If you're a fighter fan, then you're probably a fan of Soul Calibur. Why, because it's one of those well balanced fighters with moves that fit into each other like a puzzle. So its no wonder the series is still going strong and the 360 release has all the elements of previous Soul games with a few added touches.

The added touch are two Star Wars characters. We get Yoda while the PS3 version get Vader. Yoda is cooler cause you know, Xbox 360 rules. There's about 30 characters. In true fighter style, the characters have plenty of offensive, defensive, and special moves. Soul Calibur is not a combo heavy fighter like other games, so it relies more on moves and counterattacks. A critical finish based on timing has been added, which reduces the complaint about player overguarding in the previous games. The main emphasis is still on the strategy when attacking because every attack leaves you open for the counter.

The game AI has always been great in the Soul Calibur series, and is still great in IV. The AI studies your weaknesses as you play along and will counter you if you use a move too much. The game has a story mode for the characters that's fighter forgettable. The emphasis is on the arcade mode and Tower of Lost Souls, which is the mode to play to unlock things, and this game has plenty of unlockables.

Soul Calibur has 360 level graphics. The textures are great, especially outdoors. The character models are very detailed, but some characters (the women) have more details than others. Soul Calibur always features plenty of particle effects and this version carries that tradition. The music is arcade perfect and really fits this game's grandiose nature.

You've got plenty of single player modes including story, training, and arcade. You've got character creation and plenty of unlockables. Multiplayer features versus mode and matchmaking. You can use your character created fighters. The strong series Soul Calibur continues its excellence in this installment. We recommend it for fighter fans (non-combo happy) and casual gamers as the definitive fighting game.