Little has changed in the Soul Calibur series which is disappointing.
Soul Calibur IV is such a game. I was a huge fan of Soul Calibur II and played it for hours on end on my GameCube. I played it against my friends and had unlocked nearly everything in the game. So naturally I hoped that Soul Calibur IV would be that much better. Sadly, I find at least that this game is underwhelming. I find the creation tools to be fun, but they get old fast. The story-mode from the Soul Calibur II is gone and the unlocking of new gear, weapons and stuff seems to be limited to a level up system as well as trophies/achievements system in something called the "Tower of Souls". These ideas are ok, but often cause a lot of frustration at having to perform specific tasks to unlock new content.
The one thing I do appreciate in this game is the inclusion of some Star Wars characters which are a great addition, but they're appearance is limited, their customization is almost non-existent. I would truely love to see a fighting game that included the match-ups from every genre of super-heros, sci-fi and fantasy combined. That would be an epic fighting game worth paying non-bargain prices for.
While I appreciate the series for what it is and while the graphics on my PS3 are much better than what could be experienced on the GameCube, there is little to keep me playing this game with no trophies or anything, so I am thankful that I found this game in the bargain bin.