by Alex Ramirez

Created on: December 03, 2008   Last Updated: August 05, 2011

On paper it certainly looks like Namco has been very busy. This is the first Soul Calibur game to be made for the next generation consoles, the first to feature online gameplay, and features two of the most famous characters in any form of entertainment Darth Vader and Yoda. But after playing through nearly every nook and cranny, just how busy has Namco really been?

The graphics in Soul Calibur are by far the most impressive thing about this newest entry. The characters and environments are both incredibly detailed and feature some extremely smooth and fluid animations, which are critical to any successful fighting game. These detailed characters and environments don't come without their consequences though. The game features some of the longest load times I ever seen. Also, the developer didn't appear to take any risks when doing the lighting. Some of the environments are begging for some amazing reflections, but instead we are treated to the same basic lighting techniques from the previous iterations.

The sound, while not amazing, stays very true to the Soul Calibur roots and sound much like the previous games. The voice actors won't be winning any awards for their work in the game, but they are better most other fighting games out there. Throughout the entire game though, I couldn't help but wonder if the game would actually be better off without the announcer. A lot of time he just ends up talking over the characters or just repeating the same thing, over and over and over.

Luckily, the developers did decide to bring back every character that was featured in the last game. They all look and feel the same, although some of them do have some slightly different moves now. While it does provide you with familiar faces, I would have really liked to see more new faces as well. The only new characters were the antagonist Algol, Yoda or Vader (depending on what version you get), and The Apprentice from the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Yoda fights much like he did in the movies and is constantly moving around using his size to his advantage. I didn't have a chance to play as Vader, but I imagine he would play somewhat similar to the Apprentice. The Apprentice's saber skills are useful, but what really sets him apart from the other characters is his use of the force. It defiantly has me excited to test out his true powers in his upcoming game.

So I know what you must be asking yourself now. How did they improve the basic gameplay? To be blunt, they didn't.

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