The Soul Calibur series has always been at the forefront of the beat 'em up market. Since the original version of the game erupted onto the scene in the late nineties (named Soul Blade), the franchise has grown in renown and popularity. Introducing a varied range of fighters and dynamic weapon-play, the Soul series of games have always prided themselves on delivering a rich gaming experience, taking the static nature of the beat 'em up genre and crafting it into a more rounded gaming experience.

Soul Calibur IV is the first of the Soul series to reach next gen platforms, appearing on both the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360. One of the most eagerly anticipated titles of 2008, Soul Calibur IV had the weight of expectation of its back, especially with Playstation 3 fans, as it is the first real beat 'em up to be released for the console. Soul Calibur III, whilst maintaining a rich and detailed gaming ethos, was viewed by most as a miss-step in the series, overcomplicating game play and deviating from a much-loved combat engine.

Thankfully, and as promised, Soul Cailbur IV rectifies this mistake and pushes its way triumphantly to the head of beat 'em ups one again. Whilst technically the game offers little in originality, this is really the point. Fans demanded a return to the classic style of the franchise and that's what they got. Of course, being a next-gen title does bring massive advantages with it. Game play is fluid and more natural than ever before, with character models moving and reacting with a realism that borders on astonishing at times.

Soul Calibur's crux has always been the motley band of fighters that appear to wrestle for control of the soul swords, and in next-gen presentation the characters are truly gorgeous. From intricate facial expressions and motion capture, to dizzying attention to detail (polished armour will change each bout to reflect the relating background); Soul Calibur IV is truly a delight to behold.

Gameplay returns with the usual plethora of additional content. Tower of Lost Souls will test your skill and endurance as you take on constant combatants without a health replenish, and for the first time ever Soul Calibur goes online, allowing players to combat each other across the world and earn respect on a global scale! A few new in-game functions have also been added, most notably the Soul Gauges and Critical Finishes, which act as instant winners you can punish an enemy with if they block too often.

Special mention must go to the Character Creation mode, which returns from Soul Calibur III with a massive revamp. Whilst the range of different styles has been scrapped, this makes way for a function so in depth it is addictive enough to lose hours of your day to. The smallest details are accounted for; you can even alter the pitch of your character's voice. With a gargantuan range of equipment available and even more to unlock, players can create truly unique characters. The most impressive thing is that, whilst on past games character creation was fun, the end result would never gel with the characters proper and appeared almost as superimposed sprites on the screen. With Soul Calibur IV, the characters you create are so detailed and well developed that they could have been made by the games designers themselves, and appear no less impressive than the real characters of the game.

There are few downsides to report, but a few niggling factors emerge in the game. The Story mode seems less rich than in previous instalments, and there is less of an overall narrative to the proceedings which used to give the story distance, you felt you really were travelling the world in search of your goal. Also, using the in-game graphics for the character endings is adequate; however with next-gen consoles surely the ability to give us full CGI endings isn't too much to ask?

Overall however, Soul Calibur IV is a raging success, doing exactly what it says on the tin, and then some. A beat 'em up has never looked so attractive, and the game offers enough challenge to keep players hooked way past the usual parameters for a game of this genre.

Rich

Rich writes for the pop culture/memorabilia site starstore.com and its blogs, covering the latest and greatest in film, TV, music and comics merchandise and collectibles.

E! Online - Apparently, it takes two Beyoncés to beat a pair of rock studs.

There is no denying the Nintendo Wii is immensely popular. It may not be the best graphically but you simply cannot discount the huge playability factor. When you look back at Nintendo's history they really are in tune with what constitutes a great game and gaming system. To try and combat the branding power of Nintendo, gamers of other console systems like PS3 and Xbox have tried to boast that their machines are not only gaming systems but huge multimedia centers. Chocking their systems full of not only games, but TV shows movies, music videos and more. Well I have news Xbox'rs your boasts are in vain. The Wii is much more then just an incredible interactive gaming system. It can also be a full blown media center just your precious Xbox and PS3.

I still remember the look on my friends' face who had been boasting of having his favorite complete TV series right on his Xbox when I showed him all the Wii virtual console games I had downloaded on my Wii. Then to drive the point home and make him eat a slice of Humble Wii pie, I showed him his precious TV show right there on my Wii. My revenge was complete and the satisfaction I felt doing my touchdown Wii dance in my living room in front of my sulking friend was un-paralleled.

Wii owners everywhere are slowly waking up to the idea that yes your Wii is much more then just a gaming system. As a result of this new trend you can find Nintendo games online networks popping up all over the place. With these networks you can get more then just Wii virtual games, you can find Movies, TV shows, music videos and more. But before jumping in and grabbing some Nintendo games downloads online there are few things you should consider. Most Wii download networks in general offer two options. One isn't necessarily better then the other as it comes down to personal choice. The two options you have are, pay as you go and unlimited Wii downloads. Personally I prefer the unlimited option but that doesn't mean that this choice will suit you. If you are only looking for a few Wii virtual console games or movies then I would suggest you go with the pay as you go option. If your appetite is more like Daffy Duck diving in a pile of gold and jewels all the while singing mine, mine, mine, more, more, more then I would probably go with the unlimited option you greedy devil.

Either way it's best to investigate review sites prior to making your choice and that way you'll be able to determine which Wii media download center is the best for you.

Detailed reviews of all the download Wii virtual console games centers and where to get the best Nintendo games downloads online can be found on my site at http://www.squidoo.com/wii-virtual-console-games

There I review all the best Nintendo download networks so that you can transform your Wii into a huge multimedia center that goes beyond wii virtual console games, with movies TV shows, music videos and more.

My name is Troy Nantais and I can show you how to download Wii virtual console games by the bucketful and show you where to find Nintendo games downloads online at http://www.squidoo.com/wii-virtual-console-games

AP - Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, the reality-TV couple whose on-again, off-again relationship has been chronicled by MTV's "The Hills" and celebrity magazines, appear on the Wednesday cover of Us Weekly with the headline "Heidi & Spencer Elope!"