue what's going on , or even what Soul Calibur is . I only read those beginning paragraphs for the first few fighters before just skipping them all together and going straight to the fight . ( Depending on the character , you'll be joined with another different fighter to help him / her out . I don't know why they would automatically choose another fighter for you and not include this in arcade mode . )
The game mechanics are descent . There is a bit of depth , but if you're a hard core gamer or someome who likes to be intricate , you'll be disappointed to find that combos are sorely lacking . Instead , you're given three and four move combos ( sometimes a fifth ) that have you button mashing over and over . However , this isn't as bad as you'd think . Strikes are performed swiftly , with humanistic speed , however , some characters are slower than others , based on physique .
The customization is what I partly bought this game for . It's pretty good . You can spend ours making characters or refitting the originals but , you can never really get the stats where you'd want them when comparing them with the original attire . Men's apparel goes from pretty awesome to dorky , and women's , fully clothed to very little . My own set of characters are pretty darn awesome to look at . Anyways . . .
Tower of Lost souls is a way to unlock most of these pieces of equipment . It is set up in fifty levels with 1 - 3 characters in each which you have to fight through to get to the top , duh ?
The last few are ridiculously hard , not just because of the difficulty setting of these fighters you're up against , but also because you're health is never reset at the start of each level , you simply go on to the next with what ever measure of Health you had . HP drain will be very important to you , if you buy this game . I still haven't beaten this place myself . It's harder , less fun , and more frusterating the then mercenary levels of Resident Evil 4 on the PS2 .
Online play is pretty solid . I don't go on much , I don't know why , oh wait , because it sucks . Yeah , the game still function smoothly , if you count a slight delay between pressing the button and the actual strike happening . This slight delay is VERY IMPORTANT in a fighting game when split seconds are crucial and round deciders . Still , it is okay , and I would say I'm satisfied since it only happens half the time .
Now for the banting :
All four fools I mentioned earlier are seriously overpowered . This means that you can literally spam a move and you'll win every battle , Astaroth especially . The Apprentice is just plain unfair when fighting him in arcade mode . It takes at least four or five tries to hopefully inch out a win because he moves so fast and freely throughout , grabbing and throwing and attacking you in the air , something no other character can do .
What more , the lack of depth in story line really makes it hard to connect with any fighter . Sure you can make them how you want , but there is never really a connection to draw from , no incentive to continue doing the storylines which will level up your characters .
Why have levels ? All you end up doing is grab moves over and over and over and over until their KO'd . Seriously , I don't want to learn every person's skills so why do I have to level them all up ? For a piece of armor , of course . I don't know why they added this .
Also you can't customize Darth or the Apprentice beyond choosing a power up stone which adds stats so that they can get boosted abilities or the weapons themselves . Also the new additional characters can't be customized either . ( Clothes also deal with these stats as well , which helps you use these boosted abilities ) . . .
Why are some of the female characters so scantily clad with their original attire and why are their breasts so large ? Leave it to male programmers to vent their own sexual frustrations , or fantasies . I end up having to redress some of the characters so that someone doesn't come in my and be like , what are you playing ? especially with Ivy and Shura ; and what's the deal with that bondage-freak-Resident-evil - 4 - Regenerator-sounding Valdo ! He freaks me out and not in a good way .
Overall , it's about a 3.5 out of five . I don't know how to round since I have mixed feelings about it . A casual gamer or one of the more meaty-seeking hard core gamers would find this fulfilling , in a sense , especially for what it's worth now .
168 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Let me first off say , I love video games . I have since I've been 5 years old when I played my first video game for the Nintendo . I have played Soul Calibur with friends , family . . . Everyone . I went to the PX yesterday ( Marince Corps store ) and was going to pick up a game for the PS3 since it seems one of the best things to do on base ( Without traveling 45 minutes ) is to play video games . The clerk reminded me that Soul Calibur just came out so I nearly had a heart attack and ran to the stand and grabbed a copy . The cover art was awesome . Sweet .
So I get up to the counter and am about to ring up the game , the clerk hits the enter key on the cash register and all the power goes out for the entire store . That should of been my sign not to buy this game , and most likely was . I did get it anyway though .
I brought it home and went to a church event with one of my fellow Marines and after coming home later on that night I couldn't wait to play it . I opened up the case , took out the Bluray Disc and put it in the PS3 . It booted up and then started saying You can't play without a game save , click ok to make a game save . . . . Ok , Thats fine with me , * Click *
Starts loading up , get's to the screen . . . SOUL CALIBUR 4 ! ! !
Awesome .
Get to the menu , Woah , the menu is really simplistic . . . Strange . I headed off to the single player mode automatically and hit Story mode and proceeded to play with Raphael . it then proceeds with a very simplistic story of why Raphael is fighting . . . Strange I said . I use to remember when Soul Calibur was REALLY in depth . Maybe this is just a one time thing , a Quick story . So the fights come up , it's one vs three . Though I'm all buffed out with made fighting power ups . I keep fighting . . . One , two , three , four matches down . . . One cut scene of us going over the water and hearing a wierd sound . Ok . That doesn't make any sense at all . Finally Stage 5 comes up , and . . . what's this . . . Is this the Boss battle already ? . . . It can't be , this has to be a mini boss . . . something , the game cant BE THIS SHORT . I fight the boss , and all of a sudden it shows a about 2 minute ending clip ( Which was kind of cool , I have to admit . )
Then the screen goes black , and not to ruin the surprise for you but the game ends by leaving you 1 sentance to sum up exactly what happened after Raphael acquires the sword .
1 SENTENCE .
Credits roll , and I have beat the game using Raphael . In under 15 minutes .
To top that off , the character creation sucks . There isn't enough customization in it to satisfy hardcore gamers or in my opinion fans of the series . The best way to describe this game is its like the first version of the game that came out on the dreamcast . With Better graphics , and less fun .
You better have a friend to play you at this game , even then though its a huge let down .
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Being an avid Tekken fan , other fighting games pale in comparison . I maybe wrong . SC4 is the best I have played in a long time . Me and the people I know have worn out joystick controllers playing Tekken but this is the best fighting game for the PS3 ( now ) . The graphics , gameplay , customizable options , even the load times are fast ( if you loaded the game to your hard drive ) . Yeah , you got the female fighters with the big b00bz , but that does not take away from the game at all . You play the game to fight and win , you can win ugly or lose pretty , it your choice .
Vader and his apprentice were cool it reminded me of other Tekken characters crossing over to SB / SC . I like this game more than GTA4 , MGS4 and NCAA 2009 .
165 4 Being an avid Tekken fan , other fighting games pale in comparison . I maybe wrong . SC4 is the best I have played in a long time . Me and the people I know have worn out joystick controllers playing Tekken but this is the best fighting game for the PS3 ( now ) . The graphics , gameplay , customizable options , even the load times are fast ( if you loaded the game to your hard drive ) . Yeah , you got the female fighters with the big b00bz , but that does not take away from the game at all . You play the game to fight and win , you can win ugly or lose pretty , it your choice .
Vader and his apprentice were cool it reminded me of other Tekken characters crossing over to SB / SC . I like this game more than GTA4 , MGS4 and NCAA 2009 .
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I am a huge fan of the Soul series . I remember sinking quarters into the arcade over a decade ago . When Soul Calibur first came out on the home consoles , it was like a dream come true . Many hours were spent playing that game instead of working on papers in college . Soul Calibur 3 was definitely my favorite . I even had the chance to work on the artwork for the UFS card game based on SC3 . I think my huge involvement and love of Soul Calibur , especially the SC3 , is what ultimately led to some of my disappointment with Soul Calibur 4 . . .
The good :
- - The graphics are incredible ! The animations are smooth and the characters move with a beautiful fluidity . The faces in particular look much better with each iteration , and SC4 definitely made leaps and bounds in the character models .
- - Online play at last ! Not once did I experience lag . It's fun to practice on the CPU , but far more fun to take on complete strangers . Even if you lose , you get to see how other people play and you start improving so when your friends come over , you can summarily embarrass them .
- - Best character-creation mode EVER . Sure SC4 did not reward you non-stop with character-creation items the way SC3 did , but the depth of the new system is something you have to experience to appreciate . I love the amount of customization you're allowed , though I miss the CC-unique fighting styles .
- - Tower of Lost Souls . They call it that because you will sink hours of your life there .
- - A cool tag-team dynamic that lets you switch characters in the middle of a fight . Definitely useful when you need a variety of styles .
- - Critical Finishes are cool when conditions are right and you can pull them off . I'd rather be beaten with one of those than a Ring Out any day .
The bad :
- - Yoda is cheap . You can't even grab him . In fact , the Star Wars characters seem FAR out of place , but this isn't the first time SC has done crossovers . What bugged me the most is that the Character Creation didn't allow you to make Jedi characters . How utterly unfair to add the license but not allow customized lightsaber wielders .
- - No Team Versus battles . I can't understand why they would remove this , maybe Namco believed if you wanted to play against another human , it's better to do so online in standard / special vs mode ?
- - The storyline seems extremely thin , and the character endings are pretty lacking compared to SC3 . There's no interactivity in the cutscenes or endings and some of the hidden characters don't even get animated endings .
- - There are no shop girls from SC3 !
- - Chronicles of the Sword is gone . It was one of my favorite modes from Soul Calibur 3 . It contributes to my overall feeling of a lack of story in this game .
I love most of the additions to the game , including the game modes and some of the new characters . I can't understand why Namco chose to remove some of the modes from the previous game though . They really need to release more downloadable content too . On its own , this is a fantastic game . It has great graphics , a balanced fighting system and enough features to keep you busy for a while . The character creation is something all fighting games should learn from . But ultimately , if compared to past games of the series , you get a sense that this game seems a bit rushed in the substance department . I hope this isn't really supposed to be the last of the Soul Calibur series , because it didn't really tie up a lot of the characters stories in my opinion .
003 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
When the mechanics of a game franchise are fundamental to its success it is best not to tinker too much with how it controls and feels overall . The newest SC suffers from this slightly as it does feel like the same old game , but that is also its strength . There isn't anything new that takes away from the core enjoyment of this supreme fighter because other than the new SW characters everything is meshed together for a smooth experience . The new critical finish comes into play so little as to non existent . There is alot under what appears a shallow surface , however . The character creation only gets fun once you master it and unlock the cool equipment and weapons . Ideally the game wants you to take everyone through its 5 chapter story mode offering but the hardcore restart elements of mission mode ( my favorite part of the old game ( s ) are redone in the somehow less fufilling TOWER mode ( it is lacking the storyline text & map that made the original missions more fun . ) Survival mode is redone as a backward crawl into the dungeon of the tower . The unlockables come easier but it feels right as this is a more challenging SC as well . Changes like these and the customizable skill and equipment set make SCIV VERY replayable . I know this my thumbs still burn especially after taking the unwieldy DARTH VADER through arcade mode which took me longer than I care to admit . Darth V . is tough to control as he should be with his mechanical legs , his forces powers and throws are tougher to use but with practice he can be worth the effort . The story text for each character is enjoyable , and the incredibly deep moves list for each fighter is accessible from the pause menu as always . SCIV is frustratingly hard at the right moments , and addictive in all the right places with an abundance of strategy and configurability , that plus its satisfying catalogue of fighters will have this disc running hot in my PS3 for awhile . BTW The install feature to hard drive doesn't shave as much off the load times as I was hoping for but I like having the option .
