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Astaroth and Viola join the cast of SoulCalibur 5
Dear Namco Bandai, Thank you for bringing Astaroth, our series favorite and tournament go-to character, back to the Stage of History in SoulCalibur 5. His glowing, infection-prone chest would have been sorely missed, as would his massive axe and memorable catchphrases like "Stay down!" or "Aruarghg!" Additionally, having your bevy of psychically astute brain institute graduates reach into the deepest, darkest corners of our subconscious was a brilliant move; Viola is the perfect combination of Freddy Krueger and Athena Asamiya, and is exactly what we've always wanted. Rest assured, our impassioned mailing campaign will now end. With souls still burning, The Joystiq Staff%Gallery-133960%
SoulCalibur 5 trailer born under the sword
Were you born under a sword? Or on a sword? Maybe near a sword? Close enough for SoulCalibur 5.
SoulCalibur 5's new fighters get frisky in latest trailer
Comic-Con may be over, but it's still dishing out video game media, such as this SoulCalibur 5 trailer. The video features many of the new upstart fighters, and poor Mitsurugi takes quite a walloping. We'll bet his soul will be burning for at least a week.
SoulCalibur V screens show two new characters and some skin
Namco Bandai released a series of SoulCalibur V screens showing two new characters, Zwei and Natsu, and of course Ivy, aged in plotline but not in looks. We don't want to see any older, maternal figures in our real lives wearing this particular outfit, but Ivy can pull it off.
Meet SoulCalibur 5's newest character and her hairdo
SoulCalibur 5 producer Daishi Odashima treated fans to an early reveal of a new character in advance of his Comic-Con panel, after teasing them with two silhouettes on July 5. There's still plenty to be revealed (like who this person is or what her backstory is) but now we know what one of the two new characters looks like! Basically, she's Momohime from Muramasa: The Demon Blade, but blonde, and in a way more ornate outfit.
Meet the young SoulCalibur V development team
Namco takes us into its studio for a behind-the-scenes look at SoulCalibur V in this clip. You'll see the office, a bit of in-progress art and meet the people making the latest iteration of the weapons-based fighter. Was producer Daichi Odashima even alive when the original Soul Edge came out?
Soulcalibur V preview: A tale of buttons mashed, eternally retold
After being ushered into a tiny dark room in the back of Namco's E3 booth with three other journos and several reps from the publisher (several from Project Soul, specifically), I watched the same initial presentation of Soulcalibur V that you watched on Joystiq back in mid-May (seen above). I once again marveled at Namco's insistence on pushing the game's ridiculous story over its gorgeous new game's engine, not to mention the improvements to Soulcalibur's core mechanics that distinguish the upcoming sequel from its predecessors by focusing on a "more elegant" combat system. In real-world terms, this means that battles in Soulcalibur V are intended to be faster, more fluid, and heavy on offense. And in my experience, it was just that -- a noticeably early build, sure, but already showing an extra layer of smoothness in motion that felt far less stilted than past titles.%Gallery-126046%
Soulcalibur V has '20 - 30' characters, half are new; character creation coming back
During our meeting this afternoon with Namco, while a tale of souls was being eternally retold on the screen in Soulcalibur V, a rep from the Japanese publisher spoke to the game's features while we raptly listened on. While only four characters were playable in the hands-on demo we had, two of them were brand new -- something the Namco rep explained was representative of the entire game's roster. "Half of the roster is all new characters," he noted, before explaining that character creation will make a triumphant return in SC5. And apparently, though the story in past Soulcalibur titles has been ... typical of a fighting game, SC5 will expand upon that with the expressed purpose of explaining the many, many new characters. We only got a chance to get our hands on Patroclus and series favorite Mitsurugi, but we'll be sure to have a preview up in the coming days. Here's a tease: it was pretty fun!%Gallery-126046%
Soulcalibur V's eternally retold battles, captured on video
Poor Mitsurugi! He sure was getting on in years when we last saw him in Soulcalibur IV, and in Soulcalibur V he's positively elderly! With any luck, Yoshimitsu schooled him in the ways of AARP health insurance. See for yourself in the first Soulcalibur V gameplay video, after the break.
Soulcalibur V coming to PS3, Xbox 360 in 2012
Namco Bandai's tale of souls and swords, chain whips, undead pirates, gas-mask fetishists, murderous ex-monks, Todd McFarlane rejects, bipedal lizards, elvis impersonators, razor-sharp hula hoops, and Siegfried Schtauffen, will continue in 2012 with the release of Soulcalibur V. Shown during a press conference at Namco Bandai's "Level Up Dubai 2011" event, Soulcalibur V is set to launch on Xbox 360 and PS3, with a story that takes place 17 years after the faux-historical events of the previous game. At the rate technology is advancing in the Soulcalibur universe -- and the rate at which the women's clothes are shrinking -- we'll probably have all-nude musket duels within the next few games. Namco has yet to send out a full character roster, but Siegfried and Nightmare already appear in the first trailer. The game's story is focused on a new character called Patroklos, son of Sopithia. Expect to see a little more media when the countdown on the game's teaser website concludes later today. Update: You'll find the teaser trailer after the break.%Gallery-123356%
Namco Bandai site teases 'new chapter,' likely next Soulcalibur
We've known a new Soul Calibur game is coming since back in December and now it would appear that Namco Bandai is finally ready to make a formal announcement. Well, not now now. Like, in two weeks. A site teasing a "new chapter" in something has recently emerged online, counting down to May 11 -- presumably when the identity of said chapter will be announced. Corroborating the mid-May reveal is a tweet from Soul Calibur's "current game director" Daishi Odashima promising "to announce something" at that time. If we were rating the mystery behind this reveal, we'd probably give it an F. Minus. [Thanks, Jaxon]
Soulcalibur series returns to the stage of history
Daishi Odashima, Soul Calibur IV designer, opened a Twitter account on Christmas day, offering the following tease as his gift to fans of the weapons-based fighter series: "SC is BACK! Get ready, fans!" To prove he was serious, he included a picture of himself at his desk, with a drawing of the Soul Calibur sword. With a new Soul Calibur now in the works, that officially brings the number of franchise fighting games on the way from Namco Bandai to three, including Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Tekken vs. Street Fighter. Thanks for this fighting game renaissance, Street Fighter IV!
