Soulcalibur IV

Overview

Soulcalibur IV is a 3D historical-fantasy fighting game developed by Project Soul and published by Namco Bandai for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on July 29, 2008.

The fifth main installment of the Soul series, Soulcalibur IV brings the mainline series to seventh-generation consoles and introduces the series to both high-definition graphics and online multiplayer. It is also the first in the main series to not have an arcade release, and later received a handheld spin-off with Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny.

The game includes several new game modes and features, including an updated version of Soulcalibur III's character creation mode (which now adds stats and special characteristics to the player's equipment), a new single-player mode (Tower of Lost Souls), and a new gameplay feature (the "Soul Gauge", which serves as a guard crush mechanic and can be used for instant-kill "Critical Finish" moves).

Similar to the console versions of Soulcalibur II, the game features platform-exclusive guest characters, although both are from the same media franchise (the sci-fi series Star Wars, with Yoda for the 360 version and Darth Vader for the PS3 version) and were made available in the other version as DLC. It also received a promotional tie-in with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, with the main protagonist being an unlockable character for both 360 and PS3 versions.

Gameplay

Soulcalibur IV doesn't deviate much from the core gameplay of the series; Soulcalibur's claim to fame in the fighting game genre is the characters' usage of melee weapons (as opposed to the martial arts-based hand-to-hand combat seen in most other fighting games). Players have access to three different kinds of attacks: a horizontal slash, a vertical slash, and a kick. Each of these attacks can be performed at three different levels: high, medium, or low. Mixing up the height and type of attack to get around an opponent's guards/dodges is the key to winning. This gameplay style could be seen as similar to Tecmo's Dead or Alive franchise. Players also have a block button. Pressing the analog stick in different directions will let the player block either high and medium attacks or medium and low attacks.

Blocking player's attacks has a little more complexity than other fighters such as Mortal Kombat. If players block for too long, an icon (which can be seen next to the player's life bar) will slowly change from blue to green to red to flashing red. If a player's icon is flashing red, one more strong attack will send the player into a state of "Soul Crush", stunning them for a few seconds. Once in a state of Soul Crush, the opponent can press all four face buttons on the controller (block, horizontal attack, vertical attack, and kick) to engage a critical finish, instantly killing the player. This system encourages players to not play a totally defensive game, as too much defense could lead to a Soul Crush and defeat.

Players have a number of tactical options, however, to turn a well timed block into a powerful offensive assault. By pressing the analog stick or D-pad towards the opponent while hitting the block button, the player can engage a "guard impact" which will deflect the incoming attack and leave the opponent open for a split second-plenty of time to lay down a few powerful, uninterrupted attacks. Players can also "repel" a weapon attack and thrust it away from the player. This manoeuvre gives the defensive player even more time to hit an opposing player while they try to reorient themselves in combat.

Every character in Soulcalibur IV has high, medium, and low armor. A powerful attack to one of these areas could cause the armor to break, increasing damage caused to that area of the body. Broken armor will shatter in the middle of battle, changing the appearance of the character without stopping the flow of battle.

Characters

New Additions

• Hilde von Krone
• Algol (final boss and hidden unlockable)

Returning Characters

Base Roster

• Siegfried Schtauffen
• Heishiro Mitsurugi
• Taki
• Voldo
• Astaroth
• Isabella "Ivy" Valentine
• Kilik
• Maxi
• Nightmare
• Chai Xianghua
• Cassandra Alexandra
• Raphael Sorel
• Tira

Unlockable Characters

• Sophitia Alexandra
• Nathaniel William "Rock" Adams
• Seong Mi-na
• Cervantes de Leon
• Lizardman
• Yoshimitsu
• Talim
• Hong Yun-seong
• Setsuka
• Zasalamel
• Amy

Bonus & Guest Characters

The game includes three guest characters, all of which are from the Star Wars sci-fi series.

• Yoda (timed exclusive for the Xbox 360 version, later sold as DLC on the PS3 version)
• Darth Vader (timed exclusive for the PS3 version, later sold as DLC on the Xbox 360 version)
• The Apprentice (hidden unlockable)

In addition, the game includes five hidden unlockable "bonus" characters, each designed by a particular guest artist. They are similar to Create-a-Soul characters, as they share movesets with those from the main roster. It is debatable whether or not these characters are canon to the series, and they have not appeared in any game since.

• Angol Fear (uses Seong Mi-na's moveset, designed by guest artist Mine Yoshizaki)
• Ashlotte (uses Astaroth's moveset, designed by guest artist Ito Ogure)
• Kamikirimusi (uses Nightmare's moveset, designed by guest artist Hirokazu Hisayuki)
• Scheherazade (uses Amy's moveset, designed by guest artist Yutaka Izubuchi)
• Shura (uses Cervantes's moveset, designed by guest artist Hiroya Oku)

Character Creation

The character creation system promises to be similar to that found in Soulcalibur III, though in Soulcalibur IV the types of clothes and armor the player equips will have an effect on his or her performance in battle. Players choose from a "style" used by one of the main Soulcalibur fighters, which effectively means that the player chooses a move set of one of the regular characters in the series. Once a style and character sex has been chosen, players can automatically generate a character based on a few specific stats (whether the character has regular, heavy or light armor, a focus on attack, defense, HP or skills, and whether the character is good or evil.

Players can also choose to create their fighter from the ground up in the edit mode. Edit mode lets players choose from a number of different facial, hair, and body types, as well as different voices for their character (which can be modulated in pitch to sound higher or lower). Most importantly, players can choose from a number of different armors and accessories to equip onto their character. These accessories will increase or decrease the amount of attack, defense, or HP a character has, adapting the character for any number of single player or online challenges.

Limited Premium Edition

A Premium Edition of Soulcalibur IV for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 was alongside the Standard Edition. The Premium Edition includes: an art/comic book, a white T-shirt for the 360 version or a black T-shirt for the PlayStation 3 version, a Tournament Kit that will give people the chance to keep a record of their battles against their friends, and exclusive access to extra Create a Soul content.

Downloadable Content

Many videos have leaked onto the internet, showing Yoda fighting Darth Vader. Also, in both versions of the game, there is an empty character slot that is impossible to unlock. This has led many to speculate that Darth Vader and Yoda are eventually going to be up for download on the opposing consoles. That wish came true when Namco Bandai announced Yoda being downloadable on PS3 along with Darth Vader on 360 for 400 Microsoft Points (five dollars on PSN) on October 23, 2008. The fact that the opposing characters are on-disc DLC makes Soulcalibur IV one of the more infamous examples of developers nickel-and-diming their customers through DLC.

At the end of July, almost immediately after its release, Soulcalibur IV saw a host of DLC, though only one pack which could be applied to gameplay. The Customization Equipment pack was made available for 100 Microsoft Points or $1.49 on PSN, and included goodies for returning characters Sophitia (who was given an armor pack) Astaroth, Yoshimitsu and Voldo (whose old head models were made available. Also released were 17 tracks from the original game's OST, which were also made available for individual sale. They were made available for 1200 Microsoft Points for the pack, or 80 Microsoft Points per track and $14.99/$.99 each on the PlayStation Network.

August saw the next DLC costume pack dubbed the 'Maid Pack'. Costing 200MS on the Xbox Market place, you unlock perverted French Maid items for your female custom character. These items include 2 types of aprons, another French maid top, a maid headdress and a maid skirt.

Soundtrack

Disc One

Disc Two