005 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I am a huge fan of the Soul series . I remember sinking quarters into the arcade over a decade ago . When Soul Calibur first came out on the home consoles , it was like a dream come true . Many hours were spent playing that game instead of working on papers in college . Soul Calibur 3 was definitely my favorite . I even had the chance to work on the artwork for the UFS card game based on SC3 . I think my huge involvement and love of Soul Calibur , especially the SC3 , is what ultimately led to some of my disappointment with Soul Calibur 4 . . .
The good :
- - The graphics are incredible ! The animations are smooth and the characters move with a beautiful fluidity . The faces in particular look much better with each iteration , and SC4 definitely made leaps and bounds in the character models .
- - Online play at last ! Not once did I experience lag . It's fun to practice on the CPU , but far more fun to take on complete strangers . Even if you lose , you get to see how other people play and you start improving so when your friends come over , you can summarily embarrass them .
- - Best character-creation mode EVER . Sure SC4 did not reward you non-stop with character-creation items the way SC3 did , but the depth of the new system is something you have to experience to appreciate . I love the amount of customization you're allowed , though I miss the CC-unique fighting styles .
- - Tower of Lost Souls . They call it that because you will sink hours of your life there .
- - A cool tag-team dynamic that lets you switch characters in the middle of a fight . Definitely useful when you need a variety of styles .
- - Critical Finishes are cool when conditions are right and you can pull them off . I'd rather be beaten with one of those than a Ring Out any day .
The bad :
- - Yoda is cheap . You can't even grab him . In fact , the Star Wars characters seem FAR out of place , but this isn't the first time SC has done crossovers . What bugged me the most is that the Character Creation didn't allow you to make Jedi characters . How utterly unfair to add the license but not allow customized lightsaber wielders .
- - No Team Versus battles . I can't understand why they would remove this , maybe Namco believed if you wanted to play against another human , it's better to do so online in standard / special vs mode ?
- - The storyline seems extremely thin , and the character endings are pretty lacking compared to SC3 . There's no interactivity in the cutscenes or endings and some of the hidden characters don't even get animated endings .
- - There are no shop girls from SC3 !
- - Chronicles of the Sword is gone . It was one of my favorite modes from Soul Calibur 3 . It contributes to my overall feeling of a lack of story in this game .
I love most of the additions to the game , including the game modes and some of the new characters . I can't understand why Namco chose to remove some of the modes from the previous game though . They really need to release more downloadable content too . On its own , this is a fantastic game . It has great graphics , a balanced fighting system and enough features to keep you busy for a while . The character creation is something all fighting games should learn from . But ultimately , if compared to past games of the series , you get a sense that this game seems a bit rushed in the substance department . I hope this isn't really supposed to be the last of the Soul Calibur series , because it didn't really tie up a lot of the characters stories in my opinion .
015 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
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 . . .
017 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
The game is fun enough to play . It's a very solid fighter . For some reason I went in expecting both the story mode and character customization to have much more depth .
The story is horribly bland . I'll leave it at that .
Once you unlock a lot of the equipment in the game you can customize characters ' appearances to a great degree . However , I would have appreciated being able to mix up move sets rather than just copying an entire move set of the original , pre-made characters . Examples of being able to toss your own moves together would be those pro wrestling games and the obscure Kingdom of Paradise ( PSP ) .
I guess if you aren't expecting much story or being able to customize move sets , then you can have a lot of fun just beating up on the computer and other players . The skill level of the players online seem to vary greatly . Some folks are ridiculously good and others seem like ( and might actually be ) four year olds .
019 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Soul Calibur has always been one of my favorite fighting games . SC4 is no different . The game has almost everything I could ask for . Custom character setup has been greatly improved . Now you can choose which style you want your character to fight like instead of being assigned a certain discipline . The graphics and control is outstanding . I also like the addition of Star Wars characters ( especially Apprentice Starkiller ) .
The different skill sets in the game makes the game very deep and gives it a lot of replay value . The game even has a new and improved boss from the last SC game . One thing that I miss is the Battle Theater mode and Exhibition Theater mode . For some unknown reason , these two modes , which were in every single SC game before SC4 have now been removed . The game could also use a few more stages and more clothing for the Star Wars characters . As a matter of fact , I would have loved to see a Force Gauge skill set for Star Wars characters . If your character has Force Gauge A then his Force Gauge will never deplete . Unfortunately this was never put into the game but this is still in my opinion the best fighting game of the year .
021 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Fighter graphics have improved , yet can't say the same thing about stages and background . They look and feel dull .
Vader certainly makes his presence felt . Nice addition to the line up .
I don't care for single player modes , I just use them to make gold to unlock stuff . Didn't enjoy it in other games , not enjoying it here . If I wanted to watch CGI , I would have bought MGS4 .
Multiplayer is another story . With these graphics and fighters the game has no equal . Especially if you master Vader . I usually play offline with my friends . They love it , I love it , end of story .
If you liked it before , you will like it again . You can always try it before you buy it . Recommended , highly .
023 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Namco has given gamers an excellent fighting experience with Soul Calibur IV . It is both visually stunning and entertaining to say the least .
PROS :
The developers of this game have put alot of effort in visual effect and game play . The characters move fluidly from one move to another without appearing choppy and plastic . One move K.O . ' s are no longer an annoyance ( I.E . sliding attacks . . one button B attacks ) . Combos seem much more technical ; moreover , this is really isn't bad as it really weeds out button mashers . BTW . . The finishing moves for each individual characters are very , very swt .
The character creation feature in this game is alot of fun . Lots of room for individuality .
Cons :
There is plenty of trophy's and prizes along the way that would keep gamers thoroughly engrossed in the game ; however , I believe that the biggest flaw for this game and it's fans is the non existent story - line that I thought made Soul Calibur . . Soul Calibur .
Oh and don't get too exited about Darth for the PS3 console . . he's quite lame . The slow bastard . I'm pretty sure Lucasarts wanted to keep Namco from allowing any modifications in the character creations for the Star Wars characters , but I was still pretty disappointed when I couldn't make a pretty in pink lady Darth Vader LOLZ .
035 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
After the dismal choice of getting King Of Fighters XII I knew I had to get a way better fighting game than that and with the previous experience of the SC games I knew this was the one I had to buy . The fighting , cgi animation , music , and scenery were incredible as expected fro the makers of this game after all their the ones who also released the Tekken fighting game series as well . Like Tekken 6 you can customize your characters in the game with different clothes hair color as well as more unique looking weapons , but you can also create your own characters from scratch if you desire from gender to which fighting styles your created character uses and you can also decide their voices from high to low pitched deciding on your mood for the character your creating . Also which makes the game very enjoyable is the selection of either the English voice actors or Japanese voice actors to listen to as you play . The characters you can play with are very numerous a nice selection to choose from and as you win money during battles you can upgrade your characters equipment or get more powerful weapons to help you out during the next time you have to fight . The online extras are very good as well and as far as I've played against another person there isn't any lag time to worry about at all there's not stuttering or slowing during fight rounds an the like . So if you're a fan of the Tekken or Street Fighting games or just fighting games in general here's a great choice for your gaming library tonight .
036 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
After the dismal choice of getting King Of Fighters XII I knew I had to get a way better fighting game than that and with the previous experience of the SC games I knew this was the one I had to buy . The fighting , cgi animation , music , and scenery were incredible as expected fro the makers of this game after all their the ones who also released the Tekken fighting game series as well . Like Tekken 6 you can customize your characters in the game with different clothes hair color as well as more unique looking weapons , but you can also create your own characters from scratch if you desire from gender to which fighting styles your created character uses and you can also decide their voices from high to low pitched deciding on your mood for the character your creating . Also which makes the game very enjoyable is the selection of either the English voice actors or Japanese voice actors to listen to as you play . The characters you can play with are very numerous a nice selection to choose from and as you win money during battles you can upgrade your characters equipment or get more powerful weapons to help you out during the next time you have to fight . The online extras are very good as well and as far as I've played against another person there isn't any lag time to worry about at all there's not stuttering or slowing during fight rounds an the like . So if you're a fan of the Tekken or Street Fighting games or just fighting games in general here's a great choice for your gaming library tonight .
038 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
This is a really great addition to the Soul Calibur series . There are some issues and it lacks some depth on the one player modes . . . but overall the game is fun . The fighting style is nearly flawless . Characters are well thought out . So far it is the best fighting game on PS3 . . . and the new price certainly helps ! !
043 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Despite minor flaws , this game was darn near perfect ! The graphics were phenomenal , the gameplay was easy to grasp , and the replay is worthy of recognition .
However , my only complaint was the character customization . I prefer a little more in-depth customizing , rather than already pre-rendered faces and standard-set body height . I wish more could have been done with it , but i'll leave it be .
Overall , this is a great game and I will be playing it for . . . . well , we'll see how long XD
044 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Despite minor flaws , this game was darn near perfect ! The graphics were phenomenal , the gameplay was easy to grasp , and the replay is worthy of recognition .
However , my only complaint was the character customization . I prefer a little more in-depth customizing , rather than already pre-rendered faces and standard-set body height . I wish more could have been done with it , but i'll leave it be .
Overall , this is a great game and I will be playing it for . . . . well , we'll see how long XD
046 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Soul Calibur IV lacks variety and innovation . In contrast to its predecessor , it's actually a couple step back .
The graphic upgrade is evident . Fluidity and overall enjoyment are still high , but the game lacks depth .
Regardless , Soul Calibur IV is worth picking up for any console owners at its current low price , and remains a welcomed addition to the genre .
051 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Not a heavy gamer , but some how have managed to collect 10 + games .
However , this is the game I play the most .
Well , arcade mode , or tower mode , I have to say is awfully boring .
Go online and play against other players ! It is quite the fun despite some lagging .
After 1300 + wins and 2100 + looses . . . I'm not the best fighter or even a good player at all , but I could at least say that I have played enough matches to say that this game has quite the depth as a fighting game .
See you in PSN if you happen to pick it up . I only play Amy based custom characters with pale skinned female , dressed in all white with vampirelish look . . .
055 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Good game . Fun with two people . The build-your-own-character feature is really cool . The single-player training is sub-par ( I'm comparing to Mortal Kombat's training ) .
057 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Love Fighting based games and I think this is one of the best so far on the PS3 system to date .
059 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Great graphics and game play . Game is also fun to play . I would recommend for the casual to the extreme gamer .
063 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
The game has a great fun factor . However I found it was somewhat short in the story mode . Character creation was perhaps the best part of the game . I would love to create a fighter with Darth Vader's fighting style however I haven't found a way to do this so am not sure whether this is even possible .
067 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
this game is the best out so far ! until tekken 6 this is amazing ! ! online and against your friends ! Visuals are amazing and gameplay is nice ! Darth vader and yoda are great additions also the apprentace ! But cervantes is still my favorate ! PSN = Cannibal35
069 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I have all the games from Soul Calibur but the story modes were better in the other games . All in all its still fun I would recommend this game .
