With Soul Calibur 4's rushed feel, it can't be helped that people are asking for more, but it's still a gem, nonetheless
Now, on to the actual game. The Soul Calibur franchise finally hits a next (current) generation console and it looks better than ever. It's improved graphics and shiny new coat makes it a real piece of eye candy. Also, the speed and balancing of this one have actually been altered, and gone unnoticed by most. Overall the game play is indeed slower, Guard Impacts are even harder to execute, and the parry brings your opponent to the ground, instead of having them at your side for an easy throw. Compared to Soul Calibur 2, the Guard Impacting spam fest problem has been fixed.
There are two more newcomers this time around, with the newest canon characters Hilde and the brand new boss, Algol. Along with these two characters, Yoda (Xbox 360 version) and The Apprentice from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed makes an appearance. Namco has also given the opportunity to play as Darth Vader (PS3 Version) for 400 MS points on the Marketplace. Along with these Star Wars icons, 4 new bonus characters have been added. Angol Fear, Ashlotte, Kamikirimusi, Scheherazade and Shura. All of these bonus characters are merely skins of the existing default ones though, which is a disappointment.
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Let's have a look at what's new with the game play of Soul Calibur 4.
- The Soul Gauge. This is the circle shape that is at one end of your life bar. It diminishes when you block one of your opponent's attacks, or suffer from guard impacts. In order of strength, it goes from Blue > Green > Yellow > Red. Once it starts flashing, it will only take one or two more big strikes from your enemy to break your guard, and then you are vulnerable to a Critical Finish.
- Critical Finishes. Sadly, you'll probably get few chances to use this in a real battle. Once you perform a Soul Crush (deplete your opponent's Soul Gauge), you can kill them instantly with the press of a button. Once you do, you'll endure a flashy sequence of your characters 'super move', if you will. With my personal experience, I rarely even get an opponent past their green stage before getting the K.O.
- Armor Breaks. Taking a certain amount of damage to your upper, lower and mid section will remove that section of your armor. In the Special battle modes, this can lower you defense and even remove status effects, but in Standard modes, it just serves as a subtle stripping mechanic.
- Character Switching. This mechanic is only used in the Story Mode and Tower Of Lost Souls (which I'll get to later). You press a single button and you switch to your benched character. This element can be strategically used to make your own tag team combos, or just bench one character so that his/her health will replenish while the partner takes over. You can only switch 3 times before your gauge needs to be restored, though.
- Character Creation. This feature isn't entirely new to the series (See Soul Calibur 3), but they did change it up a little bit during the transition. The unique classes from buying Jobs are gone now, so it's basically just creating a custom skin for already existing characters. But, they added a new customization system where wearing certain armors can have different effects. Some improve Strength, some improve Vitality etc. They can also affect what special abilities you are able to equip with your character. (This only applying to the Special battle mode, of course). But these armors can have negative effects on your characters as well. It's also possible to create your own costumes for existing characters, as well as edit their original costume colors.
- Multiplayer. Yes, Soul Calibur has finally added online matchmaking. You can choose to have a Ranked Standard or Special battle (for more serious players), or a Player Standard or Special battle, without worrying about stats.
At the heart of all this though, Soul Calibur hasn't undergone any really drastic changes in this installment. It still has that "minute to learn, lifetime to master", deep combat system. To a newcomer, it may seem shallow at first, but after putting some time and effort into it, you'll realise that it's more complex than it appears at first glance.
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While Soul Calibur 4 has decided to extend in its game play elements, certain modes that have been removed since Soul Calibur 2 haven't made a come-back. This means that Team Battle, Standard Survival, Time Attack and the Weapon Master mode aren't here. There is a new mode though, called "Tower Of Lost Souls". It consists of you Ascending up 50 floors, defeating an increasingly difficult wave of enemies. Once you reach the 20th floor (I think), you can choose to Descend, which is basically a Special Survival mode. During your quest to Ascend to the top of the tower, there are various treasures that can be acquired by meeting certain requirements, e.g. "Throw your enemy 5 times" or "Win with a Critical Finish".
Now, here's where most people feel completely let down. The Story mode. It seems as if the developers only put it together at the last minute before the deadline. You choose your character, read through a screen of text, then play through 5 stages and watch the ending cut scene. The only difference with each characters story is the enemies you encounter (which are still not exactly varied well.) The story of this installment will fly over anyone's head, whether a newcomer or a Soul Calibur veteran. The game tries to make up for this and includes a section in the Museum called "Chain of Souls", which is a complex flow chart to explain everyone's origins and motives. Even when you read this, the story may seem convoluted and filled with plot holes. If you ask me, the best way to go is go all the way back and play Soul Blade for the PS1, then work your way up. Either that, or use Google. Either way should work fine, but it's far more immersive if you actually play Soul Blade. Once again, the Story mode for Soul Calibur 4 is a let down, because after Soul Calibur 3, we expected so much more. Soul Calibur 3 did an extremely good job with Tales Of Souls, and I just don't know why it was changed.
Ah yes, I forgot the AI. The AI in this newest installment have actually been dumbed down I believe, so it feels much more rewarding to beat actual players than the AI.
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In my completely honest opinion, Soul Calibur is still what it's always been - an incredible, very fun fighting game. Whether a newcomer or a veteran, you can still have loads of fun going head to head with your friends or playing online. Those who are hell-bent on an epic story, I suggest that you go play an RPG, because fighting games aren't even a very good source for that. But, if you cover the entire franchise (Including Soul Blade), I find the story to be very satisfying.
With Soul Calibur 4's rushed feel, it can't be helped that people are asking for more, but it's still a gem, nonetheless.