Soulcalibur IV

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Soulcalibur IV

Developer(s) Project Soul
Publisher(s) Namco Bandai
Ubisoft (Europe)
Series Soul series
Platform(s) PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date NA July 29, 2008

JP July 31, 2008
AUS July 31, 2008
EUR August 1, 2008
Genre(s) Fighting
Mode(s) Single player Multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: Teen (T)
PEGI: 16+
Media Blu-ray Disc, DVD-DL[1]
Input methods Gamepad

Soulcalibur IV (ソウルキャリバーIV Sourukyaribā Fō?) is the fifth installment in Namco's Soul series of fighting games, due for release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on July 29, 2008 (see 2008 in video gaming).[2][3] For the first time in the series history, the game will have competitive online play.[4] This will be the second game in the series to not have an arcade release before the console release.

Contents

[edit] Characters

The whole cast of characters of Soulcalibur IV is still in the process of being revealed. So far, there are 32 confirmed and revealed characters.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

Darth Vader, Starkiller (Vader's secret apprentice) and Yoda, characters from the Star Wars universe, are confirmed to be playable guest characters. Darth Vader will appear on the PlayStation 3 and Yoda will be on the Xbox 360. Starkiller, the main protagonist of Lucasarts' upcoming video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be included as a playable guest character on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions.[15]

Scheherazade, one of the game's newest characters.
Scheherazade, one of the game's newest characters.

[edit] Returning characters

[edit] New characters

[edit] Guest characters

Starkiller, as he appears in Soulcalibur IV as Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice. He is battling Yoda, a Guest Character, in Soulcalibur IV.
Starkiller, as he appears in Soulcalibur IV as Darth Vader's Secret Apprentice. He is battling Yoda, a Guest Character, in Soulcalibur IV.

[edit] Bonus characters

[edit] Gameplay

[edit] Modes

The fourth Soulcalibur game will feature the familiar Story, Arcade, Training and Museum modes. A new mode will be called Tower of Lost Souls, and it will put the player fighting special battles in order to gain rewards.[17]

[edit] Character Creation

The game will bring back Character Creation from Soulcalibur III. Choosing your character's clothes won't affect just his or her appearance, but also how he or she behaves in battle. Some pieces of equipment favor offensive and others defensive playstyle. [18]

[edit] Active Matching Battle

Soulcalibur IV's battles will use a different structure from its predecessors, nicknamed Active Matching Battle (AMB). It allows players to fight multiple opponents at the same time under different circumstances.[19]

[edit] Soul Gauge & Critical Finish

Soulcalibur IV will feature an all-new Critical Finish system. This time there will be another gauge under the characters' Health Meter, known as the Soul Gauge. This meter will fill up when attacking and decrease when guarding. When the meter is empty, the opponent can do a strike that breaks off a part from the character's armor, altering their appearance and making them weaker for the remainder of the match. There are also three green boxes below the gauges, reflecting the state of the characters armor: high, mid, or low.

If the character manages to empty out the opponent's Soul Gauge again, they will get a short chance to perform a powerful Critical Finish move, which will kill the opponent instantly, by pressing all four face buttons at the same time. Each character has their own personal Critical Finish move. Namco says that they developed the Soul Gauge to decrease the benefits from constant guarding, thus giving the game a faster tempo and making the matches more offensive.[20]

[edit] Force abilities

The Star Wars guest characters, Darth Vader, Starkiller, and Yoda will all feature unique, Force-based styles. Darth Vader will be able to utilize Force-based pushes and chokes, while Yoda will use the Force to launch himself into the air for complex aerial attacks. These moves will drain a special Force Meter, until it is emptied, at which point Force-based moves will drain the character's health. It has not been revealed whether the guest character Starkiller will feature similar Force-based abilities, albeit likely. [21]

[edit] Online Battles

For the first time in the series, Soulcalibur IV will have the option to fight against other players online. Confirmed versus-modes available in online battles are Standard VS (for classic matches) and Special VS (for customized characters). [22] Director Katsutoshi Sasaki has mentioned that created characters will be playable in the online multiplayer mode. [23]

[edit] Limited Premium Edition

According to a recent GameSpot article, Namco Bandai Games confirmed there will be a limited Premium Edition of SCIV available which will include an art/comic book, a t-shirt, a tournament kit that will "give fans the opportunity to document the battle amongst friends", will include extra in-game customizations, and sell in a metal packaging on the same release date as the regular game.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Soul Calibur Page. GamePro. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
  2. ^ SoulCalibur IV burns on Xbox 360, PS3 at GameSpot
  3. ^ Exclusive first look at SoulCalibur IV at 1UP.com
  4. ^ SoulCalibur IV Goes Online at 1UP.com
  5. ^ Mitsurugi & Ivy
  6. ^ Siegfried, Nightmare, Taki & Tira
  7. ^ Sophitia, Cassandra & Voldo
  8. ^ Hilde, Raphael & Astaroth
  9. ^ Maxi, Seong Mi-na & Yun-seong
  10. ^ Scheherazade, Kilik & Xianghua
  11. ^ Angol Fear, Amy, Cervantes & Zasalamel
  12. ^ Talim, Rock & Yoshimitsu
  13. ^ Shura, Ashlotte & Setsuka
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ [2]
  16. ^ http://www.gamespot.com/news/6192140.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=newstop&tag=newstop;title;2
  17. ^ Namco Bandai Games America
  18. ^ Soulcalibur IV Hands-On Preview
  19. ^ Namco Bandai Games America
  20. ^ GameSpot: Soulcalibur IV Updated Hands-On
  21. ^ Electronic Gaming Monthly 229 (June 2008)
  22. ^ Namco Bandai Games America
  23. ^ Soulcalibur IV Goes Online at 1UP.com

[edit] External links

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