Boss Style: Angol Fear. Soul Calibur IV Game Guide is also available in our Mobile App.
Soul Calibur Online, also widely known as simply Soul Calibur, is a free to play MMOARPG based on the classic Soul Calibur fighting game. The game’s world is large and open, and players can explore it as they play through an epic storyline, meeting new characters and encountering tough foes on the way. This got me curious as to what the Soul Calibur IV Tier list looked like, so I looked it up. I found no official Tier List at all, so I decided to make my own. Tasty and me finished v 1.0 Sunday, but we don't have all the information we need. Soulcalibur was originally planned to be a dramatic overhaul, with all new characters apart from Mitsurugi from Soul Edge. However, nine of the 11 characters from Soul Edge ended up carrying over to Soulcalibur by the time the roster was finalized in the Dreamcast version (Cervantes, Hwang, Seong Mi-na, Mitsurugi, Rock, Siegfried, Sophitia, Taki, Voldo), with an additional ten new characters.
SoulCalibur IV REVIEW: The fourth installment to the Soul series features an all new graphics engine, improves on the Create-a-CharacterMode from SC3, and takes its highly acclaimed gameplay online for thefirst time ever. As a fan and loyal player since the beginning, I canhonestly say that Soul Calibur 4 is the next-gen SoulCalibur that many fans of the series have been waiting for (in my case sincethe epic SC2, which I put countless hours into). Nearly everythingabout the classic 3D gameplay engine has been refined and polished, and mostof the infamous changes this time around were for the better. First of all,let's talk about the new graphics because they simply must betalked about. The first SC game in HD does not disappoint, and is surely one of the prettiest 3Dfighters to date. The character models and background detail really makea statement. It brings back memories of the graphical statement that SoulCalibur made when it launched with Sega Dreamcast in 1999. SC4'sgraphics engine makes everything incredibly sharp and intricately detailed,from the moody backgrounds to the shiny armor (which reflects the actualbackgrounds), down to the bare bone character models themselves, whichare indeed some of the most seamless character modelsever.
Story Mode is a surprisinglycondensedfive chapters long and really leaves muchto be desired. The character endings, done with the game's sharp real-timegraphics, are also on the short side and honestly fail to impress in most cases(but at least they're there). In fairness, Story Mode does have a few coolfeatures such asspecialized dialogue between related characters which you won't hearin other modes. Also, if you create a costume for one of the main characters anduse it in Story Mode, that character will be wearing the same costume duringtheir ending! The computerAI also does a good job at representing the gameplay and making things as epicas possible. For example, the first time I went through Siegfried's story, I was quite impressed. Since I hadn't used Siegfried yet, I decided toback up and just practice for a bit. That's when I noticed Siegfried's father just standing there,waiting for me to attack. So I just kind of circled him andpracticed my stance transitions for about 2 minutes.. it was epic.. Well, youjust had to be there. The graphicalpolish and detail that SC4 shows off is accompanied bypossiblythebest fighting animation ever seen in a video game, hands down. Namco'sfighting games are widely known for their fluid animation and accuratedepiction of authentic & unique fighting styles, and SC4takes it a notch further. A handful of classic moves and hit effects havebeen reworked, making them appear even more fluid and/or more brutal thanever. Even classic stance and walking animations have been touched up. It actually takes a keeneye to notice some of the smaller details of the animation that were tweakedfrom the prequels.
Along with thebonus Star Wars characters, several other new faces designed by guest mangaartists also make their fighting game debuts in SC4 including:Scheherazade (designed by anime illustrator Yutaka Izubuchi known for his workon Patlabor,RahXephon), Angol Fia (designed by Mine Yoshizak), and Shura (designed by Hiroya Oku ofGantz fame). These bonus manga-inspiredcharacters unfortunately don't offer their own unique fighting styles, butinstead 'borrow' fighting styles of some of the classic Soul Calibur veterans.While it's somewhat disappointing that they don't bring any 'new' stylesto the series, they are at least entertaining 'alternatives' to use for severalfan favorite weapon styles. These bonus characters(all female) at least have their own voice-overs and unique introductionsequences,but overall they leave something to be desired.
Soul Calibur's gameplay engine has always been at the top ofits class, butthe big changes from SC2 to SC3 left many hardcore fans disappointed(myself included). Personally, it's hard to 'let go' of how somecharacters used to play, but after opening my mind a little.. I definitelyfound many characters in SC4 that I enjoy using. Overall, SC4's gameplayis a considerable improvement over SC3's,but is still a far shot from my beloved SC2.The 8-Way Run and overall movement speed is as smooth as ever, but noticeably 'slower'than the first two installments. Characterslook larger and even 'feel' heavier to move around; which makesmore sense considering this 'style' of fighting, but takes somegetting used to. Manycharacters have been toned down, some with 'slowed down' moves and others missing alternate stances & cancels from past games. That said, there isa learning curve to masteringany character in SC4 even if you've been a hardcore playersince day one.
