Soul Calibur IV Review

Reviewed the PS3 version

When the Dreamcast was launched in 1999, SoulCalibur quickly became one of the premier fighting games of that generation. Delivering an experience that was far and above it's arcade counterpart, SoulCalibur redefined what a home fighting game could be and in doing so, shifted Namco's focus for the series to the home consoles first and arcades second.

This trend continued with SoulCalibur II and it's special bonus characters that were revealed in homes after the arcade release as well as SoulCalibur III which received a release prior to the arcade version (even though the arcade version was better received due to fixes put into the game). With SoulCalibur IV being recently released on home systems, Namco Bandai have delivered the first game in the franchise without an arcade version being planned for the near future. With all of its glitz and glamour, does the Soul still burn with the latest release?

Right from the get-go Namco Bandai tries to impress with SoulCalibur IV. Everything is sleek and polished with a focus on presentation that the Soul-franchise has been known for over the past decade or so. The character models are well defined, the animation is smooth, and despite some odd costuming choices on the part of the developers (Ivy for example doesn't look like she could fit into any laws of physics that I'm aware of...), everything else shows a labor of love in developing one of the best looking games that is currently available on the market today. There is the occasional hiccup, some minor clipping for example, but despite these occurrences, SoulCalibur IV recovers well enough that these issues are easily overlooked for the overall package.

Darth Vadar is the only thing that really stands out like a sore thumb in the game. It doesn't help matters much that both the apprentice character and Darth Vadar are at odds with the game's setting as much as they are with the game's traditional style. Visually it's jarring, but from a system perspective they suffer from balancing issues, much like Link did in the Gamecube version of SoulCalibur II. The rest of the character roster covers all of the fan favorites from the previous games, and even though the guest artist characters are a bit weird, they seem more in place in design than the Star Wars fighters.

The core system has remained relatively the same from SoulCalibur III. The timing of guard impacts for example are more aligned with SCIII than SoulCalibur II or SoulCalibur for example, which may or may not be a negative for you depending on how you felt with the 'easier' techniques found in the last PS2 release of the franchise. The standard attacks are the same, meaning that for any fan it is incredibly easy to pick up a controller and try out some of the returning character's combos to see which ones are still performable for the latest game.

There is some minor tweaking done to a few of the characters from SoulCalibur III that may be a surprise for those who did not have a chance to play the arcade revision of the third game, but for those that did get a chance to play the arcade revision, most of the tweaks will still be familiar since it seems they have carried over from the arcade revision.

The character creation option has returned from SoulCalibur III, but the choices of options are limited to only existing SoulCalibur characters. The generic fighting styles from the previous game have been removed and the overall complexity simplified. Editing existing characters is possible by earning equipment and gold through the in-game modes, and the advanced nature of the stat alteration possible through some of the equipment will mean that someone's custom Kilik may end up behaving radically different than what you are used to or expecting. Visual changes (including costume changes) can be used in all of the game's modes (even being reflected in cut scenes), but the stat and technique changes will only be active in the Special VS. Mode.

A new feature added in SoulCalibur IV is the AMB system which is a real time tag feature that allows players to switch between different fighters in both portions of the story mode and the Tower of Lost Souls. It's a nice touch, but it is a bit disappointing not to see it more prominently in the game, since it does show a lot of potential for the franchise.

The Soul Gauge and the Critical finishes are part of the core components of changes being made from SoulCalibur III to SoulCalibur IV. When your character blocks an attack, your Soul Gem is depleted slowly. If the Soul Gem is completed depleted, your opponent is able to perform a Critical finish which can result in an instant KO. It's a bit more punishing than a more traditional guard meter (which usually results in a moment of being caught off guard), but it does take a bit of work (and technique) to deplete the Soul Gem. I have seen some people already developing specific character strategies related to breaking out a Critical finish online, but it's use may vary based mostly on how dominant the Critical finishes end up becoming while the game is given more time in the hands of players. It is a shame that some of the more methodical matches of SoulCalibur will go by the wayside as the Soul Gauge and Critical finishes encourage a more offensive and aggressive mindest.

There is an interesting armor destruction feature in the game which while a neat little touch seems to be a bit random in its delivery. By performing special high, medium, or low attacks, certain characters can have their armor knocked off and end up more vulnerable to attacks targeting that area. For example, knock off Hilde's helmet, and she would be more vulnerable to high attacks. Sometimes it's a little distracting and there is a huge disparity between the rate a custom character will lose armor compared to that of a non-custom character, so when fighting with custom fighters watching two people go at it in their underwear seems to occur a lot more frequently for whatever reason.

The game does have balancing issues among some of the fighters. This includes several easily repeatable infinites and juggles that are incredibly abusable (and absurd). With the game's guts being gone over by fans, it seems that more are popping up as time goes on. Fortunately, the nature of the next-generation systems makes this an easy patch-up to fix should Namco Bandai elect to correct some of these problems.

SoulCalibur IV's online play has been one of the game's defining features from the early beginning, which is why it is incredibly disappointing that it doesn't quite live up to it's promise. Though I did have my fair share of quality matches, most of those matches were played against people who were on my friend's list rather than the ranked matches which quickly became a test of patience and self-control. I've experienced everything from dropping issues to weird match-making glitches and all of which tend to pop up in the worst possible times.

Fortunately, Namco Bandai has been working their hardest to create workable solutions and have already delivered one patch (in Japan) for balancing concerns which hopefully will be the start of a trend to create a longer lasting online community.

However, I will say that I was impressed with the smoothness of online play. Even though lag does rear its ugly head on occasions, due to a more generous input window for most techniques, it's a pretty easy transition from offline to online play in SoulCalibur IV. Of course, this doesn't stop people from choosing Mitsurugi or Nightmare 80% of the time, but since the foundation is there it is a lot easier to still have an enjoyable and worthwhile experience without so much of a match being dependent on connection issues (so long as you don't mind fighting some of the same opponents over and over).

At the very least, SoulCalibur IV's online features are a notable positive step for the franchise, even if it doesn't quite always deliver. It also provides a good start for future reference and possibly a learning edge for Namco's upcoming Tekken 6.

With such a focus being shifted away from traditional match-play in SoulCalibur IV, Namco has provided the Tower of Souls mode to go along with the game's story, arcade, character creation, and museum modes. In the Tower of Lost Souls, gamers will take a character through various challenges similar to the Missions Mode of SoulCalibur. Through this mode it is possible to earn additional equipment and master specific techniques necessary to really learn the game's in and outs. It's a good refresher, but at the same time, it also increases the game's replay value for a more console focused-audience.

In the end, SoulCalibur IV is a combination of polar feelings. It is by and far one of the best fighting games available on next generation consoles (second to Virtua Fighter 5), but it doesn't necessarily cater to normal genre expectations. It is a step forward in some respects, but for those looking for a more traditional experience or even one similar to what the first SoulCalibur delivered, what you may find is that in between all of the new toys and tools, this isn't the SoulCalibur that you necessarily were wanting.

This isn't a bad thing by any means, as the game is strong enough on its own legs that it can stand away from the franchise name, but even still, SoulCalibur IV is clearly a game designed more from the perspective of attracting home console users rather than a more traditional fighting game fan.

For a game like SoulCalibur IV, this is understandable, as the franchise has a long history of catering more to a console crowd. It is an entertaining experience, but I'm not necessarily expecting for a huge fighting game community to build up around the first next-generation offering of the Soul-series.

There is a good chance however that with online play that shows some promise even if it is a little rough around the edges, SoulCalibur IV will be one of the casual fighting games of choice for a long, long time.

Score - 4.5/5