I seriously love this game, probably one of my favorite fighters actually.

The thing I would add to make it top-notch. Create you own Jedi from scratch.

elsilento

Been lovin it..

already made customs for Altair, Joker, Hulk, Mistique, and when friends come over, they'll make themselves too XD

aR-Tard

@AsWater: you bring up a good point. It took a long time for me to get used to the slower speed. Even still, my counters and parries are still off because of it. I'm not a fan of the new speed but I can deal.
----------------------------------------------------------
What I hate though is the changes in the move list for many of the characters. This started in SCIII. There are key moves for my main characters (Xianhua, Maxi, Kilik, Ivy, Raphael and Taki) that are either gone or totally changed. I'm struggling in certain matches because of this. It leaves me to think "why would they change that when it's not for the better?" It's times like these when I praise and curse Sega at the same time. Sega had the common sense to understand how to evolve a move set over time in VF5 and make sure that changes enhance the gameplay and not take away from it. But Sega sucks because PS3 owners STILL don't have VF5 online, which I still think is a better fighter overall.

Eh, don't get me wrong, I still enjoy SCIV and had a blast playing it online a couple of nights ago, but it's not the end-all be-all fighter that I'd wish for. I wouldn't say it's the best in the series even though first impression lend toward that mentality. I had more enjoyment playing SCII. But still, I think this all points back to the changed movesets which I'm not a fan of.

Striderhayasa - Phillyyakk on PSN and Live.

@Shiryu:
I agree with Methusalah. If you've got a Wii and a copy of Soul Calibur 2 you don't really need to drop another $400 for a 360 and this game.

Mommar

@-EDGE-: Me too, Tekken 6 can't come soon enough!

ReignFury

@Madeira:
Yoda is pretty fun to bitch-slap in mid-leap isn't he?

Mommar

@Shiryu: If you don't already have a 360 or PS3 I really don't think this should be the game to convince you to buy one. At least 90% of what soul calibur IV has to offer can be experienced by playing any of the previous entries in the series.

Methusalah

@JAcK0R:

Yeah, George Lucas went form being mystical and intriguing back when he created franchises and then set about ruining the same ones twenty years later by answering questions no one asked.

We were just fine with "The Force" being a mystical life energy that Jedi and Sith were able to tap into. Then Lucas had to go and make it a blood disease that could be measured (cue "It's over 9000!" reference.) He also had to turn Vader, one of the most mysterious, menacing, and sympathetic villains in cinema history and turn him into a sniveling little brat that we all wanted to bitchslap. Seriously, the Vader of the original trilogy would have force-choked the prequel version of himself until his legs stopped twitching.

We were just fine accepting that Indiana Jones fought forces that were created by biblical and other religious means. That God gave the arc and the grail special powers, and the shenkira stones were imbued by Kali herself. Lucas, in his infinite wisdom, had to explain in "Crystal Skull" that all of these religious phenomenons were actually alien tech that we as stupid humans mistook as magic and the power of God/gods.

Add to it that Lucas would replace every single last actor and set piece with CG if he could get away with it (though the new "Clone Wars" would prove that he's trying), I think George truly lost his way.

He spent twenty something years believing what everyone said about him, bought into his own legend that he was a creative genius, and forgot that he turned his scripts over to other writers and directors the first time around to flesh out his original versions and made them great. And it ruined him as a filmmaker.

Ok, end threadjack. Moving on.

PapaBear434

The biggest problem I have with the game is the lack of a team battle mode. For my friends and I SC 1 was endlessly replayable because of the 8 on 8 random battles we'd have. It was great not knowing your team until the next fighter came out and the matches seemed to end up the perfect length. Why Namco, why? I want my team battle back!

Gray665

wow you can't throw Yoda? Wtf?! And I thought Link was cheap from SCII.

Thugmunk

Im still pondering if this will be THE game that makes me buy a 360/PS3/both. Im such a happy person with the Wii alone, but I have been a fan of Soulcalibur even before it was Calibur, al the way back to Soulblade (Souledge) on the PXS. Truly Character Customization is a must, I hope Namco has set the standads of fighters to come with this one.

Shiryu

Fahey, you forgot about the AI in Tower of Lost Souls and how horribly cheap it is. I haven't seen such horrible AI since the 2D Mortal Kombat games. Whoever programmed the AI needs to die a horrible death.

twinturbo2

From what I've been hearing on a lot of gaming podcasts, I'm surprised you decided to review the 360 version. I understand that the d-pad is horrendous and that it alters one's impression of how fluid the game truly is.

Agreement on the voices, I went Japanese in a mere minutes!

Swift_

well I figure time goes on, the graphics of these games inherently becomes better without really saying. As far as the gameplay, as a diehard SCII fan, the system is intact- which is a good thing. Shit, having throwdowns and passing the controller is probably some of the most fun I've had in a long while. and beating fools with a hula hoop never gets old.

dreamfall

@MASOCHIST187: Yeah, I am. 37". only 720p, but that should be enough. They are ok, but not significantly better than soul calibur 3. IMO the main graphical improvement is that the series has made the move to HD.

Methusalah

I've got it on the PS3, and Vader isn't as cheap as I thought he would be with all the force grabs and stuff. If your opponent is quick at getting up, you can't use them at all, and if they dodge side to side, you can hardly use any of the force attacks. Keep in mind though, I've only put about 3 hours into the game so far, and was using a variety of characters, so I'm no Vader expert.

Batteries-Included

@Madeira: *Cassandra's*, *shield*... yeesh

Madeira

@Madeira: heh that would explain me not knowing that yet, I hate playing with Cassandra (to be fair I hate about 2/3rds of the fighters in any SC game in terms of me playing AS them, so its nothing too specific to her, I'm just very picky).