Overall, theonline experience is decent, but of course I have a few gripes. First and foremost, there doesn't seem to be astrict enough penalty (or any at all) for bailing out of a match early,as I have encountered quite a few 'sore losers' who purposely disconnectedwhile I was, well, destroying them.. funny, because I noticed they're usually the ones that suck at the game the most. Also, the ranking system overallseems a bit flawed. It's relatively easy to get high up in rankjust by beating novice players to level up, granted you have somesort of skill.. and beating high ranks sometimes just doesn't pay outlike it should.
No, I'm notdone promoting this game.. did I tell you that I actually work for Namco? Jk. Other positive details I want to point out? Hmm.. I really like the selection screenthis time around, and I was enthralled to see that they used actual 2Dcharacter art for the character slots.. which looks amazingly sharp in HD. I also love howreflective armor looks different on each stage,because it truly reflects the colors and light from the stage itself.. andif you look even closer (in edit mode), you can actually see some of the backgrounddetails reflected on certain armor (check out the 'Close Helm' and you'llsee what I mean)! The shine effect used for hair catches the eye, and hairanimation during movements is also done well for the most part. The newcharacter 'tracking' animations are also noteworthy. Not only will stagnant characters turntheir heads while watching their circling opponent, but they will now twisttheir entire upper torsos as well, which alters their stance animation..Maxi's is a must see. Detailslike the ones I just mentioned really make SC4 stand above the crowd,and lead the way for the next generation of 3D fighting games. |
|
.
Hildegard von Krone | |
---|---|
Soulcalibur character | |
First appearance | Soulcalibur IV (2008) |
Designed by | Hideo Yoshie (designer) Takuji Kawano (artist) |
Voiced by | Yūko Kaida[1] |
In-universe information | |
Fighting style | Große Erbschaft |
Weapon | Short sword and spear (Glänzende Nova and Frischer Himmel) |
Origin | Stolzstadt, Wolfkrone Kingdom, Holy Roman Empire |
Nationality | German |
Hildegard von Krone (ヒルデガルド・フォン・クローネ, Hirudegarudo fon Kurōne), Hilde (ヒルダ, Hiruda), /ˈhɪldə/ for short,[2] is a fictional character in the Soulcalibur series of video games. Created by Namco's Project Soul division, she first appeared in Soulcalibur IV and its subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise related to the series.
A princess in the fictional European country of Wolfkrone, in Soulcalibur IV she finds her kingdom under attack by Nightmare and his forces. With her father driven insane, she takes control of the kingdom's army and seeks to revive an ancient 'Hero King', Algol, in order to bring peace to the land. In Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, the game's Gauntlet storyline (non-canon) revolves around her search for ingredients necessary to cure her father, interacting with various characters in the series. As a video game character, Hilde's fighting style is unique to others in the Soul series, allowing players to 'charge' attack command inputs to increase the strength of their offensive strikes.
Since her introduction, IGN heavily praised the character, citing her gameplay and stating approval for the contrast of her design against other female characters in the series. Other sources stated similar, with some such as Edge and Game Informer describing her as the best new character introduced in the game or its predecessor, Soulcalibur III.
