Everyone's got their favourite genres. Everyone's got their favourite gaming platform. There are as many different tastes as there are stars in the damn sky. So its no surprise when I say I'm one of those stars in the sky, more specifically, the star that likes beating the crap out of people with exaggerated weapons while wearing nothing more then a thong and a piece of string. Well, I'd rather not, but apparently that's all the ladies of Soul Calibur need.

The latest installment in my favourite Non-Nintendo fighting game was released in North America last Tuesday, on the 29th of July. Although I forgot to reserve a copy, I was able to get my hands on the 360 version just before it was sold out. I had been following this game since Starkiller was revealed, and it was no surprise when I popped it into my 360 that it was just as fun as every other Soul Calibur game I've played. Sure, the gameplay was slower, like every other fighter that's been coming out in the last couple of months, but between the great character selection, beautiful graphics, and hilariously over the top combos, it was more then made up for. I had missed playing Soul Calibur III, mostly because it was a PS2 exclusive and didn't have Link, so I was jumping straight from the 2003 Gamecube to 2008. I was missing most of the story, but since the story is all reading, who the hell cares. I went from the sword Soul Edge, which had possessed Siegfried and turned him into the evil Nightmare (Nicknamed the Azure Knight) to Siegfried and Nightmare being separate characters. Siegfried was once again a Crusader of Justice, wielding the holy sword Soul Calibur, while Nightmare was basically Soul Edge, the evil sword, possessing a suit of armor (and looking bitchin' while doing so). Lost yet?

Gameplay is the exact opposite of a bitch, other then the slow down. The insane combos are back, to everyone's joy and amusement, but what everyone wants is here as well. The Final Sma- I mean Critical Finish. Each character (Unless a clone) has their own Critical Smash, which range from a really bitchin' combo to a really hot kiss (Happy Tira has GOT to be a lesbian, the way she spends about 10 seconds making out with Talim and Amy before stealing their soul), to Cassandra booty-bombing everyone while pink hearts shoot out (More proof that everyone has gotten farther with a girl/guy then I have. If we continue the usual baseball metaphor, I'm still in the dugout.) Needless to say, the Critical Finish is entertaining and really badass looking.

So as not to scare anyone away from this fantastic game, I'll skip the spoilers and go right to the fun part. The characters. Each character has two costumes, and at least 5 weapons to choose from. Each weapon is wielded the same way by each character, but they offer special abilities and bonuses that add a level of strategy. The Create a Character function, called Create a Soul, is simple, but incredibly detailed. You choose a gender and a fighting style, and then go crazy with what you've unlocked armour-wise up to this point. My only problem is that you can't create any Jedi, which I find irritating. Then again, a full sized man leaping around like Yoda would be awkward and frankly, quite stupid.

But enough about how I love this game, or how its the best game ever, because it isn't. It has its flaws. The story mode is short, only consisting of five levels, and only three endings exist, fighting Algol, Nightmare, or Siegfried. By the time you've played it a few times, you can't remember who you've already beat it with because every time you play Story Mode, they just seem to be EXACTLY THE SAME, probably because they are. Story Mode is basically just Arcade Mode with cut scenes, a major downgrade from Tales of Soul from Could Calibur III and Weapon Master from Soul Calibur II. The gameplay is slower, which is not what you want from a game with ninjas. Maybe I'm just hardcore, but I like my ninjas fast as lightning and my 9 foot tall golems somewhat slower.

Another thing I don't like is that the bonus chicks, who all looked amazing, ended up being clones. Some of them made sense (Ashlotte is a clone of Astaroth, literally), but the dread pirate Cervantes de Leon and Shura, who I'm convinced has never seen water, fighting the same way (minus the gun sword) is just... ARGH!

Needless to say, I've rambled on long enough, so I'm just gonna wrap this up. The soundtrack is as good as every other Soul Calibur game, and I love most every aspect of the game. My only problem really is the weakened Story Mode.

95%