But yeah, I just think Yoda and the Apprentice are both a bit unbalanced, but if anything thats "accurate", a "Jedi" really Should be superior to most of the SC cast :P

DaiMacculate

@AsWater:
It's always been like that. The Apprentice can do some Force Jumps into the foreground and the background, but most characters can't sprint in every direction because of the limitations of 8-Way Run. Ironic name.

Archaotic

@EvilSuperSean: Are you talking about the Game exclusive? That was a preorder bonus only.

Ryumeka

@Ryumeka: There's a limited edition, but it's just a steelbook case, with an extra DVD and a booklet of character profiles. Strangely, it comes with the normal edition and has an extra disc holder for the game. Which makes the normal box a bit useless!

EvilSuperSean

@DaiMacculate: You can spam Casssandra's forward + A, A, A sheild combo and rip the AI without any problem using just that move, and she's not a broken or unbalanced char.

Madeira

Good review, I like the game but I think it's just due to a lack of better fighting games out there. It just feels like they've been phoning it in since soul calibur. It's starting to feel kinda generic now.

I think for 5 they should switch things up, change the art style, get rid of alot of the old characters and add some more original new ones. Basically the kind of things that make a great game but alienate some of the more "hardcore" fans.

decoy-b

He said "a bit more"

kidko

@Captain_Collide: Nice! Guess what fabric section my weapon will snip first!

SigmundTheSeaMonster

Oh, and is it just me or is there no dashing in any direction but forward?

AsWater

@def PD: hate to be the bearer of bad news but yes... they did it again! here i was last nite unwrapping my copy, i went straight to play online with kotaku buds. i picked Taki thinking at least she retain some of Sc3 moveset.......WRONG! i know must go and re-learn how to use her again.. sigh.

but all in all lovin it, and vader is the shiznit, so all in all good times ahead... with a bit of re-study of my fav characters... no biggie.

by the way..... no to sound like a pretentious prick, but wtf does Namco have to do to forget SE on the dreamcast? its a classic, i get it.. but i challenge Mr. Fahey or anyone on here to tell me what SC can do to emulate a classic? please elaborate. Yoda being broken does not add up to a RED comment on balance of gameplay. u mentioned one character who clearly is not even integral. if the game was broken i would give you HATE comment. but the little green guy is messing it up? i don't think that's fair and i dont even own a 360.

zanzibarlegend

Does it have those silly quick time events in story mode like in 3?I never knew why they put them in there.

Xideo

@PapaBear434: nope Vader is actually not bad

Striderhayasa - Phillyyakk on PSN and Live.

*Claps hands over ears upon Midi-Chlorian mention*

Midi-what now? What are those? If they really existed, I'd bet they're a stupid plot device, though.

Tira's voice is annoying? I thought she was delightfully insane.

JAcK0R

Fuck all ya'll. I can't even complain about this game yet. Ordered online and still waiting for it to be delivered. And it was shipped via USPS with no real tracking info, so not even sure exactly when it's coming, but at least it's on its way.

AppleJax

@Methusalah:

This isn't meant to be a jab, but are you playing on a HDTV? To me the graphics look incredible.

MASOCHIST187

@Captain_Collide:

Yeah, looks realistic to me. Especially the two people in the lower left.

Wait, those aren't people? I thought it was two naked obese men wrapped up in a parachute.

PapaBear434

I'm of the Hate the Story Mode Camp. Its quick and easy, and so...soulless. I enjoyed SCIII's arcade mode thought it got a little repetitive doing the same quick-time events only to see the EXACT same animation for each character. I was hoping SCIV would improve on it but instead just threw it all out the window.

Part of what made Soul Blade so cool (for me) was seeing the end cutscene. They were so cool! Li Long anyone?

One other thing that has bothered me so far is the announcer. Its like even way more chessy than normal. And I loved the announcer's lines since forever. So it MUST be REALLY REALLY bad if I can't even enjoy them.

The slowing of the game threw me off so bad. I played about 3 hours yesterday trying to connect my combos with Cassie only to find out some didn't work out. The timing is off. Well not the timing, I guess me. I'll spend the weekend calibrating myself to the game.

AsWater

@londonlad:

Oh, so you're getting beaten constantly? It's never been a strictly finesse game, ever. You can play it with flair, but it's still possible for some button masher to get the best of you from time to time.

You Cannot Untoast

@KirbyMorph:

Guilty as charged. Never played it on the DC, only watched it. I did play it on the 360 (I think, the one with Spawn) and on the GameCube. Just felt weak in the skill department. And, as I said, mashing can whoop most people, and knowing the couple of cheese moves for a character is usually enough to finish off anyone else.

Maybe they've diluted it since the DC days, I don't know.

PapaBear434

"The characters also seem a bit more realistic to me, as opposed to the slightly more exaggerated characters of the past two games."

Really now?

Captain_Collide

Spot on... except I haven't fought any Yodas online yet. *knocks on wood*

Canuckssleepinthenude

Is there any word on a Limited Edition for UK stores?

Is the Clothes DLC the one included on the LE disc?

Ryumeka

@djricekcn: do you enjoy fighting games in general?

I find this review to be spot on, though i haven't tried the tower of souls mode. Japanese voices are a must!

TheHun

Very much looking forward to this and will burrow on through the negatives - this sounds more and more like what I've been wanting.

It's just a shame about Yoda, and the included extra mode - I enjoyed the buggy extra modes from the last games, and hoped this one would finally have an entertaining, polished incarnation.

