Review - Soulcaliber IV

Developer/Publisher: Namco/ Namco Bandai
Release Date: July 29, 2008
Rating: T
Available On: Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360
Genre: Fighting
Number of Players: 1-4
Strong Points: Impressive graphics, both in the character models and environments; tight controls; solid single player and multiplayer; great character customization.
Weak Points: Voice acting is feeble at best; not as ‘deep’ as other fighters out there; as with most games of this genre, there is hardly a story to speak of.
Technical Score: B
Artistic Score: B
Final Score (not an average): B-
Moral Warnings: There is violence, though none of it is graphic or bloody; certain characters spot an unbelievable amount of cleavage; some minor language and “magical” attacks


The fan base to the Soulcalibur games has been anticipating the fourth installment in the franchise for quite some time. The fourth game doesn’t change much in gameplay from the previous entries, but as it is the first in the series to appear on next-gen consoles, the technical advancements are considerable, and it is also the first entry in the to include online play.
Soulcalibur IV sticks to the traditions set by past games of the series, in that it is an extremely fast fighter. This is both for good and ill. The plus side to the speed that this series offers is that it doesn’t rely on combo chains in quite the same way as a fighter the likes of Street Fighter or Virtua Fighter does. Instead of requiring the player to learn massive combos, and which combos/counters to use in a given situation, SCIV takes the quicker approach of “That button does this, this button does that” for its formula. This works perfectly for bringing in more inexperienced players, instead of restricting the game to the hardcore fighting nuts.

However, this is also one of Soulcalibur IV’s biggest downfalls: it’s just too easy to win. Button mashing will get even the most casual players a long way in a match. It’s not entirely uncommon for a veteran of the Soulcalibur series to fall to a newcomer. While it’s nice for gamers of all calibers to be able to access a game, the easiness of Soulcalibur IV will likely deter fans of the more complicated, deeper fighters out there. Granted, there are still a good deal of combos per character to memorize. But SCIV simply doesn’t feel as much of a fighter when compared to others of the genre; indeed, it will, on occasion, feel like an action game, simply because of the sheer speed. Still, even though it may not fill out to be a “true” fighter, Soulcalibur IV’s fighting system is extremely entertaining as far as ‘pick up and play’ games go.

The overall single player aspect to the game is quite solid. To start off with, there is the Story mode. After selecting this from the main menu, you’re given the option of choosing any of the many characters available at the start of the game (more will be unlocked by achieving certain goals throughout), and you will play through the events of the story as seen through this character’s perspective, with each ending being different. However, as with most fighting games, the actual ‘story’ is hardly there at all. You’ll usually get a vague idea of what happens at the end of the game to each character, but, if truth be told, most players could care less. That’s simply not why you play this kind of game.

Of course, there is always the classic arcade mode. For those wishing to forgo the tale telling, this mode offers up nothing but action. After selecting your fighter of choice, the game sends you through eight battles against foes of increasingly hard difficulty. After completing the challenges, you’ll be graded on how you did, such as time completed, Ring Outs (knocking your opponent out of the ring for the KO), etc. So, the better you do, the better your overall score. I found this to give the game some re-playability.

Further adding to the single player content in Soulcalibur IV would be the addition of the Tower of Lost Souls. In this game mode, you battle through multiple levels within a tower, under progressively difficult enemies. However, you receive no chance to replenish the health of your fighter, making the conservation of health of the utmost importance. Though that does sound hard, the game allows you to take along a partner through your journeys. While you cannot have both of your players onscreen simultaneously, Soulcalibur IV lets you switch out between your two characters with the mere press of a button. In this way it can be extremely enjoyable to string together interesting combos, and it also makes the would-be ultra hard Tower of Lost Souls much easier.

Now, if you are not the type of person who enjoys going through the single player part to these kinds of games, then the excellent multiplayer should keep you occupied. While it won’t revolutionize the genre, it is a solid experience that should please anyone who likes to pound on his or her friends, both locally and online.

Also, an interesting aspect of Soulcalibur IV is its character creator/editor. Here, you’ll be able to completely re-dress any character on the regular cast, as well as start out anew with an entirely original character of your design. While it may not be as detailed as games like Oblivion, Mass Effect or Fallout 3, it will, with the hundreds of accessories, clothing, armor and weapons available (some through unlocking), as well as an interesting body “manipulator”, certainly impress.

Graphically speaking, the game is, in a word, beautiful. The character models are absolutely gorgeous. Everything about them from how the clothing and hair sway with the wind, to the amazing detail put into the actual bodies and faces shine with polish. The explosive effects from certain character’s moves are a sight to behold, and environments you will be fighting in, with one or two exceptions, have a remarkable amount of detail. It’s hard to find any faults in the graphical package in Soulcalibur IV; it’s just… beautiful.

As stunning as the graphical aspect to SCIV is, the sound isn’t half as good. While the sound effects and yelps of pain and war cries are fine, the horrendous voice acting will make even the most non-caring gamer cringe with pain. The often grunted and forced dialog will make games such as Gears of War (which normally would be considered a ‘poor’ example of good voice acting) shine. It’s disappointing, because this truly does stand out in an otherwise outstanding game, when technically-speaking.

There are a couple things Christians out there should be warned about in this game. Obviously, being a fighting game, there is a violence factor. However, even with all the punching, kicking and slashing found within the game, there is no blood or gore whatsoever. The fighting is not even fatal, seeing as how your opponent just gets back up after he or she has been knocked down. I just found it to be very mild in this area. However, not so mild are the “suggestive themes” and “partial nudity” that the ESRB sites on the back of the box. Certain female characters spot cleavage to the extreme, form fitting outfits that are so skin tight that everything is outlined, and of course, the mini skirts that make several appearances. Add to that the ability to strip all the girls down to their thong and bra using the character creator/editor and you’ve got a T rated game on the harsher side of sexual content. There is also some very mild language, namely d--- and hell, though it shows up infrequently. The last thing to mention is that some of the fighters moves look a little magical, which may offend certain users.

Soulcalibur IV is, without a doubt, an extremely fun game. It is easy to pick up and play, looks amazing and is, well, just plain old fun, especially with a buddy. If you’re not put off by pitiful voice acting, and if you don’t mind a fighter that is a little bit more on the “easy” and non-technical side of things, then by all means: get this one today.

Zack Atwell
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Review - Street Fighter IV

Developer/Publisher: Dimps/Capcom
Release Date: February 17th, 2009
ESRB Rating: Teen for Alcohol Reference, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
Available On: Arcade, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 (version reviewed)
Genre: Fighting
Number of Players: 1-2 (local and online)
Strong Points: Fantastic return of a long-loved series; great visual direction; very likable and diverse characters; extremely well-tuned fighting engine that rewards study and practice
Weak Points: That same reward system keeps the game from being something that anyone can simply pick up and play with favorable results; character stories told through sub-par anime sequences are completely lacking; online play lacks the lobby system seen in other Street Fighter releases
Technical Score: A
Artistic Score: A
Final Score (not an average): A
Moral Warnings: Gameplay revolves around beating opponents into a knock out using fists, feet, throws, and special attacks; "damn," "crap," and "hell" are used in the game; some female characters are moderately immodest in attire; many characters have vaguely supernatural powers


Hadouken! Fifteen years ago, you would likely hear a game machine screaming something just like that when entering an arcade. Though Street Fighter found its start in the late 80s, the Street Fighter II series was in full effect in the early 90s, gathering attention from masses of people who would vie for the honor of being the best player in a given arcade or region. That series, with its fast pace, heavy use of strategy, and complete removal of chance as a factor for winning, drove competitive gaming forward. The Street Fighter name has well earned its praise and undying devotion from countless people around the world. With nearly ten years between us and the last title that wasn't a repackaging in some way, Street Fighter IV has potential to be a series reboot and an opportunity to bring competitive fighting games back to the foreground among gamers.

Before I get into what sets Street Fighter IV apart from (and above) other games in the genre, let's take a step back to look at some of the basics of the series in case if you're starting at square one. As mentioned above, the Street Fighter series is about competition. On the most basic level, you can view the game as two people trying to physically beat each other to a knock out, which is as too many untrained eyes would see it. However, the series is so much more than that.

When other games moved into the realm of 3D graphics and movement, Street Fighter stuck with (beautifully) hand drawn sprites on a 2D plane. When other games brought in ridiculously over-the-top special attacks and combos, Street Fighter kept the basic options simple and direct. When other games wanted to give everyone, regardless of how long he or she had been playing, a fairly equal chance of victory, Street Fighter focused on rewarding practice, strategy, and raw skill.


Street Fighter has always been about using a combination of punches, kicks, throws, and super moves to effectively crush your opponent. Though most of the attacks are straightforward, the special moves change things up by adding in various projectile attacks and moves that can be used in the air. This basic gameplay design has remained true throughout the series, and continues to remain true in Street Fighter IV.

By no means should you think Street Fighter IV uninspired or unchanged, though. I've heard it said that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Really, honestly, Street Fighter IV could have been yet another repackaging of an existing sub-series, and it would have been a well-tuned, highly addictive, highly competitive fighting game. Fortunately, Capcom wanted to outdo its past with Street Fighter IV.

