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Games: Soulcalibur IV

Play as Vader if you are an 'evil' PS3 owner.

XBOX 360, PS3, £49.99 Namco Bandai/Ubisoft

So, PS3 owners are evil and XBOX 360 owners are good? Forget the GTA online coup, THIS is surely the best bit of marketing Bill Gates has ever achieved...

The reason for such (bizarre) speculation is, of course, the new characters available for this fourth instalment in the sword-slinging beat-em-up world of Soulcalibur.

XBOX owners can bounce around the screen as Yoda, PS3 owners can play as Darth Vader. It's a neat bit of novelty game casting although, to be frank, this isn't a game that needs novelty.

At first glance a punch-buttons-and-hope slasher, a few minutes of play will show that while this philosophy might work for the easier opponents / rounds, you will need more up your sleeve than button pounding.

You need patience and a keen eye and, best of all, don't need to remember lengthy combos that are impossible to master unless you're a 12-year old Japanese boy. This is a game that requires stealth and judgement It's not so much about the big, flouncy attack as knowing when to attack. And when to block. And when to back away.

The fighting system is astonishingly flexible, the graphics are excellent – the depth of detail in the arenas is sometimes breathtaking – and it's basically a finely judged package that you can enjoy out of the box or spend several months mastering.

Game modes are plentiful, ditto the customising options. While it's hard not to warm to a game that allows you to unlock “Warrior Trousers” as an option, the customisation is very well thought out.

Yes, you can add items of equipment that will greatly boost your attacking skills... but these will also reduce your health bar. This levels the playing field considerably, particularly in the impressively zippy, so far lag-free online experience.

It would be nice to see more online game modes – and why no Yoda Vs Vader option? - but you get the feeling those will filter through in due course.

Hugely impressive.

4/5

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