Console games are not something that we would typically cover here on tracyandmatt but when Namco got in touch with me a couple of months ago about the release of the fourth chapter of Soul Calibur I agreed to do a review for them.

Similar to it’s predecessors Soul Calibur IV continues the barrage of fast paced violence and continued onslaught of over endowed scantily clad female protagonists that many gamers have come to love of the lifespan of this somewhat iconic albeit miss spelled franchise.

Many of the series previous characters return in this the forth instalment of the game with the addition of some new and somewhat special playable characters. The character list is solid with each of the characters having there own unique style and armoury however successfully remaining even with regards to ability and skill. The game contains 26 standard characters and a few more unlockables along the way so offers a fairly expansive roster.. The guests in this game come in the form of Darth Vader & The secret Apprentice also seen in star wars: the force unleashed. These are welcome additions to the game as they add some familiarity to gamers who have not experienced the Soul Calibur series before and there unique skills also make them a great asset. If the characters in the game do not do it for you than there is a fairly comprehensive create a fighter allowing you to customize your perfect star.

There are several options to choose from when it comes to getting stated Story which offers your chosen character the chance to battle there was through a number of opponents before reaching the boss at the end of the stage the killing of whom leads to the collection of items and collectables. The story mode though is a little weak as it can be completed in a short amount of time and offers little variety leading to a tedious continuation which does wear thin after a while, that said it is the best way to experience all the fantastic characters and settings for the battles. Arcade mode is the standard pick up and play, selecting 2 characters to do battle through a number of rounds, perfect for those interested in a quick and brutal fight without the need for interruptions in the form of scene setting. Training is very useful and certainly recommended to those who are yet to play a title from the Soul Calibur franchise.

Graphically this game is fantastic the characters look great and so do the environments with chunks of debris flying from the surface as your opponent is slammed into the ground. The new feature which allows for the breakdown of opponents armour leaving them more open to attacks works really well and looks fantastic integrated perfectly into the battle really adding an element of realism or as realistic as a fight between Darth Vader & a small Japanese girl in a fire infested pit can be, speaking of girls the female characters in the game seem slightly overdone with regards to there assets where as I am sure this will please a certain demographic seems a little unnecessary. if it has always annoyed you when the button basher shows his face in multiplayer mode well it has been slightly improved as now if a player blocks to much you will be able to destroy a part of there armour making them more susceptible to damage and also teamed with un-blockable special attacks button bashing has just got allot harder.

As mentioned earlier the game is very easy to pick up and play and little to no experience of the Soul Calibur franchise is required to play as although button bashing has been reduced there are still a limited number of attacks and combinations it plays in a very similar way to other beat em ups so if you have played any in the past you will be away with Soul Calibur IV. This is just one of the beauties of Soul Calibur IV. The fun factor is instantly increased by the simple control system as it eliminates the frustration and anger caused by other titles. The lifespan of Soul Calibur IV depends hugely on how much enjoyment you get from the title. The story mode will certainly not keep you tied up for long however with the large number of characters and environments to enjoy the game should keep you happy for a good few months.

Overall Soul Calibur IV is a solid title, it combines fantastic graphics and a depth of realism unmatched by any other next gen beat em up. The immersive gameplay and the large selection of characters teamed with great environments and many new features will keep gamers happy for some time to come. A great title however a more in depth and varied story line would be very much appreciated.

Review by: Nick

Which is the easiest and best method for text input? This has been debated and discussed by the masses for quite some time. For me the best is TouchPal, why?

It’s Cool!

• "Flow" your keyboard by sweeping with your finger! 
• Switch between three layouts: T+, Full-Qwerty, 9-key PhonePad. 
• Resize your keyboard anytime!

It’s Easy!

• Big buttons. Finger friendly. 
• Up to 300 chars/min, faster than your hard keyboard! 
• Input puntuations, numbers and uppercase letters without view switching

It’s Smart!

• Powerful mistyping correction
• Clever prediction based on context
• Predict next word

It’s Innovative!

• T+ technology. Predictive + Precise.
• Word association
• Super big dictionaries (40,000 English words, 140,000 French words…)

It’s Customisable!

• "My Sentences" with parameters (e.g., "See you in X mins")
• Customisable emotion symbols (e.g. :-o, ^_^)
• You can develop your own layout or language pack with SDK tool.

Features

Software

Easily installed by either .exe file on your PC or .cab file on your Windows device, once launched there is a 15 day trial of the full professional version, after which time the software reverts back to the standard version if you do not wish to purchase the professional version for $12.98.

Here you can find the video demo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfMrJ7Cci_A&eurl=http://www.cootek.com/intro.aspx

Unfortunately there are far too many options to explain in detail but a lot of the highlights are captured above. Things I especially like are the ability to save whole sentences that you commonly use, the ability to quickly switch keyboard dependant on what you are doing, illustrated in the picture below, I tend to stick with the first one, as each key allows 4 way inputs, on each tab you can enter any of the characters depicted for example the e-r tab can be used to enter e,r, E,R, 2 and ? all from the one key. Word prediction, as well as next word prediction and mistyping correction also very helpful. Head over to the website, link at the bottom for more details.

It is very fast, don’t get me wrong you will need to practice and get used to the systems, at first it is easy to give up and find something else, but patience and persistence is definitely rewarded. I do not get up the claimed speeds of 300 characters per minute but it certainly can motor!

New Diamond skin

Review

I have tried many different input methods, ranging from the standard windows keyboards to HTC PhonePad,  PocketCM, TenGo etc. The first thing I do these days when Matt sends me a unit to review is install TouchPal.

For me it is as about developed as it needs to be, if I have one criticism it is that in landscape I would like the keyboard to cover the length of the screen to hopefully allow larger keys.

Landscape view.

Conclusion

This one is for me and I am happy to recommend it to any Windows Mobile fan, which methods do you prefer and why?

For more details head over to http://www.cootek.com/

Review by: Steve