Alas. Still - the mode sounds a bit 'Tower of Druaga'-ey, and it is from Namco, so no doubt there will be some fun included fan service there (not referring to the obvious fleshy sort).

sir_carrot

@PapaBear434:

Not that you asked me, but Vader is a pretty solid addition to the franchise. Other then the "how" he got there story being a bit of the weaksauce. He feels overall like a balanced fighter. That said, one of my ongoing and continuous love/hate things about the SC series is the characters are a bit hit or miss in terms of balance.

-EDGE-

@PapaBear434:

Vader is balanced imho. Apprentice is not.

Wahrheit

@PapaBear434: You obviously didn't play Soul Calibur on the DC if you think its always been a mindless button masher.

And Vader is supposed to be fairly balanced from what I hear.

KirbyMorph

@KirbyMorph: Yup. And I did switch immediately. Too bad it also makes Yoda/Vader/Apprentice speak Japanese as well.

Fangeh

If the professionals say Yoda is broken, then by golly he's broken. Unthrowable? Pint-sized? If that's not broken then you've never played a fighting game.

Ness

I find it hard to purchase fighting games as of late. Nobody around me really gives a shit about fighters anymore. The days of all night tekken/virtua fighter/soul calibur throwdowns with my friends are definitely over, at least for me..

Dauragon C. Mikado

Anyone know if they include the Japanese voices in the US version?

KirbyMorph

@Eville1 says SKUse me a sec.: Same here. I figure Namco had to do that, if he could dash in as quick as Yoda should, he'd be unbalanced for sure.

It's actually pretty amazing how well they captured Yoda's personality and movements, and he looks phenomenal. It's fun to pick him occasionally to break things up.

Madeira

Though, I have to ask this: Did you guys do the PS3 version? Is Vader equally unbalanced as Yoda, or a little better on the cheap-o-meter?

PapaBear434

Good review, but SoulCalibur has always seemed like a button-masher with a loosely connected storyline loosely (and badly) traded from a bad Japanese cartoon.

Nothing against it, as it's easy to pick up and play, but I could beat people who claimed they were masters at it by closing my eyes and blindly smacking buttons. That doesn't bode well for future gameplay too me.

PapaBear434

I haven't played SC series since I for DC but all I have to say is I gave IV about 3 hours and I regretted buying it. I think it's a boring game.

Note: This is "my" personal opinion, not yours

djricekcn

Yeah... this game still needs to improve how characters work... or mayhaps I'm just a nub?

I think some characters are far too cheap and thus, are horribly exploited.

Makes a reasonably fun fight go awfully stale when the dingbats who use em use only the combos that cover their bases... left and right over and over. Christ...

It's annoying.

xMaverick

@Madeira: I have to say, I haven't played Yoda versus every character yet or anything, but from what I've played AS him against the AI he is all but broken. Real human players may have some strategies to defeat him (will probably try out online for the first time tonight), but the computer CANNOT handle him that I've seen, and this was me basically just mashing with him, I haven't really analyzed his moveset or anything.

DaiMacculate

Loving the game so far on the PS3 (Vader doesn't suck). However it has left me longing for the next Tekken installment.

-EDGE-

@mikes_stalker: That's a lot of "still", my friend.

Nice review. I'll give it a go.

chuffhoncho

I hate this game. It's too watered down for the masses and has turned into a kilik and mitsurugi button mash fest.

londonlad

You pretty much nailed it dead on Mike. Good review.

And yes, screw Yoda.

wired_fenix

We have been staying late at work playing this game every day. It's been a lot of fun and I think after the hype dies down we might dedicate atleast one day a week where we stay after, order pizza and just play in the conference room (like we did last night).

And in classic SC tradition I've gotten angrier beyond belief at thier "Mission Mode" where I wanted to through my controller through the tv at frusteration of getting hit right before I preformed the perfect I needed to unlock the treasure

MajinMexican

I'll stick with Virtua Fighter 5.

Chances

So it is still a party fighting game still. That's cool, but I like the voices still. Not a fan of the English this time around, but the announcer shouting over the top lines sure is still awesome. Nice review!

mikes_stalker

I agree about everything except for the Voices. They don't bother me at all. I can't believe you didn't mention the graphics at all though.

Vindicoth

@Madeira:

Agreed.

And no speedy dash? I felt hampered by his hopping around instead of a run forward move.

Eville1 says SKUse me a sec.

Commendably so, you really hit on the points that are the reasons why I picked this game up and odds are why I'm going to go back through the series and play through them (I've never really gotten into the Soul Calibur games) But you said the Dreamcast version is the best? I will have to try that. Right after I try playing as Tira again.

AndrewG009

So you're saying that I should get the PS3 version. Ok.

Fuck Yoda. If I had to have a campy character I'd go with Vader anyways.

dynendal

I'm pretty sure I'll get some flack for this, but I'm actually pretty disappointed by this edition of Soul Calibur. The classic enjoyable gameplay is there, but there just aren't enough new additions to warrant the purchase of a $60 game. Not enough new characters, only slightly better than last-generation graphics, minimal number of gameplay modes. It's not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, but I really think they could have done a lot more considering the power of this console generation.

Methusalah

Not being able to throw Yoda isn't that big of a deal. He has a few issues that balance him out- it's easy to smack him out of the air when he goes for a throw, and surprisingly he has some speed issues with some of his more useful moves. He isn't broken or overpowered or whatever, he's barely a mid tier char.

Madeira

I'd say I agree. Lucky I don't mind a grind, because that's what tower of souls is.

Wahrheit

Hopefully this one is nowhere near as broken as 3.

Are the moveset lists the same as the ones in 2 or 3?