Better yet, in nearly every respect, Capcom succeeded in this goal. Capcom decided that hardcore fighting games were getting to a point that "human beings couldn't play them any more," so they opted to take the series back to its roots, found in Street Fighter II. To go with the game's return to the simpler and more accessible II series (instead of the more technical Alpha and III series) in gameplay direction, the game also pays homage to its roots by including 15 of the 17 characters found in the series. The game also has six completely new characters in addition to four characters from the Alpha series (sorry, III series fans, none of those exclusive characters have made the roster this time out). For those of you (like me) who want to know how many characters that adds up to without doing the math, we're talking about a large roster of 25 playable characters.

Before we look into the intricacies of the new fighting system, along with its big changes, let's take a brief look at the diversity of the roster. One of the great things about it is that every character is truly unique even if there are misleading similarities on the surface. Sure, Ryu and Ken look a lot alike and have similar movesets, but the way that they are used often varies greatly.

Some characters are designed to give emphasis to attacking from a distance with fireballs and other attacks; some characters are extremely quick, allowing you to try and overwhelm an opponent with a flurry of attacks; some characters are designed with heavy emphasis on grappling and throwing in mind; and some characters are best used attacking from the air while others are best used against foes in the air. Then again, these things are more like multi-dimensional spectrums that any given character falls somewhere closer to the middle of than at a complete extreme. As if these spectrums were not enough to consider when deciding on who to play as, characters also range in difficulty of use. For example, Zangief, the Russian wrestler, is extremely powerful but more difficult to use effectively than many other characters. All the same, Capcom is a master at its craft, and no character guarantees victory or defeat; even the seemingly weakest characters can beat the strongest. But I can talk character specifics another time. Let's get back to talking about what sets Street Fighter IV apart.

The first, and arguably biggest, addition to the fighting system is the Focus Attack system. Focus Attacks serve a number of purposes on the basic level, and there are countless ways to implement them. The Focus Attack is a move that can be charged up. Depending on how long you charge, you will execute a different level of the Focus Attack; each level improves effectiveness, and the attack will break through a block at the highest charge level. Better yet, the Focus Attack allows for parrying incoming attacks. During the charge time of the Focus Attack, you can absorb a single hit. If your opponent lands a second hit before you can release the charge for a counter attack, your guard will be broken, and you will be left extremely vulnerable. However, if you succeed in landing the counter attack, your opponent will crumple over (as is the case in most successful Focus Attacks and in all successful counter attacks) and be exposed long enough to fire off your character's Super or Ultra Attack.


Super Attacks and Ultra Attacks are mostly original to Street Fighter IV. Super Attacks have been around in some form or another for the series for quite a while. In many cases Super Attacks are kind of like glorified, multi-hit special attacks. Super Attacks are executed by building your Super Combo Meter. This is simply done by attacking and guarding. Different attacks add different amounts to your charge meter, but it will usually take a little while to build it up enough to execute a Super Attack. The Super Combo Meter is broken up in four segments. Having at least one full segment segment will allow you to execute an EX attack, and having two segments available will allow you to use an EX Focus.

I'll get back to Ultra Attacks in a moment, since it makes more sense to explain EX Attacks and EX Focus now instead of leaving you wondering. An EX Attack is a supercharged special attack. Typically, these attacks do more damage and hit an enemy more times. Ken's fireball, for instance, does a chunk of damage upon contact when used regularly. When used as an EX move, Ken will flash yellow during execution, but the attack will otherwise look like a regular fireball. EX Attacks are more useful for strategy than doing damage, though.

Remember what I said about being invulnerable to a single attack during the charge portion of a Focus Attack? The EX move will blast right through a charging opponent. But even more useful for strategic purposes is that an EX fireball will cut right through a standard fireball by absorbing the opposing fireball with the first hit. Since fireball wars are all too common on Live, having this option available is a huge asset. And what about those EX Focus moves? EX Focus allows you to cancel out of a special move. If you set up for a heavy special attack only to have it blocked, you can EX Focus to hop back to a defensive state instead of leaving yourself vulnerable. On the other hand, if you have enough charge for an Ultra Attack and an EX Focus, you can special move an opponent to get a hit in and set up a combo; from there you can EX Focus, hop forward, and launch your Ultra Attack.

With that, let's talk about what the Ultra Attack is. The Ultra Attack is the pinnacle of Street Fighter IV's new Revenge system. The Revenge system is a pretty simple concept: take damage and get angry to store energy in your Revenge Gauge. Once your Revenge Gauge is at least half full, you can execute your character's Ultra Attack. In many cases, the Ultra is a lot like a modified Super. Control input is usually the same with the only difference being that you have to hit all three punch or kick attack buttons instead of one. Successfully pulling off an Ultra is not the easiest thing ever, and whiffing an Ultra will leave you very vulnerable with little life left. Successfully landing an Ultra is no guarantee for a comeback, but it will give you a much better chance at coming out ahead.

Still, even though the Revenge system is nice to have for times of desperation, it is far more ideal to beat out an opponent without taking enough damage to make it usable. This brings me back to the game's true focus: strategy. Though being able to consistently throw a fireball or use a Focus Attack is important, spamming special moves will only get you so far. Attack combos and strategies for both the next second of gameplay as well as the entire round quickly become necessary if you want to hold your own on a competitive level. So strategy-driven is the game that I even wrote a staff blog comparing it to chess.

But I guess now would be as good a time as any to point out that Street Fighter IV, as amazing and deep as it is, is not a game for everyone. Even though Capcom wanted to make the game accessible to newcomers without alienating veterans, there are very high demands that you will have to meet if you want to compete seriously. Capcom did simplify the system down from the Alpha and III series, but it still rewards those who actually work to improve. Because of this, those who simply want a pick up and play game will rarely hold their own against people who play regularly. If you're one of those people, I'm going to do something I rarely do and advise you to stay away from the game. Then again, as part of Capcom's desire to make the game more accessible, they've included a very useful Challenge Mode that will walk you through a number of any character's special moves and powerful combos. Being able to work through these tools (which give even experienced players trouble at times) will not promise you victory in tournaments, but it will definitely help you as you develop your skills and personal fighting style.

On the subject of game modes and options, Street Fighter IV is full of them. In addition to Arcade and local and online Versus modes, there are a ton of Survival, Time Attack, and Challenge Mode options. There is also a basic Training Mode with the ability to record your own attack series to practice against and a host of other options to toy with. One nice thing about these modes is that they all reward you for progression. In any game mode, performing well will unlock Titles and Icons that you can use to customize your presence online; they may not add a lot, but the extra bonus is nice.


On that note, there is a ridiculous amount of stuff to unlock. There are probably hundreds of Titles and Icons to unlock. There are also alternate colors to unlock for your characters and some other minor customization options, too. Additionally, though it is both rewarding and bothersome, a third of the game's characters have to be unlocked before using them. The characters in particular are unlocked in Arcade Mode. Conveniently, this can be done on the easiest game difficulty.

Inconveniently, even on the easiest difficulty, the game's computer opponents can be devastating at times. On the easy levels, beating a number of the opponents won't be too hard, but somehow seemingly impossible attacks will be landed on you. In my experience, this is especially true with grappling characters that seem to grab and throw me while I'm in the middle of an attack. It's definitely aggravating, but it's not impossible. Fighting in these situations can even be good training, but it ultimately won't compare with playing against real opponents.

And playing against real opponents is key to Street Fighter's success. Thankfully for all of us, home technology is at a point that online play is not only possible, but it actually tends to work out well. Online play is by no means perfect, but Capcom's netcode is fairly effective at hiding lag even on my weak internet connection. Finding people to play against is pretty easy, but having friends with the game helps. The only thing that upsets me about online play is the lack of a virtual arcade/lobby system that was included in the Xbox Live version of Hyper Fighting and in both version of HD Remix. Interestingly, Capcom tried to recreate some of the arcade feel by giving you an option to accept random challenges from the internet even while playing the offline Arcade mode. Thankfully, you can turn this option off if you simply want to progress through Arcade without interruptions.

Aside from the lack of the virtual lobby/spectator option, the troubles with online play are hardly the fault of Capcom; they're a result of people who cannot accept a loss. On the other hand, if you play with friends, this becomes much less of an issue. Then again, even the quality netcode won't replace playing against friends in person, so it's great that Capcom included a fully featured local play option.

Before pressing on, I think now is a good time to bring up something else about the game's difficulty. While the AI can be brutal, and it will take training to be able to hold your own against people who do train, one of the most brutal things of all actually has nothing to do with the game itself. Though the Playstation controller gets along with fighting games fairly well, the 360 controller is not very useful for fighting games at all. Due to the placement of the D-pad, it's uncomfortable to use. Using the analog stick is possible, and what I do when I have to play with a gamepad, but it is not as accurate and easy to use as the controls for a fighting game should be. The overall design of the controller complicates the game. Then again, I will say that Capcom made the right decision by keeping a traditional control scheme. When Capcom added Easy Operation controls to some of the console ports of Capcom vs. SNK 2, the game was no longer the same and not for the better. All that being said, you can play the game with the stock controller, and you can play decently, but you will probably want to pick up an arcade stick if you want to play the game seriously.

