Soul Calibur is a very personal experience. We love it. We tend to keep clear of writing in the first person, but in this instance, it’s entirely justifiable to say that I love it. The trouble is that you may not. There are as many folk around here who have negligible interest in the series as there are huddled around the screen every time it goes on in the office. Judging solely from that popularity and the length of time we’ve spent with it, we can happily say that it beats the hell out of all the competition, Tekken included. Now that’s quite an accolade coming from us, as we’ve always been Tekken fanboys. No, Soul Calibur is the best 3D fighting game you’ll get for a long while, so to save you any more hassle, we suggest you go grab a copy. Now.

So if you’re still reading we guess you’ve got the game, so let’s take a little stroll through the kingdom of souls and swords together, eh? We’re not saying Soul Cal is perfect by any means, in fact the nine we’re giving it is a very considered choice. We might as well get the not so good out of the way first before we start ranting about the magnificence of the game. Firstly, there’s reasonably little difference between this and the last version. You’ve got to expect that, but what we’re really waiting for is something that genuinely uses the power of the Xbox 360 to produce a truly ground-breaking title. We’ll save the ten for that game if you don’t mind. While it may not be utterly ground-breaking, it is insanely fun for those with a penchant for slick 3D combat. Where Soul Calibur III made abortive efforts to slide toward something a little more unusual with its strategy mode, IV turns no such tricks, and offers fighting and only fighting.

Sure there are a few twists but nothing you’ll be wowed by. Then, of course, there’s the whole new character thing. Soul Calibur IV doesn’t really have any of them. Hilde, the sword/spear wielding lovely is about the only one worthy of note to the fans of the series, as she injects a completely new mechanic into proceedings. Of course there are the Star Wars characters, but they really are of a novelty skew, and not overly satisfying for anyone who’s grown up with Siegfried and co. Then it has done away with all the Japanese voices for the likes of Mitsurugi. Rather than sounding like a noble samurai, he now has the character of a loutish oaf. The final point against Soul Calibur is that some idiot in the development team has seen fit to do away with the pre-match quips you could perform in-between character selection and the match starting. This is a travesty of the highest order, and something we’re not entirely sure we can forgive.

The rest of the game is pure brilliance though. The best aspect of this iteration can be seen clearest in Maxi, our favourite and best character ever created in a videogame. Namco hasn’t quite fixed the strange voice acting, but in all honesty we’re getting used to Maxi’s random shouts of "Nacho!" No, what we’re keen to point out here is that where in the last iteration there were a few points at which many characters felt a little out of your control – Maxi being the worst culprit – here things have been tightened. A few of his stock combos have been replaced, presumably in an effort to bring the players into balance, and the result is a greater importance of stances. Maxi, taking that example again, flits in and out of stances effortlessly, making him a far more controllable character than ever before.

There also seems to be a move away from the standard juggling which so often infuriates. One combo works at one time and might not work at another if the conditions aren’t exactly the same. Sure there are some staples, but for the most part, that aspect of cheapness has been eroded to nearly nothing. Parries, guard impacts, cancels and grapple breaks are easy and smooth to pull off, and the fluidity of the combat shines through better than it ever has before. In short, you’re not going to have any complaints about the core fighting mechanic of the game. At all.

One aspect which has made a resurgence is the abundance of stun moves. Some characters are almost without any, while for some, most notably new girl Amy, almost every move ends in some kind of electric stun attack. Initially this is incredibly annoying, but will phase you for reasonably little time before you work out a counter to it. Crawling attacks are a similar annoyance early on in your training, as Voldo now has a super worm move which will no doubt be the cause of many broken friendships. These are all things which, after an extended period of play, become bonuses rather than seemingly random inclusions to the game though, and after a major amount of time spent with the game, we’re reluctant to see anything in the basic combat scheme which damages the fun or satisfaction you’ll manage to get from the game.

So what about those new characters then. You want to know all about the Star Wars characters, don’t you? If we’re honest, they’re not of fantastic value to anyone wanting to spend a great deal of time with the game. While Darth hasn’t been included, a space has been left, presumably for a later download of the evil Sith. Yoda isn’t a marvellous character, but his inclusion has warranted a fair amount of play. His jumpy, Gon-esque attacks can leave players infuriated, as pretty much any high attack will go over his head. He tends to wind up flinging himself out of the ring quite often as well, which doesn’t make for a tremendously fun experience. When you get his Force-based attacks right, and his air combos down though, there’s plenty of fun to be had with him. It’s a shame that they feel quite so out of place, as the Lightsaber works nicely in the game, and the authentic sound effects add a note of familiarity which will no doubt draw in folk without a knowledge of the Soul Calibur series. The apprentice is an even mix of Yoda’s jumpy squirmy, air-based attacks and Darth’s sluggish, but unstoppable, short combos. None of the Star Wars characters feel particularly developed, but the inclusion of the Force powers – completely unique attacks based on a Force bar – make sure they’ll get played. Indeed, it’s interesting working with Yoda’s Force grab to work out the biggest juggle you can pull off to infuriate your opponents.

The other characters, as you would expect, feel a darn sight more solid and permanent than the novelty ones though. There’s been a few almost pointless anime additions, but we’re so contemptuous of those they’re not worth talking about. Copies of Astaroth and Seong Mi-Na with pointy boobs and silly net skirts doth not a new character make, dear Namco. As for Hilde, who provides the most interesting of the new challenges, she’s pretty difficult to get to grips with. Holding down one button while you perform other combos builds up a charge attack, and releasing them, within or without a combo, unleashes it. Doing that with the default button configuration is nigh-on impossible, but works a little better if you’re the kind of gamer who owns the dreaded sticks.

Amy is a solid character and being Rafael’s daughter plays much like her father – who, bizarrely, has learnt to teleport since the last iteration. Her stun attacks, like we said, can be a little irritating, but she’s well rounded and fun enough to use. We’re even considering making her our secondary character. These are personal opinions though, and the pros and cons of each character we’ll have to leave to you when you get hold of a copy.

The really great thing, however, is the character creation mode. Honestly, it’s brilliant, and about as close to a real character creation as we’ve ever seen. Even the most hastily assembled characters end up looking like real avatars, unlike previously where they were definitely inferior to the main cast of characters. Playing online with your stylishly suited character will be a great experience, we’re sure, and add to the longevity of a title which we’d only just stopped playing the last version of. While online is an aspect we’ve yet to sample, the real joy of Soul Calibur will come in the beer/curry/mates/pad passing stage of your relationship with it. The wondrous flashiness of the combat and the sometimes sublime fluidity makes it easy to fall in love with and the easy and comprehensive customisation make it one you’ll love for a long time. A little more in terms of progression in the genre would be nice, and there are still a few minor irritations, but for now Soul Calibur is ahead in the beat-’em-up stakes by quite some way.

Tom Leclerc