That was another thing I disliked about 3; they changed a bunch of the move commands.

def PD

I rented it and I am glad I did. The game was fun but its not worth the price tag. Will eventually pick it up when its cheaper.

Octo1

Fucking tower mode. Ball licking sunsabitches!!

I love the game though. Breakdancing Voldo's gonna git yuuuu.

Eville1 says SKUse me a sec.

Online is fun, but it can never replace the arcade experience mainly because 50ms will always screw you up.

Someguy925

Excellent Review.

IceCold

Soul Calibur IV is a great game and is really what the fighting genre needed... It's as easy as Smash Bros, meaning the moves are easy to learn, with alot of them only requiring 2-3 buttons, and the AI is easy enough that you can whoop its ass if you have skill.

Recent fighting games, such as DoA4, have become so hardcore with final bosses that take controller-throwing 10-15 continues to beat and with attacks that take 6 button presses...the fighting genre is near death because it has become so niche and unaccessible to most gamers. Soul Calibur 4 fixes that problem, and it does with flying colors.

The Star Wars characters, love or hate them, are the best extra bonus characters ever in a fighting game. Yes, they are obscenely overpowered and ublalanced, but its Darth Vader and Yoda we are talking about here. You can't have it both ways--either Star Wars characters fight like they do in the movies and whoop major butt or you get dumbed down, slow, and practically useless characters like the Spartan in DoA4, which did not resemble anything of the likes of master chief as far as super-human speed, reflexes, and strength are concerned.

fenderfuel08

I haven't read all the comments thus far, so maybe someone beat me to my point, but here goes anyway: though I've been really enjoying the game so far, my biggest gripe is the move list. Why the hell am I supposed to use a fucking legend to translate moves to their corresponding buttons when they could have just listed which buttons to press to accomplish each move? This is seriously driving me bonkers.

Does anyone know if there is a way around this? i.e if there is a way to change the move list view to actual buttons instead of "B" "G" etc?

Hoppasaurus

"soul calibur hasn't exactly been gameplay balance central?"

uhhh, as far as i know they've all been balanced aside from one or two characters who get stuck in low tier like SC3 talim.

kainzero

@Meohfumado: AMEN my brother.

zanzibarlegend

Good review but a little early to discuss balance imo.

It's cool to say that the game is not balanced: every fighter known to earth isn't and we all know each character will seed themselves in their own tier.

But I'd be careful in writing Balance in such a way that you make it seem as though some characters are overpowered.

Yoda can't be thrown and all highs whiff him no doubt - but he does jack damage and his armor is weak. Having said that, there are definite drawbacks to using him as well.

i.roboto

I've played almost 100 XBox live games and haven't seen a single Yoda yet. Mostly Siegfried/Nightmares, Cervantes and Kilik in my experience.

And people who complain about button-mashers/spammers...every try parrying? Easiest way to beat a masher right there.

Meohfumado

@TheHun: Yes, I do enjoy fighting games.

djricekcn

My Game preorder case never came :(
Normal box only, though apparently the extra stuff is on it's way.

I find it a lot easier to button mash through than DOA4, that's for sure, but I suspect given time I'll enjoy it more. i enjoyed previous SC games, and found that there was a little more tactical balance in them once you learned the reach and speed of the weapons. Most other fighters don't ahve that - it's all about memorising combos and special mvoes for a lot of fighters. I find it relatively tedious using one character endlessly, and the SC series has always been relatively forgiving for people who switch regularly. It's not necessarily button mashing, it's jsut the basic one button moves are actually worthwhile.

Am dyeah, the 360's Dpad is awful, but it's goot a perfectly good stick. Easier to do rolls on that too.

stoneagedan

@PapaBear434: "Seriously, the Vader of the original trilogy would have force-choked the prequel version of himself until his legs stopped twitching."

ROFL!!!2

Best Quote i have read in 08 so far. seriously. Even as a diehard SW fan you speak the truth..lol

zanzibarlegend

i love playing this game but the gripes i had where the computer a.i being irratic in difficulty especialy when it rallies a combo utilising the tagging in tower of souls.

also where the hell is team battle? oh how i miss soul calibur 2...

DaveStampeed

I think Soul Calibur 4 is by far and away the weakest addition to the series to date. Perhaps Namco can salvage it through copious amounts of worthwhile DLC, but only time will tell on that front. For my money Soul Calibur 3 is still the best in the series and the only one I consistently return to for single-player action.

Nightshift Nurse: Mile High Colonic

Pink Afro Voldo FTW.

OtisElevator

@terminalboredom: If they are using the same move over and over again...it should be easy to time and set-up a parry and then own them, shouldn't it?

Meohfumado

I just want In on some of that sweet sweet Voldo action.

sharnaff

@terminalboredom:

Yup, couldn't agree more, it's all i see! It doesn't help that you can't block the move and the 8 way moving is more sluggish than it used to be so you can't even move outta the way when he's charging up!

londonlad

I used to love the character 'show off' that was unlocked in the DC original, where the character would strut his stuff on his own with his weapon.

Alas, not in this version though.

finelicker

@You Cannot Untoast:

No, no i'm not actually getting beaten much, i'm pretty good at SC, it's just that more often than not i come across a serious button masher and i don't remember the DC version being anywhere near as bad.

londonlad

Is Vader's apprentice available from the get-go or unlockable?

stoutbear

@AndrewG009:

The first is Soul Edge (Soul Blade in some places), Soul Calibur is the 2nd and then they started to add numbers, acting like the 1st game never existed.

Bring back weapon breaks! Real men use breakable armaments!

AstrayPenguin

TOO MANY high level people spamming the same moves over and over. Oye GEEZ.

