Reviewed by Paul Stuart

If it ‘aint broke, don’t fix it. Then add ridiculous graphics, character modes, and a cool critical finish feature.

Hey you: if you’re even a moderate fighting genre fan, stop reading this review. Go buy ‘Soul Calibur IV’ (IV) for the Playstation 3. Now.

With this being said, it’s not that IV does anything the previous iterations didn’t. Same fighting engine, characters and modes…just throw in oodles of panache.

Still – akin to playing ‘Samurai Showdown’ for the Neo Geo – this is not simply a fighting game rather an experience. ‘Soul Calibur IV’ is arguably a system seller, the type of title that you’ll want to show off to your friends, play online, and look fondly at your PS3 for empowering such a masterpiece. (Insert shitfaced grin here.)

To address the hype, yes, you can play as Darth Vader from the get-go. I hate to rain on the Force parade, but the cool factor of playing angry Anakin wears off near-instantaneously. The character model feels forced, the move system simply not as exciting as it should be. Only a few battles in, I eagerly returned to the comfortable mainstays of Voldo and Yoshimitsu. (Thank my Mitsurugi’s that Voldo no longer resembles the ‘Pulp Fiction’ Gimp scene in donning sadomasochistic garb.)

Answering the obvious, yes again; ‘Soul Calibur III’ loyalists will find a lot more to love in its current console generation debut. (I don’t consider last year’s crappy Wii spinoff invited to this party.) On a purely petty level, the graphics alone are worth the price of admission. Expect significant jaw dropping to accompany the far too lengthy FMV intro.

Aesthetics aside, I’m grateful to Namco for finally solving the nagging, persistent dodging problem in their fighting games. Sidesteps are now easily performed with the left analog stick, seamlessly integrated into the overall combat system. (Why the hell it took a full decade to escape D-pad dodging doldrums is beyond me.)

I’m likewise in love with the three-button fighting moves executable with a lone controller shoulder button. About time someone at aforementioned developer realized that the Tekken combo system required a contortionist to properly execute on a PS controller.

Continuing the love, the PS3’s new rewards system was tailor made for this title. For the first time in its history, ‘Soul Calibur IV’ features true online playability. Horny 15-year olds the world over can now kick your ass playing as Ivy. Then earn trophies.

Finally, IV introduces two new characters plus a critical finish system tied your energy meter. I didn’t find either adding much to the gameplay experience, except perhaps the Mortal Kombat-esque giddy of beating the crap out of someone both past KO and in style.

On the flipside, for those who associate ‘Siegfried’ with white tiger maulings versus special fighting moves, now’s the time to change that. ‘Soul Calibur IV’ is a great fighting game to take the plunge, arguably the best reason in years to plop down hard earned dough on a brawler. Twenty dollars more (the Premium Edition) nets a t-shirt, art book and extra in-game features. A lot more robust than the Street Fighter engine, IV features a low learning curve, few cheats, and is likewise deep enough to enable hours of fun with similar newbie friends.

If there is a criticism to be had, it’s that I’ve played this before. Like a great wine, however, this series only gets better with age.

SUMMARY: ‘Soul Calibur IV’ is clearly the best version of the classic brawler to date, a graphical masterpiece that controls like a dream. While not a major leap over previous iterations, it remains one of the best PS3 titles to date.

CONCLUSION: 9 [SADOMASICHISTIC VOLDO’S] OUT OF 10.