Soul Calibur IV
One of Japans’ biggest and most brash 3D fighting game series, Soul Calibur is all about the blades!
While the likes of Tekken and Virtua Fighter are content to have their characters slug it out with fists and feet, Soul Calibur is much more at home with a gold-plated spear, swirling katana or a strangulating pair of nunchucks glinting in the sun – and for that we love it all the more.
The series first started life on Sony’s PlayStation and has continued to push the graphical limits of each new generation of console since. With that in mind, Soul Calibur IV is certainly a game to keep your eyes on. Not only does it offer the most arresting weapons-based martial arts combat on any videogame console, it also shows off what they’re capable of when they really put their processors to it.
What we’ve seen of the game so far bears this out too. Soul Calibur IV is simply stunning. As the beautifully dressed, solid and weighty characters play out their deadly ballet on the ground, flocks of birds pass overhead, hills blur in the distance and water shimmers in the foreground. With destructible environments and breakable outfits and armour (both firsts for the series) this is an eye-catching game that looks likely to set a new visual benchmark for 3D beat ‘em ups.
Slated for release on July 31st, 2007 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Soul Calibur IV offers and even bigger slew of engaging personas to play as, old and new. Sophitia, Astaroth, Cervantes, Voldo et al make a return from previous games as well as a raft of new faces, including a couple you might recognize from Star Wars (and a certain secret apprentice). All characters, as always, vary wildly in their play style, from the slow pace of armour-clad new girl, Hilde, to the speed and alacrity of Taki and the big stick swishing prowess of perennial favourite, Kilik. Whoever you choose, though, the way in which these characters interact provides the real interest – one set of gameplay tactics certainly does not fit all in this game…
As with previous outings, characters are fully customisable too and, as you play through the single player campaign, you’ll be able to win and purchase new clothing, armour and accessories to wear. These aren’t just aesthetic add-ons this time either, as each new piece of clothing offers genuine attribute changes.
With over 30 characters on offer, each with numerous weapon types to exploit, Soul Calibur IV is shaping up to be the best-looking and most comprehensive weapons-based fighter yet seen. All available appendages crossed that it delivers on its early promise.