Really, I could talk for days about the gameplay, characters, and strategies, but I'm guessing that you will want to go on with your life at some point, so let's move on and look at what makes Street Fighter IV even more special: the new graphical direction. As I'm sure you've figured out by now, Street Fighter IV has shifted the series away from the 2D sprites we're so familiar with over to 3D character models and stages (something that had only been done in the less popular EX sub-series of games previously).

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I was quite opposed to the shift in direction when I first heard about it. I probably even went so far as to say that the 3D models would kill Street Fighter. It took me until the last few weeks leading up to the release to even begin to warm up to the new visuals. As I started to pay more attention to the details of the new graphics, I began to see how amazing the result of the change was. Somehow, in spite of moving from hand-drawn images to computer-generated models, the artists were able to retain the charm of the characters. Not only are the characters charming in their own ways, but they are also extremely detailed. In technical terms, the polygon counts are high and the texture maps leave nothing lacking.


But technicality without execution doesn't mean much to me. It's one thing to have exceptionally detailed characters, and it's quite another thing for them to move, act, and react in a lively fashion. Fortunately, Street Fighter IV looks even better in motion than it does in screenshots. With strong attacks, your character's face will show the intensity going into the attack. When faced with an opponent's Super Attack or Ultra Attack, characters' faces show their shock and horror at the thought of the pain that will follow if the move is not blocked.

On that note, Supers and Ultras are in some ways the height of something that the entire game oozes with: style. To highlight the personalities of the characters, and to add dramatic effect to the attacks themselves, the gameplay comes to a halt while the camera zooms in on the attacking character. Assuming that an Ultra attack connects, the camera will take dramatic twists to show off punishing effects of move.

But that's just one example of the style. The Focus Attack comes with style all its own. While charging, the appearance of black ink will surround your character. When releasing the attack, the ink will disperse dramatically. It may not add anything to the gameplay, but things like this add to the already strong visual appeal of the game. Of course, it helps that the ink effect bears similarity to the game's intro video which was broken into parts for the sake of hype-building trailers prior to the game's release.

I think I should point out that the intro video is no mundane thing added merely because intros are expected. Make no mistake, this intro video is one of the most impressively stylish things I've ever seen in a game. It is exceedingly dramatic and dynamic, but it's the combination of rival fighters doing what they do best in a ridiculously beautiful and cool animation direction. It's not altogether common for me to be wowed by style, so it's no small thing that I'm this impressed.

I just wish that I could say the same about the anime sequences at the beginning and end of every character's quest through Arcade Mode. The quality of the animation itself isn't terrible, but the so-called stories are incredibly weak. If knowing the Street Fighter canon is important to you, the videos could be nice if not for the fact that some of the videos seem to contradict themselves. In most cases, you'll simply want to skip the videos since they add nothing to the game. Then again, it's hard to be that bothered by the lack of quality in these videos since they're so peripheral to the game as a whole.

Fortunately, where it matters, Street Fighter IV constantly comes through. Returning for a moment to the visual department, the regularly used special effects are quite effective. Special moves like fireballs look great as they launch, soar, and collide with an opponent or another fireball. Dust effects and the like look good, too.

To round out the visual side of things are a variety of stages to fight on. Functionally, they're all pretty much the same. Visually, most of the stages have cheering onlookers that react to the fight. Other things, like the tearing of a sheet over a doorway and the shaking of a boat after forcefully knocking someone to the ground are also examples of how environments come to life and react to the fights. We may not be talking about interactive environments here, but these subtle things add to the overall production quality of the game.

In case this theme of high production qualities hasn't been obvious enough (anime sequences notwithstanding), I'll say it again: Capcom's production qualities for Street Fighter IV are ridiculously high. As you have seen, this is true of the gameplay and visual directions, and it is also true of the sound department.

All of the characters are fully voiced, and most of the voice acting is decent. However, Capcom saw fit to give us a very nice bonus feature. Not only did they choose to give us access to the Japanese voices, but they also gave us the ability to pick and choose which characters are given which region's voices. A nice gift to those of us who are particular about our voice actors. Basic attack and defense sound effects are effective in their roles, but there's not much more to be said about that.


The music is an interesting like it or love it affair. With the partial exception of the opening/main theme, the soundtrack pays homage to the series' roots much like everything else in the game. Most of the songs range from soaring guitar leads to techno beats to traditional Chinese music. The opening theme, which begins like a classic Street Fighter theme, quickly turns into a catchy pop anthem that can get stuck in your head for hours. The majority of the songs are well written. Whether or not you like the songs will be a matter of preference, but Capcom's choosing to continue paying tribute to the series' origins with the music was the right decision.

Also true to the game's origins is the unashamedly violent nature of the gameplay. While bones don't break, and wounds don't bleed, fighters take a lot of abuse. Some attacks would kill a real person if they could somehow be done, but at least those attacks are portrayed as being over-the-top. Still, everything from strong punches and kicks to backbreaking throws to supernatural energy attacks is put to use while trying to knock out opponents (there are no deaths in the gameplay). No matter how you slice it, though, the gameplay revolves around constant combat. Beyond the violence, there is some usage of mild profanities (some characters say "damn" and "crap," and the announcer often says before a match that it "is going to be one hell of a show"). The ESRB refers to "alcohol reference," but it must be small since I can't recall it. Supernatural elements are in effect, but are pretty tame. Many characters have a rather undefined source of energy used for fireballs and the like. Akuma is a character consumed by a dark form of this energy. Rose has attacks loosely based in magic and soul power. Seth, the final boss, is a part of S.I.N. and has a sphere resembling a Yin-Yang symbol in place of his stomach. Finally, some of the female characters wear revealing clothing. The most extreme examples of this would be Cammy's costume resembling a one-piece bathing suit and Crimson Viper's modified suit that reveals both cleavage and midriff. Additionally, there are female stand-ins in some of the stages that wear revealing clothing. Fortunately, in contrast to many other fighting games, sex-appeal is hardly a point of focus here.

If you've actually read this whole review, I'm pretty impressed. Street Fighter IV is a ridiculously deep game, and to try and do justice to the game in any less detail can't really be done. But all things must come to an end, and this review is no exception. At this point, I'm going to hazard a guess and say that you fall into one of three groups. You could find the game's surface emphasis on violence to be off-putting and choose to avoid the game because of that. Otherwise, the game's extremely deep fighting system with heavy focus on practice, strategy, and competitive play will send you in the direction of loving or hating the game. There is a lot to love, and the depth of the system along with the variety of characters can give the game a ridiculous amount of replay value for those who do love it and can put the time into the game to get good. However, those who have little to no desire to work at a game in order to hold their own in competition will probably hate the game because of the way it rewards those who do practice.

Still, a game should not be criticized for rewarding those who work hard to gain their skills. With that in mind, Street Fighter IV is an absolutely fantastic game in nearly every respect. Whether or not it is able to bring serious competitive fighting games to the foreground of the industry can't be seen just yet, but the potential is here. If by chance you're still on the fence about the game, I would highly recommend a rental to find out what you think for yourself. If you land more clearly in any of the above groupings, I recommend you either waste no more time and buy the game or stay far, far away from it for the sake of your sanity or conscience.

-Kenny Yeager (kenny@revolve21.com)

Second Spin by Drew Regensburger

Street Fighter IV, as Kenny said, is a beautiful game; there's no doubt about that. Animation is smooth, environments and character models lean towards gorgeous and the backdrops are all captivating. Combine that with the depth and flexibility of the game's engine, and I have no qualms about calling SFIV a masterpiece of the genre. Five years ago, I would have been stunned by the game, knocked on my back and would have proceeded to work at getting good at the game for hours and hours, until my thumbs were blistered and my eyes red. These days, however, I have less time, and can't devote the free time I do have to a game that demands the practice and discipline that this one does. Coupled with atrocious controls on a standard game pad (the 360's spongy d-pad is worse than the Gamecube's, which is saying quite a bit), and you have a game that not only makes it difficult for newcomers but requires a bit of a steeper price tag than a "normal" game would, simply because of the necessity of a decent arcade stick. For those among you with the time, interest and funds to make this worthwhile, go for it; you'll be rewarded with a deep game and a compelling community. For those among you like me, or even those that enjoy more casual gaming than I, I'd recommend staying away, since you'll be summarily stomped within ten minutes of putting the game in the system. Not a bad thing by a long shot, but not for everyone.