Seriously, they're all using Cervantes or that huge jubblied ninja chick that's a Cervantes model swap, and just using those same 2 vertical/horizontal Raiden-like warp moves over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and...

terminalboredom

@Methusalah:

So how disappointed would I be by buying this, as someone who has never purchased a Soul Calibur game before? I only rented SC 2 for Gamecube and played that decent amount (some friends had bought it too.) I'm excited for this game when I do finally get it since I don't own ANY fighting game. However, I think I'm going to rent it this weekend first.

CarbonFalcon

for the record, soul edge/blade was what kicked off 'the revolution', sc1 mucked it up, then sc2 put it back on the right track.

Whahaa

@Hoppasaurus: no way around it. and yes, its crap!

get2theDeLorean

This game is alright, but I knew it wouldn't blow me away. I knew off the bat that this game wasn't going to be as huge as it's predecessors, I knew that the game would have some hang-ups, and I also knew it could never be bad enough for me to hate it, but this game feels like it took three steps forward and two steps back for the series. Even SCIII did a few things better than this game. I had high hopes for this title, and I'm far from disappointed, but I definitely expected more.

Now then, I need to continue some Amy/Cassandra/Mitsurugi practice so I can continue kicking the shit out of all those Kilik scrubs out there. I love watching them disconnect after getting their poster child gets owned by the likes of Shura or Taki. FNG's need to be embarrassed when they only pick the long-range characters they can't play as.

KeroseneClimax

Yoda is like the Oddjob of this game. No one should be allowed to pick him.

The music in the game is lackluster. The story is lame and doesn't engage me in the least. Stuffing Star Wars characters into the game totally cheapens the games already lacking mythos and internal consistency. This one is going on eBay. Sorry Namco.

Prism Ra

So far, the only balance things that are pretty set is that

there's no clear top tier as of yet

Rock, Apprentice, Vader, Yoda considered low tier. no one minds the SW chars stinking, but we all want a better HHH, I mean Rock.

arstal

DoA4 was great, except for the actual fighting. 80% of my matches degenerated in to slideshow territory due to opponents with bad connections.

terminalboredom

I just wanted to add, did anybody else find it weird that they included coupon for fried chicken in the game manual. WTF.

spectralpulse

@KeroseneClimax: Maybe they'll unlock it in a future overpriced "add-on".

Methusalah

@PapaBear434: I agree with Papa to an extent. I do understand where hes coming from with the button mashing, with the SC series's move sets its easy to throw together some serious combos by simply pressing buttons, but its only a button masher if that is all the particular person does, most wont make it far with the combo breakers.

I'm loving SC4, but im pissed with their limited online setting, DoA does it best atm (im unsure of VF5 online setting), please add Loser Stays, Tournament, and Tag Mode to the online. Hmm, is Tag mode available online? Maybe I should check first. Lol.

R3load

@MrSatan: Yeah, you're not the only one missing the pre-fight taunting. I picked up Mitsurugi and pressed X in expectation of him saying something intimidating, only to be greeted with a bizarre silence. It was almost like something crucial was missing. Like a limb, maybe. That is just something else that SCIV did that fell below my expectations.

KeroseneClimax

@Gray665:

Considering I was there with you playing SC1 and we talked about this at lunch today, I totally agree.

Boo-urns, Namco!

Strangelove

I picked it up yesterday, i have been enjoying it ever since. BTW make a female using Voldos fighting style. Meow..

spectralpulse

I wonder, can you use the Japanese voices in the PAL copy of the game?

Kaonazhie

@MrSatan: Lol, that was one of the first things I noticed was absent. I got over it though :)

Methusalah

woah we can switch to japanese voices?!

Rengenki

@MrSatan:

I miss that too.

Except now it's usually replaced by hysterical laughter from someone on the other end when they realize they're going to be fighting my Raphael clone that looks like Prince.

PURPLE RAIN, BISH!!!11!!1

terminalboredom

@CarbonFalcon: If you don't own any of the previous entries in the series then by all means buy this one (assuming you have a system that can play it).

Methusalah

Funny, i haven't seen anybody complaining about the fact the removed the shouting at the start of the match. That was one of my favorite things, making my character go "Urrrryaaaa" and then we battle.

MrSatan

@Meohfumado:

I used to be able to parry almost anything in SCII...I usually end up getting nailed trying to do the same in IV.

Maybe it's cause I've spent most of my time online, and haven't learned the proper non-slight lag adjusted timing yet.

Anyways, the move in question is unblockable however, in any fashion that I'm aware.

I suppose I could just join them and do the same, but that would just be stupid.

terminalboredom

@PapaBear434: You my friend are full of shit. I would like to see you beat me with your eyes closed and mashing buttons. I would block, evade, and own you back to the stoneage. Say what you want about this game being a button masher, but it will only get you so far. Any experienced opponent will use the Techs and Throws to their advantage. You need to play the game more before you make dumbass comments.

MrSatan

@PapaBear434: My god. I just realized. He is turning star-wars into Dragon Ball Z. All we need are three more movies with wishes making sure no character ever dies ever.

Ghede

@londonlad:

OK, I thought it was just me sucking. Seriously, I'd rather go up against a masher who's using the Apprentice.

I think I dodged that move successfully maybe 3 times, and I played through about 5 levels worth of ranked matches last night. I had ONE truly good match against someone ranked WAY higher than me who was using a custom female Nightmare character. It was fairly even, 2 to 3, every match pretty much down to the wire.

I sent him a nice message afterwards thanking him for not using the same one unblockable move over and over again, like 90% of the rest of the online players. If more fights were like that, this game would be 10 times more fun.

