Soulcalibur IV

Soul Caliber 4 was my first genuine effort in "fighting games" and I was somewhat at a loss as to strategy. Some reviewers have complained that the guide prints the move lists, but I see this as a positive, since its incredibly annoying to pause the game and navigate through the menus to find the move lists. If you have the book, the entire movelist is laid out in front of you for quick perusing. The guide also describes the close-range, mid-range and long range strategies for each character, which players of most levels will benefit from. It also describes the various modes, such as Tower of Souls and how to acquire the hidden items on each level. Without this knowledge, it would be pure-trial and error to acquire each item and would literally take 10x as long (I guarantee there are few people who would sit there and figure out each item). All in all, this guide is far more useful than comparable guides for other types of games (eg: fable 2). Unless you're already a pro, you'd most likely benefit on some level from this guide.

Like most Strategy Guides, this is a very handy product to have. However, please bear in mind that it is also not necessary for you to have this guide in order to get some help. There are countless websites on the internet with Walkthroughs and strategies for Soul Calibur IV. In my humble opinion, Strategy Guides are most useful for collectors like me. The art work is very good. The quality of the paper and the bindings are right on par with other guides. The information is very accurate and very helpful. My only complaint is that some of the pages are in dark color, with the text also in dark color. Dark text on a dark background is very hard to read. Some Strategy Guides can go up in value. I recall selling a Strategy Guide for a lot more than what I had paid for it. It was a Strategy Guide for an old Playstation RPG called Legends of Mana. I do not expect this Strategy Guide to go up in value and become a collector's item. However, if you are a big fan of the Soul Calibur franchise, this item belongs in your collection.

Lately most games have horrible manuals that come with the game that do not provide any answers to any questions. I was hesistant at first, but no info is given with the game. The guide is great and covers everything the game has to offer. Everything from combo links to special moves and everything inbetween is discussed in great detail. this game is for fighting game fans who are willing to put in the time and effort for soul calibur 4. It is a tad pricey but for me it was worth it. If youre serious about really getting good at soul calibur 4 i certainly reccomend it.