071 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I must say that my first impression after purchasing this game was Am I missing something here ? I chose Darth Vader in arcade mode and the credits were rolling within ten minutes of fighting a few different characters . I tried fighting online , but couldn't ever get into a match due to heavy usage . Needless to say , I was disappointed .
A few days later I practiced using many of the different characters and the hundreds of moves that come with them and I realized that this isn't just a regular button mashing fighting game . The controls are VERY precise and pressure sensitive . There's a lot to learn here .
In my opinion this game really shines when you go online . After a week or so of buying this game it got a whole lot easier to find available matches . I love the fact that you can fight opponents online with the same precise controls as in the single player game . Matches rarely go past ten minutes making this a perfect online multiplayer game if you don't have a long time to devote to it . ( I hate getting stuck in COD4 if you have something that you need to get done all of the sudden . )
Anyhow , I highly recommend this game if you like fighting games with precise movements and quick combos . If you have this game , but don't like it , give it another try . You might be pleasantly surprised . I would have given it two stars the day I bought it , but now I shooting for five .
073 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Great Game . Not a lot of differences from SC3 but i loved 3 so that's fine . mainly got it to be Darth Vader . He is the man and the apprentice is also very good . This is a must have two player versus game .
075 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Now here's a game that is very clean in it's programming . I give it 5 stars because the level of detail and thought put into this game is substantial . There are many characters to choose from . Online play is definitely great . If you like fighting games , then this will definitely hold you over for a while . I recommend buying .
077 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Its a nice game . Still , I was expecting more from a PS3 game . Anyways , it is the best game there is in stock !
079 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
The best fighting game out of any other fighting game series . Most of the modes and characters from the Soul Calibur series are here . And new modes and characters such as Online and Tower of Souls . The new characters are Algol , Hilde , Angol Fear , Ashlotte , Kamikirimusi , Scheherazade , Shura , Darth Vader , and Vader's Secret Apprentice from the game Star Wars : The Force Unleashed . Character Creation is more detailed . The new armor and weapon only improves the game due to the better graphics . But the only downside is the online . Most matches either fails to connect , lag like crazy , disconnects during a match , or doesn't find a match . But , none of these online problems take away from the game . Other then that this game is perfect and you should buy it right away .
081 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Soul Calibur IV lives up to expectations , and even blows them away . The colors and graphics make the cost of the PS3 worth it when you see this game . The sounds are great also . I especially like the loud thunderous sounds before each match .
The cast of characters is large and varied . I can't say that I found Darth Vader adding any value though . I am not much of a Star Wars fan , so take that with a grain of salt . The Star Wars level is space looks out of place too . In fact , it doesn't even look like a PS3 backdrop .
I created my own character and have had fun playing as him . . . Stone Cold Steve Austin . The create-a-character system works well , although it has taken some criticism from some reviewers .
Its a great fighting game .
083 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
This game is a very good game however the story mode is very short and lame . A very solid fighting game though . Tons of characters and awesome moves . The one thing I was disappointed about though was the quest to go through and collect all the different swords and go through dungeons as in the previous games . I miss that . Other than that it is a great game and you can create your own character with its own fighting style and equipment . SWEET .
085 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
The game is really nice . The best feature is the character create mode that lets you create your very own fighter , you don't have as much variety among clothes and faces to choose from , but it adds a lot to the game .
The graphics are good , the textures and models are sweet , my only concern are the few jaggies that I had noticed .
The controls are just like the playstation prequels , you will feel a soul calibur game in your hands .
Online is a little laggy , but is playable . Single player is just to short , Soul Calibur II last more than this title in my opinion .
089 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
WOW ! I'm so glad they did a good job on this game , because I love the series and was waiting for it to come to the Playstation 3 console .
Graphics / Sound
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The graphics and sound are beautifully rendered . Everything comes together wonderfully to create the story . . the only thing I don't care for is that ' narrator bit ' at the beginning of every match . . that gets old . .
Controls
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The controls are great . Responsive , and with practice the combos are great . Though it takes some work in this series to mesh the right moves together . It's not as easy to button mash in Soul Calibar as in other games , because not ending the right combos together leaves a pause where you are open to attack .
Game play
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Fighting games are notorious for short play , but with all the extra features in this game you should still have plenty to do . Their real value is in multi-player so if you are a loner it * may not * ( Unless you play online ! ) be the best choice for you . But if you have room mates . . buy extra controllers . : )
People who don't have all day to play games will enjoy it , because rounds are short and can be played in the 5 minutes or so before you run out the door to a meeting , dinner , ect .
Extras
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The character creator is rich , and full of posibilites . If you don't think so . . try looking around the internet . There are some contests going on with people making some awesome characters ! The only stellar improvement to this feature would be to let people download each other's fighters over the network .
There's plenty of costumes , characters , images , ect . to unlock in story mode too , and the guest character is awesome by the way ! ; )
091 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Great Game if you are into the Soul Series . Online would be perfect if there aren't a lot of lag .
095 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
The Soul Calibur series has always been one of my favorite franchises and this game doesn't disappoint . If you have ever enjoyed a previous Soul Calibur game or fighting games in general this is a must have .
097 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I have played all the past soul cailbur games and they always have really good modes like weapon master in two and many other modes in three but in four they removed all those modes and all they added was a tower mode that was alright and online which is alright . so i would recommend this game but you just have to know ahead of time that it is not as good as the other soul cailbur games .
101 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
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 .
107 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
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 . . .
109 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Allow me to start by saying that this game is fun , but it is short lived fun . There are a vast number of characters in the game , including Darth Vader and his Apprentice ( whom you have to defeat in Arcade mode using Darth in order to unlock for use ) . You can create your own character , or modify the characters that came with the game . You can play through all their stories , use them in arcade , try to assemble the right mix to conquer the Tower of Souls , or go online ( the much touted new feature ) . But that's pretty much it . Unfortunately , the stories are very poorly written , often making no sense in English whatsoever . Arcade mode is relatively quick , the Tower is more difficult , with hidden goals to unlock treasures that are sometimes near impossible to achieve . Online is what you make of it , but it's never more than just fighting people that aren't sitting on the couch with you . One would have thought that with the vast capacity of a Blu-ray disc , the makers of Soul Calibur would have been able to include more features , possibly a return of the Chronicles of the Sword feature from SC3 . The training mode was also unhelpful , essentially worthless . All in all , I'd reached the peak of pleasure from this game well within the time frame of a rental . Might I suggest renting this game before buying it , you may save yourself a lot of money .
111 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
well , its pretty fun if you play it with friends . Anything more than that is just repetitive .
recomend it as a stress relief .
113 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
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 .
115 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Soul Calibur IV for the PS3 is a fun , quick play in campaign mode . The visuals are good and there are a lot of characters ( plus a character creator ) to use . Different skills and fighting styles keep the play fresh . There is an update for the PS3 version which is detected and installed from the PlayStation Network when the game disk is first inserted . With the update I found the load time to be very quick , and if you fail a level and then retry , the load time is very quick . There are a lot of options to keep game play interesting , for a fighting game .
119 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
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 .
121 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
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 !
123 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
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 .
131 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I'm not familiar with any of the preceding Soul Calibur titles but I am impressed by this release . The controls are very intuitive without getting too complicated ( ie . Tekken ) . The graphics are incredible and the animation is very impressive . Overall this is a great fighter and I would easily reccomen this to anyone looking for a next-gen fighter .
143 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
My husband loves this game . I think he spends more time making characters than playing the game . Some parts can be a little hard , but he just makes a stronger character .
145 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Well here we are again , the forth edition to the amazing legacy of The Soul Calibur series . I have to admit , this is the reason I have a Playstation 3 lying at home on my computer table , having heard the makers , Namco , wanted to format it to the PS3 , I knew it was a matter of time before I would need to purchase the console for the sole benefit of playing this game . Result ? Sheer brilliance , excellent graphics , the gameplay still has the nostalgic feeling of the former 3 games and totally new fresh feel and look to it . The Characters are their usually amazing selves with some of the best moves put to game . We get an addition to all the returning characters , the choice of Darth Vader on PS3 or Yoda on X-Box , which as follows the PS2 and X-Box version of Soul Calibur 2 ; with selective characters designated to game format .
Verdict :
All in all , a great game . This is as close to perfect fantasy-fighting as we can get 10 / 10 .
Indyman33 / funkin_deadly88 - PS3 ID
149 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Great graphicas . Fight modes are excellent . The addition of Characters and fight abilities brings a lot more to the game that its predecessors . I wrealy recommend purchising it , you will get a lot out of it .
150 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Great graphicas . Fight modes are excellent . The addition of Characters and fight abilities brings a lot more to the game that its predecessors . I wrealy recommend purchising it , you will get a lot out of it .
154 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I am a real fan of fighting games , but It seems like they were trying to sell this game with the novelty of Vader and large breasted women . I feel the game is too short and is a cluster of different play modes that I really don't care about , The story mode ends before it begins it seems like , which is a shame . I honestly can't say I recommend this as a game to purchase , but more of a rental over the weekend .
156 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Somehow I thought this game would be funner . I guess I didn't know enough about the franchise . If you like endless sword fights getting harder and harder then this is the game for you , if you get bored fighting the same fights over and over look somewhere else .
160 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Its Gets Boring After about 3 weeks , its just like 3 and 3 was just like 2 and so on and so on all the way down to souledge , if u own one , u own them all
Soul Calibur IV
170 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
It is amazing how terrible this game is compared to its previous verisons . This was a clear rushed out the door sequel with no soul ( yea , sorry , had to take that shot ) . Crappy new characters with nothing new since the last versions . Bought this and ended selling it right away .
171 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
It is amazing how terrible this game is compared to its previous verisons . This was a clear rushed out the door sequel with no soul ( yea , sorry , had to take that shot ) . Crappy new characters with nothing new since the last versions . Bought this and ended selling it right away .
175 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
This came alot faster than expected and it was in great condition . Thanks for the awesome price .
177 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
when is this genre going to evolve ?
at least with shooters you have to put the crosshair on your enemy before mashing the trigger button .
I can defeat anyone using a one button mash .
178 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
when is this genre going to evolve ?
at least with shooters you have to put the crosshair on your enemy before mashing the trigger button .
I can defeat anyone using a one button mash .
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I had Soul Calibur on Dreamcast and SC2 on Gamecube ( never played SC3 ) but now I bought this one on PS3 as I liked the first 2 . I played it for an hour or so and quit it in disgust for what they had done to my beloved franchise . As others have said the story mode is ridiculously short and repetitive between characters ( I miss the original SC story mode with different parameters in battle ) . On top of that they had modified the way my usual character ( Siegfried ) played with missing combos and different attacks . Even the interface was not as clean and polished as I was used to with the menu options being placed on these ugly swords and the character selection screen having super tiny portraits and trading card like blow ups instead of fully rendered characters when you moved over them . To top it off the game only runs in 720p ( this is the case for both xbox and ps3 versions despite what some people claim ) .
