There have been many fighting game franchises that have survived the test of time from previous generations to the current one, but few that have had the flair and intensity that the Soul Calibur series has repeatedly assaulted gamers with over the years. With its first release on next-gen consoles, Soul Calibur IV looks to up the ante and take the title of ultimate fighter from other lightning fast, kick to the head titles such as Dead or Alive IV and Virtua Fighter 5.

Everything that Soul Calibur IV does, it does well, and even when you are ready to snap your controller in half out of frustration because you were beaten ten rounds mercilessly in a row, you can’t help but still be smitten by the incredible visuals and the beauty of how gracefully you just had your ass handed to you. The game remains true to its predecessors while at the same time adding new features that make the latest installment one of - if not the best - entry in the series to date.

Like all fighting games since the beginning of time itself, Soul Calibur IV includes the standard fare of Arcade and Story mode, as well as Versus mode so you and your friends can beat the snot out of each other. A new addition to the series however is the inclusion of online play over Xbox LIVE and a little something that gives the game extra playtime called the Tower of Souls. Arcade mode pits you in eight rounds against various enemies and you rack up points based on how well you performed. Story mode is as it sounds – for the most part – since the stories that are told are bare bones minimum and consist mainly of cut scenes used by many other characters in the game and a screen of text once you have completed the last fight.

With over thirty characters in the game, it’s excusable to have a rather feeble story mode. During story mode, some characters will have other characters join them in stages while some characters will unlock hidden characters that weren’t expected to appear. With a total of six unlockable characters, the oddest of the bunch and the one that received the most head scratching is StarKiller, also known as The Secret Apprentice, from the upcoming Star Wars game, Force Unleashed. Previous Soul Calibur games had some misfits added to the rosters (Link anyone? ) but this latest version definitely takes the cake with Yoda (the 360 version) and Darth Vader (the PlayStation 3 version) appearing as characters in the game, knocking the Soul Calibur canon into oblivion.

With so many characters to choose from, the range of visual and fighting styles run the gamut of everything you could imagine along with some serious weaponry, not to mention the many clones of fighters that you will face through out different sections of the game, especially in the Tower of Souls. The Tower of Souls is a new addition to the series where you start off by choosing two fighters and start ascending floor by floor. As you progress higher and higher, the battles get more difficult and more rewarding. Once you reach the 20th floor, you can then choose to continue upwards to the 60th floor or choose to descend the tower which throws wave after wave of enemies at you until you and your tag team partner can no long survive the onslaught.