Soulcalibur 4 is coming out this week, so to commemorate the return of our favorite weapon-based fighting series, we’re gonna take a look at one of the franchise’s earlier entries. Soulcalibur 2 is actually the 3rd game in Namco’s soul series, as the first game went by the name Soul Edge. The Soulcalibur games are known for adding in a boatload of special features, hidden characters, and unlockables that go beyond the standard arcade/versus modes. Soul Edge featured the ‘Edge Master’ mode, which took players on a series of character-specific quests while gaining special weapons. Soulcalibur featured a mission mode, in which players earned points to unlock hidden features. Soulcalibur 3 featured the Create-a-Soul, which gave fans the ability to craft new characters and use them in the game’s various playing modes. Soulcalibur II featured the ‘Weapon Master Mode’, which took players around the world while earning new weapons, similar to the Edge Master mode in Soul Edge. It also included an extra special touch, in which the home versions of the game received console-exclusive characters. The Xbox version got Spawn, the PS2 version of the game got Heihachi Mishima, and Gamecube owners got none other than Nintendo’s Link. The home versions of SCII also gained Necrid, who was a new character designed by Todd McFarlane. Of course most of the cast from Soulcalibur returned, along with a few new additions. Along with fan favorites such as Taki, Kilik, Nightmare, and Ivy, new characters such as Raphael, Cassandra, and Talim join the cast. Each of these characters bought their own unique styles to the game and make worthy additions to the Soulcalibur series.

By now hardcore Soulcalibur fans have played both this game and its sequel to death, and are ready to take on Yoda and Darth Vader in SCIV. However, new and longtime fans alike will want to brush up on their skills before stepping back into the ring, and there are fewer better places to do it than here. Anyone who plays this game will have very good cause to be excited over the forthcoming entry in the series.

Final Fantasy IV for the Nintendo DS comes out on July 22nd. I’ve gotten my hands on the Japanese version of the game and put together this review of all the new features of the latest incarnation of my all time favourite game.

Read on for contest details.
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Metal Gear Solid 4 was released earlier this week, so this week’s $20 Game of the week and Lost Classics will spotlight 2 entries from the series. So once you get done with 4, seek them out if you haven’t played through them already! Despite the similarity in names, this is not the Playstation smash hit, but it’s the American release of what is known in Japan as Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel. Ghost Babel exists outside of series canon, and contains a new plot, new characters, and new enemies.
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This week, Metal Gear Solid 4 hits the Playstation 3. As Metal Gear Solid 3 was a tale set in the past, this makes MGS 4 the long awaited follow up to the events of MGS 2, which was released almost 7 years prior! As such, series newcomers will want to check out the franchises past entries. While Metal Gear Solid 2 may have gotten a bad rap for a few key issues, (most notably the complex plot and the fact that you play as someone other than Solid Snake for a majority of the game) Metal Gear Solid 2 is still every bit a classic as any other game in the series. While the original version is still available, players will want to grab this special edition which contains several hours of new content and marks the first and only time that Metal Gear Solid has appeared on a Microsoft console.

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Although this game was one of the first role playing games to be released on the original Playstation in Japan, it would end up being the one of the last RPGs on the original PS1 in America. Arc the lad spawned several sequels and an anime series. Ironically, even though it was Sony Computer Entertainment themselves who owned the franchise, the ‘anti-2-d’ stance of its American branch was the main factor that prevented this game’s release. Working Designs (best known for its U.S.releases of Lunar) even attempted to score the U.S. publishing rights to the three games, but they were denied by Sony. However, things turned around thanks to new management at Sony and the success of other RPGs, most notable Final Fantasy VII and VIII. After several months of delays, Working Designs finally gave us the chance to play this classic. Not only that, we got all three PS1 games to boot. Arc the Lad Collection carried a $75 price tag, but being able to play this classic RPG series made the hefty price worth it.

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Welcome back to Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters. This is part 2 of our special edition X-men $20 GOTW and lost classics. In the first part we looked at some of the lows of the X-men franchise. In this second part, we’ll take a look at the Marvel Vs Capcom series, as well as Activision’s X-men games. You can find pretty much all of these games in stores, and most of them retail for $20 or less.
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As promised, I’m back with part 2 of our special wrestling edition of the $20 Game of the week. In this edition, we’ll take a look at WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008, as well as three other wrestling games that you can find on the cheap. So say your prayers and take your vitamins, because it’s time to walk down the aisle and go one on one with the great one. Remember, to be the man, you gotta beat the man! WOOOOOOO!
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Later this month, Konami will be bringing Dracula X to the US for the first time ever as a PSP remake of the original PC Engine game. The original version of the game, as well as Symphony of the Night, will both be available as hidden extras on the disc. No time like the present to look at the most recent entry in the series. This follow up to 2005’s Dawn of Sorrow, sticks closely to the franchise’s more recent “Metroidvania” style of gameplay while adding in some new twists of its own. Not the least of which is that you’ll be controlling two characters at once, each with their own skills and abilities. Features such as this help keep the formula as enjoyable as it has been in the past several entries in the series.
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