Soulcalibur IV Xbox 360 Review

Soulcalibur IV

Xbox 360 Review
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: Project Soul
Players: 1-2
Released: July 29, 2008

Soulcalibur IV has been highly-anticipated by gamers for quite some time now, as it is a franchise that is coveted by fans of the fighting game genre. The fighting game genre is not near what it was years in the past, when games such as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and others ruled sales charts. Still, there are still come quality releases in the genre, and Soulcalibur IV marks one of them.

Xbox 360 owners were lucky enough to receive a double-dose of Soulcalibur this year in the form of the original Soulcalibur releasing on the XBLA, and then Soulcalibur IV hitting the Xbox 360.

A unique aspect to the Soulcalibur IV experience is the fact that whether you play it on the PS3, or on the Xbox 360, you will get unique characters. The Xbox 360 version of the game allows you to play as Yoda, the old, yet very wise Jedi. On top of that, the Vader apprentice from the upcoming game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is also included.

Yoda plays absolutely fantastic in the game, and is actually a great battle character due to his size, speed, and attacks.

Going into the actual gameplay, there have been some changes to how Soulcalibur IV plays out compared to past versions. For one thing, opponents who go into Soul Crush can be finished off with the push of one button, similar to a fatality from the MK franchise. On top of that, there is also a feature called Active Battle Matching, meaning you will have to work off points to sub in and out fighters during fights.

Battles were also improved, as there is equipment that can be destroyed, among o ther things which will impact damage differently.

On top of that addition, a first for the Soulcalibur franchise comes with this version, as this is the first time that the franchise has gone online. This, to me, was a very obvious progressive step for the developer, as the franchise had to go online.

Your standard game modes are thrown in here as well, as you have your traditional Arcade and Story modes to play through. The Story mode was a bit disappointing though in that it only lasted around five rounds or so.

To be quite honest, it would have almost been wrong for them to charge $60 for Soulcalibur IV without online play. With that said, the online versus mode in Soulcalibur IV is top notch, as you can use characters from the game, as well as your own created fighter in the Character Creation mode.

The Character Creation mode in Soulcalibur IV is extremely deep, allowing you to go into everything from wardrobe changes, appearances, equipment choices, colors, etc. Basically, you are given the power to create the ultimate Soulcalibur IV character, all at your fingertips. You have the choice to alter a current character, or start from scratch.

On top of that, a skill point system has also been included to allow your character creation process to take on new meaning. You won’t be able to just create a maxed out character, but instead will have to spread out skills among different trees, including power, boost, impact, etc.

In regards to the visuals, Soulcalibur IV is an amazing looking game, as the level of details in the fighters, along with the backdrops, animations, etc. will truly blow you away.

There are clearly some upgrades that have been made to the visuals over past versions of the game, as you will notice some absolutely jaw-dropping texture work, and some pretty impressive lighting as well.

Going beyond just the details, the actual framerate allows the animations to really shine through in every battle, as the game runs very smoothly. This is easily the best-looking Soulcalibur to date.

The replay value for this game is top-notch, as you have the online modes, single-player modes, and online modes. On top of that, there is also other options such as the Tower of Lost Souls mode, and plenty of unlocking for you to do.

Soulcalibur IV is a fantastic fighter from start to finish, with a great selection of characters, fantastic visuals, and some fun online play. Fighter fans rejoice, Soulcalibur IV has arrived!

Graphics: 8.5 A great-looking fighter with an incredible level of detail, among other things.

Audio: 8.0 A nice array of sound effects with some iffy voice-work.

Gameplay: 9.0 The game plays great, a fantastic fighter with good weapons, attacks, etc.

Replay Value: 9.0 The character creation mode is top-notch, as is the online play and other modes.

Final Score: 8.9

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