Unique fighting styles, weapons and characters coupled with very fluid and technical gameplay is really the formula for success in an ideal fighting game. Soulcalibur IV hits all those right on the head.

All in all, Soulcalibur IV is a high quality game which will keep you coming back for more. From the surprisingly addictive character customization to the challenging Tower of Lost Souls, this game is well crafted and presented, leaving little room for improvement.

Great control; Easy to pick up and play; Multiplayer is fantastic both online and offline; Character creation/customization is great fun

Story mode is a letdown; Voice acting can sometimes be laughable

The last time we saw Soul Calibur , the third installment didn't really seem to impress many people. Released on the PS2 a few years ago, it came at an inopportune time and didn't add enough to the formula to make a huge difference to most gamers.

The sound is fantastic. Although from a distance, you cannot hear much, once you zoom in to a particular ambush or firefight, guns blazing and grenades exploding compliment the detailed visuals. In order to succeed, you cannot simply use one of the views.

Soulcalibur returns with the same deep fighting system and a new online mode that makes it an easy game to recommend.

Online play is smooth and hassle-free; Plenty of different characters; plus you can make your own; Gameplay is accessible for newcomers and has plenty of depth for veterans; Tower of Lost Souls mode offers plenty of single-player challenge; Looks great

There's no team battle mode; Story mode is short and disappointing; You can't pit Yoda against Darth Vader; yet

Soulcalibur is somewhat of a landmark title. While there have been many fighting game franchises that have come and gone, few are regarded with as much nostalgic esteem as this weapon-based brawl-a-thon from Namco.

The Soul Calibur saga has lasted for many years now, from its humble beginnings on the SEGA Dreamcast to today's Xbox 360. It has been highly regarded franchise ever since the original but has the Soul Calibur series finally run its course?

Beautiful graphics and variety of characters; The ladies of SCIV and they voluptuous figures

Not much of a story

Despite its drawbacks, this is a good fighting game, with a fine choice of characters, numerous skills, weapons and arenas to fight in, on top of a variety of modes, each of which can be great fun both offline and online.

Enough content to guarantee some pretty wild matches; both online and offline; a few nice innovations make this game an improvement over earlier editions in the series; excellent visuals and sound

Single-player is underdeveloped, lacks a richer narrative, rare moments of lag in online matches, no Yoda vs; Vader..; yet

Soulcalibur IV features the Story, Arcade, Training and Museum modes. A new mode called Tower of Lost Souls requires the player to win battles in order to gain rewards. Character Creation from Soulcalibur III returns in Soulcalibur IV.

The soul of this game burns brightly. STORY -- A tale of swords and souls eternally retold. I've heard that phrase too many times. Some guy has the power of the two cursed swords: Soul Calibur (the good one) and Soul Edge (the evil one). The warriors want the swords for their own reasons.