I kept forcing myself to return to the game hoping I would find something I liked and I have to say that over time it has started to get better . Yes the menus and the single player are not as good as the first one , and I do miss the stories and detailed endings ( as cheesy as they were I still liked watching them ) , but that was usually the stuff that got me into the first to games not what kept me playing . I later figured out that they split up siegfried's moveset into 2 with nightmare ( formerly they were just clones but don't know if that changed in 3 ) . In fact none of the characters are quite as clone-ish as they were in previous iterations even if they do have ' similar ' movesets . After time I've been able to find other characters who haven't changed as much as Siegfried like Cervantes ( who I was happy to see got his armor costume from SC back so you don't have to be the cheesy pirate like in SC2 ) .
As far as the create a character goes , when you unlock and purchase a lot of the equipment it is quite versatile to make a character you like but there are restrictions as far as I can tell . The gear gives you different attributes so it seems like you can choose to make a character whose appearance you like with otherwise worthless stats , or to max out your stats with a goofy or dull looking character . Would have been nice to make the 2 independent of each other . Maybe there is a way to do this but I have not figured it out yet .
All I can say is if you were horrified like me when you first try the game , give it some time and at least the multiplayer can keep you entertained . Still sad though that it doesn't have the polish or sense of completeness I got with the first two games .
009 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I had Soul Calibur on Dreamcast and SC2 on Gamecube ( never played SC3 ) but now I bought this one on PS3 as I liked the first 2 . I played it for an hour or so and quit it in disgust for what they had done to my beloved franchise . As others have said the story mode is ridiculously short and repetitive between characters ( I miss the original SC story mode with different parameters in battle ) . On top of that they had modified the way my usual character ( Siegfried ) played with missing combos and different attacks . Even the interface was not as clean and polished as I was used to with the menu options being placed on these ugly swords and the character selection screen having super tiny portraits and trading card like blow ups instead of fully rendered characters when you moved over them . To top it off the game only runs in 720p ( this is the case for both xbox and ps3 versions despite what some people claim ) .
I kept forcing myself to return to the game hoping I would find something I liked and I have to say that over time it has started to get better . Yes the menus and the single player are not as good as the first one , and I do miss the stories and detailed endings ( as cheesy as they were I still liked watching them ) , but that was usually the stuff that got me into the first to games not what kept me playing . I later figured out that they split up siegfried's moveset into 2 with nightmare ( formerly they were just clones but don't know if that changed in 3 ) . In fact none of the characters are quite as clone-ish as they were in previous iterations even if they do have ' similar ' movesets . After time I've been able to find other characters who haven't changed as much as Siegfried like Cervantes ( who I was happy to see got his armor costume from SC back so you don't have to be the cheesy pirate like in SC2 ) .
As far as the create a character goes , when you unlock and purchase a lot of the equipment it is quite versatile to make a character you like but there are restrictions as far as I can tell . The gear gives you different attributes so it seems like you can choose to make a character whose appearance you like with otherwise worthless stats , or to max out your stats with a goofy or dull looking character . Would have been nice to make the 2 independent of each other . Maybe there is a way to do this but I have not figured it out yet .
All I can say is if you were horrified like me when you first try the game , give it some time and at least the multiplayer can keep you entertained . Still sad though that it doesn't have the polish or sense of completeness I got with the first two games .
029 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
The first Soul Calibur game I played was Soul Calibur 2 . I didn't get to play Soul Calibur 3 , so I'm not a total SC fan , but I enjoy the series more than other fighting games due to it's simple fighting system .
The Good :
The graphics are incredible . The character models look fantastic ; Darth Vader never looked this good , and each character is incredibly detailed . Even Starkiller looks better in this game than he does in The Force Unleashed . And , as always the cutscenes look great .
The sound design is as good as you'll find in a fighting game , with nostalgic sounds of metal bashing against metal . The lightsaber effects are great as well . The dialogue and voice acting is cheesy , but that's become a staple in the series and it's pretty entertaining . Some characters have better voices than others .
Fighting is as fluid and simple as always . Casual players will find it accessible enough to button mash and get by , while hardcore players will find some depth with it and get rewarded for mastering it . It's well balanced . New features have been added , such as armor breaking and the critical finish . There's a large chance that you will never use critical finishes due to the requirements you need to pull one off , and most of them aren't worth the trouble .
The Bad :
Single player is absolutely pathetic compared to the previous installments , with only three modes , not counting training mode . The story mode is terrible and short , with re-used cutscenes and only FIVE stages . Tower of Lost Souls is too hard for the casual players , and only appeals to the hardcore players who can handle plenty of punishment , or players who want to collect every item in the game . Arcade mode is fairly lengthy and is the only enjoyable part of the single player . But even that can't save it .
Character customization provides a few hours of fun , but it loses it's excitement after a while . You can choose the gender , alignment ( Good , Evil , Neutral ) , hair style , voice and voice pitch , facial features , armor , weapon skills , etc . And while there's tons of equipment to unlock and equip , and plenty of weapon skills , much of it seems like it's more for style than usefulness .
Finally , the online play is a welcomed addition , but is very laggy . Lag can be anywhere from a nuisance to controller smashing frustration . Cheap shots and hit-and-run techniques are much more useful than trying to pull off more advanced combos , if you are even able to pull them off with the lag .
074 4 Great Game . Not a lot of differences from SC3 but i loved 3 so that's fine . mainly got it to be Darth Vader . He is the man and the apprentice is also very good . This is a must have two player versus game .
110 4 Allow me to start by saying that this game is fun , but it is short lived fun . There are a vast number of characters in the game , including Darth Vader and his Apprentice ( whom you have to defeat in Arcade mode using Darth in order to unlock for use ) . You can create your own character , or modify the characters that came with the game . You can play through all their stories , use them in arcade , try to assemble the right mix to conquer the Tower of Souls , or go online ( the much touted new feature ) . But that's pretty much it . Unfortunately , the stories are very poorly written , often making no sense in English whatsoever . Arcade mode is relatively quick , the Tower is more difficult , with hidden goals to unlock treasures that are sometimes near impossible to achieve . Online is what you make of it , but it's never more than just fighting people that aren't sitting on the couch with you . One would have thought that with the vast capacity of a Blu-ray disc , the makers of Soul Calibur would have been able to include more features , possibly a return of the Chronicles of the Sword feature from SC3 . The training mode was also unhelpful , essentially worthless . All in all , I'd reached the peak of pleasure from this game well within the time frame of a rental . Might I suggest renting this game before buying it , you may save yourself a lot of money .
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
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 .
001 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I'm not much of a video game reviewer , and I'm certainly not a serious gamer but I do enjoy blowing off an hour or two every once in a while playing games . Up until we rented this on gamefly I had never played a Soul Caliber game before . I enjoy fighting games provided there are some speedy characters involved . My Hubby and I enjoyed this game enough to pay the extra loot to keep the game so we are now the proud owners of Soul Caliber IV .
What I liked :
1 ) I didn't have to hit 40 sequential buttons to get the character to do something cool , in fact my inner button masher was quite happy with the moves that I was able to do right off just by smashing in patterns .
2 ) The graphics are good , the surrounding areas are cool to look at and you can smash up your surroundings , which is always fun . The playable characters come in a wide variety and all look fairly good ( some of the women are ridiculously proportioned but whatever ) . They have a variety of weapons that are quite fun and all look great .
3 ) The characters level , meaning the more you play with one , the more options you get with them .
4 ) The online option is interesting , but for some reason the pairing doesn't seem up to snuff , I mean why would the computer match up a level 1 with a level 41 ? It seems that it should be a bit more balanced as to who it sets up against who .
5 ) The tower is a blast , and it's HARD ! basically you have to fight different groups of baddies on each level of the tower to ascend to the next one . . . we're on level 20 or so now and it's no walk in the park ! The good thing is that each level has a way for you to unlock another article of clothing to use in your character creation .
6 ) Character creation , this can be quite fun , and I'm really bad at it . My hubby can spend over an hour tweeking his dude . . . I just slap some clothes on them and go .
7 ) The other options are your standard Arcade mode and the story mode , both of which allow you to unlock different playable characters .
What I don't care for :
1 ) When you are either beating the tar out of someone or they are laying the smack down on you , armor can break . . . effectively leaving your character almost completely in the nude . Now I'm not sure who gets their jollies from video game semi-naked people , but I'm not one of them .
2 ) It would be great if the female characters weren't trapsing about with their boobs hanging out wearing thongs . . . and the closeups of the boobs and booties gets to be rather tiresome . . . men wonder why more women don't play video games . . . this is one of the reasons .
3 ) The commercial showed Darth Vader fighting Yoda . . . um . . . you only get Vader on the PS3 version , apparently Yoda is on the Xbox version . It would have been nice to have had both .
4 ) The loading times from fight to fight get a bit tiresome , especially in the tower when you just got your derrier handed to you and you have to re-fight the same guy for the 15th time and there you are ; waiting for 2 minutes or more to reload the battle .
5 ) In the character creation I should be able to pick some better undergarments for my people just in case all of their clothes get busted off so that they aren't standing there in a bra and thong .
Still , I love the game , it's an absolute blast and well worth a purchase ( especially used )
008 4 For as much as Namco's Soul Calibur series has stayed the same , the more fun the weapons-based fighter has become . Soul Calibur IV is no different , offering up a plethora of fighters that bear familiar faces to fans of the series , as well as even offering Darth Vader ( yes , Darth Vader ) as a bonus fighter for the Playstation 3 version of the game ( while XBox 360 gamers get Yoda ) , and stands as the best fighter to hit the PS3 yet . Like previous installments in the series , the fighting engine is surprisingly deep yet even more surprisingly accessible for those new to the series , and is rewarding as well . It should also be noted that Soul Calibur IV looks magnificent ( especially on the PS3 ) and fully displays some brilliantly animated graphics that are vibrant and nicely detailed . Even better is the game's online play which is smooth , lag-free , and tons of fun . The only real downside to Soul Calibur IV is that the game's single player mode isn't hard to get through at all , and there's no team battle mode either , which is really disappointing . Despite that though , Soul Calibur IV is a wonderful and incredibly good installment of a great fighting series that deserves your attention , whether or not you're a veteran or newcomer to the Soul Calibur universe .
013 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I've played each major console Soul Calibur game to date , and at this point , I'm kinda done with the series . It really feels like I'm playing the same exact game , over and over with a new character here and there , and spruced up graphics as the systems go on . There are just two reasons why I bought this one in the first place - it was cheap , and I wanted to see how nice Ivy looked on a current generation console . Isn't that terrible ? Hey , at least I'm being honest here . I've always been more of a Guilty Gear and Street Fighter player . SC never got ahold of me , despite consistently being a gorgeous game series and using weapons instead of hand to hand combat .
If you haven't played a SC game before , it's just a 3D weapons-based fighting game . You can move around your opponent , win via Ring Outs and . . . man , that's really it . For the gameplay , the game is fun if you're playing casually or with a bunch of friends taking turns . SC has never been much of a competitive game , especially considering that most people use the term ' button masher ' at some point when describing it . And that's completely true - anyone can beat the game or another person if they just randomly hit buttons . To this day , I don't know how to do Mitsurugi's better moves , but doing standard attacks and grabs seems to get me on to the next round just fine . The characters aren't that balanced either , and you'll rarely see anyone using a good 70% of the roster . And they went and did the tie-in for The Force Unleashed , throwing The Apprentice and Darth Vader in here . Vader is weird to play as , and can use some Force powers , but plays like an SC character . The Apprentice however , is very cheap and definitely overpowered . He could've been the final boss in the main game modes and aside from not fitting in with the SC world , it would've been a good battle .
