Violence and Porn: Why Soul Calibur 1V tops the charts

This game has topped the charts for the last couple of weeks, and when you turn it on it's easy to see why. The screens are flawless with amazingly detailed graphics that capture everything from the pert way Ivy's breast bob when she spins, to the look of peace on Yoda's face as he brandishes his light sabre.

This is my first foray into the Soul Calibur series, having been a Tekken girl for the majority of my life (fave character Eddie or Nina) and I have to say I'm impressed. The game play is clean and fast, with no annoying title sequences or heavy handed loading times, and the fighting is suitable for both skilled players and button bashers alike.

I like how you can team up and play as a tag-team, and as you progress through the game you'll unlock extra characters and special endings. There's also the option to buy characters from the shop. You earn cash as you ascend the levels, especially if you attempt to climb the Tower of Lost Souls, but when you have 50,000 gold and a character costs 4,00 it seem slightly pointless.

The character customisation is key, with you being able to select from a variety of weapons and skins, and their arsenal grows with the more hours you put in. Arcade and Two player mode are entertaining and easy to get the hang of, and the Tower of Lost Souls is a great way to waste an evening. The goal is to ascend the mythical tower floor by floor, gaining gold and characters at the top. Once you've reached the heights, and fought off all the angels, you can descend into the pit of doom, gaining accolades as you go.

It's entertaining, it's addictive, and it's also pretty erotic. Yes, it's sexy and arousing, and could rival Nuts mag for titillation. And why is that? There's no denying CGI can do amazing things but was it really necessary for Ivy's breasts to not only defy gravity but also stomp in its face and call its Momma a loser? And that's before we move onto her backside- that provocative thong doesn't hide her assets at all.

Gaming and sex have always gone hand in hand, with most gamers starting in their teens, with the remote on the right and a box of tissues on the left. We've seen Lara Croft gain fame through her Double D's and then there's that Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball game. Add to that a couple of Playboy options that never really achieved mainstream success, and it seems that bikini clad women are a formula publishers like.

I'm not suggesting Ivy's assets in any way detract from her gameplay, but when you add her scantily clad cohorts to the mix it's starting to get a little offensive. I know that games don't mimic real life (how many terrorist Yoda's do you know?) but objectifying women to this extreme makes me uncomfortable. The men in the game may be suitably buffed and pumped (Mitsurgi to name one) but he's always clothed, even if the shirt does rip slightly.

Until we start objectifying both sexes equally, and having Raphael drop kicking in a G string, I think we need to say no to all this flesh.

On the other hand, you can't deny that sex sells, and with Soul Calibur 1V still at the top of the charts you could say they've got their formula perfected. I'd suggest that they have such an impressive game they could stop creating suggestive outfits, but hey, I'm not their target audience right?

Zara Rabinowicz writes for Shiny Shiny and Kiss and Makeup and doesn't think she could get away with Ivy's ensemble. Hey, purple's not her colour.