As a gamer I am not that interested in how hardcore a fighting game can be but I am concerned with how a game can move the genre forward. With that in mind, I can say that Soul Calibur 4 has achieved both. Soul Caliber 4 has improved on the groundwork of the core fighting mechanics and is feature rich and well balanced. Character from the previous has been tweaked so that the still feel familiar, with new moves and chains to which you will be amazed. Returning veterans Mitsurugi, Voldo, Raphael, Taki and the others retain the signature styles, but with worthwhile adjustments, even with the ability to tag team.

In the character creation mode however, is where Soul Calibur 4 comes to life. More options are unlock as you use your custom characters with a wealth of weapons and arm pieces offering boost of strength, impact, speed, and a lot more with the aid of stat modifiers which improve your chances to escape throws or reverse counters. You can craft the fighting-game character of your dreams, by selecting attributes designed to compensate for your weaknesses or enhance you tendencies to a degree that games cannot even approach.

The new characters contributed by various Japanese manga artists are also an added bonus, because if you get tired playing as Valdo or Taki, you can always revert to one of the custom characters. In other words what I am saying is Soul Calibur 4 has been so updated that variety is part of the order of the day, Shura, designed by Ganzt is an example.

Presently Playstation 3 has the technical edge, because it allows you to install it to the hard drive for faster loading times, but the upcoming Xbox 360 update that allows gamers to similarly install any game the want. The advantage of the Xbox 360 version is its exclusive Star Wars character, Yoda. The Playstation 3 version has Darth Vader, but Yoda is the better of the two characters, as he’s sprightly and nimble, as opposed to the slow and lumbering Vader.

The Apprentice from Lucas Arts Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which is present in both versions of Soul Calibur 4 is very hard to unlock, as you must first defeat him in the arcade mode with the force users. He’s an all blocking, dodging, character to beat with either Yoda or Vader, but once he is unlock he is fun to play.

The new critical finish feature in Soul Calibur 4, seems cheap resting somewhere between Mortal Kombat’s fatalities and Guilty Gear‘s overpowered Overdrive moves, but actually it’s primary function is to punish players who is too slow. In all of my playtime, I rarely saw Critical Finishes, as the very notion of the Soul Gauge turning red enough to invite these super moves kept my mind on offense and blocking to a minimum.

The long-requested online mode is probably Soul Calibur 4′s most worthwhile endeavor. Characters level up with successive victories, and leader boards reflect the most accomplished combatants. You can brawl using standard default attributes or, you can enter an arena with your turbo-boosted character and see how he/she stacks up against the competition. The online mode could use a quick-rematch option, though; post fight, the game boots you back to the match up screen this mode looks like it received a lot of thought, with options to reserve space for friends in four-player battles or invite people on your friends list into a match in the PS3 version, anyway.

Time will tell whether people will accept Soul Calibur 4 into the pantheon of timeless, classic fighting games, but it is great, plays extremely well, and has counter measures for nearly any perceived exploit you may stumble across. The create-a-character mode is amazing, allowing you to assemble your own bionic man, while the new manga-designed fighters add plenty of fun new looks and personalities to play. The Tower of Lost Souls mode is a much better attraction than Soul Calibur 3 Chronicles of the Sword, as it ditches that game’s real-time-strategy-lite load-a-thon with more straightforward combat challenges.

With the classic, new school, and customizable character roster at the ready, and with online play fully operational, it’s not a stretch to say this might be 2008′s best fighting game. Some other hot fighters, notably Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, and Battle Fantasia are on the horizon, but considering how fun Soul Calibur 4 is after times of nonstop play, I think it will be hard to top what Namco’s accomplished with what is unquestionably their best fighting game to date.

Related articles by Zemanta

• SoulCalibur IV Review: Polishing The Stage Of History [Review]