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Good, but something is missing

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Soul Calibur IV is the best looking PS3 game right now. I got to say it is a tad different in term of the game-play. Lot of the moves is the same with existing characters, but the buttons combinations are a little different/charged. There is a new feature that if you guard too much your character weapon will get weaker or break, which was similar to the original soul blade game. Your weapons are the same, only the characters will level up. Game mode is altered a little with online play. The usual story line, verse, arcade modes are back. The storyline matches are a little different. You face 2-3 enemies per round with one life bar, sound hard, but it is actually easy in normal mode. There are only 5 rounds. The ending clips aren't that great either.

The extra and characters creation is also tweaked a little. You can't really randomly create really odd characters like before, more like modifying existing one. I am not sure if all the ending movies can be viewed like before in a theater mode, I didn't find it. The character bio is really lame this time. You get like an artwork with the written description, gone is the 3d model that you can rotate and zoom in Soul Caliber III. Those weird odd mini game and quests are gone from SC3. There is a tower game, but that is just like a regular arcade version. No more buying weapons for your character development. Why are half the scenes from SC3, with better detail? A lot more female characters are a great plus, Ivy and some of the ladies are quite Taki-ness.

The team spent a lot of time on the animation, design and rendering of the characters, and kind of chopped skipped on the extra features that were found in SC3. Basically I liked SC3 a bit better. SC4 is basically a visual upgrade of SC3 similar to VF5 for the PS3.

It was worth the wait

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: July 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I was really anticipating Soul Calibur 4 and expecting it to be better than 3,2, and 1 - and I was right!! Not only does this game have awesome graphics, but the gameplay in general is great! There are more characters, more action, and a really cool soul gauge display. The creator of SC 4 created a new technique for every character called the Critical Finish - in order to execute this move, the opponent's soul gauge has to be flashing red, and the green bars below have to be black (this means that you've already knocked the opponent's armor off); from there you hit all four analog buttons and you will see your character's Critical Finish. The one thing I don't like about this is that it's very time consuming and you will probably defeat your opponent before you're able to execute the Critical Finish; other than that, the game is great! There are different types of modes such as Story, Arcade, Towers of Lost Souls, and Versus play. In Character Creation mode, you are able to customize an existing character or a character that you can create. You are also able to buy locked characters such as Sophitia, Yun-Seoung, Talim, and the list goes on. In general, if you are a SC fan, you will be a fan of this game. As much as I like SC 4, it will of be no comparison when Tekken 6 comes out!

SC4, where's Tekken6

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: July 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Being an avid Tekken fan, other fighting games pale in comparison. I maybe wrong. SC4 is the best I have played in a long time. Me and the people I know have worn out joystick controllers playing Tekken but this is the best fighting game for the PS3(now). The graphics, gameplay, customizable options, even the load times are fast (if you loaded the game to your hard drive). Yeah, you got the female fighters with the big b00bz, but that does not take away from the game at all. You play the game to fight and win, you can win ugly or lose pretty, it your choice.
Vader and his apprentice were cool it reminded me of other Tekken characters crossing over to SB/SC. I like this game more than GTA4, MGS4 and NCAA 2009.

Ok... What happened to the game I loved?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 12
Date: July 31, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Let me first off say, I love video games. I have since I've been 5 years old when I played my first video game for the Nintendo. I have played Soul Calibur with friends, family... Everyone. I went to the PX yesterday (Marince Corps store) and was going to pick up a game for the PS3 since it seems one of the best things to do on base (Without traveling 45 minutes) is to play video games. The clerk reminded me that Soul Calibur just came out so I nearly had a heart attack and ran to the stand and grabbed a copy. The cover art was awesome. Sweet.

So I get up to the counter and am about to ring up the game, the clerk hits the enter key on the cash register and all the power goes out for the entire store. That should of been my sign not to buy this game, and most likely was. I did get it anyway though.

I brought it home and went to a church event with one of my fellow Marines and after coming home later on that night I couldn't wait to play it. I opened up the case, took out the Bluray Disc and put it in the PS3. It booted up and then started saying "You can't play without a game save, click ok to make a game save." ... Ok, "Thats fine with me", *Click*

Starts loading up, get's to the screen ... "SOUL CALIBUR 4!!!"

Awesome.

Get to the menu, "Woah, the menu is really simplistic... Strange." I headed off to the single player mode automatically and hit Story mode and proceeded to play with Raphael. it then proceeds with a very simplistic story of why Raphael is fighting... "Strange" I said. I use to remember when Soul Calibur was REALLY in depth. "Maybe this is just a one time thing, a Quick story." So the fights come up, it's one vs three. Though I'm all buffed out with made fighting power ups. I keep fighting... One, two, three, four matches down... One cut scene of us going over the water and hearing a wierd sound. Ok. "That doesn't make any sense at all." Finally Stage 5 comes up, and ... "what's this... Is this the Boss battle already? ... It can't be, this has to be a mini boss... something, the game cant BE THIS SHORT." I fight the boss, and all of a sudden it shows a about 2 minute ending clip (Which was kind of cool, I have to admit.)