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Review - Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

Developer/Publisher: Backbone Entertainment / Capcom U.S.A.
Release Date: November 25th, 2008
ESRB Rating: Teen for Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
Available On: Xbox 360 (version reviewed), Playstation 3
Genre: Fighting
Number of Players: 1-2 (local), 1-2 (online)
Strong Points: Fantastic and rewarding fighting engine; well re-imagined graphics and music; excellent online play
Weak Points: Frame count has not increased in a decade; difficult for newcomers to get into when playing against seasoned opponents
Technical Score: B
Artistic Score: B
Final Score (not an average): A-
Moral Warnings: The game revolves around physical violence; violence is harsh, but is devoid of broken bones and any gore (some attacks result in blood squirts from the face); images of the bloodied faces of the loser of the fight are shown after defeat; characters have access to energy-based supernatural attacks (like fireballs); one character has Yoga-fueled fire attacks; one female character, Cammy, wears a revealing swimsuit-like costume and shows her back to the screen after some victories.


Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix is the most recent rendition of the longstanding Street Fighter II brand from Capcom. For those who feel the need to get caught up to speed with the branding, Street Fighter II has been around in some form or another since 1991, when it took the gaming arcades by storm. Street Fighter II took competitive gaming to an entirely new level; the characters in this new fighting game were varied, balanced in their focuses of skill, and highly detailed (for the time) in their hand-drawn appearance. The intensely competitive game became an instant classic and spawned more modifications, rereleases, updates, and semi-sequels than I care to count. Each release tweaked the battle system, character selection, character balances and attacks, color palettes, and many other (sometimes) subtle modifications.

Which brings us to HD Remix. This release spent quite some time in development and refinement in order to become the definitive version of Street Fighter II. With completely redrawn (high resolution) character art, totally rebalanced characters, all 17 characters seen previously, a fresh soundtrack from the great people over at Overclocked Remix, online play, and the ability to play with all of the original arcade settings (balancing, visuals, and sound) for longtime fans. So, without further adieu, let's look at what makes this fighting game so significant.


As a rule of thumb, fighting games survive on their gameplay above all other factors. Because of that, let's take a look at the fighting engine within HD Remix. For those of you who have never experienced a Street Fighter game, we'll start from absolute ground zero. Street Fighter pits two players against each other in an all-out martial arts fight with attacks ranging from simple punches and kicks to spinning grappling moves to fireball throwing, and anything in between. Attacks are employed via three punch and three kick buttons (that is, three levels of attack strength), combined with directional inputs on the pad or stick. Various motions on the control stick combined with certain attack buttons allow players to use special moves (such as the fireball).

And so the basic controls work. It sounds simple on screen, but unlike most modern fighters, Street Fighter doesn't reward you for just hitting buttons rapidly while hoping for the best. The gameplay is in no way about having the flashiest special moves or the most devastating attacks. No. The gameplay is all about being able to read your opponent, planning and reacting with speed matching that of blind instinct. Indeed, the game is designed so that you will need to practice and improve in order to succeed in competition with other gamers.

Fortunately, Street Fighter II (even with all of the upgrades of HD Remix) has never been about expansive move lists. Each character has a fairly intuitive basic attack arsenal and a few easily remembered special moves. Thankfully, most of the characters are extremely diverse not only in how they were designed to be played, but also in how they can be played. Ryu, for example, has quick strikes and ranged (fireball) attacks. Zangief, on the other hand, has slow attacks without a lot of range, but he is a brutal grappler when played close to an opponent. And so on with the other fifteen characters. Fortunately, especially in light of the adjustments made in HD Remix's character balancing, no character has a built-in advantage over another; this further drives the focus of the game on the player instead of the player's character decision.

For all that HD Remix does do right in gameplay terms, it does lack in one aspect. The game is designed through and through with multiplayer in mind. The single-player experience is limited to an arcade mode that simply challenges you to a dozen fights followed by a brief victory story and a very simple training mode. The arcade mode can be fun for a little while, and it can very much provide a challenge, but it really isn't the intended experience at all. The training mode is useful only for mastering the timing of special moves and working on new combos. But the good news is that the single-player probably isn't why you would want to pick up HD Remix in the first place. Nope. The multiplayer is where your time will be spent, and it will be time well spent. The local multiplayer provides that personal touch that playing in an arcade years ago did. The online multiplayer (where most of us who lack fighting game fans among our friends) is phenomenal for a fighter. You are not given a host of different online modes (limited to ranked, unranked, and tournament matches), but the execution is nearly flawless. Even on a slower connection like mine, lag is hardly ever an issue. Add in voice chat, and this is probably the closest thing to the arcade experience we in America will ever see again.


As an added bonus, Capcom took seriously the "HD" part of HD Remix. Graphically, the game flies in the face of today's highly realistic 3D models by sticking to hand drawn sprites. HD Remix has retained all of its original style, but it now carries with it fully redrawn images crafted in high resolutions. Longtime fans should be thrilled by this faithfulness to the source material. However, newcomers will likely notice quickly that character animations are not very fluid. In other words, there are not a great number of frames within the animations. To be fair, this couldn't be changed without changing the entire fighting system (as the frames are directly linked to the points of contact for the fighters). On a positive note, the graphical effects that were added, limited in number as they are, are actually rather good looking. For instance, the fireballs have a nice glow about them.

Also nice is that Capcom ran with the "Remix" part of the name, too. In a move that could be considered bold, Capcom outsourced the music creation of HD Remix to the popular community for video game music remixes, Overclocked Remix. What we have here is a soundtrack that keeps much of the vibe of the original games while bringing in some modern flair in addition to greatly improving the actual sound quality. Granted, most of the time spent in fights will be so focused on the fight itself that the music will not be easy to really appreciate or enjoy; however, some tracks (especially the main theme) ooze with that drive found in early 90s video games. Even now I have the main theme stuck in my head, and I have no complaints whatsoever about that. The sound effects, however, don't carry a great deal of life with them. Simple voice samples are used when executing special moves and at the end of fights (just like in earlier versions). Sound effects made during strikes are functional, but nothing to write home about.

Of course, morally, the game presents a few challenges intrinsic to serious fighting games. First and foremost is the fact that each match focuses on beating an opponent (through whatever means available) until his or her life bar runs out (resulting not in death, but in collapse). Blood and gore is largely a non-factor (occasional blood/spit squirts happen with certain hits to the face). The most graphic element of the violence is seen after the completion of a fight when the losing opponent's character is shown beaten, sweaty, and bloody. Granted, even this is not really extreme at all. Some characters have supernatural abilities (generally this means energy-based fireballs and similar attacks). One character, Dhalsim, stretches his body and spits fire with the power of Yoga; he also wears three skulls around his neck. Unlike most modern fighting games, HD Remix is fairly tame in regards to unrealistically proportioned female fighters in very skimpy clothing. The biggest concern in this regards is that one character, Cammy, wears something similar to a one-piece swimsuit that reveals a bit of her bum, which she occasionally flaunts as a victory pose. Additionally, one stage has Vegas-like showgirls walk back and forth in the background

Understandably, the violent nature of HD Remix may keep it out of the hands of kids, but it is not really a game that will appeal to most kids due to its highly technical nature, anyway. And, on the whole, HD Remix is a very solid package. The challenge is that it simply will not appeal to everyone. In all reality, only a rather select audience will truly enjoy and appreciate this game. Then again, even after a decade and a half since its first form, Street Fighter II can still hold its own against the Soul Caliburs and Dead or Alives of today. When push comes to shove, few fighters can come close to matching the rock solid engine found in HD Remix. For fans of fighting games, as well as competitive games that are not called "Halo," it's fairly easy to recommend spending $15 on this one.

-Kenny Yeager (kenny@revolve21.com)
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Review - King of Fighters XI

Developer/Publisher: SNK Playmore / SNK Playmore
Release Date: November 13, 2007
Rating: Teen - Alcohol Reference, Animated Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
Available On: Sony Playstation 2
Genre: Fighting
Number of Players: 1-2 (local)
Strong Points: Incredibly deep and highly responsive fighting system; great and varied cast of characters; great visual direction
Weak Points: Tag mechanic isn't very exciting; graphics are rather low-res and aged; boss battles are overly challenging relative to other battles
Technical Score: B
Artistic Score: B+
Final Score (not an average): B+
Moral Warnings: Game revolves around all kinds of hand-to-hand (and occasionally weapon-based) combat (including some blood sprays); several female characters characters are immodestly dressed; one character seems to be a necromancer; story involves supernatural evils


For those of us who have been into gaming for a while, there is a certain genre that seems to be (at least until recent years) associated most commonly with a single title: Street Fighter II. Capcom has long held the spotlight, and reverence of fans, for creating some of the best fighting games ever made. Unfortunately, this has often left SNK's King of Fighters series as the sideshow in the mainstream. Make no mistake, Capcom has earned its reputation, but it is sad that King of Fighters has never really reached the same level of renown as its contemporary.

King of Fighters has been around since its first release in 1994 with the aptly titled King of Fighters '94. Since then, the game has seen a new release nearly every year (not all of which have made it Stateside), each with new improvements to the fighting system and new characters. By the time the series has gotten to its eleventh official iteration, the fighting system has become so refined that it outshines just about every other system on the market for those willing to learn its intricacies.