Even despite all the cheese, after about 60 matches against players of all stripes, my win % still hovers around 45.

terminalboredom

@R3load: yeah...I understand. Because Maxi is a lot like Eddy Gordo. You can press a bunch of buttons and they'll lick off with all kinds of sick moves. But take some time and learn Maxi. He's a nasty character to face. As a matter of fact....add me. I'll set up a lobby later and we can practice if you want.

Striderhayasa - Phillyyakk on PSN and Live.

@PapaBear434: it's funny because SC has always been deceptive that way. It's deeper than the average fighter but it's still not at deep as VF5. SCIV isn't as deep as VF5:Evo IMO. But what SCIV does well, it does very good.

I dunno, SCIV is fun, there are some points of disappointment in it (the difficulty, changed or missing moves, slower speeds, no enclosed arena, some truly cheap moves) But to be honest, I still think Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm is going to be better than SCIV. If Sega releases the latest VF5 update with the Takahashi (?) the sumo and the new Karate guy on PS3 with online support, I'll put SCIV down and never look back.

VF5 is still king IMO.

Striderhayasa - Phillyyakk on PSN and Live.

@Striderhayasa - Phillyyakk on PSN and Live.: Ahahahaha. Bro, when I made that comment that is the exact character I had in mind hehe. I love Maxi and I literally have no idea how to play him, so I just push buttons because that dude goes crazy, so Im sure he's a beast when played knowledgeably.

The only person I know how to play is Kilik though. I need to sit and learn other characters movesets, maybe I can win more at that time, lol. Im pissed that they removed his staff twirl though, I loved using it to stop chargers.

R3load

They use a legend for the command list because it's multi platform. It's really not hard to remember guard is (g) kick is (k) horizontal is (a) vertical is (b). Imagine having a strategy guide with two sets of commands for every move, that would suck.

ramauro

@zanzibarlegend:

"This Week in Comments," here I come!

PapaBear434

@R3load: true...for example, I like to use Maxi, who is constantly thought of as a button mash character. But I actually know how to use him. So the combos I do are intentional as well as the parries and counters.I still get static for using him because once he starts, he can constantly attack without spamming the same moves... no range thought

VF5 online is similar to SCIV's online. If you play ranked matches, you may or may not get a lot of lag. You may or may not get disconnected. But when you set up a lobby and host, the connections are the best. I played that way for at least two hours I could have been in the same room with the guys that rotated throughout the night. Almost 0 lag. But to be fair, I had a similar experience when I hosted VF5 games on Live. SCIV online is the best? I'd say no. Good but not the best. As good as VF5 maybe.

Striderhayasa - Phillyyakk on PSN and Live.

@Chances: Good. SC doesn't need your complaints.

opt2not

@MrSatan:

Actually, that's what the three people said, almost exactly, without the insults.

It's not THAT complex of a fighter when you put up next to Marvel vs. Capcom 2, for instance. Though, 2D vs. 3D is a very apples and oranges comparison I suppose.

Even still, your flaming is noted, friend. Good to know you're such a contributor to the online arena.

PapaBear434

People that whine about button mashers are just crappy button mashers. The good button mashers are clearly owning you. Button mashing itself is an art. If you were as good as you think you were you would have your own strategy to counter it. Dazzles me how people don't know how to GI the same moves.

gothamdarkknight

You cant throw yoda, but you can hit him like a baseball, which is pretty fun!

Dionyza

Good review, but Yoda's just not that powerful. A lot of his moves are easy to exploit and counter with a bit of good timing, and thanks to his mostly airborne moveset, he has an infuriating tendency to toss himself out of the ring using even the basic attacks.

cynopt

Online play is nice, but nothing beats having someone else in the room to humiliate. I enjoyed playing this game with my friend and I look forward to buying it for myself in a couple of weeks.

Altersparck

@zanzibarlegend:

Well, that's if someone nominates me, of course. I mean, I'm not going to be as pompous as to nominate myself. If only SOMEONE would nominate that comment for me...

*wink*

/pander_mode change = off

PapaBear434

@PapaBear434: you can bet on that sir! {^_^}

zanzibarlegend

How do you power up characters that aren't created? I've leveled up Vader's style to Lv. 9 so far but in character creation it won't let me select him, or any pre-made character for that matter.

Is it create a character only?

fenderfuel08

Man alive I love this game, 3 stunk but this game brings a lot of it back. Am I the only one who likes the tower? I hope it lasts forever ^_^

stupidjason

"The characters also seem a bit more realistic to me"

Stopped reading there.

BossMonk

"The characters also seem a bit more realistic to me, as opposed to the slightly more exaggerated characters of the past two games."

Really? The reality in this game is:

-Yoshimitsu can use his sword-chopper freely and indefinetly.
-Algol sits down on a throne that comes out of nowhere and teleports without restraint
-Cervantes teleports also.
-Ivy

If anything this game is a move into bizzare territory... not that it's a bad thing

Did anyone else notice that most of the joke weapons in this game is food, by the way? LIke, Ivy's is an extendable sausage.

HuffmanDickings

@fenderfuel08: The reason is you can't edit any of the Star Wars characters or make characters that use their move sets.

outforprophets

It takes about 30 - 45 minutes to unlock all the characters in the game. The reason why I prefer the really short single player fighting modes:

So I don't have to grind through some bullshit like Subspace Emissary to unlock everyone.

outforprophets

I played Tira in SCIII because they made Raphael a less crazy over-powered bastard. I loved him in SCII, but I think he went too far in the other direction in III. I like how he plays in SCIV an think that Amy is one of the best combonations of Raphael from III and IV. HOWEVER! I think they totally battered Tira. After playing her relentlessly in III on my friends PS2 I become quite evil with her and delighted in how completely flipped she was. I enjoyed her move-set and loved her voice actress.

