Namco-Bandai's fighting game series is an established fan favorite, and Soulcalibur IV is no exception. Instead of narrowing down the focus to one perspective, we're combining the efforts of two brawling editors, Sterling McGarvey and Miguel Lopez, to critique the scope and depth of the sequel. Here's their take on how hotly its soul burns.

Just How High Caliber Is It?

Sterling: Fighting games are iterative in nature. It's easy to take a look at the likes of Virtua Fighter 5 and Super Smash Bros. Brawl and argue that although both are amazing sequels, they offer little besides flashier visuals, extra characters, a few new moves, and online multiplayer. In the case of Soulcalibur IV, I simply ask: what's wrong with that? After nearly a week of back and forth rounds in the office and at home, Soulcalibur IV resurrects the sort of deep-seated resentment and blood-boiling rage that only a well-crafted fighting game can elicit. That's precisely what makes it a fine sequel.

The fourth chapter in the series has new bells and whistles that go above and beyond a few bullet points on the back of the box. Guard Breaks act as a "no turtling" device to ensure that defensive players must do more than simply squat and block. There's visual representation here, too. As a fighter's armor breaks, he or she will be vulnerable to attack for a split-second. That opens up the next big addition to SC4, the Critical Finish. Although button-mashers might not get much out of it, Critical Finishes allow one-hit defeats immediately after shattering armor.


As for other things Soulcalibur, the single-player modes, hardly the series' strongest suit, are a little better this go-round. That's mainly because they're fairly stripped-down and devoid of the overly elaborate devices that served to bloat past incarnations. Story mode is remarkably short; some might gripe at the five-round experience, but it cuts to the chase and give us what we want: the fast track to some gorgeous cinematics. Arcade mode is a bit longer, with a few more rounds tossed in for good measure, but it's the simplistic Tower of Lost Souls that, despite its minimalist approach, works better than the clunky pseudo-RTS of Soulcalibur III's Chronicles of the Sword. It's a bit tougher, too. If you want to treasure hunt, you'll have to meet certain victory parameters, which are often easier said than done.

A lot's been said about the addition of "Star Wars" characters into the Soulcalibur universe, with plenty of ire about console-exclusive characters. It's all unnecessary, both Darth Vader and Yoda are fairly dislikable. While Yoda's vertical limitations give him a variety of advantages, Vader controls with the speed of an Astaroth or Nightmare without the heavy strength of their weapons. He's a tank, and I don't mean his ability to take a hit. Yoda's pretty much a cheap-fest, and I dread the notion of hours spent online parrying low attacks. Vader's Apprentice, on the other hand, is arguably the worst of them all, since he's got big damage and lightning-fast moves. Ironically, he's also quite fun to play. I usually find myself going back to the myriad canon characters. Like riding a bike, you never really forget how to control them, and newcomer Hilde's a great addition.