Ever since Soul Calibur IV was announced, I had been excited for it and was counting down the days until I got it. But now that I've gotten my hands on it... I feel like something is missing. Or rather, some things.

First, let's begin with the story mode... which is very short and very disconnected. While past story modes have had these over-arching stories that are actually worthwhile, this time around, it feels like Namco tacked this on at the last moment without any thought. Not to mention that Algol is really an uninspired character who fits every fighting game boss stereotype imaginable.

Of course, it doesn't get much better with Tower of Lost Souls mode, where the whole point is to grind through challenges, unlock all kinds of equipment and accessories, earn a pile of gold, and generally get frustrated. Like story mode, it's a massive step down from Soul Calibur III in almost every regard, and I'm already pretty much bored with it. Mind you, I love this series, so me being bored with this already is not a good sign at all.

The game's achievements are also pretty ridiculous. The only way you're going to get most of these is to achievement trade with people online (100 critical finishes...really?!?!), since you can't use versus mode for any of them. This is, perhaps, a minor squabble, but one I have none the less. There should have been fewer number-based achievements, but given how shallow the story and tower modes are... I guess this was the only way to go.

Lastly, they've managed to nerf some characters while turning others into unstoppable behemoths. Ivy and Kilik have been rendered into being game killers, while Voldo's biggest moves have been significantly nerfed to the point that I'm finding it hard to play as him. While he used to be relatively easy to combo with, Namco has changed his move set around enough that this is no longer easy at all. Many of the combos I used in Soul Calibur III are not just different, they are completely gone. Yes, they have added one move that is perhaps the greatest move in Soul Calibur history - the Butt Bump - but that does not make up for the disappointment that my character has essentially been lobotomized. There are some serious balance issues in Soul Calibur IV that need to be addressed with updates. Otherwise, people are only going to play about 4 or 5 of the 20+ characters in the game, because those 4 or 5 characters are leaps and bounds above all the others.

I don't know if Namco will be able to fix any of these problems, and that's a pity, because I'm not enjoying this game as much as I should be. This game almost feels rushed, like parts of it are missing, which is odd since it's been in development for so long. If you're a fan of the series and you can wait on this game... do so. You're really not missing a whole lot right now.