And those intricacies will have to be learned to succeed in KoFXI. Even as a fan of fighting games, the demands of the system seemed daunting even to me. This isn't a simple game of hitting punch and kick buttons; it's not even a game of hitting the punch and kick buttons at the right time. This is a game that will devastate players who don't take the time to read the manual and go through the game's mission mode (which practically doubles as training), with no apologies. Button combos, direction-pad inputs; the system runs even deeper than these. The game makes use of a variety of move "cancels" that allow for massive chains of powerful strikes and super moves to take place. Precise guards and counters quickly become key in the game's arcade mode. And this doesn't even speak for the level added complexity (and damage potential) of the tag-based mechanics.


See, the King of Fighters series has always revolved around three-person teams duking it out instead of the standard one-on-one matches of many other fighting games. In earlier versions of the game, fighters only switched once one got knocked out. In KoFXI, fighters can be tagged out at any time with the press of a button (well, two buttons together, strictly speaking). Tagging causes characters in the waiting to slowly regain a little bit of life. This brings an element of strategy into the game. However, there's even more to tagging. Tagging at the right time during an attacking combo allows the combo to continue even longer through the newly tagged-in character. Tagging at the right time during an opponent's assault results in a counter-attack, assuming that you have enough of your energy bar filled up.

And the energy bars are important. There are two bars, actually. One that is used for super moves, and one that is used for technical moves (like evasions and cancels). Knowing how to fill up these bars quickly, and how to use them efficiently, becomes important in no time.

The move catalog is expansive, to say the least. Each character has a fairly unique moveset (though some characters are similar to others), and each moveset has a lot of detail to it. Ranging from simple attacks, to throws, to combination attacks, to Super Specials, I can tell you that this game gave me more in the way of thumb callouses than any other game I've ever played. Special moves are activated most commonly with variants of quarter/half-circles and pressing the correct attack button. Still, to become efficient, you will need to spend a lot of time looking through a chosen character's moveset (which is easily accessed in the game's pause menu) and getting the correct patterns committed to memory. Also, due to the very precise nature of the game, you're not going to want to use any second-rate gamepads.

In case if I haven't made it clear already, the game can have a punishingly difficult learning curve. True, the game is extremely rewarding to those who take the time to learn, but it's easy to imagine everyone else walking away disappointed. As if the system itself were not difficult on its own, the few boss battles within the arcade mode are incredibly stacked against the player, and they practically demand that the player use one of the grace options (such as decreased opponent life) that become available after choosing to continue your game.

Visually, the game is a mixed bag. On the one hand, the 2D sprites are excellently animated, and I love the overall art direction. On the other hand, the 2D sprites look very low resolution. It's fairly easy to overlook this when remembering that the game isn't on the 360/PS3, especially when the pure charm of the characters is as great as it is. The variety in the characters (both technically and visually) is very impressive. Special effects are limited in scope, but are pleasantly varied and animated, keeping up the pace with the characters themselves.


The sound, like the visuals, is a mixed bag. The music just doesn't stand out. Few melodies, if any, managed to get stuck in my head, and that's not a good thing. The music is passable, but certainly isn't exceptional. Then again, and thankfully, the music doesn't drive the game. As far as the sound effects are concerned, they fare much better than the music. Though they don't exactly stand out, the sound effects satisfy the needs of the game.

KoFXI is a very minimalistic package beyond these things. Game modes are limited to arcade, tag, and single modes (both having versus support). Arcade and tag modes are practically identical, and make up the core experience. Single mode gives players the ability to choose a single fighter for a more traditional brawl. There's also a mission mode that doubles for training, requiring specific things to happen in battles. The options menu houses a surprising (though generally insignificant) ability to change the colors of any given character. There is also a variety of unlockable art. The story mode is short, but will take a while to beat due to its challenge. If you happen to have friends or family who enjoy fighting games, KoFXI could become a social addiction due to its competitive nature.

Morally, the game is pretty standard fare for a 2D fighter. Violence is fundamental. Kicks, punches, throws, and special moves, are all present to best an opponent. There are blood sprays associated with some attacks, but there are no brutal fatalities. Generally speaking, the source of power for super-moves are unknown. An exception is one character who seems to be a necromancer (one who employs the dead) and a boss character who also possesses strange power. One of the key story elements in Arcade mode involves stopping enemies from unleashing a great evil. Many female characters have visible cleavage and exposed midriffs. Though limited to a couple of characters, some have a little bit of bounce in the animation. So far as I can recall, alcohol consumption is limited to a fighter who uses a fighting style similar to drunken boxing. Though the ESRB warns of mild language, I don't recall any, so my best guess is that "da--" or "b------" may show up in a victory/defeat screen.

On the whole, King of Fighters XI is a great fighting game. It's very no-frills in its design, but that is easy to forgive when keeping in mind that fighting games revolve around the fighting engine, and that this fighting engine is one of the best. On top of that, the game released as a bargain title and is easy to find on the cheap today. As much as I love the game, it really isn't perfect. The audio and video departments are very much last-gen. It's a step up from the late 90's Street Fighter Alpha games, but it's not impressive in terms of production. Still, those looking for an extremely solid fighting game to add to their collection really need look no further. The game is thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding. It's not for everyone, but those of us who "get" hardcore fighting games would be wise to get this one.

-Kenny Yeager (kenny@revolve21.com)
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Review - Dead or Alive 4

Developer/Publisher: Team Ninja / Tecmo
Release Date: December 29th, 2005
Available On: Xbox 360
Genre: Fighting
Number of Players: 1-4 (both online and local)
Strong Points: Very fast and fun fighting system; a superb offering of both single player and multiplayer fighting game content; many characters with different fighting styles so that there is a fighter for everyone
Weak Points: An extremely long learning curve will likely put certain users off
Technical Score: B
Artistic Score: B
Final Score (not an average): B
Moral Warnings: Intense hand to hand combat; extremely revealing costumes to the point where they could not possibly keep certain body parts of the female fighters covered in real life; partial nudity and some sexual content (in the ending cut scenes); some language

The games in the Dead or Alive series, brought to us by Team Ninja, have always been about countering and pulling off impressive combos. According to many, the forth installment has outdone itself greatly by offering up never before seen graphics, unbelievably fast combat, and one of the best online strategies ever seen in a fighting game. However, being one of the first Xbox 360 games to release, could it be that consumers have just been blasted away by the power of the 360, with all the hype being given to DoA4 really just attributed to Microsoft’s new system?

The Dead or Alive games have always been fast, beautiful fighters, relying on countering (same as a reverse), combined with many long combos, as the main way to victory. To narrow that down even more, the previous DoA games have had more of an emphasis on countering, especially when against the computer. Naturally, two experienced human players wouldn’t get very far in a fight if all they try to do to each other is counter.

The fourth installment hasn’t changed in most regards, with one major exception, and that would be the countering. The window to perform a successful counter has been drastically shrunk, which means that the speed has also been revamped greatly. So, if people enter this game with the notion of button mashing, they’re in for a rude awakening unless if they are incredibly lucky.


As with many fighting games, it is best to pick one character and master him/her, before moving on. Dead or Alive 4 has a good character roster of 16, and everyone’s fighting style varies greatly. What this means is, nearly everyone’s tastes when it comes to picking a fighter will be satisfied. Everything from Bass’ Pro-wrestling, power punching style, to the lightning quick attacks of Ayane or Kasumi is included in DoA4. However, some characters aren’t as good as others for beginners. Certain individuals need you to be a far more effective counter then others, like Bass or Bayman, making them far worse pick up and play characters then, say, Ryu Hayabusa, who, at least in my experience, works well for beginners.

All of these characters, excluding any unlockable ones, can play through Dead or Alive 4’s story mode which consists of eight battles in total, usually ending with Alpha 152 as the final boss. Also, a few of people are unlocked when Story Mode is beaten with a character (beating it with Hitomi unlocks Ein, etc.). All characters except for the unlockables have their own movie ending that plays after beating Story with them, and these can be watched any time afterwards through DoA’s Movie Theatre. As with many fighting games, completing the Story Mode with each individual character unlocks a costum for him/her. However, Story Mode isn’t the only place to unlock customs. It works with Timed Mode as well.

There is a timed mode that is almost exactly like Story Mode, save there are two rounds in a fight instead of one, and there are no movie endings whatsoever.

Another fight mode in DoA4 is Survival. In this you take on 100 opponents in a row without a break. However, you do get small items that replenish your health whenever you defeat someone, so it isn’t as merciless as it sounds.

As with most fighting games, there is also a training mode, which works wonders if you’re new at the game. Training mode is open to all characters, including any unlockable ones, and through this mode you practice through all of your selected fighter’s combos. You can also set your opponent to perform any attack, which allows you to hone your countering skills as well.

The final mode in Dead or Alive 4 would be its most popular and also the most fulfilling to play, and that would be versus multiplayer. There are two kinds of multiplayer: one on one and Tag Matches. The one on one matches are just like any other fighting game: you and your opponent both pick their fighter and duke it out for a set number of rounds, which the player can set. Tag matches have four players instead of the traditional two, having it be a two on two fight. However, only two of the four fighters are in the ring at a time, but your partner can, by clicking Left Bumper, switch in to take over the fight which places the replaced fighter outside the ring, where he/she regenerates health slowly. Switching in/out with the right timing can lead to unbelievably long and powerful combos. However, picking the right time to switch in/out is utterly crucial to your success as a failed Tag combo will likely result in much pain, and possibly losing the match.


