Sword meats spear, shield and even a lightsabre on the stage of history. Thomas Tanggaard reviews Soul Calibur IV...

Ever since Street Fighter II hit the local arcade almost twenty years ago, I've been hooked to fighting games. It's not like I ever got...

Fantastic character creation tool; Challenging weapon-based combat is back; Finally online multiplayer for Soul fighting games; Breathtaking visuals and interactive environments; Nice assortment of characters

Weak online multiplayer; Fighting against Yoda is unbalanced; Critical Finish is gimmicky and unnecessary; Story Mode is very short and unsatisfying

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.

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

It's the herald of a new generation. The big name fighting game is back. As good as Virtua Fighter was, and as much as everyone is looking forward to Live Arcade's HD Remix, Soul Calibur is still very definitely The People's Fighter.

Fabulously beautiful; Old-fashioned fun

Barely changed since III

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.

Soulcalibur has always been a flashier, more graceful and grander game than your average brawler. It's still very much about bringing all manner of pain to your opponents, but it's also about looking good whilst doing so.