Conception and design[edit]
Soul Calibur 4 Cheats
Hilde's look derived from the development team's desire to make a fully clothed 'sexy' female character for Soulcalibur IV, and encasing her in armor as a result.[3] Her characteristics and personality were developed after deciding what weapons she would use, a spear and short sword.[4] While fully armored, they endeavored to keep her appearing feminine, shaping the appearance of the armor thus and giving 'peeks' of her figure beneath it. When it was pointed out to lead animator Yusuke Shibata that her short sword and related attacks appeared to display her femininity, he agreed, though added that her spear was another matter entirely.[5] After developing her appearance and character model, her backstory was developed by a team led by Yoshihiro Nakagawa, and during this process they worked out how to tie Hilde into the plot of the series.[4] In interviews, Soulcalibur IV director Katsutoshi Sasaki has called Hilde 'the 'most alluring' female character in the title,[6] designed as an opposite to characters such as Ivy and characters that 'always have their boobs popping out'. He added that he felt that as gaming became more accepted, characters similar to Hilde would become more common.[7]
Hilde appears as a slender woman with long, red hair. Her primary appearance encases her fully in form-fitting body armor, with red and black fabric underneath. A wolf's head,[8] the character's family symbol,[9] extends from the right pauldron and covers her helmet's visor, while the left pauldron is covered by red fabric, fastened to the center of her breastplate's collar underneath a large brooch. Beneath the armor, a red coat covers her torso, the tail of which extends past her waist. Her alternate character design consists of a long, blue dress, extending to her feet and neck, exposing her shoulders and angled towards her right leg. White gloves, shoes, and stockings cover her arms and legs, while a darker colored sash surrounds her waist and midsection, too angled to the right.[8]
In video games[edit]
Hilde is the daughter of the king of Wolfkrone, a fictional European kingdom under assault by series antagonist Nightmare's forces. After her father was driven insane into a Malfested by the Evil Seed event brought upon by the cursed sword Soul Edge (which took place seven years before the events of Soulcalibur IV), Hilde was forced to take the throne of Wolfkrone despite her young age. She took the responsibilities to protect her people and lead her armies in the front lines against Nightmare. As a desperate measure, Hilde seeks the Sword of Resurrection, Soul Calibur, to bring back an ancient king who once restored peace to the world.[10] Eventually, both Nightmare and Soul Edge are destroyed for good by Soul Calibur, wielded by Hilde's friend, Siegfried, thus ending the long-term war. However, the Wolfkrone is still at turmoil, and Hilde must search for a new land for her people to settle. Throughout seventeen years, Hilde goes from nation to nation to search for territory, where she also became a mother of two children. Eventually, the Wolfkrone manages to find a land and live at peace, but Hilde is alarmed by Siegfried that an army of malfested have challenged wars upon the kingdom. Thus, Hilde allies herself with Siegfried's group of mercenaries, Schwarzwind, to defend her kingdom, regardless of the possibility that she might lose her life in the process.
She returns in Soulcalibur VI as the first DLC fighter of the 2nd season pass. In the new timeline, the mysterious Aval Organization where the new character Grøh belongs to had been a sworn allied force to Hilde's home kingdom for generations.
In Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny's Gauntlet storyline, a non-canon side story set after the events of Soulcalibur IV, the plot revolves around Hilde and her ally Cassandra, who search for ingredients to develop a potion to cure Hilde's father. Windows royale xp iso free download. To this end they force the protagonist to assist them, and later recruit another person, Dampierre, after Hilde is briefly kidnapped.[11]
Gameplay[edit]
Sasaki described her fighting style as revolving around her dual weapons, comparing her to previous series character Cervantes but with the combination of her spear and short sword weapons allowing for both long distance and close-quarters combat.[12] Control of her weapons is mapped to different inputs from the player's controller, allowing the attacks to be combined and create different horizontal and vertical strikes.[13] However, as a result at long range Hilde's attacks become limited to entirely linear strikes.[14]
Several of her attacks can also be 'charged' by holding controller inputs, a feature unique in the series to the character.[14] Doing so results in a stronger blow, but also creates a window of vulnerability due to the delay,[15] negatable by performing the controller input during other attacks. Hilde's strongest attack, Mystic Star and Moonlight Dance, can be triggered through this method and will be both unguardable and do a high amount of damage if they hit the opponent, though at the cost of a twenty-five second delay while charging the attack.[14]
Promotion and reception[edit]
Hilde is visible on both Soulcalibur IVarcadejoysticks for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.[16] To explain the new features of Soulcalibur IV, Namco released an omakemanga featuring Hilde and Cassandra. Written in a humorous tone, Cassandra, representing a veteran of the series, 'taught' Hilde about the game's features, while introducing the audience to aspects of Hilde's character.[9] Hilde was featured in a promotional comic bundled with the North American release of Soulcalibur IV's Premium Edition. Drawn by Udon Entertainment for DC Comics, it served as a prelude to the events of the game.[17]