In IV? She sounds like a 3 year old child and it drives me insane. They totally destroyed her move set from the top to the bottom and added a move (I'm sure you've done this) that is entirely to easy to pull off that KILLS YOU ALL THE FUCKING TIME! Yoshi has moves much like that, but it takes a bit of effort to pull them off and unless your button mashing like an idiot it's not likely to kill you. But at the end of the match when you're trying as all hell to get that last bit of damage off before you die... and you hit that three button combo and kill yourself with that damned move.

Personal opinion: They screwed up on some things. I like the fact they slowed the game down it makes for more (sometimes) interesting fights but it feels much to much like playing Tekken and I despise Tekken. Over all, I feel like the things they screwed up do not outweigh the good things they did, especially considering the hype.

Vezroth

That's a decent review.

I suggest not to bother reading any player reviews for, at least, a solid week. Too many biased whiners out there.

Madriker

The online ranking is completely broken. People just bail when they're about to lose and there's no penalty or tracking of it.

Spenze

I'll rent this i think. The character customization seems really cool. Maybe a buy when it comes down in price.

Jel-op

@Vezroth: To me, Tira's English voice is even worse than that. It sounds like that same hackneyed 25 year old anime dub actress desperately trying to sound like a 3 year old child. Either that, or some genetic monstrosity created in an American toy lab, the result of a horribly failed attempt to produce an actual living Pokemon specimen. As it lays there on the table begging for its life in what it dementedly thinks is a cute, endearing manner, the scientists think "Well, maybe we can use it for voice work..."

gaijira

My experience stops at Soul Calibur... but based on that I'm disappointed, not surprised there are balance issues.

I didn't even own it, but I'd go to friends' houses when they were blowing through quest/story mode and I could pick up Mitsurugi and just mash whenever they came into range and it would take them out. With Maxi I kinda had to keep a rhythm, but if I did, I'd get perfect victories even though I didn't know what the buttons were.

Sadly for me, no balance = no game when it comes to fighters...

fuchikoma

@outforprophets: Which sucks, I totally wanted to make a flaming pink Vader. But I understand Lucas might want to protect their copyright. (Don't get why we can't edit the guest manga characters, though, who I thought were created for this game.)

justinslot

@justinslot: Totally I'm with you. I would have loved to see a Jedi version of myself or some bad ass character.

outforprophets

@Spenze:

Reminds me of the bygone days of Xbox Live when I even bothered with it, Mmmmm... the dark and horrible days of MechAssault when people would get 16 of their friends on and kill them endlessly to artificially inflate their rankings, then drop as soon as they died once in a given match. Ah, those were the days. /sarcasm

Vezroth

I can agree with this review. The character balance IS fine except for Yoda. Secret Apprentice is alright and I haven't experienced Vader yet (360 version, it's just a matter of time until the DLC comes out). I'm a little mad they trimmed down the fighting styles/weapon choices from SC3 to SC4 in character creation, but all the extra options softens the blow. I just tried the Tower, and I'm really just dealing with it for the extra items. I like the shorter story mode, but I'm disappointed the cutscenes are less thrilling (compared to SC3).

Ryodestined

@gaijira:

Thank you for making me laugh out loud. That was very amusing.

Vezroth

Great review. Hopefully, I can get on Live this weekend so I can get a little play time with peeps online.

I really hope that I don't see a mountain of Yodas. This one will be very said if she does.

Lainface

Not to be the correcty-type, Mike, but there IS a way to know the conditions necessary to unlock items in Tower of Souls. In the intro before each fight, in which the camera pans around the stage, a little text box pops up with a hint for the unlockable.

I think one of them said something like, "Cleave to your vitality," which I'm guessing is a winning with a perfect. If only I was good enough to test that theory.

camdentayler

You can't mash buttons in SC4. They took out a LOT of moves and slowed the game down to almost Tekken speed....

The game only flows when you know the characters

Ultrasinc

The English voices are not that "grating." Normally, I stick with the Japanese voices, but this time, the English ones are alright. Most of you probably don't even know what they are saying in Japanese.

yoshitsune

button mashing...I say Noob Mashing lol I seen some people trying to do the same moves over and over again...people are going to beat you faster than you can do your crap again. I still need to re calibrate to this SCIV as it plays slightly differently than the previous versions.

ChuckNorrisKommando

@yoshitsune: You can enable English subtitles, you know.

That being said, I do agree that he English voices are much better in IV than they were in II (I skipped III and considering the backlash against it, that may have been for the best). Even one of my friends, who's a borderline Japanophile and studied Japanese in college, admitted that the English voices were actually decent this time around.

NeoChaos

@terminalboredom: haha.. i'm one of them

the_answer

Well Since I have the chance to play every SC game in franchise except for SC Legends. I tell you the truth, I do these button mashing same on my character alot instead of improvising what else I can do, but that's not the whole review about this game. Since I kinda thought they would go for the same tactics as SC II and SC III, for once there guard breaking seems a little to be off from and sometimes that would be frustrates me since now I need to change my tactics and my plan for now on. I susprisingly I want the best out from them with freely fighting styles and just try to strategizning you learn those fluid steps in the games, but as I play much more from this, it still has that sense of capabilities it would have shown in the previous SC serious. But it tends to show whatever it brings, Realism or not. SCIV show providing gameplay that has quickening result that everyone brings for what emotion of what this game has and belive me I am gonna have a tough time trying to rephrase my strategy. SCIV has a lot of depth, not that kind of depth that has in the past nine years in the franchise. Like this game, needs to return back to SC roots once again. I love those guard breaking in SC II, it has feeling to it.