The previous games in the Dead or Alive series have always stayed ahead of their competition in terms of visuals, and the fourth entry remains consistent with that legacy. Quite literally, the game shines of beauty. The character models themselves are remarkable, having realistic effects like flowing hair and rippling garments. That, combined with ever so lifelike character models, albeit a bit anime style, give this game a good face, and that’s not even including the surprisingly detailed environments, which only add to the greatness of this game’s graphics engine. Speaking of the environments, one thing that has been improved upon in Team Ninja’s new fighter is the interactivity that can be found in many of the levels within the game. Things like getting hit by a cheetah or a car will drain your health. Most of the levels also have a second plateau within them, and if you hit your opponent down to it, you’ll damage them considerably.

The music in DoA4 I found forgettable, usually being nothing more then monotonous background noise. However, that’s not to say that this game fails everywhere in the sound department. Bone crunching punches and kicks vibrate through your speakers with an awesome resonance that only adds to the enjoyment of the game. Every playable character in the game is voiced in Japanese, with one exception being the Spartan, who has a very strong Southern American voice that, quite frankly, feels out of place in the midst of all the Japanese talk.

Morally, Dead or Alive 4 fails on several fronts. First of all, being a fighting game, DoA4 naturally has its share of violence in the form of punching, kicking and grappling. While not overly brutal, the combat does have a fair amount of bone breaking and the like. However, after someone has their arm or neck snapped they simply get up and are miraculously healed. Also, there is no blood in the fighting whatsoever. Far worse then the violent content would be the sexual substance found in Dead or Alive 4. Ever since the first game debuted in the arcade, the games in the Dead or Alive series have been infamous for their “bouncing breasts” physics. Though that “feature” is less prominent in the latest installment, other sexual content, ranging from skimpy outfits to partial nudity, warrants a strong M rating by the ESRB. Having the majority of the voices in Japanese, the game has next to none spoken swearing, yet there is a bit of language in the subtitles, mainly d*** and h***, yet god**** and b****** were used once as well.

I can easily recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of the fighting game genre that will not be put off by the immoral content. It also has a solid online system that will give many, many hours of replay. Add on to that the impressive graphics and a very robust fighting system, and the next fighter to be released on Xbox 360 has a high bar to pass.

-Zack Atwell (zack@revolve21.com)
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Review - Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution

Developer/Publisher: Sega-AM2 / Sega
Release Date: August 13th, 2003
Available On: Arcade, Playstation 2 (version reviewed)
Genre: Fighting
Number of Players: 1-2 players (local)
Strong Points: Extremely deep fighting system; tons of unlockable content; great single- and multi-player game modes
Weak Points: Learning curve my be too steep; no widescreen support
Technical Score: A
Artistic Score: B
Final Score (not an average): A
Moral Warnings: Brutal, realistic martial arts violence; some revealing costumes; training dummy is a metallic nude female (lacks detail)


Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution has been dubbed by many to be the pinnacle of Sega-AM2's long running series. With the ridiculously technical fighting system of VF4 (which the series has long been known for), Evolution built upon its foundation with subtle modifications and an expanded array of customization content. Though there is a loose plot in the background of VF4:Evolution, the developer's focus is entirely on the gameplay.

For the unaware, Virtua Fighter's history has been one of deep gameplay experiences riding on the back of technological advancement. In less wordy terms, Virtua Fighter's engines have always required players to learn their characters in order to win. With a couple of possible exceptions, the various fighters have never responded well to players that simply mash the buttons and hope for the best. Though this may deter many casual gamers, the more dedicated gamers have generally been Sega-AM2's target audience. Indeed, gamers that are willing to put the effort in to learn a fighter's various moves have always found a deeply rewarding engine underneath it all.

VF4:Evolution, in short, does the series justice. However, in spite of its seeming favoritism towards patient gamers, Evolution has a couple of characters that allow newcomers to perform cool looking attack combinations with relative ease. All the same, a fairly skilled player will still hold an advantage with a better grasp of how incoming attacks flow, allowing them to guard against, or even reverse, an opponent's efforts. To make things better yet, every character in the game (of which there are 16) is truly distinct. No two characters have the same feel or “canned combos” (attack combinations built into the game). For the less hardcore players, this means that there is likely to be a character well suited for a particular fighting style; however, for the more hardcore players, this means that there are 16 unique characters to learn and master.

Each of these 16 characters represents an entirely different fighting style based on a real-world martial art. These arts vary in background and function, and appreciators of the arts should be pleased. From the absolute brutality of Goh's Judo, to the lightning speed of Jacky's Jeet Kun Do (the fighting style developed by Bruce Lee), to the defensive elegance of Aoi's Aiki-Jujitsu, the various martial arts are fairly well represented in Evolution. Just as important as the realism of these arts is the fact that they are all fairly well balanced in regards to the gameplay; no discipline has a sure advantage over any other. Instead, like a game of chess, the winner will be the one who is most able to plan a strategy, set it in motion, and react well to opponent's actions.

VF4:Evolution provides a handful of game modes. The original Arcade mode is present in order to simulate the progression that an arcade cabinet would have. This is as simple as attempting to work through a ladder of opponents to gain ultimate victory with a high score. A second player can jump in at any time as a challenger. If a player loses a match in Arcade mode, he/she can continue from that point in the ladder with a loss in the score. In all reality, you probably won't be spending much time in the Arcade mode. The Versus mode, the very impressive Quest mode, and the great Training mode, will be where gamers are most likely to spend their time.

For many fighting game enthusiasts, the competition with real people is where all of the fun happens. That is largely the case in Evolution. The match options are fairly basic, consisting of simple settings for rounds per match and time per round. Still, the Virtua Fighter series has never really been about bells and whistles; in spite of its no-frills appearance, the Versus mode provides exactly what it ought to: quick access to excellent competition with friends. The balance and variety of the various fighters shines most brightly in the Versus matches. Matches are generally quick and intense. As mentioned previously, the fighting system really pushes players to not only learn how to control their characters of choice, but also learn how to read and respond to their opponents. Without doubt, this is the chess of fighting games. Thanks the the character variety and playing styles, Versus mode has practically infinite replay value so long as you can keep others around. As an added bonus, the customizations made to character appearances in the Quest mode can be brought into the Versus mode for players to give that personal touch to their favorite characters.

Quest mode is a surprisingly deep single-player experience that does a great job as a substitute for playing with other people; this is probably because the opponent AI in Quest mode is modeled after the fighting techniques used by some of the best players in Japan. Not only does the AI reflect playing in an arcade with skilled players, but the presentation also sucks gamers into a great simulation of an arcade experience. Players will face off against endless opponents while gaining ranks and unlocking a plethora of visual customizations for their characters of choice. While gaining respect in the various arcades in Quest mode, tournaments will become available throughout the region. Winning these competitions result in more fame, fortune, and customization items. Though this may sound like a barely modified form of the core Arcade mode, the actual presentation and progression of Quest mode sets it apart in fighting games.

The Training mode is also a most welcome part of the ensemble. Though it would be easy to make light of a training mode, assuming that it merely gives you a move list and a practice dummy, Evolution's Training mode is exceptional. The game offers hand-holding for every move and canned combo of every character. With a game as complex and deep as Evolution, this kind of training tool is practically necessary. In addition to this portion of Training mode, a typical do-what-you-want-to-a-dummy option is offered. This option allows for all of the common dummy-control options such as whether or not it attacks and so forth.

As if Evolution didn't offer gamers enough bang for their buck in the core package, Sega-AM2 decided to include a special 10th Anniversary mode. This mode tweaks the fighting engine to resemble the original Virtua Fighter (including the floating jumps) and replaces the character models with low-polygon models similar to those of the first game. Smaller and lacking walls, the original stages are in place. For the most part, the majority of the character movesets remain intact. Though the 10th Anniversary mode won't likely be the mainstay for most gamers, it is a most pleasant addition to Evolution.

Though Virtua Fighter has never put bells and whistles above the core gameplay experience, the series has rarely disappointed in technological progress. Evolution is no exception to this rule. The character models and animations are extremely well done and smooth for the PS2 hardware. Make no mistake, this is not the most beautiful game to ever be released on the PS2; however, it is still pleasing on the eyes. There is never a lack of fluidity in the animations. The models and their actions bear great expressions. The environments in Evolution may not be interactive (aside from the snow that covers the ground of one stage), but they are well designed and look good. This is even better thanks to the variety of lighting and weather effects in place on most of the stages. The only real disappointment in the visual department is the lack of support for 16:9 widescreen and progressive scan. However, given the release date of the game, this is acceptable.

In addition to the generally beautiful appearance of Evolution, the audio aspects of the game hold their own. The combat sounds are as hard-hitting as the fighting demands. The sound of air displacement as fists flash relays the speed and intesnity of the fights. The sound of a successful hit lets you know that contact was made. The sounds of a devastating blow are appropriately brutal. Every character has an array of voiceover commentary, as well. It is a pleasant surprise to find that these voice snippets are actually enjoyable when it is common for such voice work to be exceedingly annoying. From the memorable sound of hitting the start button on the title screen, to every bit of the interface, the sound effects work well. Though the game's soundtrack may not consist of the most memorable tunes around, the music is well suited for the game, as well.