So what's new with SC4 ? Not much . You can play online - always cool for fighting games , but depending on your connection there could be lag , and that always kills the fun unless you master the timing ( yes , some people actually do that ) . There's a Tower of Souls mode , very similar to the modes in pervious SC games that gets you money to unlock more items and weapons , and offers some real challenge , like beating 3 enemies in a row via Ring Out , or switching to your partner instead of wasting everyone with just one character . The main thing I like is the Create a Character mode . There are tons of clothes , armor , accessories and everything to help make a truly unique character of your own . If you want your guy to wear pants on his head , go for it - you can do it here . There's also downloadable content like Christmas outfits and of course for the ps3 version here - Yoda . You have to pay more than you should for him , and he's such a cheap character that people will just get mad if you use him , but if you want all the characters , you'll need him . Also , you can now break armor and weapons , and get a kind of instant kill attack . Should you keep blocking attacks , your armor will break ( not that some characters have much armor to begin with ) . It's a nice addition but it didn't happen enough when I was playing to affect gameplay . Lastly , I have to give them some credit for the new character that fights with both a spear and a short sword . I love playing as lancers in any game , and it was good to see a lovely lady representing the class finally . ' turns out that she's one of the better characters too .
Visually , the SC4 continues the tradition of looking incredible . Animations are smooth and never jerky , and they've gotten better on rendering things like hair and cloth . The music is generic , and I never paid much attention to it , but the voices match their characters well in both Japanese and English , for the most part .
Really , most of my negative comments aren't that negative . It's just that the series desperately needs something new . If you haven't played a game in the series , you might like it more than someone like me did . SC4 is great to look at , even with it being an older game now , but if you want a deeper or just plain more memorable fighting experience on the ps3 , go for Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo or BlazBlue .
027 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
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 .
053 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
First I have to give SC props . It's definitely one of the best video games I've ever played . The graphics are amazing , the play is fast and furious , and it's just so much fun to whomp your opponent like a redheaded stepchild . I loved SC2 and SC3 , and I was so excited when I heard about 4 .
First , I love how they included Darth Vader and The Apprentice in SC4 . I knew I was getting Vader , but . . . I think his name is Starkiller actually , well , he was a lovely surprise . I could only be happier if they gave me Jane Eyre and Elvis Cole . I love how you can edit the fighters ' clothing now . I love Ivy , but I'm not crazy about seeing her butt cheeks hanging out . I created a version of her in coulotts , flip flops , and a neat updo . And of course you can create your own characters . And there are some really funny and awesome weapons available now , such as hula hoops , giant squids , a ladle and pot lid , a surf board , shish kebabs , a huge chicken leg , and a giant corn cob ! You can create Colonel Sanders if you so please . How fun is that ? Heck , maybe I'll try to create Jane and Elvis on my own . . .
Here's what I hate about SC4 : 1 ) Your character's defense depends on his / her wardrobe . That is , if you send Ivy running around in just a tee shirt and coulotts and flip flops , she's not going to defend herself as well as if she's wearing a breastplate and gauntlets . Okay , it's logical , but it's new and it bugs me . 2 ) They changed all the combos ! I had to relearn what buttons to press to get the character to do what I wanted . What a pain in the neck ! It seems like there are half the throws available , too . 3 ) The Moves list has been shortened dramatically . You can still do a lot of combos and such , but they only provide a partial list . 4 ) What happened to the camera controls ? I used to love to control the camera in SC3 . You can't do it here . 5 ) The load times are so long now . It's a PS3 ! Come ON ! 6 ) You can't go on missions anymore , or build teams .
Quite a few nits , huh ? But I still love playing it , and I'm looking forward to SC5 .
127 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
If you have ever played any of the SoulCalibur games you will notice not much has changed aside for the better graphics . I haven't played through the game using all the characters , but the ones I did , gameplay didn't change . You can buy charcters as well as weapons with the money you earn through storymode as well as arcade mode . If you could do that in the 3rd one , I never really noticed because I didn't care for the last one that much . You can also tweak your characters attributes which is also nice . I enjoyed using Vader though some people would diagree and say he is no good as a fighter . It's true Vader is not a fast character in the game and sometimes I had to throw the computer players in order to beat them with him . On the otherhand he is very good with his lightsaber and it is fun using him while fighting with other characters that use swords ( the Samurai Mitsurugi comes to mind . ) Is this game worth buying ? In my opinion , no . I played through Vader's storyline as well as the arcade mode and made enough money to unlock other characters . But if you are a hard core SoulCalibur fan or fan of fighting games then by all means spend away . My review is based on when I rented it .
128 4 If you have ever played any of the SoulCalibur games you will notice not much has changed aside for the better graphics . I haven't played through the game using all the characters , but the ones I did , gameplay didn't change . You can buy charcters as well as weapons with the money you earn through storymode as well as arcade mode . If you could do that in the 3rd one , I never really noticed because I didn't care for the last one that much . You can also tweak your characters attributes which is also nice . I enjoyed using Vader though some people would diagree and say he is no good as a fighter . It's true Vader is not a fast character in the game and sometimes I had to throw the computer players in order to beat them with him . On the otherhand he is very good with his lightsaber and it is fun using him while fighting with other characters that use swords ( the Samurai Mitsurugi comes to mind . ) Is this game worth buying ? In my opinion , no . I played through Vader's storyline as well as the arcade mode and made enough money to unlock other characters . But if you are a hard core SoulCalibur fan or fan of fighting games then by all means spend away . My review is based on when I rented it .
129 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I rented it the day it came out and although I've never enjoyed fighting games that much this one is enjoyable . The storyline on normal is pretty short and not too hard and I'm pretty bad at fighting games . Its only 5 stages and the endings are cool depending on who you play with . There are a lot more characters in this one and Vader and the Apprentice are fun to play with . My favorite part is the character creation . There is a good portion of armor from head to toe . You can choose the hair color muscle tone and physic , the hair style and choose from over 10 different faces . You choose your weapon based on a character from the game and you can upgrade the weapons . I'd give the game a 8 / 10 , I just think the storyline could be longer .
137 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
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 .
173 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Soul Calibur fans won't find too much new here , and that's not necessarily a bad thing .
Most of the original characters are available when you start the game ( instead of having to unlock them later ) , the moves are more or less the same , and the graphics are great . The controls are quite responsive , and as in every previous iteration , it takes longer to watch the end credits than it does to beat the game in story mode .
And . . . as in every previous iteration , there are unreasonably long Now Loading screens , though they've improved the speed in Arcade Mode .
And now . . . a word about Star Wars . . .
WHAT ?
Sure , I knew that Darth Vader was going to be in the PS3 version , and Yoda in the Xbox 360 version , and blah , blah , blah . I figured they were just unlockable characters that I was free to ignore .
Not so , in Arcade Mode . Not only are you inexplicably transported to space after level 6 , but the two Star Wars characters become ridiculously difficult to beat for no obvious reason . We're talking Shang Tsung or Motaro cheap from the Mortal Kombat series .
It isn't that they're unbeatable . It's just that it makes no sense at all . I don't think I've ever seen a licensed product so obviously shoehorned in to a game . It totally kills the mood of the game , and the spend 15 minutes , then make a sandwich gameplay .
Getting back to Story Mode , when you finish with a character , you don't really get any sort of story or closure as you did in previous versions of Soul Calibur . Instead , you get a three-second variant of now I have it ! , followed by a black screen with a sentence or two .
If you haven't played any of the previous versions , you may enjoy this . Or , if you're really big in to Star Wars , I guess you'll get a kick out of playing as Darth Vader or The Apprentice . Otherwise , I think this is a pretty huge letdown for Soul Calibur fans out there .
I really wish I had rented this , instead of pre-ordering it months ago .
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I've played the first and second Soul Caliburs plus the horrid Legends for Wii . I missed out on the original Soul Edge and Soul Calibur III . So those are my qualifications for reviewing a Soul Calibur game . I may not know everything about the SC series , but neither am I a complete newbie .
BUTTON MASHING VS . FINESSE : With Soul Calibur II , I never felt any incentive to get better and learn more than my button mashing roots . While I'm sure fighting purists would think finesse fighting is its own reward , there's little reason to bother when button mashing with Link got me past every character on every game mode of SCII . It's a rare balance to find a game where button mashing can work long enough to get you into the game , but then just by virtue of having played , you start to get some finesse and find out just how deep the control system really is . This is what SC IV does . It still rewards button mashing to a degree . I was able to get through the Arcade and Story modes before learning much about the character I was controlling . But I did have a hard time of it . You'll find that things get significantly easier for you if you learn just a little bit of finesse .
CHARACTER CREATION : You can altar any existing character to a degree . Mostly you can just upgrade their weapon , change out a single stat-altering quality and change some of their abilities . So no gold-plated Vader .
Having only used the Mortal Kombat Armageddon Kreate a Fighter tool before , I can only compare to that . It is nice to have fifty slots worth of character creation ( including the altered main characters you've made ) compared to MK's two slots ( one if you have the Wii ) . Original character creations aren't quite as all encompassing as the MK fighter creation , however . Every one you make must be a human . No tails , horns , wings or faun legs . You also can't do anyone who's really fat or really skinny . Even the faces are chosen from several presets . You can't thin out a nose here , widen the spacing between the eyes there . You have the presets and that's it . Same goes for fighting styles . Where in MK you could have Scorpions spear mixed with Subzero's freeze , Raydan's teleport , Sony'a weapon , any mix of combo's , here you have the style of one fighter and one fighter only . No mix and matching . So basically , you're just making male / female clones of already existing characters . Most annoying of all is that your stats ( attack , defense , guard ) are dependant on what clothes and weapons you give your character . Thus you often have to choose between a great looking weak character or an odd looking uber character .
GAME MODES : Story Mode is great but short . This is how you would unlock character endings and some things to use in character creation . Tower of Lost Souls is the bulk of where you unlock content . But it's also an exhausting gauntlet that can be frustrating endurance trial that feels like trying to open a big steel door by banging your head into it . This is definitely where that finesse that I was talking about comes in handy . Arcade Mode is just like you'd think . Square off against opponents until you get to the end . But there's no ending as a reward . That comes from story mode . Also all the stats you worked so hard to boost in character creation don't mean anything in Arcade mode , only Story and Tower modes . So you're left to wonder why you would bother . Honestly , I'd stick with story mode .
ONLINE : Stay away from it at all costs . If you do a quick join , you'll more than likely find that all sessions are full . You can create your own , but in the off chance that you do find someone , the combination of your lag time and they're button-mashing spamming of moves can and will often end in your defeat before you can even make a move .
FINAL WORDS : This is a great game . While it may seem like I'm being highly critical of this game I wouldn't be credible if I didn't list a games short comings as well as it's high points . It has its faults . But at the end of the day , the graphics are great . The control is some of the best , most highly responsive controls you could ask for . Button mashing versus finesse is balanced better than most fighting games I could name . If you want a high quality , fun fighting game , this is one of the better ones .
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Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Extremely fun game . I would have to say it's better than TEKKEN ! Worth Every Penny .
