Just when you think that nothing can top the original, Namco surprises and impresses.
However as I have got older and games and genres have matured there really isn't much that the fighting genre can do to make itself more innovative, and till the introduction of online play the genre for the most part was fairly dry.
Soul Caliber II offered a very addictive blend of story and standard arcade madness which assure that many classes in University were missed in order to accommodate "just one more game". The after the third one was released I figured that the series has just lost it, and all and all not many franchises can get a forth incarnation out (Starting with Soul Blade), so when the fourth was announced I was reluctant to get excited.
I opted for the 360 version, simply because my friends list on Live is a lot more diverse and it would be easy for me to see who was playing or even who had Soul Caliber IV and challenge them to a match.
My first impressions were simply this:
"Wow"
Let me make this clear, in terms of solely graphics: This is the best looking fighting game I have ever played in my life.
Of course my first match almost demanded that I opted for Yoda (The 360 versions unique character and resident jedi master) and just the small things like the detail of the small grey hairs on his head as it zoomed up on him before the match was just fantastic. The clarity and the detail that was given to each character are simply unmatched in this genre.
Each stage also offers its own unique layout and look which of course is of great benefit when it comes to keeping each fight "fresh".
From a Gameplay aspect, I have never been a fan of the 360 controller for the purpose of gaming. I find that even at the best of times both the analog and the d-pad do not offer you the same crisp follow through as the PS3 controller or even the old Gamecube controller. Although I will be the first to admit that it isn't too bad, while it did take some getting use to and a few tries to get my running attacks going once you have it down it really does become seamless.
Perhaps it's just me, but there seem to be a lot less opportunities for the cheesy "Ring Out" victory as many stages seem to not have all sides open any more which I find terrible for single player as I can no longer just cheese out the computer, but I find wonderful in terms of multiplayer as I don't get bounced out of the ring as often.
There are various modes of gameplay ranging from the standard Arcade to Story, to a few single player – esk quest modes which I guess I could take or leave but do tend to kill some time. The effort has been made to make the play value of this game more broad and the various modes certainly do help achieve that.
The character customization is pretty awesome as well, there are some items you have to buy with money that is accumulated as you play the game, but honestly after beating the game on story and arcade a few times I had more then enough green to do whatever I wanted to do.
Needless to say Voldo looks awesome in a Shinobi cape.
You also have to either unlock or buy certain characters which seems to be a growing trend and to me a very annoying trend, but all and all after a few plays through I have all but two of the locked characters unlocked, so it's not a chore like some of the more recent Mortal Kombat games.
The one item that I cannot heap enough praise on is the soundtrack. Soul Caliber is the benchmark that other fighting games soundtracks need to be gauged, and it seems every incarnation of the franchise simply raises the bar to new heights. If you hear anything negative about the soundtrack they are lying.
It swirls around you in 5.1 like a mothers loves, and adds a whole new dimension to each battle.
The voice acting, well…
It's well done, but I have always been of the thought that it's as though they are just trying to hard to make this game seem like an Epic. Some of the narrators voiceovers at the start of a fight tend to come off as something I would read on a placemat at my local Thai restaurant. It comes off at times as being rather cheesy, but I guess it works as a whole. It does not take away from the game at all and I know its standard fare for all Soul Caliber games it's just at times it comes off as over the top.
The bread and butter of most fighters in this gaming generation is of course the Online play.
While at first attempt the match making took three tries (about 40 seconds total) before I was able to find an opponent with a similar record to mine, the match itself was well done as the connection was fast and there was almost no loading. It would me an opponent, we confirmed ready and we were fighting a few seconds after that.
After a few random matches online I had people from my friends list requesting matches and that again was a very smooth process.
In terms of ease of use for the multiplayer I would say that Soul Caliber IV is among the easiest interfaces to use to date.
Now of course for the two questions that I am sure are on your mind:
Achievements? And is the collector's edition worth it?
First off, the achievements are not too bad. Some of them as with many fighting games will require time, but you are generally reward for finishing the various modes on various difficulty settings. You get achievements based on the amount of grapple moves, and various other moves that you use over the course of the game. After my first night of playing I sat at 105 achievement points so it doesn't give them away but they are reasonably paced.
As for the collector's edition, keeping in mind its only ten bucks more I found it to be a pretty good value. It was able to get you some additional content for customizing your characters that I guess the standard edition does not offer, it came with an interesting artbook, and a tournament chart with marker and "T-Shirt Prize" so I guess in theory you could hold a tournament in your home…
A little on the cheese side, but my thinking is that for ten bucks just for the cool metal outer case it's worth it.
Overall, if you love fighters you will love Soul Caliber IV. Even if you are just warm to the genre this one is a definite buy.