Soul Calibur IV at 30 hours

(tags game, Soul Calibur, Xbox 360)

I was pumped up to play Soul Calibur IV some days ago, but that feeling is totally gone now. The single player modes like Tower ("hidden" mission mode and survival) are totally pwn my scrawny (well ok +50 physique) characters even with 200% health and stuff. I can't even get past level 24 and dungeon 5 respectively. Does it hurt that I use the Mitsurugi fighting style twice? I've done Story mode to death and it really is a cheap way to get Gold, despite all the time input.

I think the drop in Achievement Points rate unlocking is a big factor in my sudden diminishing returns feeling. Lame, I know.

Anyways, the in-game clock says I'm around the 30 hour mark. Some of the lingering Honors (Xbox Achievements) seem doable if I keep on hacking on it. I recently got the "Distance will not Betray" Achievement which is "10000 meters in total movement distance in battle". 30 hours == 10000 meters. Strange and wacky. One other Achievement, the 450_000 points in Arcade Mode, seems too hard. I probably have to win all the fights up to stage 8 with no losses, because there is a doubling bonus that rewards consecutive wins. 1000, 2000, 4000, ... etc. The Stage 7 Apprentice is hard though.

As far as the rest of the character weapon unlocking, I have, on the women's side, only Ivy to complete. Then its on to the guys' wear. Then, weapons. I have yet to unlock the Apprentice, though.