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PSN Tuesday: Dead Island Riptide, Star Trek, Thomas Was Alone
The PlayStation Store update this week includes four full games, two new for PSN and three Vita games. The full games are Star Trek, SoulCalibur 5, Dead Island Riptide and Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII, while PSN gets God Mode and Thomas Was Alone.Thomas Was Alone is a Cross Buy game, making it available on Vita today as well, along with Draw Slasher and Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R.Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is out as a PS2 Classic and PSP gets Black Rock Shooter The Game. The Spring Sale is still on, with discounts on Resident Evil 6 and Thomas Was Alone this week.
SoulCalibur 5 hits up PSN, Games on Demand on April 23
SoulCalibur 5 takes on PSN and Xbox Live Games on Demand on April 23, for $20 on each system, direct from Namco Bandai.SoulCalibur 5 launched in January of 2012, and we found it to be "simultaneously one of the best Soul Calibur games ever made, as well as the worst Soul Calibur game ever made." It makes sense in the context of the review, we promise – that's what all the text above those stars is for.%Gallery-185968%
Mad Catz sale includes FightSticks, Rock Band gear and more
If you've been in the market for an arcade stick, cheap wired controller or guitar with hundreds and hundreds of buttons on it, now may be the time to slap down some digitally represented dollar bills.Mad Catz has applied 37 to 69-percent discounts on a wide range of its peripheral offerings, dropping its branded SoulCalibur 5 and Street Fighter X Tekken FightSticks down to $100 a pop, its SFXT FightPads down to $20 and various Rock Band 3 instrument bundles to over half off. You can also snag a PS3 version of the limited edition EVO 2012 FightStick for $100, in addition to discounted WWE All Stars sticks/pads and Damage Inc. Pacific Squadron WWII flight stick packs.Sadly, the sale does not include the Sanrio FightStick, which is still both $160 and the cutest ever.
Namco Bandai game business up 32% in fiscal quarter, Soulcalibur 5 leads sales
Namco Bandai's Game Software Division brought in 13.8 billion yen ($176.3 million) in its fiscal Q1 (ended June 30), up over last year's 10.4 billion yen. Overall, the "Content Business" that includes game software brought in 57 billion yen ($728.18 million), a 60% increase over the 35.6 billion from the same time last year.The success of Namco's game business is partly due to just brute force – Namco released 46 games worldwide in the quarter, versus 27 last year. Its best selling game for the quarter was Soulcalibur 5, which added 680,000 worldwide sales to its total, for a life-to-date 1.38 million. Its other named best sellers include Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations, which sold 440,000 in the quarter, and the Japan only Toriko Gourmet Survival 2 for PSP, which sold 100,000.
Get hype: EVO 2012 results and Grand Finals videos
Another EVO Championship Series has come and gone, taking with it the hopes, dreams and aspirations of a community. EVO is the Super Bowl of fighting games, but also a cultural mecca for those who share the genre as their life's passion.This year's proceedings were punctuated by surprises, upsets and incredible displays of skill and technical prowess, perhaps more so than any EVO in recent memory. Last year's Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition champion, Fuudo, tied with three others for ninth place at this year's tournament, for instance. Conversely, Perfect Legend successfully defended his throne as Mortal Kombat champion, becoming the first person to retain their title since Daigo Umehara's SSF4 victory in 2010.Head on past the break for results of the seven major tournaments that took place over the weekend, along with videos of the Grand Finals for each game, courtesy of IGN. If you're pressed for time, allow us to make some recommendations: Watch the first rounds of the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and SSF4:AE Ver. 2012 Grand Finals for two of the most exciting KOs of the weekend, and peep the King of Fighters XIII Grand Finals for the most excitable stream commentators in the entire world.
Watch the EVO 2012 Championship Series World Finals right here
The culmination of a full year's worth of regional tournaments set around the globe, the EVO 2012 Championship Series World Finals have begun in sunny Las Vegas. Players from the world over have assembled to compete in six games across three days, and you can watch all of the action right here on Joystiq.EVO's various tournaments (Friday/Saturday schedules here and here) are split across two streams: The primary stream above, and the secondary stream set up after the break. Today's events consist of Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition Ver. 2012, SoulCalibur 5 and King of Fighters XIII, while tomorrow's festivities feature Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter X Tekken and more KOF XIII. Finals take place all day on Sunday, from 10 a.m. PDT through the rest of the evening.Who will emerge victorious? Fight!!
