To its credit, Soul Calibur peaked far later in its life than most fighting games. For all the work on the games, modern Tekken and Street Fighter tournaments still place age-old instalments on a pedestal. New releases are included, but often swept aside by the sheer size of the veteran fan base preferring the classics. Contrastingly, and despite Soul Calibur's minimal tournament following, there is still a general consensus of the fourth game, released in 2008, being the IP's highest point. With superb visuals for its age, an engrossing if by-the-books character creation system, and the same tried-and-true combat, SC4 was popular among die-hard fans and casual fighters alike. Subsequent releases have yet to find the same balance. The shift to online-centric content has left Soul Cal fans starved for local co-op and single player fun - by all rights the pillars of the franchise's success. Can't even laugh at the atrociously written character narratives nowadays.