Perhaps the biggest issue surrounding Evolution that gamers will have to face is the fact that Virtua Fighter 5 has recently been released on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Because of this, it is important to ask how well Evolution can hold its own against its successor. Make no mistake, in just about every regards, VF5 surpasses Evolution. The biggest changes are in the visuals, an increase in the fighter roster, and, in the case of the 360, online play. By all means, VF5 is beautiful. Though the new fighters make VF5 more accessible to less hardcore players than Evolution, the core experience is largely unchanged; it does, however, feel slightly faster and smoother than Evolution. The online play could be a large draw for enthusiasts, but the overall simplicity of the online play modes does weaken its draw.

Regarding the moral content of Evolution, it is a fairly simple matter. The violence can get fairly brutal (bones should be broken, and some moves literally kick opponents while they're down). However, there is no blood or gore. There is no profanity that can be recalled. The supernatural is also absent. There is no sexual content, per se, but some of the female character costumes can be revealing. Fortunately, it is entirely an optional matter to choose such costumes. The big exception to this is Dural, a semi-human that plays the role of the Training mode dummy. This model has a female form that is completely metallic in appearance, but she is naked; in direct terms, her breasts are fully visible in form, but, given the nature of the character appearance, it is hardly any different than a full-body wetsuit. Additionally, there is no exaggerated bouncing breast physics engine in place (though some bounce is visible in Dural).

Without doubt, Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution is the thinker's fighting game. The extremely deep and rewarding fighting system will either turn gamers away or turn them into lifelong fans that will never get enough of the game. Though the game is marketed towards the more hardcore fans of the genre, it is not completely inaccessible to the more mainstream gamers thanks to a handful of simpler characters. The almost overwhelming depth of Quest mode, and the always addicting nature of the Versus mode, will keep players hooked for a long time. Though great, everything else is just the icing on the cake. Given the violent nature of the game (and the few cases of revealing costumes that can be donned by female characters), Evolution is not for everyone. Still, it is one of the most morally acceptable fighting games around, and one of the best overall games in its class. VF5 may be on store shelves now, but Evolution is a fraction of the price. Though VF5 is better than Evolution in just about every way, with how similar the core experience is, Evolution can still hold its own for most gamers. If you're a fan of the genre, you pretty much owe it to yourself to pick this game up.

-Kenny Yeager (kenny@revolve21.com)
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Review - Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Developer/Publisher: HAL Laboratory, Inc. / Nintendo
Release Date: March 9th, 2008
Available On: Nintendo Wii
Genre: Fighting
Number of Players: 1-4 players (offline), 1-4 players (online)
Strong Points: Accessible yet strategic gameplay; fantastic multiplayer; amazing soundtrack; great visuals; long shelf-life
Weak Points: Less than stellar Adventure mode; issues in online play
Technical Score: A
Artistic Score: B
Final Score (not an average): A
Moral Warnings: Generally cartoonish, over-the-top violence; mild flatulence humor; a couple of female form-fitting costumes


Brawl is Nintendo's frantic, over-the-top take on the fighting game genre. Brawl throws 35 of the company's popular characters (and a couple of extras from other publishers) into a battle royale, equipping them with signature weapons, attacks, and a huge array of items from Nintendo's expansive game catalog. Though the game's appeal is greatest for those who have followed with the company's history, Nintendo masterfully brings its historical triumphs together in a game designed for today and tomorrow. Frantic and yet paced, accessible and yet strategic, simple and yet wildly addictive, Brawl is one of very few games that not only aims to please everyone, but also comes very near to achieving that goal.

For those of you just looking for another recommendation for Brawl, here it is: Brawl is an amazing game with more replay value than can be expressed. If you're not put off by the over-the-top violence, then this game absolutely belongs in your library regardless of your particular gaming preferences. If, however, you're looking for a more detailed review, sit down and buckle up; you're about to get what you're looking for.


Even from the opening cinematic of Brawl and its epic landscape and heroic cast, complete with a powerful score by Nobuo Uematsu, long time gamers can tell that they're in for a treat. Brawl is, in many ways, Nintendo's message to its devoted fans; the game is a huge piece of nostalgic fan service. From the wide variety of characters new and old to the massive collection of in-game collectibles based on an array of franchises, from the expansive soundtrack featuring most of gaming's great composers to the usable in-game items that pull from even more franchises, followers of Nintendo are left with hardly little room to ask for more. The title is not perfect, but it is practically a dream come true for fans of the included franchises, and is accessible and appealing enough for everyone else to enjoy thoroughly. However, since franchise fans have no excuse for not owning Brawl already, I'll now focus on discussing Brawl as a game entirely on its own merit instead of its value as fan service.

The main draw of the Super Smash Bros. series has always been its crazy multiplayer action. Though the game has expanded to include other modes since the series' first incarnation, the core of Brawl's experience is still in the high-speed arenas. Unlike conventional fighters, Brawl is about knocking your opponents into oblivion without actually killing them. In order to achieve this, opponents must first be dealt considerable damage. As opponents are beat up, they become more susceptible to being knocked off of the fighting arena and past the point of no return. Additionally, item usage is (generally) heavily emphasized in combat. In this, Brawl has much more in common with a competitive action game than a traditional martial arts simulation style of fighting game.

With the exception of a few clone-like characters, everyone in the cast is equipped with a unique list of attacks. Attacks vary in speed, power, and range. Some characters focus on a flurry of hand-to-hand strikes, some characters fight from a distance with blasters and bows, and some characters focus on strong, sweeping strikes with a sword. Though every character has a unique move set, actually using these moves is very easy. Characters have basic attacks, smash attacks, and special attacks, in addition to a shield, grab, jumping, item-using, and dodging skills. Each attack is executed with a simple combination of pressing a button and applying the directional pad or control stick.

I must detour for a moment here. Brawl supports numerous control schemes. Full support is given to the Wiimote, Wiimote and Nunchuck, Classic Controller, and, for fans of Melee, the Gamecube controller. All control schemes are easy to use and intuitive with no control scheme holding an intrinsic advantage. Nintendo has done a kind thing for gamers by giving them these options. However, the one thing that I should mention is that there is no motion control. There's no reason to complain about this, but the lack of IR support for the menus does seem a bit odd. Nevertheless, game controls are tight, responsive, and easy to use, no matter which controller style is being used.

Returning to the fighting system, in spite of the simplicity of using attacks, using them effectively is nowhere near as easy. As a rule, "button mashing" tactics won't help players overcome their opponents. Knowing exactly which attacks to use at which times is highly strategic. Moreover, the way it is implemented allows for gamers to learn at their own speed. Nintendo managed to balance the learning curve extremely well in Brawl. Even more strategy is brought into the game through the items that appear randomly in the arena throughout a match. Some of these items provide character alterations such as invisibility and weight, some of these items heal fighters, some of these items provide new melee or ranged attacks, and some of these items provide random effects.

Of particular note among the items are the Pokeballs and the new Assist Trophies. Pokeballs, when thrown, result in a random Pokemon appearing to use one of its attacks. Generally, these means damaging enemies, but it can sometimes result in healing effects or putting enemies to sleep. The Assist Trophies are similar in concept, but they are almost exclusively attack driven; they are also more effective than Pokeballs. Assist Trophies, when picked up and activated, result in a randomly chosen character from another game showing up and acting in a way signature of that character. An example would be a Metroid that attaches itself to an opponent, dealing damage in the process.

A feature that is truly new to the series is the Final Smash. The Final Smash is executed by acquiring a power up (represented by a glowing Super Smash Bros. insignia that floats around the playing field, requiring that it be attacked sufficiently in order to claim it) then using the special attack button. The Final Smashes are very big, very flashy, and very powerful. These attacks can result in a massive shift in match standing for the user. However, these attacks do not assure victory. Just as there is a strategy in using the standard attacks and items, the Final Smash must be executed at the right time in order to be effective. Some Final Smashes (such as Mario's, which damages nearly everyone on screen) are easier to use effectively than others (such as Captain Falcon's, which requires an enemy be standing right next to the player to be effective). Nintendo managed to balance the Final Smashes very well, and they are a most welcome addition. When the Final Smash sphere appears, all players typically race for it; this adds a new level of competition, and an occasional change of pace, to the game.

In regards to the core game of Brawl, the level of customization available in the main battle mode is ridiculous. The drop rates of every item can be adjusted, computerized players can be customized in their battle intelligence, gravity can be adjusted, and so much more. There are multiple ways to define the win condition of a match. It is possible to play to gain the most knock offs in a given amount of time, to play with a limited number of lives, to play for coins gained by dealing damage, and so on. The main battle mode is where most players will spend most of their time, but it is far from the only mode.