041 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Extremely fun game . I would have to say it's better than TEKKEN ! Worth Every Penny .
042 4 Extremely fun game . I would have to say it's better than TEKKEN ! Worth Every Penny .
117 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I've played the first and second Soul Caliburs plus the horrid Legends for Wii . I missed out on the original Soul Edge and Soul Calibur III . So those are my qualifications for reviewing a Soul Calibur game . I may not know everything about the SC series , but neither am I a complete newbie .
BUTTON MASHING VS . FINESSE : With Soul Calibur II , I never felt any incentive to get better and learn more than my button mashing roots . While I'm sure fighting purists would think finesse fighting is its own reward , there's little reason to bother when button mashing with Link got me past every character on every game mode of SCII . It's a rare balance to find a game where button mashing can work long enough to get you into the game , but then just by virtue of having played , you start to get some finesse and find out just how deep the control system really is . This is what SC IV does . It still rewards button mashing to a degree . I was able to get through the Arcade and Story modes before learning much about the character I was controlling . But I did have a hard time of it . You'll find that things get significantly easier for you if you learn just a little bit of finesse .
CHARACTER CREATION : You can altar any existing character to a degree . Mostly you can just upgrade their weapon , change out a single stat-altering quality and change some of their abilities . So no gold-plated Vader .
Having only used the Mortal Kombat Armageddon Kreate a Fighter tool before , I can only compare to that . It is nice to have fifty slots worth of character creation ( including the altered main characters you've made ) compared to MK's two slots ( one if you have the Wii ) . Original character creations aren't quite as all encompassing as the MK fighter creation , however . Every one you make must be a human . No tails , horns , wings or faun legs . You also can't do anyone who's really fat or really skinny . Even the faces are chosen from several presets . You can't thin out a nose here , widen the spacing between the eyes there . You have the presets and that's it . Same goes for fighting styles . Where in MK you could have Scorpions spear mixed with Subzero's freeze , Raydan's teleport , Sony'a weapon , any mix of combo's , here you have the style of one fighter and one fighter only . No mix and matching . So basically , you're just making male / female clones of already existing characters . Most annoying of all is that your stats ( attack , defense , guard ) are dependant on what clothes and weapons you give your character . Thus you often have to choose between a great looking weak character or an odd looking uber character .
GAME MODES : Story Mode is great but short . This is how you would unlock character endings and some things to use in character creation . Tower of Lost Souls is the bulk of where you unlock content . But it's also an exhausting gauntlet that can be frustrating endurance trial that feels like trying to open a big steel door by banging your head into it . This is definitely where that finesse that I was talking about comes in handy . Arcade Mode is just like you'd think . Square off against opponents until you get to the end . But there's no ending as a reward . That comes from story mode . Also all the stats you worked so hard to boost in character creation don't mean anything in Arcade mode , only Story and Tower modes . So you're left to wonder why you would bother . Honestly , I'd stick with story mode .
ONLINE : Stay away from it at all costs . If you do a quick join , you'll more than likely find that all sessions are full . You can create your own , but in the off chance that you do find someone , the combination of your lag time and they're button-mashing spamming of moves can and will often end in your defeat before you can even make a move .
FINAL WORDS : This is a great game . While it may seem like I'm being highly critical of this game I wouldn't be credible if I didn't list a games short comings as well as it's high points . It has its faults . But at the end of the day , the graphics are great . The control is some of the best , most highly responsive controls you could ask for . Button mashing versus finesse is balanced better than most fighting games I could name . If you want a high quality , fun fighting game , this is one of the better ones .
162 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
THIS GAME IS GREAT AND EXCITING . THIS GAME FEATURES ARE EXCELLENT . ESPECIALLY NEW CHARACTER DARTH VADER IS LOOKING GREAT . ALSO THE COMPUTER EFFECT WAS NICE . I ENJOY THE GAME . THIS GAME WILL HIT . I RECOMMANDED IT .
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Overall I'm quite disspointed with this game .
Let's break it down though .
Graphics 5 / 5 : As far my opinion goes , this is the most graphically superior fighting game there is at the moment , the scenes are beautifully rendered and the characters are rich in detail .
Controls 5 / 5 : The controls never change and no exceptions here , the game is easy and can be jumped right into .
Character Creation 1 / 5 : What a HUGE step back here . . . SC : III had so many innovative things here a profession made it feel unique and special . Now it's just What character do you want to rip off ? ! Which is extremely lame and lazy in my opinion . The different combos of clothings / faces are alright not as extravagant was SC : III was .
New Features 2 / 5 : The Tower is quite bland and more like just a scenario mode nothing overly special about it .
The online mode I will admit I haven't tried yet but . . . I imagine it's no different then having someone sitting aside of you playing . I most certainly miss the strategy mode as it gave a real personal feeling to the game .
Main Guts of the Game 2 / 5 : Let me start by saying the Star Wars characters compared to the rest of the group . . . are ridiculously overpowered . In Arcade mode you go from classic SC scenese to a . . . space ship ? To fight The Apprentice ? What the @ # $ @ ? The Apprentice is ridiculously over powered and if you're playing on medium expect hard diffuculty Hard expect Soul Edge . . . etc . . . The first time I went through I spent around 1 min . on each opponent and 9 min . on The Apprentice .
The story mode is VERY dissaspointing as it starts with about a 4 - 5 paragraph introduction then just like . . . arcade mode until the last fight . About a 1 minute clip a sentence or two pops up on the screen . . . that's it . Not a whole lotta point to Story Mode if you don't actually make the character have a FREAKIN ' STORY !
Overall : I wish I would have rented this game instead of paying salty for it . . . It's just . . . not as good as any of it's previous bretheren . I'd be even willing to say a step BACK .
031 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Overall I'm quite disspointed with this game .
Let's break it down though .
Graphics 5 / 5 : As far my opinion goes , this is the most graphically superior fighting game there is at the moment , the scenes are beautifully rendered and the characters are rich in detail .
Controls 5 / 5 : The controls never change and no exceptions here , the game is easy and can be jumped right into .
Character Creation 1 / 5 : What a HUGE step back here . . . SC : III had so many innovative things here a profession made it feel unique and special . Now it's just What character do you want to rip off ? ! Which is extremely lame and lazy in my opinion . The different combos of clothings / faces are alright not as extravagant was SC : III was .
New Features 2 / 5 : The Tower is quite bland and more like just a scenario mode nothing overly special about it .
The online mode I will admit I haven't tried yet but . . . I imagine it's no different then having someone sitting aside of you playing . I most certainly miss the strategy mode as it gave a real personal feeling to the game .
Main Guts of the Game 2 / 5 : Let me start by saying the Star Wars characters compared to the rest of the group . . . are ridiculously overpowered . In Arcade mode you go from classic SC scenese to a . . . space ship ? To fight The Apprentice ? What the @ # $ @ ? The Apprentice is ridiculously over powered and if you're playing on medium expect hard diffuculty Hard expect Soul Edge . . . etc . . . The first time I went through I spent around 1 min . on each opponent and 9 min . on The Apprentice .
The story mode is VERY dissaspointing as it starts with about a 4 - 5 paragraph introduction then just like . . . arcade mode until the last fight . About a 1 minute clip a sentence or two pops up on the screen . . . that's it . Not a whole lotta point to Story Mode if you don't actually make the character have a FREAKIN ' STORY !
Overall : I wish I would have rented this game instead of paying salty for it . . . It's just . . . not as good as any of it's previous bretheren . I'd be even willing to say a step BACK .
032 4 Overall I'm quite disspointed with this game .
Let's break it down though .
Graphics 5 / 5 : As far my opinion goes , this is the most graphically superior fighting game there is at the moment , the scenes are beautifully rendered and the characters are rich in detail .
Controls 5 / 5 : The controls never change and no exceptions here , the game is easy and can be jumped right into .
Character Creation 1 / 5 : What a HUGE step back here . . . SC : III had so many innovative things here a profession made it feel unique and special . Now it's just What character do you want to rip off ? ! Which is extremely lame and lazy in my opinion . The different combos of clothings / faces are alright not as extravagant was SC : III was .
New Features 2 / 5 : The Tower is quite bland and more like just a scenario mode nothing overly special about it .
The online mode I will admit I haven't tried yet but . . . I imagine it's no different then having someone sitting aside of you playing . I most certainly miss the strategy mode as it gave a real personal feeling to the game .
Main Guts of the Game 2 / 5 : Let me start by saying the Star Wars characters compared to the rest of the group . . . are ridiculously overpowered . In Arcade mode you go from classic SC scenese to a . . . space ship ? To fight The Apprentice ? What the @ # $ @ ? The Apprentice is ridiculously over powered and if you're playing on medium expect hard diffuculty Hard expect Soul Edge . . . etc . . . The first time I went through I spent around 1 min . on each opponent and 9 min . on The Apprentice .
The story mode is VERY dissaspointing as it starts with about a 4 - 5 paragraph introduction then just like . . . arcade mode until the last fight . About a 1 minute clip a sentence or two pops up on the screen . . . that's it . Not a whole lotta point to Story Mode if you don't actually make the character have a FREAKIN ' STORY !
Overall : I wish I would have rented this game instead of paying salty for it . . . It's just . . . not as good as any of it's previous bretheren . I'd be even willing to say a step BACK .
065 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I have played Soul Calibur 1 - 4 . This is a great fighting game , but mainly for multiplayer action . The story itself is way too short and I wished it would have been longer and more meaningful . Actually I would not consider this a story , it is almost like SC3 but with a new boss .
Challenges are great when you fight multiple character's ( 1 at a time ) before you can progress .
A highly improved character creation and weapons upgrade , far exceeding SC3 . Each piece of costume and acessories has it's pros and cons of adding it to your character , so you must balance your characer the best you can .
The tower is the most challenging part of this game , it can get very difficult as you progress .
I recommend buying this game for any Soul Calibur fan out there . It may not be the original many have loved on the Dreamcast , but it is still something you will enjoy on the PS3
Newcomers to the Soul Calibur franchise may not feel up to par with this game , but its a definate rental for you guys .
139 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Soul Calibur IV is the best looking PS3 game right now . I got to say it is a tad different in term of the game-play . Lot of the moves is the same with existing characters , but the buttons combinations are a little different / charged . There is a new feature that if you guard too much your character weapon will get weaker or break , which was similar to the original soul blade game . Your weapons are the same , only the characters will level up . Game mode is altered a little with online play . The usual story line , verse , arcade modes are back . The storyline matches are a little different . You face 2 - 3 enemies per round with one life bar , sound hard , but it is actually easy in normal mode . There are only 5 rounds . The ending clips aren't that great either .
The extra and characters creation is also tweaked a little . You can't really randomly create really odd characters like before , more like modifying existing one . I am not sure if all the ending movies can be viewed like before in a theater mode , I didn't find it . The character bio is really lame this time . You get like an artwork with the written description , gone is the 3d model that you can rotate and zoom in Soul Caliber III . Those weird odd mini game and quests are gone from SC3 . There is a tower game , but that is just like a regular arcade version . No more buying weapons for your character development . Why are half the scenes from SC3 , with better detail ? A lot more female characters are a great plus , Ivy and some of the ladies are quite Taki-ness .
