SOULCALIBUR IV CRITICAL FINISHER PS3
SOULCALIBUR IV CRITICAL FINISHER SERIES
SOULCALIBUR IV CRITICAL FINISHER PS2

The series is known for its ridiculous pre-match voiceovers, shocking grammar and hilarious story lines, but SCIV takes it to a whole other level. There are the new playable characters for three, and it’s here that things take a turn for the barmy. For the pros though it might be a different story. For many SoulCalibur players a critical finish won’t be something they’ll see very often, especially in multiplayer.

SOULCALIBUR IV CRITICAL FINISHER PS3

But, by mapping all the face buttons to a shoulder button on the PS3 or Xbox 360 pad you’ll make it a whole lot easier, and force turtle-heavy opponents to stick their neck out of their shell. When it flashes red one more Guard Breaking move will put your opponent into a stun and open a teeny tiny window of opportunity during which a press of all four buttons will trigger the character specific, and spectacular, Critical Finish, which ends the round then and there and leaves your opponent crippled, humiliated and owned.ĭon’t worry about it being overpowered – it’s actually really hard to pull off, so short is the window of opportunity in which you can trigger it.

The Soul Gauge, a gem displayed next to your health meter, gradually changes colour as attacks are blocked. The biggest tweak is the new Critical Finish system, designed to discourage players from blocking. While SCIV feels slightly slower than previous versions, the engine has been largely left alone – you’ll find, on the whole, that moves, combos and strategies honed over the last decade work here. One arena in particular, on board a pirate ship, features wood that splinters so realistically when characters land heavily that it almost looks real. The characters are the most detailed we’ve ever seen in a fighting game and the environments, while a tad bland, feature effects that blow anything Tekken, Dead or Alive or Virtua Fighter currently offer out of the virtual water. The game runs effortlessly at 60 frames per second.

SOULCALIBUR IV CRITICAL FINISHER PS2

SoulCalibur IV is the first in the series to appear on a ‘next-gen’ console (the last game appeared exclusively on the PS2 and arcade in 2005), and the graphical step up would be better described as a triple jump. So, what’s the point you might ask? Well, there’s the gorgeous HD graphics for one. And you still have a roster of characters so varied and balanced that even the most grumpy of gamers is sure to find someone, or some thing, he or she likes. You still have a parry and Guard Impact system that works as well as any fighting game counter system ever conceived. You still have two weapon attack buttons – one for horizontal slice, one for vertical slice, a kick button and a guard button. Namco Bandai has neither drastically damaged or drastically improved the essence of what makes the weapon-heavy fighting game great.

If you like SoulCalibur you’ll like SoulCalibur IV. But there are some cases where it really can’t be avoided. One of game journalism’s greatest clichés is recommending a sequel on the basis of ‘if you liked the last one you’ll like this’.

Soulcalibur iv critical finisher