Here comes the 'Bridal Costume' DLC in Soulcalibur 5
Namco Bandai cordially invites you to celebrate the union of its child, Soulcalibur 5, and ... "Bridal Costume" DLC, today. The ceremony will be held on the Xbox Live Marketplace, with a reception on the PlayStation Network later (PSN weather permitting). Punches will be served.The couple has requested that, in lieu of gifts, attendees donate $3 to the console marketplace of their choice.
SoulCalibur 5's story mode is one-fourth its originally planned size
SoulCalibur 5's lackluster single-player offerings majorly stuck in my craw when I reviewed it last January, and while the game's combat is primarily excellent, I couldn't overlook the fact that its story mode is, as I said in my review, "a 3-hour hodgepodge of indecipherable, confusing storyboard panels punctuated by random (although admittedly gorgeous) cinematics."As it turns out, I wasn't the only one who wanted more from the game's story mode: "Our first plan on the storyboard was that we had every characters' story, and actually we do have it in the studio, but time-wise, man power-wise we weren't able to do it and only one fourth of what we planned to do is in the game," said SC5 director Daishi Odashima during an interview with Train2Game.In its current form, SC5's story mode follows the adventures of Sophitia's children Pyrrha and Patrokolos. Similar story modes would have existed for every character, but developmental restrictions prevented that from happening. Voice overs for some characters' canned stories exist in a finished, usable state, but Namco Bandai currently has no plans for how (or if) they'll ever be used.
Namco summons the eight best SoulCalibur 5 players for World Championship
Are you one of the eight best SoulCalibur 5 players in the world? Then you already know about Namco Bandai's World Championship event, because you've been invited to it. For everyone else: Namco Bandai has gathered the eight best players from around the world, and will have them compete in Las Vegas on April 10 for a $10,000 prize pool.If you want to see the absolute highest-level SC5 play, and how it differs from your constant attempts to ring out your friends, you'll be able to watch a stream brought to you by Team Spooky. Check Facebook for more details on how you can go see the event -- it appears some kind of party bus is involved.
SoulCalibur 5 title update trailer plays dress-up
Soon Google image search won't be the only place you can see SoulCalibur 5's cast in short-shorts.
SoulCalibur 5's upcoming DLC has maid costumes, more swimsuits
So, remember how SoulCalibur 5 is getting monthly costume DLC starting next month, and how we were absolutely positive it wouldn't be what we were expecting? Well, turns out this first pack is actually exactly what we expected, in that it's mostly random goofiness and fanservice.The new array of costumes will be available for purchase through the "Cepheus Store," which will presumably be added during the game's March 21 system/balance update. The store is divided into categories, the ones listed in the video being "Classic Headgears," "SCV Character Equipment," "Maid Costumes," "Active Wear," Ancient Armor" and "Modern Costumes."No word yet on pricing, or whether the costumes will be sold as complete outfits or individual pieces.The above trailer also teases costumes and accessories coming in future updates, which appear to include fishing regalia, flight attendant outfits, the equipment needed to make King from Tekken, and ... a Pac Man head?
SoulCalibur 5 getting balance patch March 21, monthly costume DLC starting in April
The secret to a successful modern fighting game isn't so much the launch as it is the post-launch support. It's kind of like an MMO, in that patching and re-balancing based on community input adds refinement and longevity to the platform. Namco Bandai seems to get this, as it'll be updating SoulCalibur 5's ranked match matchmaking algorithms and character balance next Wednesday, March 21. Specifics on those balance changes are forthcoming, according to the SC5 Facebook page.The curators of the Stage of History have also announced that SC5 will receive monthly costume DLC packs, the first of which will arrive on April 3 for the 360 and April 4 for the PS3. No word yet on costume pack pricing or content, but we've got a sneaking suspicion that whatever we're expecting, we're probably way off.
SoulCalibur 5's price slashed to $40 on Amazon
Hey, we'd all like to have our own little place on the stage of history, but do you have any idea how desirable that real estate is? It's only so big a stage, you guys.Thankfully, this year's stay won't set us back the full price: Amazon currently has SoulCalibur V on sale for $39.99 on both Xbox 360 and PS3.
Joystiq Original Hip-hop: Welcome Back (To The Stage of History)
Anyone who's listened to my long, incoherent rambles on The Joystiq Show knows that I love fighting games more than most things that exist. What you may not know, however, is that my love for a good combo is rivaled only by my desire to spit sick verses over fly jams. So, when Joystiq's Alexander Sliwinski and Steven Wong suggested that I marry my two passions into one creation, how could I resist?The end result (embedded above) is a SoulCalibur 5 rap song written and performed by yours truly. The destructively sick beat was lovingly crafted by tanner4105, an incredibly talented producer and electronica artist who donated his services out of the goodness of his own heart. Full lyrics are available after the break!