The team spent a lot of time on the animation , design and rendering of the characters , and kind of chopped skipped on the extra features that were found in SC3 . Basically I liked SC3 a bit better . SC4 is basically a visual upgrade of SC3 similar to VF5 for the PS3 .
140 4 Soul Calibur IV is the best looking PS3 game right now . I got to say it is a tad different in term of the game-play . Lot of the moves is the same with existing characters , but the buttons combinations are a little different / charged . There is a new feature that if you guard too much your character weapon will get weaker or break , which was similar to the original soul blade game . Your weapons are the same , only the characters will level up . Game mode is altered a little with online play . The usual story line , verse , arcade modes are back . The storyline matches are a little different . You face 2 - 3 enemies per round with one life bar , sound hard , but it is actually easy in normal mode . There are only 5 rounds . The ending clips aren't that great either .
The extra and characters creation is also tweaked a little . You can't really randomly create really odd characters like before , more like modifying existing one . I am not sure if all the ending movies can be viewed like before in a theater mode , I didn't find it . The character bio is really lame this time . You get like an artwork with the written description , gone is the 3d model that you can rotate and zoom in Soul Caliber III . Those weird odd mini game and quests are gone from SC3 . There is a tower game , but that is just like a regular arcade version . No more buying weapons for your character development . Why are half the scenes from SC3 , with better detail ? A lot more female characters are a great plus , Ivy and some of the ladies are quite Taki-ness .
The team spent a lot of time on the animation , design and rendering of the characters , and kind of chopped skipped on the extra features that were found in SC3 . Basically I liked SC3 a bit better . SC4 is basically a visual upgrade of SC3 similar to VF5 for the PS3 .
166 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
I own every Soul Calibur game ( asside from the original Soul Blade ) and I can honestly say this game is an insult to the Soul Calibur series . It's as though the people making this thing wanted to dumb it down completely . One of the staples of the Soul Calibur series was the sense of timing while in combat . If you attacked or defended at the wrong moment you would pay for it severely . Far more than in other famous fighting games ( Mortal Kombat , Street Fighter , etc . ) and that sense of timing is almost completely removed in this game making it just another fighter .
When combat is boring you turn to the story ( or vise-versa ) . Anyone who has played the prvious Soul Caliburs will know that they all had long and encompassing story modes . Especially 2 which had a long combat quest with a well written story , and 3 which had a long stratagy style story quest for created caracters . This game has little or no storyline . Old arcade at best .
This game was not made for people to play , it was obviously made for no other reason than to capitalize on it's name and that of Star Wars . As if playing as Star Wars characters would save it , not that that wasn't awsome . It even comes with an advertizement for Star Wars : The Force Unleashed . And that game was so rife with glitches and cliche gameplay it was barely playable at all . Not to mention the fact that to get even the same create a character options that three had you have to purchase them seperately from PSN .
Summary : If you want a good fight with no distractions this is a good game . If , however , you are a serious fan of the Soul Calibur series , STAY AWAY FROM THIS GAME ! ! ! ! !
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
This latest iteration of Soul Calibur presents a visually appealing and generally fun gaming experience . There isn't a huge change from previous iterations ( never played Soul Calibur 3 myself ) so fans familiar with the series will be pleasantly surprised .
The biggest new feature of note is the custom character creation . The custom character creation section allows players to modify existing ( aside from a handful ) characters and also create an all newish character . The custom custom character has the standard fare present - pick gender , pick fighting style , adjust costumes , adjust coloration , adjust abilities , pick voice , etc .
Unfortunately a few audio and rare visual glitches ( sort of ) do emerge . The first audio glitch folks will notice is that the character banter sometimes butts right up against the announcer's dialog and occasionally even occurs over the announcer's dialog . The sort of visual glitch emerges when two players are fighting next to a wall . The wall simply disappears and leaves a less than immersive view on the action . However , the visual seems more of a decision to keep the camera from going all wonky when players fight next to walls .
Pros :
The controls feel responsive during fights .
Good looking .
Custom characters / custom configurable characters .
Slightly addictive .
Multi-player ( not sure if it does split screen )
Vader rocks .
Every character has a different story .
Cons :
Audio glitches
Doesn't spoil users with things to do - story mode is about 6 bouts .
Could have been delayed 1 - 2 months and been worth the wait - game feels unfinished in areas .
Vader feels so out of place , but is still fun .
No next gen story telling ( no cut scenes / variation of cut scenes . )
Some stories seem more of an after though while some are quite funny .
Story mode could have been a lot more .
Custom matches not present .
039 4 This is a really great addition to the Soul Calibur series . There are some issues and it lacks some depth on the one player modes . . . but overall the game is fun . The fighting style is nearly flawless . Characters are well thought out . So far it is the best fighting game on PS3 . . . and the new price certainly helps ! !
068 4 this game is the best out so far ! until tekken 6 this is amazing ! ! online and against your friends ! Visuals are amazing and gameplay is nice ! Darth vader and yoda are great additions also the apprentace ! But cervantes is still my favorate ! PSN = Cannibal35
133 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
This latest iteration of Soul Calibur presents a visually appealing and generally fun gaming experience . There isn't a huge change from previous iterations ( never played Soul Calibur 3 myself ) so fans familiar with the series will be pleasantly surprised .
The biggest new feature of note is the custom character creation . The custom character creation section allows players to modify existing ( aside from a handful ) characters and also create an all newish character . The custom custom character has the standard fare present - pick gender , pick fighting style , adjust costumes , adjust coloration , adjust abilities , pick voice , etc .
Unfortunately a few audio and rare visual glitches ( sort of ) do emerge . The first audio glitch folks will notice is that the character banter sometimes butts right up against the announcer's dialog and occasionally even occurs over the announcer's dialog . The sort of visual glitch emerges when two players are fighting next to a wall . The wall simply disappears and leaves a less than immersive view on the action . However , the visual seems more of a decision to keep the camera from going all wonky when players fight next to walls .
Pros :
The controls feel responsive during fights .
Good looking .
Custom characters / custom configurable characters .
Slightly addictive .
Multi-player ( not sure if it does split screen )
Vader rocks .
Every character has a different story .
Cons :
Audio glitches
Doesn't spoil users with things to do - story mode is about 6 bouts .
Could have been delayed 1 - 2 months and been worth the wait - game feels unfinished in areas .
Vader feels so out of place , but is still fun .
No next gen story telling ( no cut scenes / variation of cut scenes . )
Some stories seem more of an after though while some are quite funny .
Story mode could have been a lot more .
Custom matches not present .
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
To start I have never played any of the Soul Calibur games , Ive really only played / play the 2D Mortal Kombats & MK : Deception . After getting Tekken 5 DR for PS3 I found I was missing out on a lot of great fighting games over the years . On to the review , I found this game to have a relatively deep combat system , a decent amount of unlocks / custom characters and a short story mode . First off the graphics are crisp & detailed , they did Darth Vader justice and this game is very addicting .
Modes of play : Single Player Modes = Story : It is like the arcade but at the very end you get to see a short cut-scene of your chosen character gaining ultimate power . Tower Of Lost Souls : A series of levels ascending & descending the tower , when you ascend you fight overpowered fighters and unlock the next level & when you descend you fight lots of weaker enemies . There are treasure chests you can obtain by meeting specific conditions during each floor & if you get a treasure chest you unlock a item that can be used for the character creation mode . Arcade : just like the name implies , you fight through increasingly difficult opponents till you get to the final boss . After each match you will be graded on how well you did and after beating the final boss you get an overall grade & score . You can try to beat your time , score and grade by going through the mode again . Training : Just your usual practice mode to learn basic mechanics or learn harder combos.Versus Modes = Standard versus - Regular versus mode without equipment or effects ( more on this later ) . Special Versus with equipment and effects .
Now on to character creation where you can customize existing characters and create your own . You can equip new / special swords , armor and completely change the look of standard characters but there is a catch each item has different attributes and changes your stats . These different stats only apply in specific modes but when they are on your character has special abilities like auto grapple break and increased health . With the amount of abilities that are already there you can make countless versions of classic characters , with a limit of 50 custom characters this adds a lot of replay value . Some characters like Darth Vader limits this to changing the light saber and a gem for special powers , so don't get your hopes up of making a custom Vader . As I said before these stats and powers to apply to certain modes so you can still have your custom clothes on during the restricted modes , just with normal stats . I didn't dip too deep into created characters but as far as I can tell you can make only human characters and all the fighting styles to choose from are standard styles . So if I chose the Yoshimitsu fighting style my character would look different but be an exact clone , with the same special moves and everything . I am kind of disappointed by the create a character mode as I would rather use the actual Yoshimitsu instead of a clone but I take it as nice bonus to this game . Also for every character there is style level and as you fight and get better you level up the style unlocking new special powers in which you can add to that specific character .
The combos in this seem like short bursts and you will have to make your own long combos . It is not like Tekken where everyone has a insanely devastating combo ( although the final boss sure does ) . I didn't like the fact that almost every arena has a deathtrap that can end the round instantly or the fact that there is no mode where it is impossible for that to happen , it just feels cheap . Just about every character is balanced except for the final boss ( obviously ) and the apprentice who has extremely overpowered moves . There is a armor system , when you attack the same spot over and over that specific armor piece will fall off making hits to that area more devastating . Every character has a soul crush move that will instantly defeat the opponent in one move , it is nearly impossible to pull off though . Basically if the opponent blocks too much his / her health bar will start flashing red , when this happens you have two choices - do a unblockable move and land it or parry an incoming attack , when you do that the opponent will be dazed and you can press the finisher button to end the round with a slick finisher . As I said it is near impossible to pull of as you only have a couple of seconds to meet the requirements to pull it off and most characters ' unblockable moves are very slow / easily avoidable . There is a Museum mode with concept art and ending but I'm not gonna get into that as its pretty self-explanatory . Overall this is a very good fighting game that is fun for beginners and truly rewards experienced players . I recommend this game to anyone who likes fighting games as it has tons of replay value and extremely fun gameplay . On a side note Banai Namco seem to love micro transactions as they already released a armor pack and music tracks today , they will probably continue to update the game for a fee as they did with Tekken 5 DR . Now I don't agree with their charge for things that should have / probably are on the disc business but this is a solid game to begin with so I am not faulting them for that .
