One of the best 3D fighters ever made?

Namco has been making 3D fighters since the inception of the PS one. Gamers were first wowed by the Tekken series for its accessible game play; with deep enough fighting styles that would make any master of the series humble a rookie as well. Then we were introduced to Soul Edge/Soul Blade which many thought was a good, yet flawed weapons version of their first hit Tekken. It really wasn't until Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast (the original arcade still used PS one hardware) that gamers fell in love with characters such as Mitsurugi, Kilik, and Voldo... well maybe not so much Voldo... but you get the point. In Soul Calibur (Soulcalibur) the bar was raised as were the expectations for all 3D fighters to come. Namco has followed up the series with parts II and III, and while II was a fine fighter in its own rights, it felt in the end like an extension to what the good folks at Namco basically perfected in part one. Soul Calibur III on the other hand was a critical and sales disappointment, and many felt the game let a lot of fans down with over the top moves, characters, and a ridiculously bland RTS story mode. I'd love to mention Soulcalibur Legends on the Wii right here, but it was a poor at best action title on the Wii, which really isn't fair to put it in the same category as the others. The only thing Legends did was make loyal fans wonder if Namco Bandai could ever bring this series not only back to its roots, but back to its glory.

We turn to the ever present 2008 where not only has Namco released a new version of Soulcalibur, but have issued it only on next-gen platforms. Now owners of the PS3 and Xbox 360 can soak in the SC love they've been yearning for. Of course, many fans wondered whether or not we would see another incarnation of part III when characters from the Star Wars franchise have poked their metaclorian noses into the mix. On one hand gamers could play as Darth Vader, Yoda, and Vader's apprentice. On the other hand, do these characters actually fit in the SC universe? More on that later... So by this time I'm sure you're wondering, where does Soulcalibur IV fit, rankings wise, compared to the others? Well, in my humble opinion, not only does SCIV finally eclipse what was great in the original, it can be easily called the best in the franchise, but I believe this is the 3D equivalent of Street Fighter Alpha 3. SCIV has great game play, depth, characters, moves sets, playability, leveling up, custom characters, finishers, and even online play! So whether you care about the Star Wars guys or not, SCIV not only eclipsed my expectations, but it will take one sick fighter to come out this year to dethrone it.

Visually Soulcalibur IV is flat out gorgeous. Everything from the level design to the characters all look awesome. Of course pretty pictures always look good standing still, but thankfully SCIV looks incredible in action with smooth 60fps framerate, great animations, awesome lighting, and fantastic special effects. Even cooler is if you don't like the default scheme of your favorite icon, you can customize them in hundreds of ways to make them look as cool, or ridiculous as you like. Let's get this out of the way first. I'm not a fan of the Star Wars idea. Don't get me wrong, the force is strong with me, but I don't think these worlds mesh well. Of course that being said, Yoda and Vader look AWESOME! Their taunts, special moves, and mannerisms are all present and accounted for. I do wish the endings were a bit longer and more varied, as I missed the great days of fighter endings that Tekken 2 brought to the table. But alas, there lies in my only real gripe visually with SCIV.

Audio is what you would hope from the series, which is also great! Enter your classic Soulcalibur announcer who introduces your level and character with overacting vigor! This isn't necessarily a bad thing, mind you, but it's always comic relief to me. The score is as grand and epic as you would hope, with deeply orchestrated stage themes that fit this medieval themed fighter perfectly. The Americanized voiceovers are atrocious as always, but thankfully you can subtitle this puppy. Of course it all sounds incredible with the right surround sound system.

As I alluded to earlier, the gameplay in SCIV is top notch and can easily be one of the best, if not the best playing fighting games around. Sure it may not be as masterful in strategy as say Virtua Fighter, but if you master this game down to the frames of animation, you can put the beat down on all comers. Not to say that SC is a veterans game, actually far from it. The series success lies in that not only is the game pick up and play accessible, but anyone who is skilled can beat another skilled player at any given time. This makes matches well rounded and unpredictable. You also have a very large move set for each character, which adds that right amount of depth and complexity to it. Toss in some interesting new features such as tagging, equipment destruction, and critical finishes, and you have one bad ass fighter on your hands. Now earlier I mentioned that I wasn't a fan of the Star Wars characters, and here's why... they just don't fit the mechanics. While Vader is easily the most balanced of the 3, Yoda and Apprentice are just plain broken when compared to the other "user-friendly" fighters in the SC universe. It's almost to the point where you have to learn a different fighting mechanic just to play as them. For instance, Yoda obviously has a height disadvantage. This leads to him being hard to grapple and relying on performing air attacks to be successful more times than not. As for the Apprentice, he's just plain cheap. I mean projectiles in a SC title? Need I say more? I cringed when these characters were first announced, and I stand by my feelings of wishing they were never put in to begin with. There I said it.

There are tons of options in SCIV which add so much to the replayability in both single and multiplayer modes. Sure the Story mode is a short 5 rounds long, but with over 30 characters to play through and on harder levels playing character for over 20 or 30 mins each, you'll be happy for the length. Arcade is your typical mode and offers little change, but is great for old school action. The Tower of Lost Souls is a very welcome addition where you will fight in certain challenges to reach the top (or bottom) of the tower. Each challenge varies in style, whether allowing you to use 3 characters, or one lonely soldier to go against a numerous amount of challenges, each floor brings plenty of surprises for gamers to enjoy. Top it off with the ability to earn treasure chest on each floor from 1 to 3 each round depending on the requirements, and you have the option to unlock all kinds of goodies for your custom character creations. Speaking of which, this is another feature that has gotten the royal treatment as not only can you change your look for existing characters, but you can create a fighter from scratch... and this time it's actually good. There is plenty of depth here and it's been amazing to see what creative minds are using this tool to create as you can use these characters online to boot. Of course this brings me to the biggest and best addition to the SC series, online fighting! While I'd be lying to you if I said there was a wealth of options to choose from here, the fact that online play exists and works wonderfully is a bonus enough for fans of the series. It's been many moons a comin' since fans have begged for this feature, and now it's here... so get online!

Toss in some cool unlockable art and movies and you have one complete package. I can't gush enough about how excited I am that the Soulcalibur name has reclaimed its greatness in the annals of fighting titles. I used to be a huge fan back in the Dreamcast days, and since then have been let down year after year with failing sequels that didn't really impress, let alone evolve. Well Soulcalibur IV has done both, it has wowed me and evolved all in one fell swoop. In four words... Buy Soulcalibur IV today!