Final Fantasy XIII-2, Metal Gear Collection debut atop UK charts
Three new titles entered Chart-Track's UK sales top ten last week, led by Final Fantasy XIII-2. Sneaking the silver was the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, which includes MGS2: Sons of Liberty (2002), MGS3: Snake Eater (2005) and MGS: Peacewalker (2010). Rounding out the top three is Battlefield 3, up two spots, as FIFA 12 slides from first to fourth.Another new addition to the top ten, SoulCalibur 5, premieres in fifth. Chart-Track notes that the prior SoulCalibur debuted in the top spot back in August of 2008.The solid debut last week of 3DS action horror title Resident Evil: Revelations finds the game retreating from sixth to 19 on the latest chart. Wander past the break for the UK top ten.
Video review: Mad Catz Arcade FightStick Soul Edition
A few weeks ago, Mad Catz sent me one of its latest arcade sticks, the SoulCalibur 5 branded Soul Edition arcade fightstick. After daily testing on SC5, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Mortal Kombat, the Soul Edition not only met my expectations, but exceeded them, as you can tell from the review video above.The company's Tournament Edition sticks have always been excellent pieces of hardware, and the Soul Edition is no exception. It's solidly constructed from arcade-quality parts and is heavy enough to stay in place, regardless of whether you fight on a table-top or your lap. The stick's striking motif and subtle design elements set it apart from every other mass-produced arcade stick on the market; if you want to stand out at your local Ranking Battles without incurring the cost of a custom-made stick, you'd be hard pressed to find a piece of fighting tech that's this unique, right out of the box.
SoulCalibur 5 review: The old flame still burns
Soul Calibur 2 and I used to be "an item," back in the day. We spent every evening together, laughing over the ridiculous ring outs we shared and taking special pride in infuriating my friends, together. It was rare to ever find us apart for more than a few hours at a time; I loved Soul Calibur 2 with all of my heart.Things change, though, and as time marched on we realized that staying together wasn't the best thing for the both of us. The world had moved on, my needs had changed, and Soul Calibur 2 understood that it was time for me to go. Despite trying to reconnect a couple of times, we haven't really talked much since the old days.So imagine my surprise when SoulCalibur 5 showed up at my apartment, looking better than ever and wanting to go a few rounds. We've been spending a lot of time together, and it's been a pretty intense emotional rollercoaster, truth be told. I've rediscovered all the little things I used to love, as well as the reasons why we broke up in the first place.It's hard, because when you get back with an old flame, you want things to go back to the way they used to be, and that's rarely (if ever) possible. SoulCalibur 5 is a far cry from the game I used to love, and it's got more than its fair share of problems, but deep down, the soul still burns.%Gallery-145013%
Soulcalibur 5 DLC lets you buy bikinis and animal heads in Feb.
If you pick up Soulcalibur 5 next week, and find that your custom character just isn't looking right without, say, a bikini, wings, and face paint, Namco's got you covered (in bikinis, wings, and face paint). The publisher has announced three DLC packs for Europe, each running 160 Microsoft Points or €1.99, and each loaded with basically insane things to put on your characters. As a nice bonus, they all include in-game music tracks from previous Caliburs, which can also be purchased individually.On February 3, you can buy the aforementioned bikinis, wings, and face paints as part of a bundle of "nine exotic customization items." This comes with music from Soul Blade and Soul Calibur. February 14 includes "fearsome" items like "breast plate, kimono, and animal heads." Animal heads. This set is bundled with SC2 and 3 music. Finally, on February 28, you can get nine more items, including "mask, face paint, camouflage and skull." Along with your download, you get music from Soulcalibur IV and Soulcalibur Broken Destiny.No announcement has been made for a North American release, but we're confident Namco will let you buy that kimono and skull soon enough.
New Soulcalibur 5 trailer is like four trailers in one
Soulcalibur 5 comes out in less than a week; why waste time with separate trailers when you can slam them all into one super convenient video? Check out Algol, Edge Master and Devil Jin's Custom Character fighting style (!), as well as character poses narrated by SC5's obligatory gruff guy.
A tale of two hidden blades, eternally retold: Ezio v Ezio in Soulcalibur 5
We're pretty sure if Ezio really fought Ezio, he'd just mirror his own moves identically and get caught in a stalemate. But when two different people pilot the master assassin from the Assassin's Creed series within the confines of Soulcalibur 5, that's a whole other story.[Thanks, Nederob.]
