The fourth Soulcalibur game was once again developed by Project Soul for Namco. It was first released in 2008 for the PS3 and XBox 360, through Namco Bandai Games.

Once again, the developers have changed the play modes, compared to the previous Soulcalibur game. In single-player there’s a story mode (similar to what we’ve seen previously), a mode called “Tower of Lost Souls“, where you fight your way up a tower of increasingly tougher teams of opponents (which sounds a bit like “Mortal Kombat Mode” to me), and the return of Arcade Mode, where you can fight with or without weapons.

Soulcalibur IV has a roster of 34 playable fighters, some of which must be unlocked by purchasing them on the Character Creation screen. Of particular note is the presence of Darth Vader, who is available from the start, and is one of three Star Wars guest characters. The other two (Yoda and The Apprentice), are secrets that must be unlocked by playing the game.

Once again the Soulcalibur ‘feel’ has been retained and enhanced. There’s an all-new Critical Finish system, where you can execute special killer moves by building up a meter called a ‘Soul Gauge‘. In general, though, the fighting remains spectacular and refined.

For the first time in the series, Soulcalibur IV includes an online multiplayer option, although I haven’t tried it. So I don’t know if it’s still accessible or not.

More: Soulcalibur IV on Wikipedia