IGN stated her armored appearance makes her more alluring, as well as commented on her gameplay.[18] They additionally listed Hilde as one of the series' top ten fighters at number ten. They cited her as a fierce opponent and 'hell of a lot of fun to control', adding '..we tend to sit up and take notice when a new character shows promise..we expect she'll stick around for the long haul.'[19] In a similar list, Complex enlisted the 20 best characters from the series, ranking her the 17th best character.[20] Comparison was also made to the other female characters in the game such as Ivy, calling it a 'stark contrast'.[13] Additional praise was given in their review of Soulcalibur IV, stating an approval of her design combined with her personality, and a preference for her over the game's unlockable characters.[21]
Other publications have also praised the character. Game Informer called her the best of any of the new characters introduced in either Soul Calibur III or IV.[22]Edge described her as the best of the new characters in Soulcalibur IV, calling her fighting style a worthy rival to another series character, Kilik.[23] iafrica.com described her as the 'standout newcomer' of the title, describing her fighting style as unusual and 'unwieldy to watch', but easy to get into.[24]Ars Technica also called her a standout addition to the game, describing her fighting style as good for skilled players.[25]Good Game described her as an interesting character, and further named her 'the hottest [..] girl in the game'.[26]Shacknews stated that her combination of close and long range attacks made for 'a refreshingly dynamic fighting style'.[27] Topless Robot named her one of the '11 Most Dignified Videogame Heroines', suggesting that her presence in the game was added to offset the other female characters and praising the lack of 'ridiculous romantic contrivances' in her character background.[28] Neoseeker praised her design an 'unbelievably awesome outfit', adding that despite the lack of exposed skin, 'she will win you over'.[29]GameDaily featured her as one of their 'Babes of the Week', stating approval for her contrast to the other females,[30] and praised the contrast of her fighting style to other characters in the series.[31]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Soul Calibur 4 Fighting Styles
- ^'Hildegard von Krone Voices (Soulcalibur)'. Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 16 September 2019. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of the title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
- ^Staff (2008-08-01). 'Soul Calibur IV Features Video'. Neoseeker. Archived from the original on 2008-09-01. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
- ^Yip, Spencer (2007-09-17). 'Meet Hilde, Soul Calibur IV's new star'. Siliconera. Crave Online. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- ^ abNamco Staff (2008-07-03). 'Soul Calibur IV - The Finer Points'. IGN. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
- ^'Soulcalibur IV Development Diary'. Project Soul (in Japanese). Namco Bandai. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
- ^Staff (February 2008). 'Soulcalibur IV: The Agenda'. Electronic Gaming Monthly (225): 59.
- ^Yip, Spencer (2008-01-15). 'Will there be Soulcalibur IV Wii? How does Yoda fight? Namco Bandai talks about Soulcalibur IV'. Siliconera. Crave Online. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- ^ abProject Soul (2008-07-31). Soulcalibur IV Limited Edition Artbook. Namco Bandai.
- ^ abAshcraft, Brian (2008-07-29). 'Learn About Soul Calibur IV From A Cute Manga'. Kotaku. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^Namco Bandai Games America. Namco Bandai. Retrieved on 2008-08-01
- ^Project Soul (2009-09-13). Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny (PSP). Namco Bandai. Level/area: Gauntlet.
- ^'Soulcalibur IV Xbox 360 Interview'. IGN. 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
- ^ abHaynes, Jeff (2007-09-19). 'TGS 2007: Soul Calibur IV Trailer and Gameplay Impressions'. IGN. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
- ^ abcDeats, Adam; Joe Epstein (2008). Soulcalibur IV. BradyGames. p. 55. ISBN0-7440-1006-3.
- ^Staff (2008-06-09). 'Soulcalibur IV Hands-On Preview'. Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- ^Yip, Spencer (2008-06-09). 'Hori brings Soulcalibur IV arcade sticks to North America'. Siliconera. Crave Online. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- ^Udon Entertainment (w, a)Namco staff (w), Joe Ng (a), David Grier (col). Soulcalibur IV (2008-07-31), DC Comics/Namco Bandai
- ^Schedeen, Jesse (2008-08-18). 'The Babes of Soulcalibur'. IGN. IGN Entertainment. p. 3. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^Schedeen, Jesse (2008-07-30). 'Soulcalibur: The Top Ten Fighters'. IGN. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ^Knight, Rich (November 29, 2013). 'The 20 Best Characters of the 'SoulCalibur' Series'. Complex. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
- ^Clements, Ryan (2008-07-29). 'Soulcalibur IV Review'. IGN. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^Staff (September 2008). 'Soulcalibur IV review'. Game Informer (185): 98.
- ^Staff (2008-08-01). 'Review: Soul Calibur IV'. Edge. Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
- ^Kriel, Zaid (2008-08-07). 'Soul Calibur IV'. iafrica.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
- ^Caron, Frank (2008-08-01). 'Game Review: Soulcalibur IV'. Ars Technica. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
- ^Staff (2008-08-11). 'Soul Calibur 4'. Good Game. Australian Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 2009-12-24.
- ^Breckon, Nick (2008-04-16). 'Soul Calibur 4 Hands-on Impressions'. Shacknews. GameFly. Archived from the original on 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
- ^Ciolek, Todd; Rob Bricken (2008-10-15). 'The 11 Most Dignified (and Thus Reasonably Attired) Videogame Heroines'. Topless Robot. The Village Voice. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
- ^Sung, Lydia (2008-08-01). 'Soul Calibur IV Review'. Neoseeker. p. 1. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
- ^Babe of the Week: SoulCalibur IV's Hilde. GameDaily. Retrieved on 2008-08-25
- ^Buffa, Chris (2008-07-30). 'Soul Calibur IV Review (PS3)'. GameDaily. AOL. Archived from the original on 2008-08-05. Retrieved 2009-09-01.