14 DAY TRIAL // Namco Bandai's latest release, the fighting game Soul Calibur IV, seems to be one of those titles that will break a few records. First of all, it was the first title in five years to grab the top spot as the best selling game in the UK and now we have word from the publishers that they have shipped no less than two million copies of the game (although we would've completely loved to know how many of them were actually sold...) Still, these are some pretty high numbers and if all these copies sell soon enough, Soul Calibur IV will always be remembered as Namco's gold pot.
The game was just released on the 29th of July but people have rushed to purchase it and praise it. It really seems that Namco managed to do it this time and offer a great old school fighting experience. Soul Calibur IV has a recommended retail price of $59.99 and it also comes in a limited Premium Edition that costs $79.99. Apparently, sales are better for the Xbox 360 version (at least in the UK).
Namco's game is the latest in their series of fighting titles, delivering new gameplay modes and characters as well as a bunch of enhanced features along with state-of-the-art 3D modeling and animation. The game also boasts pretty amazing character customization, with endless possibilities, and to top it all, the online battle mode should prove once more that next-gen fighting games clearly lacked this feature. Oh yes, let's not forget the Star Wars characters that can be met while playing! They probably had an impact on sales figures, too.
Because, yes, Soul Calibur IV is... a Star Wars title! Or, at least, it's slowly turning into one, since no less than three characters from the Star Wars universe are present in the game: Darth Vader's "Secret Apprentice" on both platforms, while Yoda and Darth Vader himself are playable characters on specific consoles (the first on Xbox 360s and the second on PS3s).