Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Soul Calibur IV: Holding You Over Until Christmas

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today. 

()

Screenshot courtesy of Namco/Bandai

Earlier last month, LAist got to head over to E3 to check out the latest and greatest that the video game world had to offer. Sure we got to get our hands on some great demos like Little Big Planet and Mirror’s Edge, but it is in this blogger’s opinion that 2008 is the year of the fighting game. While the Internets have been abuzz with videos and screen caps of Street Fighter IV (the first Street Fighter to come out in about 10 years), there’s one little title that burst on to the scene during the Dreamcast era that pretty much revolutionized the combat-genre. Courtesy of our cool friends at Namco/Bandai, LAist received a copy of the latest installment of Soul Calibur, arguably the most in depth fighting game on the market.

()

Support for LAist comes from

Besides its glorious graphics, character animations, and fluidity of movement, it’s the depth of SCIV that really gets you the bang you so sorely need these days for your buck. While the online and versus mode lets you get your ass kicked by some of the best players on the planet, the story and arcade mode allows players to become truly immersed in character development (of over 30 characters to choose from) and plot. While the story mode lasts only a disappointing 5 rounds, the speed at which you play through each character allows for more unlockable features, which generally translates into more achievements for those that love to ramp up gamer points.

The Tower of Lost Souls is yet another mode of single-play that allows players to basically fight tournament style, ascending or descending through a series of opponents with up to four at a time. Sticking with your characters through the whole ordeal, you can tag your two fighters in and out, gaining achievements and unlockables at various points throughout the tournament. Once you find yourself with enough points, the Character Creation mode becomes the focal point of the game. With customizable features down to the fist cuffs, Character Creation mode is almost as entertaining as the actual battle mode. While we imagine that the core demographic of SCIV players (read: 15 year old boys) leave their female characters with a simple bikini and a Trojan helmet, you can trust that there’s plenty more to add on.

SCIV is available on both Xbox360 and PS3, and for those of you lucky enough to have both, we would recommend getting the PS3 version simply based on the ergonomics of the Sixaxis controller. Also, don’t forget to take into consideration the crossover characters courtesy of Star Wars production company LucasArts. Providing the Xbox 360 version with a playable version of Yoda and the PS3 version with Darth Vader, geeks can salivate over the ability to pit their light-sabered heroes against the Soul Edge in an epic battle to confirm who’s is actually bigger. And after the E3 lull that has been thankfully reinvigorated by Soul Calibur IV, its safe to say that it’ll take at least another four months to figure out that age-old question.

Screenshots courtesy of Namco/Bandai

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist