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Xbox 360 | Fighting | Soul Calibur IV

Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Developer: Project Soul
Release Date: 07/29/2008
Genre: Fighting
Number of Players: 2
ESRB Rating: R/P
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273 screen shots

AVG USER SCORE 5.0
AVG CRITIC SCORE n/a

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Preview: Soul Calibur IV hands-on (page 2 of 2)

Preview by Sid Shuman | 04/16/2008 | 17:21:11 PM PST

Razor's Edge

Right off the bat, it's obvious that Namco spent a tremendous amount of effort in making Soul Calibur IV look its best on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Both versions of the game boast vibrant, fluid visuals that sparkle with eye candy. We did notice that the Xbox 360 version looked slightly sharper, with the PS3 version suffering from a few jagged pixels during close-ups...then again, the PlayStation 3 version felt more comfortable to play thanks to the fighter-friendly DualShock 3 controller, so you can call it a draw. Overall, both games looked spectacular, pushing explosive special effects (showers of sparks, light blooms) and perfect frame rates. Whichever version you choose, there's no doubt that Soul Calibur IV is a gorgeous game.

The fighting stages deserve special mention: they look simply gorgeous. Only four or five stages were playable in the version we played, but all looked spectacular. We saw an ancient temple similar to the arena from Soul Calibur IV; a strangely sinister merry-go-round; a grand hall decorated with spears and weapons, and a lush jungle setting populated by what appeared to be DoDo birds (which are extinct in modern times). Eye-catching details abound: One level opened with crusading knights galloping past on armored horses, before the camera entered the building and the fight begin. Now that's flair! A slick depth-of-field effect slightly blurred the background details and helped the characters pop off the screen.

We Must Concur That The Soul Still Burns

Overall, we were pleased by our experiences with Soul Calibur IV. The game is clearly well-produced and polished, and introduces enough new gameplay wrinkles, characters, and refinements to make it a worthy follow-up to the other games. It's too early to make any definitive review of Soul Calibur IV, but based on what we saw, fans will likely be pleased with the latest evolution of this well-regarded fighting series.