With 4 games under its belt, soulcalibur is definitely a famous series. does SC4 hold up, or does it ruin SC's rep?
The first thing I noticed about the game is how it did an excellent job of sticking to its guns in terms of gameplay. The characters all control the same as you would suspect them to, but with a few new moves on their list making things a little more interesting. Several new playstiles are also introduced, as 4 totally new characters enter the scene. Hilde, is a near-perfect blend of melee and ranged combat, and is a blast to play. The same goes for the games new boss character, algol. I wish I could say that about the 2 guest characters to hit the scene. The ps3 version receives darth vader, a balanced character that is fun to fight with and against, while the 360 gets yoda, a little guy who cannot be grabbed, and is too short to be hit without ducking most of the time. it is frustrating to play against him, as all of your intricate combo teqniques that make you feel like such a pro at the game are removed, forcing you to crouch and use generic face button combos. The apprentice, who makes an appearence on both consoles, is nearly broken as well. Frustratingly enough, he has several moves that cheaply resemble an abnormally long combo when used right, meaning that arcade mode isn't fun when you are nailed by him.
Speaking of the modes, soul calibur 4 has an alright variety. first there is the dissapointing story mode, which pits your character against a measly 5 stages, with minimal story actually involved. you just read a wall of text about your character, battle your way through 5 stages, and then watch a brief animated cutscene. Arcade is basically just story mode with 3 extra stages, and no story involved. Tower of souls in by far the nicest edition to SC4, as it is basically a linear campaing. you complete floors by eliminating hordes of enemies, and completing optional objectives to unlock more equipment along the way. after you gain 20 floors, you have an option to descend, which allows you to fight a never-ending onslaught of enemies just to see how many you can survive through. The game also throws a surprisingly meaty character creator your way, which allows you to make your own hero, or customize ones that already exist. more gear is unlocked via tower of souls, giving you even more incentives to unlock everything. There are some problems, though. for one thing, it would be great to have an option to hide ugly pieces of clothing out of sight, but still have their hats. it sucks that some of the best equipment in the game, is butt ugly. Next, I would really love it if you could take existing chracters and change their fighting styles. (imagine mitsurugi with ivi's whip, or talki's coldo claws.)
Another edition is the long-awaited online play. This holds up very well, with the occasional lag spikes. The only problem is that button mashing can get you surprisingly far in this game, you won't feel like a pro when your friend obliderates you on his first try by hitting random buttons.
Finally, finishers make an appearence, showing some very cinematic (and not so cinematic) sequences. I'm very glad that they are extremely difficult to pull off, stopping people from rushing immediately to get them. My only issues are that 1: every character's awesome finisher is replaced with a lame and generic one due to his height, and 2: that some are just ridiculous. Cassandra's finisher, for example, has the character knocking characters over, then leaping into the air and then flattening them. needless to say, I doubt that someone could die from having someone sit on their face, and it is a little ridiculous.
All in all, though, soul calibur 4's great fighting system alone makes the game worthwhile, and if you can push past the fact that some modes are similar to eachother, and that not everything is actually beleivable, then you will have a fun enough time with it to justify a purchase.