The beginning and end-game taunts are mostly philosophical/childish ("effort doesn't equal victory, dumbass"), and the dialogue overall is that kind of awkward-Japanese-kung-fu-movie style that doesn't really make sense. Neither does the story, although we all know this is a fighting game and that's not what we're here for. And I realize that I'm discussing a game that features a living sword and some kind of crazy ring-blade (I'm looking at you Tira), but even the unrealistic weapons are at least based on something real (giant axes, claymores, etc), put into a fantastical world, but even so the weird things are the exception, not the rule, and they still rule in this game, but this seems to be an experiment on the part of the Soulcalibur designers that just doesn't work for me. They're not textured to look like real people, they have a cartoon look and cartoon feel that is out of place, not to mention some of the weapons: long pole with a giant ball at the end, Angol Fear? Big stick thing, Kamikirimusi? Come on.
![soulcalibur iv weapons soulcalibur iv weapons](https://pm1.narvii.com/6476/6fdcd7385f9059d748a102d2551fb08975d23e92_hq.jpg)
The other new, anime-style characters, in my mind, just don't fit. As much as I don't enjoy playing with Yoda, I don't really know how else it could've been done better, though personally I would've brought in Luke. And be prepared to accidentally ring yourself out a few times doing those jumpy-moves. Basically every time Yoda makes a move, he's vulnerable for a decent period of time. Example: if you make two horizontal strikes in a row, Yoda does two short hops that are timed with the sweeps of his weapon, but in the whole time our little green Jedi is beginning or ending his jump, he's vulnerable, and that amount of time he spends in the air not doing something offensive is slightly longer than the amount of time spent on the attack. The main problem is that we're dealing with Episode II-III era Yoda (as Episode V-VI might've been a little, y'know, deathly), which we all enjoyed watching hopping around and swinging his lightsaber about, but that mechanic just doesn't work that well in the context of this game. Blasphemy, I know, but he's just not that great, in fact I'd even say he's frustrating to play with. Now I'm prepared to say something that I never thought would come out of my mouth: I hate Yoda. His inclusion in the game was met with shock, then a little mixed derision and anticipation. Playing as The Apprentice, however, is a different story: his special moves are easy to execute and powerful, he's fast, and packs quite a punch, and in the end doesn't seem all that well-balanced, which is swell when he's on your side, not so swell when he isn't.
![soulcalibur iv weapons soulcalibur iv weapons](https://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters2/4night.jpg)
![soulcalibur iv weapons soulcalibur iv weapons](http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/soulcalibur/images/e/e2/Yoshimitsu_weapon.jpg)
I still get him eventually, but it takes a few tries. Maybe I'm not as good at this game as I used to be, but I never beat The Apprentice the first time out. Playing against The Apprentice is almost awful, a non-stop cheap-fest, the first time after your initial tromping, and you will lose, if you accept that he's just a character that is extremely powerful when on an offensive roll, and adjust your strategy accordingly, well, losing repeatedly after that is a little easier. Now, I really can't move on from a discussion of characters in this game without discussing the two that everyone is talking about: "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" star, The Apprentice, and, as mine is a 360 review, Yoda. Half the fun for me in this game is the character building I've made a He-Man, Lara Croft, Maximus from "Gladiator"…it's a well-thought-out feature that everyone can enjoy.
![soulcalibur iv weapons soulcalibur iv weapons](https://files.yande.re/sample/8f4a810a3bbb13e08a7c6bd73865c9c5/yande.re%20327144%20sample%20cleavage%20japanese_clothes%20setsuka%20soul_calibur%20soul_calibur_iv%20sword%20tattoo%20umbrella%20weapon.jpg)
"I'm going to build myself a Mitsurgi", you can then choose whether you want a male or female, their various skin/hair/eye colors, etc, before selecting their armor and weapons, each of which have buffs that will complement your specific playing style. Most of the characters are familiar, if slightly updated versions of your old favorites.Ĭharacter customization is extremely deep, if not quite endless: basing your new character on an archetype of a regular character, i.e. How about long-range ridiculous strength? Nightmare, Astaroth, Siegfried options, options, my friends. Prefer short-range speed? Go ahead, Taki it up. Are you a mid-range guy, looking for a balance of power and speed? Here, try a little Mitsurugi. The latest version of the vaunted weapons-based fighting series delivers on almost every level, with a great variety of characters, beautiful visuals, well-imagined locales (not to mention the guys and gals), and customizable options that are some of the most accessible and detailed in the business.Īs the table dealers in Vegas say, "what's your pleasure?" All your favorite old characters are here, and most of the new ones are interestingly designed ("anime-d", if you will) versions of familiar friends.