There are also a variety of survival modes that require players to face off against armies of enemies for as long as possible. Aside from modified battles, however, there are a few other options. A series of Break the Target levels are in the game. These levels involve running around a stage as a given character to destroy ten targets scattered about the stage in as little time as possible. However, the three newest additions to the series are the level creator, enhanced Adventure mode, Supspace Emissary, and the Wi-Fi Connection mode.

The level creator is far from being the most innovative or exciting level creator ever seen in a game. That being said, it is a nice gesture that should be appreciated for what it is. The level creator gives would be level designers a blank canvas on which they can give life to their ideas of amazing playing fields. The variety of design elements is not very exciting, but the basics are in place. Levels can be created in one of three level sizes, placed on one of three backdrops, and set to any of the songs unlocked in the main game. Once those decisions have been made, an empty grid is presented to the level designer. From here, designers can apply floors, slopes, stairs, a few structures, and a variety of interactive elements such as moving platforms. Perhaps the coolest feature of the level creator is that completed levels can be submitted to Nintendo's servers via the internet. And, in turn, a created level is chosen every day to be made available by an automatic daily download. Though it's uncommon for user-created levels to hold their own against the ones built into the game, this feature ensures continued newness and variety for a long time to come.

Subspace Emissary, the newly redesigned Adventure mode, is another nice gesture. The Adventure mode is a story driven sequence of platformer-esque levels involving the whole of the game's cast (Subspace Emissary being the easiest way to unlock the full cast). As far as the story narrative is concerned, it plays out in a series of cutscenes between each of the levels. However, the cutscenes are completely devoid of dialogue or verbal explanation of the events. The result is a flashy silent film without the slides of text. For those willing to get past the generally uninteresting (though very nice on the eyes) story, the platforming aspect of the Adventure mode can be fun. Generally playing out like a traditional 2D platformer with expanded moments of fighting, and leading to a normal brawl with a boss, the mode does offer a nice change of pace. Then again, the character handling for the platforming segments is identical to the fighting game, and it doesn't translate as smoothly or enjoyably as it could. Because of this, Subspace Emissary doesn't come close to being a game-seller, nor even all that great, but it is nice to have included.

The Wi-Fi Connection support is, possibly, the thing most likely to motivate fans of the series to buy Brawl. At its core, Brawl's multiplayer fighting translates well to internet play. It's easy to set up for a randomly matched online game. Friend codes are present for those who want to play with people they know. Unfortunately, the execution of online play does seem a bit troublesome. For me, and many others across the internet, actually getting into a random match is difficult. This could be a matter of overloaded matchmaking servers (which is very possible given the sales figures of Brawl). Whatever the case may be, it is not always easy to get into an online match. However, once in an online match, the game code seems pretty solid. If everyone in the match has a decent internet connection, lag is hardly present at all. On the other hand, a weak connection in the group could make the gameplay much less enjoyable. Because of these things, online play really does work best when playing with people on your friends list.

Games like Brawl are meant to last gamers a very long time. Having an enjoyable, accessible, deep, and, most of all, addicting, fighting system is central to the lasting value of a game. Nintendo has succeeding in creating such a system, but they didn't stop there in giving gamers more bang for their buck. The reality of the matter is that there is a ton of stuff to unlock in the game. Players can unlock characters, stages, usable items, songs, trophies, demos of Virtual Console titles, and even some more. The inclusion of the Virtual Console demos is a strong marketing move by Nintendo as it not only gives players a glimpse the characters' origins, but also turns players towards purchasing those games. Of all of the unlockables, the trophies are what will be most commonly acquired. These trophies include characters, items, and other things, straight out of Nintendo's past. Admittedly, the unlockables have a bit of nostalgic appeal, but those who enjoy unlocking everything in a game will get a great deal of play time from Brawl.


Of course, the fact that Brawl is a visual treat for the Wii hardware will make that time even more enjoyable. The visuals of Brawl are some of the best on the system at this point in time. Initial screenshots had some people concerned that the game wouldn't look much better than Melee did; however, once Brawl was seen in action, all concerns were relieved. In action, Brawl is beautiful. The character models are smooth, the environments are alive, the special effects are strong, and everything runs at a reported 60 frames per second.

First of all, the character models take the focus in Brawl, so why not start there? Given the variety of the source materials, few of the characters have an art style that is consistent with any other characters. Nevertheless, from the polygon counts to the high resolution texture maps, all of the characters are highly detailed. That, while well and good for screenshots, doesn't necessarily mean anything for gameplay; fortunately, every action of every character shows polish and fluidity. The animation portrays natural (or unnatural as the case may be) actions in a convincing manner. Heavy strikes look deliberate, quick jabs are lithe, and ridiculous maneuvers actually look plausible. Still, every action is animated in a fashion that remains true to the source material.

Next, the environments will definitely catch your eye while playing the game. With stages varying from serene outdoors to high speed space chases, all of which are inspired by the game's source materials, the variety of the locales will hardly get stale. The level of detail in the environments is also very impressive. For example, a space level inspired by Starfox contains a ship cruising through an asteroid field. The farthest reaches of the background have a decent starscape. Of primary interest is the astroid field itself. Each chunk of rock is well rendered and lit; each asteroid is highly detailed, spinning aimlessly through space. However, the environment doesn't end there. Other things happen in the background while fighting, including Arwings (the primary fighter ship of the Starfox games) flying through. Other stages include interactive environments, demanding gamers be on their toes to avoid attacks from the stage itself. Some stages have destructible environments, allowing the playing field to change throughout a match. Still, in all of this, the graphical detail never takes a hit while stages come alive. Instead, the way that the various worlds come to life causes Brawl to further impress on a visual front.

Beyond the characters and the environments are the special effects. Fortunately for those who like eye candy, Nintendo does not fail to impress. Though the life of Brawl is found in its characters and worlds, it is the special effects, from the subtle to the extreme, that really give the game the oomph it needs to be an eye-catcher, leaving very little to be desired. Lighting effects are implemented very well. This is especially seen in the Final Smashes where dimming and a great deal of glow effects take place. The energy burst and spark effects associated with the clashes add vibrancy to the fights. Likewise, explosion, fire, and smoke, effects give the combat a much bigger and more powerful feel. Unfortunately, the significance, and beauty, of the special effects can hardly be captured in words. Truly, this is one area where seeing is believing.

Unfortunately, the music of Brawl also needs to be experienced first hand to fully understand how masterful it is. As mentioned at the beginning of the review, Brawl's soundtrack consists of a great number of songs pulled from the various franchises represented in Brawl that have been rearranged by some of the finest composers in the industry. From Koji Kondo, who has written most of Nintendo's most well-known songs, to Nobuo Uematsu, known especially for the Final Fantasy soundtracks, to Yasunori Mitsuda, responsible for the masterpiece soundtrack of Chrono Trigger, few game soundtracks have ever dared to be so ambitious. Even more important than ambitions in this case are results. The bottom line is that Brawl's soundtrack is moving, diverse, and completely beautiful. Even without the nostalgic factors, it is clear that this soundtrack was a labor of love for all who worked on it. The expansive list of unlockable songs, combined with the game's jukebox-like mode, nearly warrants Brawl's purchase on its own; the music is simply that good.

Likewise, the sound effects and voice samples are nothing to scoff at either. Signature voice samples are present, fitting, and polished. From Mario's victory cry to Ganondorf's evil laugh, the spirit of the characters carries over in the sound department just as well as it does in visual department. Beyond the sampled voices, attacks and items carry a range of sound effects with them, as well. Many of the sound effects are remastered versions of sounds from the various source materials, such as Mario's jumping attack, which has a sound based on what was heard in the first Super Mario Bros., but not all sounds come from older games. Regardless of source, the sound effects are always spot-on.

The only thing left that really demands attention is Brawl's moral fiber. Given the very nature of the game, violence is a central element. The violence in Brawl is almost always over-the-top in a cartoonish way. Even in the more realistic characters like Snake, the result of the violence is never a bloody mess or broken bone. Instead, the violence leads to sending opponents soaring through the sky. To clarify, players do not fight to the death, in that sense; players gain victory by knocking opponents out of the playing field. Beyond the violence, there is some mild crude humor seen in Wario's passing gas. Additionally, the new Zero Suit Samus (seen in the second screenshot) and Shiek (Zelda's alter-ego), wear form fitting outfits. These outfits are no more revealing than a wetsuit, however. On the positive side of things, the game's barebones narrative gives emphasis to heroic virtue and self-sacrifice.

To sum things up, Super Smash Bros. Brawl may not be the most original game ever made, but it is a very solid title. Easily in the running for one of the best games released this year, as well as one of the best games to hit the Wii so far, Brawl offers more bang for your buck than nearly any game on the market. The game is an absolute must have for fans of Nintendo's long list of franchises, but Nintendo's ever-present desire to make games that involve everybody ensured that Brawl can be enjoyed by nearly everyone. With the only room for complaint being in the mediocre Adventure mode and sometimes troublesome online play, the game gets every else extremely right. If the over-the-top violence and other moral factors do not turn you away, Brawl is one game that absolutely belongs in your collection.

-Kenny Yeager (kenny@revolve21.com)
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