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The Classic Fighter Returns
Return to witness the epic struggle between the spirit sword, Soul Calibur, and the cursed sword, Soul Edge, in Soul Calibur IV.
Warriors from far reaches of the galaxy battle to control the powerful swords and use them for their own goals. Should these fighters succeed, they will face the ultimate judgment.
The ongoing story continues with new revelations, exciting new gameplay features and stunning visuals. And perhaps most exciting of all, a character from the Star Wars universe will also make an appearance.
Key Features
- Newest addition to the Soul Calibur series features thrilling next-gen graphics brimming with intensity
- Continues the struggle between the spirit sword, Soul Calibur, and the cursed sword, Soul Edge
- Features the infamous Darth Vader as a guest character
- Expanded customization options let you give your character a personalized look and specific abilities
- Take both customized characters and original favorites online for the first time
Exclusive Special Characters
Revered and feared Star Wars Sith Lord Darth Vader appears as a guest character in the PlayStation 3 version of Soul Calibur IV.
In addition to that thrilling fact, you'll also discover expanded customization options that let you bestow your character with a personalized look and specific abilities.
And, for the first time, you'll be able to take both customized characters and original favorites online to challenge an entire world of fans.
Completely reinvented but with the same intensity you've come to know, Soul Calibur IV provides an adventure that never disappoints.
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 Great Game! - I just wish Yoda was included... |
| Review Date: May 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: John Edward, Miami, FL |
This is a great game. I just wish Yoda was included in the PS3 version. I guess I'm going to have to break down and pay the extra 5 bucks to download the Yoda character from the PS3 network.
How can they even think about having Darth Vader and not Yoda... I guess they do that to get you to download the character. I guess if Yoda was included, then they would make you pay 5 bucks for Darth Varder... |
Same Soul Calibur, better graphics, smoother gameplay. What's not to like?
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| Review Date: August 2, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Kaira, |
I'm well aware that hardcore Soul Calibur fans will read my title and say, "Huh? Nothing really compares to the original Soul Calibur!" But in all honesty, I feel the gameplay is smooth and balanced, easy for both advanced players and novices alike to enjoy.
What will hit your eyes first are the excellent graphics and breathtaking detail. Character models are upgraded to add more facial expressions, a very welcome addition, considering how Soul Calibur III had almost none. There is a much higher level of detail in the characters' outfits, which are all quite good. You can actually see scars on Mitsurugi's skin. Of course, depending on your preferences, you may or may not appreciate the general increase in bust size and scanty clothing amongst the female characters.
Each character has his/her own story, and you can play as them in the Story Mode, which starts off with a few paragraphs of that character's story before pitting you against five levels of fighting foes. There's a difficulty setting for this mode, so you can choose either "Normal" or "Hard." In both cases, each progressive level is increasingly hard, and at the end, there is a short ending scene. Here, the graphics are absolutely stunning. The only thing that could have been improved was the lip movement. It looks like the makers didn't feel like fitting the English words to the mouths, which were originally designed for Japanese words. The voice acting is so-so and can be switched to Japanese if you find English too painful to listen to. Yet compared to Soul Calibur III, the ending scenes have improved by far, although their is no "interaction" or opportunity for an alternate ending. However, the mode has become shorter since the last game, maybe a little too short.
The next single-player mode is Tower of Lost Souls. You "ascend" the tower, fighting batches of levels at a time. You'll fight any number of levels in a batch (it varies), and while you're in that same "batch," you have to make sure you don't lose too much health, since it won't be replenished between levels. You get to choose a team of characters to use (the number of characters varies), or just one character, depending on the level. As you ascend the tower, the levels will get harder. You will also have the opportunity to unlock items for the Character Creation Mode. Tower of Lost Souls feels like a substitute for the traditional Survival Mode, which is no longer in the game. For some, that can be a sad thing, but I personally don't feel like it's much of a loss. Your own preferences decide whether or not it's bad, so I'll let you decide if it's a plus or minus.
Now, one of the most interesting modes in the game is the Character Creation Mode. You can use the fighting style of any main Soul Calibur character, and once again, the level of detail is extremely impressive. You can change the character's physique (muscularity and size). You can't make any characters that are very fat. They're all pretty fit, no matter what size or muscularity level you choose. There are several voice options, and you can change the pitch to whichever way you see fit. The color options are very extensive as well (a full palette with nine degrees of brightness). With this mode, you can also create new outfits for the main characters (but that is all you can do.. no physique, skin, or eye color changes). There are fifty slots total for all creations, including those custom outfits for the main characters.
