'SoulCalibur IV'

3 1/2 stars = Very good
Ratings explained

As fighting games go, I tend to lean toward the more cartoony, less believable action like the "Super Smash Bros." series. It took a game like "Soulcalibur IV" (Namco; PS3; Xbox 360; $59.99) that blends realistic fighting styles with surreal characters and situations to convert me.

As one of gaming's most revered and respected fighting franchises, Soulcalibur is back on the next-generation consoles (my experiences are with the Xbox 360 version) with a vengeance. It's packed with new flamboyant characters and stages and plenty of surprises.

The game plays as well as ever, and each character brings its own weapon and fighting style to the fray. My personal favorites are the faster, more versatile Taki, Voldo and the powered-up Cassandra. Seriously, she does an incredible amount of damage for her size.

I'd be remiss not to mention three secret characters that everybody is curious about: hailing from a galaxy far, far away, Jedi Master Yoda, Sith Lord Darth Vader and the Apprentice, who will appear in the upcoming "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed." Yoda's interesting because he's so difficult to hit; the Apprentice is slightly unbalanced in power for my tastes; and Vader is a PS3 exclusive, so good luck figuring him out on that console.

While single-player campaigns for each character are short, the narratives are all interesting, and the end cut scenes are beautiful. There is also a Tower of Souls mode that is just multiple fighting challenges that can get repetitive but are still fun. Multiplayer, Xbox Live included, is a true test of skill that really shows if you've mastered what the game has to offer.

The game is a vast improvement over its predecessor, mostly fixing all the balance issues (the Apprentice, Nightmare and Sigfried not withstanding) and giving the series a gorgeous new look. The stage of history is set for a long time.

-- Josh Axelrod