JadedBlack

@camdentayler: They do, but only after you've attempted the stage once before. And even then, those descriptions are fairly vague, and the game doesn't tell you the specific requirements until AFTER you've already fulfilled them. I needed a listing provided by GameFAQs to figure some of them out.

GhostWhoWalks

I can dig it. Got the game myself, and for the most part, it fixed the flaws of SCIII and improved upon (most) of what was done right. The story mode for SCIII was long and involved, but it was also LONG; while the SCIV story mode doesn't have much in the way of interaction between characters who share a plot line, it's short-but-sweet, providing half the number of fights SCIII did, but in a quarter of the rounds.

The balance here is, from what I've seen so far, actually improved from SCIII, even with Yoda. The guy may be small, but he's also rather slow, has a short reach, and jumps up into the air with some of his attacks, exposing him to those high attacks that normally miss him. Sure, he's immune to throws, but it really only causes problems for the computer (which doesn't seem to realize it can't throw him); a normal human knows to just stick with regular attacks, which serve them well.

Everything else about the review is spot-on, including the voices. Some of the voices provided for the created characters border on painful and don't have enough variety in them (would you like the guy who trash-talks or the slightly older guy who trash talks? I seem to recall that atleast one of the voices of each gender in SCIII used much more humble phrases...).

GhostWhoWalks

It would appear that Yoda was a bad inclusion then. I'm just glad I bought the PS3 version. Yes, Vader isn't exactly the best character in the game either, but I've not seen either Vader or the Apprentice being used online yet, which is nice.

I'm a bit annoyed with the Tower of Lost Souls though. Modes like Weapon Master Mode on Soul Calibur II were great, because they had a bit of narrative between chapters, and the different scenarios and rules kept the battles fresh and interesting. The Tower mode has none of that, you don't even know the special conditions, so you just fight as you normally would. Waste of time.

Iarwain

@Ultrasinc:

Are you playing the same game? The moves are too quick, go and play soul calibur on the dreamcast and you will see the speed soul calibur is supposed to be.

londonlad

My favorite custom character is my Shindokie [kotaku.com] male bondage queen in assless chaps. Completely realistic.

InsidiousTuna

"the fourth installment (fifth counting Soul Edge)"

Sixth counting SoulCalibur Legends. Yes, I know it's a totallly different type of game, but technically it's still part of the series.

Grele_Mokit

@Grele_Mokit: Does it have to be?

InsidiousTuna

@PapaBear434: Eh, he's a low tier character.

Jest

Eh...the voices are fine although Tira's was pretty grating. But then...it grew on me. And now I love it. I know, I'm one sad, sad little man.

Chunky-MonkeyLOL

Well done review. I tell my buddies that Lotaku has the best reviews. I didnt see a number or percentage or fraction in that whole review.

I give the review a 10.0

:/

MaTsKaT

I dislike this review.
firstly
''So Many Characters: I love a fighting game with tons of variety, and SoulCalibur IV features a very impressive roster indeed, with old favorites (Ivy!) joined by all-new favorites (Kamikirimusi!).''
old favourite Ivy yet you didnt mention her moveset was drastically changed?Kamikirimusi is just a guest charater.

Secondly the announcer,he has been in soul calibur since forever how can you dislike the announcer?

The EPIC 'SOUL CALIBUR' at the start of soul calibur games is the spirit of it.

Yozansen

A true shame about the tower bit. I'm probably one of the few who really liked the "Strategy" sidegame of III, even though it was crap in a few ways.

But all in all the fighting system still sounds stupid convoluted. Huzzah.

P-Flute

@fenderfuel08:
Ya fighting games do need to lighten up a bit.

I just wish they invested a bit more in a story mode, even something as simple as the one in SSBB would be great.
Something that would really tie all the characters together.

It has a lot of potential. Well...
As much potential as IBS (Inflating Breast Syndrome) allows I guess.

Reikson

I'm rather enjoying Soul Calibur IV myself but... I dunno. I hate to be the odd one out here but I hated Soul Calibur II. The fighting was ok I guess but it didn't feel right to me after the joy of number 1 (which is and will probably always be, the best) plus I didn't like any of the characters (nightmare changed for the worse in II).

I don't like the clothing systems they have though; I miss the old SC way of just playing the darn game instead of fussing over silly stats =P

What the heck is up with the item selections as well? Undergarments is a single thing so if I see a cool undergarment top then I can't wear any undergarment shorts or anything like that and most of the female undies are pretty dire so far. This matters because not all of us like being reduced to a bikini if the armour shatters... it just looks silly =o

It's fun but I still think there's a huge amount of room for improvement. On the upside I'm happy they slowed things down a notch as while I do have a gamer's reflexes, twitch bores me; slower is more tactical =D

Geminosity

Great points Fahey. I wouldn't be able to review this game, as my absolute love for it overshadows those annoying voices and lack of events beyond the basic fights. Although I have been playing it on PS3, so maybe avoiding this whole Yoda problem has put me in better spirits.

I've seen button-mashers win, yes. But speaking as someone who started out as a button masher on this game, you pick up what buttons you are mashing and what they do pretty quickly. It's a short lived period for any SC player, and I don't know why people always get their feathers ruffled about it.

Tori Floyd

yoda isn't even a top tier character.

Fabrice

virtua fighter, doa, soul caliber, tekken are all good games but roughly the same thing each time released.

mrpeepants

I was surprised when I found out I could no longer soul charge.

YuniYoshi

I notice nothing on Vader. Did you play as him, or did you just play everything for the 360 version?
And does this include the DLC?
These are very important issues to me.
Well, maybe not. But still.

Excellent review.

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