Online play is where SCIV excels; with my PSN account connected I can play against people all over the world, something that makes my purchase worthwhile. My only complaint is that my connection screws up a lot more than I would like (to the point where I do not even want to be online) and I am not sure why? I get tossed out of matches before they start and I experience being signed out of the PSN as a match starts, am I alone in experiencing this? Does it have something to do with the fact that I used a wireless connection?
Another feature of Soulcalibur IV that I find myself spending a lot of time with is the character creation. I enjoy all the options available to me and the unlockables. There is enough in there to allow some creative designs as we all have seen if we went online to compete. There is also enough to re-create some classic figures of fighting games past. I have designed my own versions of Kitana, Quan Chi, M. Bison, and Tam-Tam, but I have seen much more online.
But how does it play? It plays great, very much like it’s predecessors. However, we have a Soul Gauge now. If a player blocks to much it can be crushed, at that point a Critical Finish is possible. A Critical Finish is a special move that ends the round. Each character has their own version of this move and they are all worth seeing. They are similar to a fatality in the Mortal Kombat series in that the screen darkens and the victim is helpless, but they are more like a special combo than an execution.
Much like Soulcalibur on the Dreamcast, SCIV on the PS3 is the best version available. It is a playable work of art. Beginners can jump in and learn the basics easily with in game moves lists. Veterans have new characters to tackle as well as online play with which to test their skills on. Even with a limited budget, SCIV was worth the purchase for me.
Soulcalibur IV is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB for Partial Nudity, Violence, Sexual Themes, Mild Language. This game can also be found on: Xbox 360.
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