Soulcalibur 4 the latest installment in the ‘Soul’ series has recently been released and after playing it extensively over the weekend I can now write my verdict.
Souledge was the first in the “Soul” series and was the second 3D fighting game to use weapons (according to wikipedia, I was unable to find out what the first one was.) It continues to be a very successful fighting game that’s easy to pick up but difficult to master with it’s easy to control characters, no longer do players have to memorise the complete list of controls for every character like other games. Ask any gamer that played Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter and they’ll be able to tell you how to do Scorpions spear or Ryu’s fireball attacks because it was drilled into them, it was the only way to win… know EVERY move. In Soulcalibur just vary your attacks from upper to lower body and when in doubt throw your opponent out of the ring.
Unfortunately there’s not an extensive story but what can you expect from a game that was originally made for the arcade, Pacman never had much of a story. 2 legendary swords, Soulcalibur and Souledge continue their eternal battle for dominance and more warriors gather to possess the swords and make their place in history. It’s up to you to choose your character or for the second time in the series after the 3rd game, make your own. (I have made my favourite character from Soulcalibur 2, Link from the Legend of Zelda series) and crush the evil forces. The character list brings back the old favourites from the original games such as Mitsurugi, Voldo, Cervantes and Nightmare and depending on whether you have the PS3 version or the 360 you can have either Darth Vader or Yoda respectively. The Apprentice from the upcoming Star Wars The Force Unleashed is also a playable character after being unlocked. It has been said that each console will be able to have both Vader and Yoda eventually as downloadable content but until then there is a wide choice.
When you do get to fighting, you can work your way through the story of each character as it shows insights into why they search for the swords or battle through the arcade section or see how many enemies you can defeat in the Tower of Souls to earn rewards. The graphics look great but it’s not a huge leap from the 3rd game to the 4th though, one thing they have worked on is battle damage, characters that slam into the ground break and deform it, some arena walls can be smashed down making it possible to perform a ‘Ring Out’ and armour can be shattered on the characters, ripping clothes and showing some flesh of the attractive female characters. The game is rated a 12 in Britain and similar Teen ratings round the world so not too much is shown to keep the sensors happy.
There is another new feature to this game, the critical finish. Next to players’ Health Meters is a coloured gem that represents the “Soul Gauge.” The gem changes colour when the player blocks and are attacked. The colour gradually changes from blue to green and eventually to red and then flashing red. The players own Soul Gauge will regenerate if they make an attack and hits the opponent (blocking or otherwise).If the character manages to empty out the opponent’s Soul Gauge, he or she will get a short chance to perform a powerful Critical Finish move, which will defeat the opponent instantly, by pressing all four face buttons at the same time or the LB button on the 360 to make it a bit easier. I have had over 100 fights (I know because I got the achievement for it) and I have performed this move once!! I fill all the criteria and it doesn’t happen by the time the opponents health is low enough to perform the finish ANY move will end the fight so this seems a bit pointless.
When you choose the Star Wars characters you have another bar below your health to watch. The Force bar, while this is full you can block attacks with the force strike your opponent with lightning or just do 10 flips in the air if you have chosen a certain small green muppet. This is entertaining and can be very useful in the right hands (I was constantly being annihilated by the AI controlled Apprentice while I was trying to unlock him) but a little tricky to get the hang off you need time to practice which is not really a luxury you get in a fighting arena.
All these features though still add up to a pretty good game it’s not perfect but it is up there with the Tekken series which is why many other reviewers have given the game about 8 out of 10. I don’t make a habit of given the game a score in my reviews so I wont but I like this enough to suggest it to others so give it a shot…. And may the force be with you.