Then the screen goes black, and not to ruin the surprise for you but the game ends by leaving you 1 sentance to sum up exactly what happened after Raphael acquires the sword.

1 SENTENCE.

Credits roll, and I have beat the game using Raphael. In under 15 minutes.

To top that off, the character creation sucks. There isn't enough customization in it to satisfy hardcore gamers or in my opinion fans of the series. The best way to describe this game is its like the first version of the game that came out on the dreamcast. With Better graphics, and less fun.

You better have a friend to play you at this game, even then though its a huge let down.

An awesome game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 31, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I must say that in all honesty that this game may be why I bought a PS3. I remember hearing about 6 months ago hearing about how the new soulcalibur would have Darth Vader(the ps3 version anyway) I was convinced I had to get a PS3 from that moment on. It was a difficult hunt since supplies were limited (not as limited as the Wii thankfully) but I got my hands on a PS3. Then I played the waiting game. I got several cool PS3 games but all the while I was waiting for the big day to come. Well, now it has arrived.

Getting to the actual game, I think it was quite worth the wait. The core gameplay really hasn't changed too much but I enjoy the tweaks like armor damage where you can shred your opponents gear until they are standing in nothing but their skivvies. A major new element is the inclusion of skills, abilities that make your character stronger. But the real heart of the game lies in the customization. Being able to tweak the abilities and appearance of the main characters is quite fun. You can develop different builds. For instance you can make a Power Mitsurugi or an Impact Mitsurugi etc. etc. Probably the only thing I didn't like was that there was no rpg type mode in this game like 3 had. That might have been my favorite part of that game.

All in all I think this is a great game and it kicks butt.

P.S. Darth Vader kicks butt, too.

Bring on the Souls

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 31, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Soul Calibur continues it's reign over the fighting with weapons game genre. With the latest installment, some things that you enjoyed about previous titles remain while new features have been added.
In addition, Soul Calibur III's misplaced create-a-character strategy game is gone. For some reason a lot of people thought that SC III wasn't quite the same, or up to par. But it did introduce some new characters, and they -- among some other new/special characters-- return for the 4th Soul Calibur.

When first heard that Star Wars was going to make an appearance, it was met with considerable skepticism. But, in the PS3 version Darth Vader and his apprentice are welcome characters. They are integrated by an added "Force Bar" which allows them to use the force until it runs out or is replenished.

__Gameplay__
The characters feel solid in this one. You can perform some amazing moves with each of the characters, in addition to the new feature of performing a "critical" on your opponent. Criticals are performed by first knocking off a piece of armor, and then attacking the vulnerable spot. When the opponent's Soul Gauge is depleted you can perform the Critical, no matter what their health status is.
Instead of just gaining "levels" to show what kind of fighter you are, the levels actually correspond to abilities of that character. All characters in the game and even those that you create have the ability to become better / stronger. Take Taki for instance. After using her for a bit she gains a couple of levels and in the Create-A-Character customization, you can give her a different weapon and change her skills to give her bonuses or abilities during battle. Some are passive, but some can be activated using power from the Soul Gauge. One of Taki's abilities is to become invisible for a period of time (Repeatedly press default [R2]). Some other abilities that could be added were the ability to drain the opponents Gauge with impacts, or to steal some of their HP. The "Appeal" ability works on gaining an advantage over opponents of the opposite sex, but hurts the character when fighting against the same sex.

Another feature is the Tower of Souls. The idea is that as you work you way up the Tower, the enemies become harder. After you work you way to the top, you've given the option of descending below the Tower, into its depths, for more challenges.

Of course, Gold is the currency of the game, and it's how you unlock weapons, some of the initial characters, clothing/items for customization, and the extra features such as special animations, illustrations, etc.

_Online_
Another new feature, this one is going to take some getting used to. As it stands now, the feature does need some work. Nice idea, but poor execution. Hopefully a patch will update the problems with the online. (For example: when losing in a match you can quit to avoid being beaten without a penalty for quitting, and the would-be winner gains nothing)

_Overall_
All in all this is a great title, and a lot of fun to play. The Story and Arcade modes may be short, but have interesting stories and are easily played over and over to gain experience and gold. I'm also intrigued as to what DLC (downloadable content) will be released.

Feels Unfinished

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 31, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This latest iteration of Soul Calibur presents a visually appealing and generally fun gaming experience. There isn't a huge change from previous iterations (never played Soul Calibur 3 myself) so fans familiar with the series will be pleasantly surprised.

