Soul Calibur IV (X360)

One of the most popular fighting franchises on home consoles is the Soul Calibur series, and the latest entry, Soul Calibur IV, looks to be a popular title for both Xbox 360 and PS3.  This year is the tenth anniversary of the original Soul Calibur game (although its predecessor, Soul Edge, came out in 1996), and IV manages to both upgrade and continue popular themes from the previous incarnations as well as refresh aspects of the fighting genre that were becoming a little stale.  

The combat is fast and furious in the new incarnation of the series, with more moves, more combos, and more chains available for every character.  Many of the familiar faces from the series return, with a few new faces and occasional surprises along the way.  Notably, the 360 version features Yoda as a playable character, while the PS3 gets Darth Vader - although both Star Wars characters' move sets are a little uninspired and lacking.  One nice aspect is that characters "level up" the more you use them, unlocking new abilities and increasing their strengths along the way.

Quite possibly the best aspect of Soul Calibur IV, however, is the "create a fighter" system.  Players can build their own character from scratch, developing their own abilities and unique playstyle, and as the custom characters are used more and more, more options become available.  The customization options are staggering, and will let players create just about any type of fighter they can imagine, vastly improving the replay value of the title.