The Gamer Girlfriend 2.14.09: Soul Calibur 4

Posted by Greg Bruno on 02.14.2009

Greg and Andi battle it out in a special Valentines day Edition of The Gamer Girlfriend. Love is war!



Welcome to another edition of The Gamer Girlfriend. We hope everyone got someone out there to play Mario Kart Wii with them since last time. It really was a fun and easy game for pretty much anyone to pick up. This month, however, we're shifting gears away from the driving games and going to get just a little more hardcore.

We thought that since it is Valentine's Day, Andi and I should spend some time alone together. Maybe light some candles, open a bottle of wine, get real close, and kick each other's asses!

Oh yea, this month we're playing Soul Calibur 4 for the Xbox 360.



We chose this game because we plan on covering all the different styles of games. We've gone through the FPS genre (Halo) and the racing genre (Mario Kart). We figured a fighting game would be a good choice. Honestly though, who hasn't felt like hitting their significant other with a iron rod at one point or another in a relationship?

Luckily for us, we have the beautiful Andi J to give us some insight into how you too can get your girlfriend to kick your ass (in a video game, of course.)



Before we play, what would you say this game is about just by looking at its cover art?

Andi:
The cover of this game cracks me up. I already knew what soul calibur was about, but if I didn't know… I would think it was about an epic love triangle between Yoda, a beautiful princess warrior and a scorned and tormented Brett Michaels fan. Was it really necessary to put the green guy on the cover

Graphics:
The Soul Caliber series has always had beautiful looking games. The character models are exceptionally animated and look great while kicking butt. Of course, it wouldn't be a Soul Caliber review without mentioning the bouncing bosoms on the babes of the game. Sure, it's unrealistic and they move like Jelly Fish fighting gravity itself, but that's the fun of video gaming. The stages you fight in look incredible. Having good looking characters fighting on good looking backdrops really gives the game a polished feeling. Long story short, the graphics are great.

Andi, what do you think of the graphics in this game?

Andi:
I think the game looks great. I really paid NO attention to the scenery while kicking Greg's ass, but the backgrounds are beautiful. I think they are really detailed and pretty realistic. The water in some scenes looks pretty good. But to be honest- I'd enjoy beating up Greg in a paper box if that were one of the stages ;-)
I think the characters look fantastic. Their movements are fluid and pretty realistic when they are doing realistically possible things. And yes Flex, the boobies do bounce very nicely

Sound
The sound effects and voice work in the Soul Calibur games have always been pretty decent, Sure, the fighters are pretty dramatic in their pre-fighting dialogue, but it fits with the motif of the game. The music playing through the levels as you fight is as intense as the battles themselves.


Andi, what do you think about the sound effects, voice work, and music in this game?

Andi:
Sounds are good. Nice clashing, clinking, and dinking. The voice work is good, although the phrases that come out of their mouths still baffle me. I wish I could choose my own opening line, it would be "I will eat waffles for breakfast," and it would be just as relevant as anything they say.

Do you think the typical non-gamer girlfriend would enjoy this game?

Andi:
Maybe it's just me, but I really enjoyed this game. Personally I would never play the story mode again even if someone paid me. The motivation to beat up computer players is very minimal for me. HOWEVER, the motivation to kneel on Greg's shoulders and twist his neck with my thighs… MUCH more appealing. I have to admit that during this game I actually tense up at the end of the match if I'm worried I'm going to lose. The bragging rights of beating him are far too great to let that happen

Fun Factor
Soul Calibur 4 is an excellent fighter that fans of the series will (literally) get a kick out of. The online fighting really adds to the replay value, making you come back again and again to level your character up and dominate the online battle grounds.



What would be a good way for a boyfriend to get his girlfriend into this game, if at all?

Andi:
Soul Calibur is an easy play. I think that any girl could pick up a controller and do fairly well at this game. I'm not ashamed to say that I am a total button masher and there is no strategy to my game play other than NEVER hitting the block button and occasionally hitting down or up to get different moves. But I did beat Greg (have I said that before?) so whatever works, right? I think this would be a fun game for any couple to play a few rounds and beat each other up for a little while.

Final Girlfriend Approval Rating:



Andi's Closing Comments:
Soul Calibur is a fun game for couples because you can pick up and play instantly. There are no long cut scenes or important plots to get bored with. While some may choose to learn, it is completely unnecessary to understand the controls of this game. I would bet the least experienced girl around could do pretty well with this one. So try it out guys- maybe it'll boost her gaming confidence a bit and open more doors for a variety of other games!

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day Greg!!! Next year just take me out to dinner, ok? Then I won't have to beat you up so bad!


Andi, literally, kicked my ass. She's surprisingly damn good at this game!

Thanks again to the lovely Andi J for helping with another edition of The Gamer Girlfriend. If there's a particular game that you'd like to see featured in an upcoming edition of the column, please leave a comment in the section below! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

A special note because I lost: I got my ass handed to me. I have the best and most beautiful girlfriend in the entire world and she is super awesome. Happy Valentines Day!