The biggest new feature of note is the custom character creation. The custom character creation section allows players to modify existing (aside from a handful) characters and also create an all newish character. The custom custom character has the standard fare present - pick gender, pick fighting style, adjust costumes, adjust coloration, adjust abilities, pick voice, etc.

Unfortunately a few audio and rare visual glitches (sort of) do emerge. The first audio glitch folks will notice is that the character banter sometimes butts right up against the announcer's dialog and occasionally even occurs over the announcer's dialog. The sort of visual glitch emerges when two players are fighting next to a wall. The wall simply disappears and leaves a less than immersive view on the action. However, the visual seems more of a decision to keep the camera from going all wonky when players fight next to walls.

Pros:

The controls feel responsive during fights.
Good looking.
Custom characters/custom configurable characters.
Slightly addictive.
Multi-player (not sure if it does split screen)
Vader rocks.
Every character has a different story.

Cons:

Audio glitches
Doesn't spoil users with "things to do" - story mode is about 6 bouts.
Could have been delayed 1-2 months and been worth the wait - game feels unfinished in areas.
Vader feels so out of place, but is still fun.
No next gen story telling (no cut scenes/variation of cut scenes.)
Some stories seem more of an after though while some are quite funny.
Story mode could have been a lot more.
Custom matches not present.

Great Cross-Platform Fighter

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 31, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I'm not familiar with any of the preceding Soul Calibur titles but I am impressed by this release. The controls are very intuitive without getting too complicated (ie. Tekken). The graphics are incredible and the animation is very impressive. Overall this is a great fighter and I would easily reccomen this to anyone looking for a next-gen fighter.

What were they thinking?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 19
Date: August 01, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Soul Calibur fans won't find too much new here, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Most of the original characters are available when you start the game (instead of having to unlock them later), the moves are more or less the same, and the graphics are great. The controls are quite responsive, and as in every previous iteration, it takes longer to watch the end credits than it does to beat the game in story mode.

And... as in every previous iteration, there are unreasonably long "Now Loading" screens, though they've improved the speed in Arcade Mode.

And now... a word about Star Wars...

WHAT?

Sure, I knew that Darth Vader was going to be in the PS3 version, and Yoda in the Xbox 360 version, and blah, blah, blah. I figured they were just unlockable characters that I was free to ignore.

Not so, in Arcade Mode. Not only are you inexplicably transported to space after level 6, but the two Star Wars characters become ridiculously difficult to beat for no obvious reason. We're talking Shang Tsung or Motaro cheap from the Mortal Kombat series.

It isn't that they're unbeatable. It's just that it makes no sense at all. I don't think I've ever seen a licensed product so obviously shoehorned in to a game. It totally kills the mood of the game, and the "spend 15 minutes, then make a sandwich" gameplay.

Getting back to Story Mode, when you finish with a character, you don't really get any sort of story or closure as you did in previous versions of Soul Calibur. Instead, you get a three-second variant of "now I have it!", followed by a black screen with a sentence or two.

If you haven't played any of the previous versions, you may enjoy this. Or, if you're really big in to Star Wars, I guess you'll get a kick out of playing as Darth Vader or The Apprentice. Otherwise, I think this is a pretty huge letdown for Soul Calibur fans out there.

I really wish I had rented this, instead of pre-ordering it months ago.

An excellent fighting game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 01, 2008
Author: Amazon User

To start I have never played any of the Soul Calibur games, Ive really only played/play the 2D Mortal Kombats & MK: Deception. After getting Tekken 5 DR for PS3 I found I was missing out on a lot of great fighting games over the years. On to the review, I found this game to have a relatively deep combat system, a decent amount of unlocks/custom characters and a short story mode. First off the graphics are crisp & detailed, they did Darth Vader justice and this game is very addicting.

Modes of play: Single Player Modes= Story: It is like the arcade but at the very end you get to see a short cut-scene of your chosen character gaining ultimate power. Tower Of Lost Souls: A series of levels ascending & descending the tower, when you ascend you fight overpowered fighters and unlock the next level & when you descend you fight lots of weaker enemies. There are treasure chests you can obtain by meeting specific conditions during each floor & if you get a treasure chest you unlock a item that can be used for the character creation mode. Arcade: just like the name implies, you fight through increasingly difficult opponents till you get to the final boss. After each match you will be graded on how well you did and after beating the final boss you get an overall grade & score. You can try to beat your time, score and grade by going through the mode again. Training: Just your usual practice mode to learn basic mechanics or learn harder combos.Versus Modes= Standard versus- Regular versus mode without equipment or effects(more on this later). Special Versus with equipment and effects.

