Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very high calibur of game, 5 Aug 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Having played the 'soul' series since Blade on the PS1, and being one of the tragically few people to have owned a Dreamcast with Soul Calibur 1, I was a bit dissapointed with the xbox incarnation of the series. I didnt find much evolution in SC 2, and number 3 was, frankly, poor.
I held out hope that this new gen of console would breath life into the franchise and thank goodness I have not been let down. SC has always had beautiful backgrounds and cut scenes, but in SC4 the character detail is on another level- the animation and graphical clarity during fights has never been better, with a real sense of solidity and depth to the characters. The 'create a fighter' mode is great, even if you cannot combine move sets from different characters. The inclusion of the Star Wars universe does not grate on me as much as I though it would, and Yoda leaping about like when he fought Duku in the movies is a lot of fun- at least he is a bit 'different' and not like Spawn in SC2, who felt merely like a familiar fighter with a different character model patched over the top.
The joy of the SC series is that, for purists, there is depth, but it still allows 'button mashers' to pull off some great combos. Some see this as a fault, but i love the fact that in vs mode I cant take for granted that I can beat someone less familiar with the game- every fight is challenging.
I am not online, but can only presume that, providing there are no lag issues, the vs mode will be as entertaining as it is in 'meatspace'.
If you loved SC, but felt let down by number 3, then let this game restore you faith in a truly great gaming series- its the best its been since it lived on the Dreamcast.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
True Sequel to Soul Calibur 2, 1 Aug 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
A lot of people are 'reviewing' this on this page and saying you can't play as Vader but it is a well known fact that he will be available as DLC later on so thats that sorted. The last Soul Calibur game wasn't as good as it could've been and people were expecting something better than SC2 which I had on GCN with Link. This Soul Calibur is the true sequel to that because it keeps the same idea of console specific characters which makes the game different on each console. The addition of online play really saves this game because without it you wouldn't play on it for nearly as long and kicking your friend's arse as Yoda or even the Sith Apprentice is a lot of fun. It keeps all the favourite characters from the previous games like and fills the game with lovely next-gen graphics which makes it look amazing.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It has soul, But lacks any real variety, 31 Aug 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Soulcalibur has always had stupidly high expectations to live up to, with the dreamcast iteration scoring 10's across the globe and ranking top on many players games of choice. Each subsequent game has failed to match the hype that surrounds it, but this hasn't stopped the guys at Namco trying.
For the latest installment they have teamed up with Lucasarts and managed to bag Yoda, Darth Vader and the apprentice, I'm warning you now... while worthy additions, they look and feel overpowered and out of place. Deep down, we are all here for the same reason and that is to pound the sense out of each other.
Soulcalibur 4 is the series' first foray into HD, and it is an extremely successful one at that. It looks slick and runs well, the audio is top notch and the game barely skips a beat. It plays just as well too. The control scheme is complex yet intutive and provides you with two different types of attack, a kick, a block and multiple kinds of grab, parry and counters... you get the idea. Unfortunately it isn't in the gameplay that this game is lacking, it's in the games variety. It completely lacks any kind of tag match, survival mode or team battle and what is included is short, shallow and very basic.
Story mode has you pitting your favourite characters against the usual competitors, with a few cut scenes that are re used for other characters, the same few lines of dialogue and about 6 minutes worth of total gameplay time. Arcade mode, again is the usual affair, 8 stages each increasing in difficulty. Depth is added from the rather robust character creation mode and the unlockable weapons and costumes. Art work also makes an appearance. But all this is just extras and adds little to the actual focus of the game.
It's saving grace comes in the form of online play. It's full of the usual LIVE crowd, but play without your headset and you will be just fine. You are given the choice of playing ranked matches or not, and can join or host them yourself. It is very minimal and may be full of people who love to mash the same button over and over, but it is buckets of fun none the less.
While the games foundations are solid, and at its core it plays almost flawlessly, it is still nothing more than a glossy, padded out version of the 1999 hit. New additions like the soul gauge and critical finish do make nice additions, and the game does obviously look and sound much better but after 9 years and 3 more installments but is this enough to warrant another full price purchase? I would argue that it is, but only just. I hope that this is the start of something and that the inevitable number 5 builds upon these changes and adds more depth to the options given to the player. oh... and maybe give Ivy a boob reduction??
Like I said, despite its shortcomings, as a stand alone game it does its job well, it just lacks any real variety... but if your willing to stick with just good old fashioned 1 on 1 without all the bells and whistles then you can't go wrong!
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Suitable for 12 years and over. Not for sale to persons under age 12. By placing an order for this product, you declare that you are 12 years of age or over.