08 / 18 / 08 Update - Well after playing this game non-stop for two weeks I decided to play the online matches . It is very basic : ranked & player matches , in the player matches you can play your friends and take turns fighting with up to four people . The ranked matches allow you to raise rank , unlock more items and fight random people . I must say ranked matches are pretty much broken and unfair . First ive had many people quit before the match ends taking away my victory in a very cheap fashion . People have found infinite moves that loop over until the round ends , once caught in one of these your character has no time to respond and your opponent will repeat until the match is over . Its funny because all of the people I played who used this technique were at a very very high rank , its obvious how they got that high . This game clearly favors cheap players and button mashers , nothing angers me more than getting beat by a complete noob because of lag / ring out or rock paper scissor button mashing . I have had my PS3 for a long time and not once did I feel the need to block anybody , that is until I played this game . All I can suggest , if you play someone who is cheap / quits just go into the XMB right after the match and go into Players Met and add the top person to the Block List immediately . The ranking system is very flawed : if I have 98 / 100 points till rank up I have to win two matches in a row to rank up because it will cap at 100 / 100 first match then carry over next match . So if I lose then all my extra points are lost , thus I have to win two matches in a row effectively level capping me at whatever rank I'm at . Then the characters , the only way I can describe it is that its like rock paper scissors : Kilik ( rock ) VS Sigfried ( paper ) ( this is not a * true * example ) Kilik is at a disposition to the point that Sigfried can press square the whole match and Kilik would have absolutely no opportunity to fight back . Lag , anyone who's ever played online knows what lag is and universally despises it . When there is lag consider the match lost period , I cannot stress this enough YOU WILL LOSE not to a skilled player no you will lose to lag . Lag is the worst in fighting games and its quite frequent in this game , you press a button a whole second later it registers . The match making system is worthless too , it often sends you to a full / empty match . You are better off hosting a match and waiting for a opponent - DO NOT play with anyone that has less than 3 signal strength , as I learned the hard way . I completely hate the fact that there is a CHUNK of unlocks you can only get playing online as it alienates people without internet connection . I also didn't like the fact that Namco locked the save so I cant use my custom characters over a buddy's house . So at this point I am only playing ranked matches to get unlocks and playing friends in player match , even though I absolutely hate ranked matches .
011 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
To start I have never played any of the Soul Calibur games , Ive really only played / play the 2D Mortal Kombats & MK : Deception . After getting Tekken 5 DR for PS3 I found I was missing out on a lot of great fighting games over the years . On to the review , I found this game to have a relatively deep combat system , a decent amount of unlocks / custom characters and a short story mode . First off the graphics are crisp & detailed , they did Darth Vader justice and this game is very addicting .
Modes of play : Single Player Modes = Story : It is like the arcade but at the very end you get to see a short cut-scene of your chosen character gaining ultimate power . Tower Of Lost Souls : A series of levels ascending & descending the tower , when you ascend you fight overpowered fighters and unlock the next level & when you descend you fight lots of weaker enemies . There are treasure chests you can obtain by meeting specific conditions during each floor & if you get a treasure chest you unlock a item that can be used for the character creation mode . Arcade : just like the name implies , you fight through increasingly difficult opponents till you get to the final boss . After each match you will be graded on how well you did and after beating the final boss you get an overall grade & score . You can try to beat your time , score and grade by going through the mode again . Training : Just your usual practice mode to learn basic mechanics or learn harder combos.Versus Modes = Standard versus - Regular versus mode without equipment or effects ( more on this later ) . Special Versus with equipment and effects .
Now on to character creation where you can customize existing characters and create your own . You can equip new / special swords , armor and completely change the look of standard characters but there is a catch each item has different attributes and changes your stats . These different stats only apply in specific modes but when they are on your character has special abilities like auto grapple break and increased health . With the amount of abilities that are already there you can make countless versions of classic characters , with a limit of 50 custom characters this adds a lot of replay value . Some characters like Darth Vader limits this to changing the light saber and a gem for special powers , so don't get your hopes up of making a custom Vader . As I said before these stats and powers to apply to certain modes so you can still have your custom clothes on during the restricted modes , just with normal stats . I didn't dip too deep into created characters but as far as I can tell you can make only human characters and all the fighting styles to choose from are standard styles . So if I chose the Yoshimitsu fighting style my character would look different but be an exact clone , with the same special moves and everything . I am kind of disappointed by the create a character mode as I would rather use the actual Yoshimitsu instead of a clone but I take it as nice bonus to this game . Also for every character there is style level and as you fight and get better you level up the style unlocking new special powers in which you can add to that specific character .
The combos in this seem like short bursts and you will have to make your own long combos . It is not like Tekken where everyone has a insanely devastating combo ( although the final boss sure does ) . I didn't like the fact that almost every arena has a deathtrap that can end the round instantly or the fact that there is no mode where it is impossible for that to happen , it just feels cheap . Just about every character is balanced except for the final boss ( obviously ) and the apprentice who has extremely overpowered moves . There is a armor system , when you attack the same spot over and over that specific armor piece will fall off making hits to that area more devastating . Every character has a soul crush move that will instantly defeat the opponent in one move , it is nearly impossible to pull off though . Basically if the opponent blocks too much his / her health bar will start flashing red , when this happens you have two choices - do a unblockable move and land it or parry an incoming attack , when you do that the opponent will be dazed and you can press the finisher button to end the round with a slick finisher . As I said it is near impossible to pull of as you only have a couple of seconds to meet the requirements to pull it off and most characters ' unblockable moves are very slow / easily avoidable . There is a Museum mode with concept art and ending but I'm not gonna get into that as its pretty self-explanatory . Overall this is a very good fighting game that is fun for beginners and truly rewards experienced players . I recommend this game to anyone who likes fighting games as it has tons of replay value and extremely fun gameplay . On a side note Banai Namco seem to love micro transactions as they already released a armor pack and music tracks today , they will probably continue to update the game for a fee as they did with Tekken 5 DR . Now I don't agree with their charge for things that should have / probably are on the disc business but this is a solid game to begin with so I am not faulting them for that .
08 / 18 / 08 Update - Well after playing this game non-stop for two weeks I decided to play the online matches . It is very basic : ranked & player matches , in the player matches you can play your friends and take turns fighting with up to four people . The ranked matches allow you to raise rank , unlock more items and fight random people . I must say ranked matches are pretty much broken and unfair . First ive had many people quit before the match ends taking away my victory in a very cheap fashion . People have found infinite moves that loop over until the round ends , once caught in one of these your character has no time to respond and your opponent will repeat until the match is over . Its funny because all of the people I played who used this technique were at a very very high rank , its obvious how they got that high . This game clearly favors cheap players and button mashers , nothing angers me more than getting beat by a complete noob because of lag / ring out or rock paper scissor button mashing . I have had my PS3 for a long time and not once did I feel the need to block anybody , that is until I played this game . All I can suggest , if you play someone who is cheap / quits just go into the XMB right after the match and go into Players Met and add the top person to the Block List immediately . The ranking system is very flawed : if I have 98 / 100 points till rank up I have to win two matches in a row to rank up because it will cap at 100 / 100 first match then carry over next match . So if I lose then all my extra points are lost , thus I have to win two matches in a row effectively level capping me at whatever rank I'm at . Then the characters , the only way I can describe it is that its like rock paper scissors : Kilik ( rock ) VS Sigfried ( paper ) ( this is not a * true * example ) Kilik is at a disposition to the point that Sigfried can press square the whole match and Kilik would have absolutely no opportunity to fight back . Lag , anyone who's ever played online knows what lag is and universally despises it . When there is lag consider the match lost period , I cannot stress this enough YOU WILL LOSE not to a skilled player no you will lose to lag . Lag is the worst in fighting games and its quite frequent in this game , you press a button a whole second later it registers . The match making system is worthless too , it often sends you to a full / empty match . You are better off hosting a match and waiting for a opponent - DO NOT play with anyone that has less than 3 signal strength , as I learned the hard way . I completely hate the fact that there is a CHUNK of unlocks you can only get playing online as it alienates people without internet connection . I also didn't like the fact that Namco locked the save so I cant use my custom characters over a buddy's house . So at this point I am only playing ranked matches to get unlocks and playing friends in player match , even though I absolutely hate ranked matches .
061 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
When the Dreamcast hit US shores back in ' 99 we were all rewarded with a platform for the greatest fighter ever : Soul Calibur . The first game in the series set the tone for its brilliant sequel , the suprisingly - disappointing third iteration , and then this gem : SOUL CALIBUR IV . Simple Namco recipe was to add weapons into its brilliant 3D fighter formulas . Although nothing like Tekken or its forefather Battle Arena Toshiden this game takes weapons brawlers to a new realm . Especially with this current generation's Soul Calibur . Never before has the series been online , SOUL CALIBUR IV is online enabled .
In case you don't know who the guests are this time around its Star Wars leaders Yoda and Vader . Nothing compared to Spawn or Link but its a return to a much loved tradition of guest fighters . Having light-sabers into the mix adds spice and fan-fare . I like Yoda even more after being recently unlocked on the Playstation store . The roster of characters doesn't end at Star Wars many of the characters were done by GUEST character designers from the manga / anime world . Angol Fear and Asholette are examples of these guest-designed characters . Lets end this raving review here because its obvious if your a fan of fighting games SOUL CALIBUR IV is already in your collection . Join us in the ever active online community with crazy customized characters ( its back from 3 ) and challenging battles .
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Ultimately a disappointing title Soul Calibur IV does not up the ante for the series as it plays itself way to safe for its first new generation outing . The core gameplay found in the Dreamcast title Soul Calibur remains the same which isn't a bad thing per se . Soul Calibur after all perfected weapons based 3d combat to an sharp sheen . Dicing and slicing your foes with all kinds of cool martial arts hardly gets old especially now as you can fight players worldwide through the PSN . Matches remain pretty smooth and lag free and it remains a fairly exciting feature as you work your way up rankings . From the beautiful visuals , tried but true gameplay , and comical guests from the Star Wars franchise , Soul Calibur IV continues to burn the soul . It won't rock your world though as the game needs some serious overhaul in terms of gameplay features .
102 4 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 .
103 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
Ultimately a disappointing title Soul Calibur IV does not up the ante for the series as it plays itself way to safe for its first new generation outing . The core gameplay found in the Dreamcast title Soul Calibur remains the same which isn't a bad thing per se . Soul Calibur after all perfected weapons based 3d combat to an sharp sheen . Dicing and slicing your foes with all kinds of cool martial arts hardly gets old especially now as you can fight players worldwide through the PSN . Matches remain pretty smooth and lag free and it remains a fairly exciting feature as you work your way up rankings . From the beautiful visuals , tried but true gameplay , and comical guests from the Star Wars franchise , Soul Calibur IV continues to burn the soul . It won't rock your world though as the game needs some serious overhaul in terms of gameplay features .
104 4 Ultimately a disappointing title Soul Calibur IV does not up the ante for the series as it plays itself way to safe for its first new generation outing . The core gameplay found in the Dreamcast title Soul Calibur remains the same which isn't a bad thing per se . Soul Calibur after all perfected weapons based 3d combat to an sharp sheen . Dicing and slicing your foes with all kinds of cool martial arts hardly gets old especially now as you can fight players worldwide through the PSN . Matches remain pretty smooth and lag free and it remains a fairly exciting feature as you work your way up rankings . From the beautiful visuals , tried but true gameplay , and comical guests from the Star Wars franchise , Soul Calibur IV continues to burn the soul . It won't rock your world though as the game needs some serious overhaul in terms of gameplay features .
105 4 This review is from :
Soul Calibur IV ( Video Game )
This is easily the best 3d fighting game out there . Balanced ( for the most part ) deep and engaging . Character creation mode is almost a game unto itself and the Tower of Souls game is challenging without being too much of a pain .
That said , the online play needs some work . Game matching is buggy and frustrating . If you're getting this to play online either pass or wait for an update to fix the issues .
172 4 It is amazing how terrible this game is compared to its previous verisons . This was a clear rushed out the door sequel with no soul ( yea , sorry , had to take that shot ) . Crappy new characters with nothing new since the last versions . Bought this and ended selling it right away .