Now on to character creation where you can customize existing characters and create your own. You can equip new/special swords, armor and completely change the look of standard characters but there is a catch each item has different attributes and changes your stats. These different stats only apply in specific modes but when they are on your character has special abilities like auto grapple break and increased health. With the amount of abilities that are already there you can make countless versions of classic characters, with a limit of 50 custom characters this adds a lot of replay value. Some characters like Darth Vader limits this to changing the light saber and a gem for special powers, so don't get your hopes up of making a custom Vader. As I said before these stats and powers to apply to certain modes so you can still have your custom clothes on during the restricted modes, just with normal stats. I didn't dip too deep into created characters but as far as I can tell you can make only human characters and all the fighting styles to choose from are standard styles. So if I chose the Yoshimitsu fighting style my character would look different but be an exact clone, with the same special moves and everything. I am kind of disappointed by the create a character mode as I would rather use the actual Yoshimitsu instead of a clone but I take it as nice bonus to this game. Also for every character there is style level and as you fight and get better you level up the style unlocking new special powers in which you can add to that specific character.

The combos in this seem like short bursts and you will have to "make" your own long combos. It is not like Tekken where everyone has a insanely devastating combo(although the final boss sure does). I didn't like the fact that almost every arena has a deathtrap that can end the round instantly or the fact that there is no mode where it is impossible for that to happen, it just feels cheap. Just about every character is balanced except for the final boss(obviously) and the apprentice who has extremely overpowered moves. There is a armor system, when you attack the same spot over and over that specific armor piece will fall off making hits to that area more devastating. Every character has a soul crush move that will instantly defeat the opponent in one move, it is nearly impossible to pull off though. Basically if the opponent blocks too much his/her health bar will start flashing red, when this happens you have two choices- do a unblockable move and land it or parry an incoming attack, when you do that the opponent will be dazed and you can press the finisher button to end the round with a slick finisher. As I said it is near impossible to pull of as you only have a couple of seconds to meet the requirements to pull it off and most characters' unblockable moves are very slow/easily avoidable. There is a Museum mode with concept art and ending but I'm not gonna get into that as its pretty self-explanatory. Overall this is a very good fighting game that is fun for beginners and truly rewards experienced players. I recommend this game to anyone who likes fighting games as it has tons of replay value and extremely fun gameplay. On a side note Banai Namco seem to love micro transactions as they already released a armor pack and music tracks today, they will probably continue to update the game for a fee as they did with Tekken 5 DR. Now I don't agree with their "charge for things that should have/probably are on the disc" business but this is a solid game to begin with so I am not faulting them for that.

08/18/08 Update- Well after playing this game non-stop for two weeks I decided to play the online matches. It is very basic: ranked & player matches, in the player matches you can play your friends and take turns fighting with up to four people. The ranked matches allow you to raise rank, unlock more items and fight random people. I must say ranked matches are pretty much broken and unfair. First ive had many people quit before the match ends taking away my victory in a very cheap fashion. People have found infinite moves that loop over until the round ends, once caught in one of these your character has no time to respond and your opponent will repeat until the match is over. Its funny because all of the people I played who used this technique were at a very very high rank, its obvious how they got that high. This game clearly favors cheap players and button mashers, nothing angers me more than getting beat by a complete noob because of lag/ring out or rock paper scissor button mashing. I have had my PS3 for a long time and not once did I feel the need to block anybody, that is until I played this game. All I can suggest, if you play someone who is cheap/quits just go into the XMB right after the match and go into Players Met and add the top person to the Block List immediately. The ranking system is very flawed: if I have 98/100 points till rank up I have to win two matches in a row to rank up because it will cap at 100/100 first match then carry over next match. So if I lose then all my extra points are lost, thus I have to win two matches in a row effectively level capping me at whatever rank I'm at. Then the characters, the only way I can describe it is that its like rock paper scissors: Kilik(rock) VS Sigfried(paper)(this is not a *true* example) Kilik is at a disposition to the point that Sigfried can press square the whole match and Kilik would have absolutely no opportunity to fight back. Lag, anyone who's ever played online knows what lag is and universally despises it. When there is lag consider the match lost period, I cannot stress this enough YOU WILL LOSE not to a skilled player no you will lose to lag. Lag is the worst in fighting games and its quite frequent in this game, you press a button a whole second later it registers. The match making system is worthless too, it often sends you to a full/empty match. You are better off hosting a match and waiting for a opponent- DO NOT play with anyone that has less than 3 signal strength, as I learned the hard way. I completely hate the fact that there is a CHUNK of unlocks you can only get playing online as it alienates people without internet connection. I also didn't like the fact that Namco locked the save so I cant use my custom characters over a buddy's house. So at this point I am only playing ranked matches to get unlocks and playing friends in player match, even though I absolutely hate ranked matches.

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