Upon seeing the new images posted of Soul Calibur IV, I was actually rather disappointed. Its not that I think the graphics are terrible, because in fact they look great. What I was disappointed in was the fact that the female models seem to be getting racier. Soul Calibur has always been known for a few female characters who "push the limits of reality", to put it nicely. But it seems with this new iteration that they have decided to take it a step further. Seems most of the females are all following this trend. Miraculously their breasts have gotten far bigger than one ever thought possible. It also seems they have suddenly gained a disdain for clothing, regardless of the fact that they happen to be wielding large sharp objects, and one would think more clothing would be beneficial to their survival.

I expressed my concern about this on the message board and this spawned a rather heated debate. It seems one individual (who shall remain nameless) decided that this was perfectly acceptable since, in his words, "It SELLS. Period." This got me thinking. Since when did it become acceptable for a game to lower its standards of quality in order to "SELL"? Is that what the game industry is all about? Entertain in this most rudimentary form so it will satisfy the horny masses? Should game designers focus on "individual breast physics" instead of improving gameplay elements? And all of this simply so games can sell? Have we become so brain dead that we would ignore a unique revolutionary game and rather play a game in which we are entertained by bouncing breasts and giggles from computer generated girls?

I don't know about you, but I hope in a few years from now games will continue to push the boundaries of gameplay and that we appreciate those games that try to break away from the mold and revolutionize the industry. And as far as I am concerned, I don't mean a revolution in the porn industry. I don't like supporting this kind of thing, not because I am a concerned parent (I'm 20 and single) or because I am a feminist (ya thats right I'm also a male) but because I don't want to see game developers sacrificing quality in place of cheap thrills. I think this industry should be founded on hard work, dedication and a constant stream of creativity and vision. We need to encourage quality design, not simply shoddy "entertainment".

Games can be so much more, lets not ruin it for ourselves and others by simply buying those games that offer the largest explosions or the biggest bouncing breasts.