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Soul Calibur IV can be considered one of the most anticipated games of the year, and it certainly has the advantage of a summer release, instead of trying to compete for money against its November peers.

It's been nearly three years since Soul Calibur III, and as one of the biggest video game franchises, gamers were eager to get a taste of the fourth and final installment.  As a Soul Calibur game, IV is closer to III than some veterans of the series might prefer, considering how much slack it took for changing so much between the second and third game.  Well, SC II lovers are still going to scratch their heads over this one a little bit, but gamers who spent any time at all with III will find SC IV familiar enough with the exception of a few technical changes. 

The fact that this is Soul Calibur's debut on next gen consoles is worth mentioning, and the visuals in this game are absolutely stunning.  The intro movie was disappointing in the sense that you see only a handful of old favorites, while newcomers Hilde, Algol, and Yoda get their fifteen seconds of fame.  If you have a PlayStation 3, you're obviously not going to see Yoda but Darth Vader instead, and yes, he still has trouble breathing.  Meanwhile, the rest of the Soul Calibur cast are mysteriously MIA.  By the end of the movie though, all the shiny effects Namco put into Soul Calibur (the sword, not the game) and its new ice look had me completely hypnotized, and the previous segments were tucked away in the back of my mind.  Oh, the game looks delicious, but only hours of gameplay can truly reveal whether it turns out to be a worthy buy or not -- I'll note here that I didn't get the Premium edition.

The story in Soul Calibur IV continues to revolve around Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, while the Hero King Algol is reawakened from his slumber when he felt the power emitted by both swords as they clashed in battle.  Now he seeks the two swords in order to use their power to restore his own and rule over the land as he did a millennia ago.  Algol's story is perhaps the underlying theme of IV, but not every character will cross paths with him; most characters in the game actually have their own story, which usually have nothing to do with the Hero King or his goals.  It's accurate to say that Algol is just there, purely for your entertainment.  He's the last boss in Arcade mode, and only appears in Story mode based on which fighter you choose.

Algol's style is very bizarre, utilizing a wide arsenal that includes a cannon and teleporting throne.  He can get somewhat frustrating because of his style, and he does hit rather hard, but rest assured he can be defeated.  Hildegard von Krone, or Hilde, is the other new original by the Namco team.  Barely of age, Hilde is no stranger to war and seeks to bring peace to her kingdom after it was thrown into turmoil by the Azure Knight.  She wields a spear and short sword, putting her attack range somewhere between Seong Mi-na and Sophitia.  Also happens to be the most modest female character in Soul Calibur, looking at her unbelievably awesome outfit -- a full suit of armor with helmet included.  No skin?  No problem!  Trust me, she will win you over.  Algol has to be unlocked by playing through Story mode (make sure the character you choose actually encounters him), but Hilde is available for play the very first time you lay eyes on the character select screen.

The bonus characters are hit and miss, created for the game by guest designers and anime/manga artists, and are comprised of Ashlotte, Shura, Scheherazade, Kamikirimusi, and Angol Fear. 

Some of them look downright out of place, especially Mine Yoshizaki's Angol Fear character who, unlike the other additions, retains a 2D anime appearance with a rainbow weapon and "kawaii" outfit reflective of Yoshizaki's Sgt. Frog series.  All five of these characters use existing character move sets (e.g., Angol Fear uses Seong Mi-na's style, Kamikurimusi uses Nightmare's, Shura uses Cervantes') and have their own campaigns in Story mode, though not all are well integrated into the Soul universe.  Then again, fan service doesn't always need to make logical sense.  Speaking of which, Namco really took advantage of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 with Soul Calibur IV, judging purely by aesthetics.  With the exception of Angol Fear, the characters are all rendered with so much realistic detail that Ivy's sagging breasts begin to look more frightening than ever; all the women's assets got noticably bigger with slightly more bounce, so don't sit too close to the television when you play or else Namco isn't liable.

The Star Wars characters, despite being from a science fiction universe with laser pistols, light sabers and Force powers, are surprisingly balanced.  While I haven't had the chance to play as Darth Vader (and likely won't until he's available for purchase/download on XBL), Yoda and the Apprentice are certainly entertaining additions to the game.  When first announced, I reacted with skepticism and cynicism despite my respect for Star Wars.  Now I am happy to say that both Yoda and the Apprentice are a pleasure to play with their Ataru Form IV and Shien combat styles, respectively.  Both the Jedi Master and Vader's Apprentice come equipped with powerful Force abilities and a Force gauge to monitor their use.  While the other bonus characters are unlocked by encountering and defeating them in Story mode, Yoda is immediately available for play, and the Apprentice is unlocked by beating Arcade mode with Yoda (or Vader, if you have the PlayStation 3 version). 

Some gamers have complained about Yoda's height since throws will not work against him, and high attacks will only land while he's in mid-jump.  And Yoda does jump quite a bit because, inversely, most of his attacks would otherwise only hit low; therefore, many of Yoda's moves automatically propel him into the air before the attack hits.

If gamers want a little more familiarity, the oldies have come back for round four (five, if you count Soul Edge) and look very much the same as they did in three.  Their outfits haven't seen much change, as though the designers simply stopped caring about the faces we knew and have always loved.  However, their move sets remaining more or less the same is probably a good thing, with slight tweaking here and there for the sake of balance.  Taki, for example, isn't quite as fast as before, which can be a blessing now that Guard Impact requires more precision and better timing; she's still one of the fastest characters in the game, though.  Quite honestly, unless you're very intimate with a particular character, you won't notice most of the nerfs. 

While their threads have stayed relatively unchanged, many of the returning characters appear to have aged.  Raphael looks like he's been hit with full blown vampirism, Taki's assets have started to sag, Ivy's breasts are approaching critical mass (I keep bringing this up because they are that scary), and a number of others suddenly developed bags under their eyes from lack of sleep or illegal drug use.  Now don't get me wrong; with the exception of Ashlotte and Hilde, I'm still spending most of my time with my own favorites like Siegfried (who looks amazing with his new ice armor, by the way), Raphael, and Taki (in her tasteful 2P outfit) because the classic fighters never lose their place in a gamer's heart.