With the release of Soul Caliber 4 for the PS3, and the 360. Comes the usual collection of complainers on the boards. While I myself generally try and avoid complaining about games, gamers, or whatnot. I feel I should say something a little more constructive. I hope I do it in this blog.

Ok, back to Soul Caliber 4. I have been a fan of this series for a long time. Ever since I first played back when I was in high school, in the arcades as Soul Edge. It was a wonderful alternative to Tekken, and whatever Street fighter game was out at the time. Like other fighting games it evolved and changed. Becoming one of the best fighters out there, then switching to become a little more user friendly. Where as others like Tekken and Virtua Fighter became more technical. Here lies the first complaint of the complainers. People call this game a button masher, and say so and so is broken, cheap, or whatever. The game is made to be accessible to serious hardcore fighting gamers, but also friendly to the new people as well. A game not nearly as deep as Virtua Fighter, or Tekken, but also not a masher like the DOA series. To me it seems to nicely bridge many types of gamers into a setting.

With that we come to another point. The old veterans who can't stand the noobs. Going on about how they spam this move, they only choose that character. They need to go play this type of game so we can play this game our way. Well I think there's their problem right there. Anyone who has taken a martial art, or self-defense classes, should know that a fight is not going to be played out on your terms. That you must expect the unexpected. But if the expected is always coming at you, and your still losing to it. Well that is really on you. One of the top players in the leader boards was talking about how he doesn't play anyone below a certain level, because he doesn't want to waste time with scrubs. He only wants to get his rank higher. Then later on I read another post of his complaining about the spammers, and how they are everywhere and they only use Kilik. Well the hypocrisy I see in this is, they are both trying to uses what they are best at to advance there levels. I am no exception to this rule, I used Taki almost continually to reach Level 20 for the respected honor.

I toughed it out for the couple weeks of play in my two and a half hours each night allowance. Believe me I would have gotten it a lot faster if it wasn't for my girlfriend, job, and general life outside of my gaming haven. I fought through the spammers, and Kilik users, and the lag. Which did get to me at times, but I kept my cool and have now found a new joy. The unranked matches. Sure there are still Kiliks, and Maxis and Mitsurugis. But they are far fewer and far between. Plus they are less likely to spam moves, and try new moves in the middle of games. Another reassuring point to that is, people in the unranked use other characters. I fought my first Ivy user in the Unranked, and what's more, is they where good. And even more is there where a lot of good players, also it seemed a lot more relaxed atmosphere. Sure there where a lot of intense fights, but it didn't have the run up and beat the snot out of the other guy attitude that the ranked matches have.

So I know people will always complain, and I'm sure this blog isn't going to change that. If people want to say that this game killed fighting games, or they are going to sell there SC4 copy. I say fine, do what you like. One I won't have to worry about hearing you complain online. Or that could be a copy for a person who really wants to play it and someone who I will be happy to challenge over and over again. Maybe this blog will help show that, your not going to get what. And maybe just maybe if you compromise you can still walk away saying that Soul Caliber 4 is a fun game. I know I will.

Thank you for reading