There are also several extra features that give more depth to the gameplay. Different pieces of clothing on a created character or edited main character will change "attack," "defense," or "health" stats of that character. Skills can be attached to different weapons, depending on the amount of skill points a character has received (and that is done by playing more with that character's style). The Soul Gauge is also new. If you block your opponent too much and attack too little, the gauge will decrease until your health bar flashes red, giving your opponent a chance to perform a Critical Finish, which is a special, fancy attack that instantly ends the match. It doesn't happen too frequently while playing against friends or in single-player modes (besides training), so luckily, no one can abuse it.
Another fun feature: your armor breaks! If you get hit enough (Hi, Mid, or Low), then pieces of your outfit will break off, making you more vulnerable to damage. It's fun to watch it happen. The only danger is that your created characters' pieces will be destroyed entirely. So, for example, if you have a character wearing pants, instead of simply ripping, the entire pair of pants will come off, leaving that character in just underwear (I guess that's not a danger for some).
If the game falls anywhere, it's online play. There's some lag, so quick moves like guard impacts are more of a liability than an asset. And the downloadable content is just a way to squeeze more money out of your pockets. Get it if you like, but Namco Bandai could have easily spared you the trouble by leaving it on the game disk for free.
Oh yeah.. and there are bonus characters. Darth Vader and the Apprentice are entertaining additions to the game. There's even a battle stage styled after Star Wars. I found the imbalance between the two characters shocking. The Apprentice is fast, has killer combos, and is quite.. cheap. Vader is slow, but powerful and more balanced. You can't give either of their weapons to created characters or change their outfits, so they remain as unique bonuses. The other bonus characters aren't worth mentioning. They're a useless addition.
And lastly, the music is amazing. It's dramatic, well-suited to each battle stage, and gets you in the mood to fight.
Just for the sake of it, here are my stats:
Appearance: 10/10
Sound: 8/10 (This includes voice acting)
Gameplay: 10/10 (Everybody's balanced)
Fun: 10/10 (Versus mode with friends and character creation are so good)
Replay Value: 9/10
If you're a hardcore Soul Calibur fan, you absolutely must buy this. If you skeptical about it because it may not satisfy you as much as the first Soul Calibur, rent it. Either way, this game deserves a look. I can't find many bad things to say about it. Any criticism is pretty small, and there are no ridiculously bad flaws.
I have to say, in my own personal opinion, that this is the best fighting game I have ever played.
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An awesome game!
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| Review Date: July 31, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Bilbo Baggins, Land of Dwarves and Hobbits |
I must say that in all honesty that this game may be why I bought a PS3. I remember hearing about 6 months ago hearing about how the new soulcalibur would have Darth Vader(the ps3 version anyway) I was convinced I had to get a PS3 from that moment on. It was a difficult hunt since supplies were limited (not as limited as the Wii thankfully) but I got my hands on a PS3. Then I played the waiting game. I got several cool PS3 games but all the while I was waiting for the big day to come. Well, now it has arrived.
Getting to the actual game, I think it was quite worth the wait. The core gameplay really hasn't changed too much but I enjoy the tweaks like armor damage where you can shred your opponents gear until they are standing in nothing but their skivvies. A major new element is the inclusion of skills, abilities that make your character stronger. But the real heart of the game lies in the customization. Being able to tweak the abilities and appearance of the main characters is quite fun. You can develop different builds. For instance you can make a Power Mitsurugi or an Impact Mitsurugi etc. etc. Probably the only thing I didn't like was that there was no rpg type mode in this game like 3 had. That might have been my favorite part of that game.
All in all I think this is a great game and it kicks butt.
P.S. Darth Vader kicks butt, too. |
Fun fast fighting action
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| Review Date: August 2, 2008 |
| Reviewer: O. Mariscal, inland empire, CA United States |
| Great fighting game. Lots of characters that take a long time to master and yet are fun to use right away. The graphics are nice but kind of hard to notice considering how fast the fighting is. |
Great Game!
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| Review Date: August 5, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Craig L. Johnson, Vacaville, CA USA |
| Love this game! Been playing for the last few days and I'm loving it more and more. The fighting system is easy enough for anyone to play and deep enough for the hard core gamer. The graphics are simply beautiful! The characters flow seamlessly without a hint of stutter. The fighting styles are unique to each character and well balanced. The single player mode is deep enough to keep you entertained for sometime. I haven't played on-line yet, but expect it to increase the game's lasting appeal. Get this game if you at all like fighting games, you won't regret it! |
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