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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.
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%
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.
Rumor: Kilik and Elysium added to Soulcalibur 5
SoulCalibur 5's character roster has, historically, been chock-full of leaks. Clandestine screenshots were responsible for revealing Ezio and Raphael, and now it looks as though three new fighters may have been uncovered in an extremely similar fashion. Two images, culled from NeoGAF's depths, show the most hated man in the world fan-favorite Kilik (sporting a shiny new bird hat), as well as newcomer Elysium, an angelic female of some kind who sports very little of anything. Speculation suggests that both characters will be "mimic characters" who are able to emulate the fighting styles of any other character, but at this point that appears to be unfounded. Considering SC5's track record with character selection screenshots, however, we're cautiously optimistic regarding the validity of these photos. Check out the gallery below for high-resolution versions.%Gallery-145027%
The Theater of History: SoulCalibur 5 story mode trailer
Namco Bandai is really ramping up its trailer output ahead of SoulCalibur 5's January 31 arrival in North America. This time, we get a look at the cinematics contained within the game's story mode, and from what we can tell the whole experience can be summed up in three words: Glowing bloom filters.
New Soulcalibur 5 trailer shows online lobby system
Soul Calibur 4's online VS. modes were adequate from a netcode perspective, but like most fighting games they lacked any sort of well-developed lobby or chat system. SoulCalibur 5, on the other hand, will allow spectators to chat about matches as they happen, as seen in this latest trailer.
Hori making Soulcalibur 5 branded fight sticks
Remember how Mad Catz is going to make those gorgeous, dynamically styled Soulcalibur 5 themed fight sticks? Well, if shiny bevelled edges and an LED-ready see-through plastic casing aren't your jam, accessories manufacturer Hori has a rather minimalistic alternative: The Soulcalibur 5 Joystick. The stick's fancy name matches the rest of its aesthetic, and is slated for a January 2012 release, with versions being made for both the 360 and PS3. While Hori has yet to announce pricing or parts information, the size of the stick suggests that it will be similar to their Sanwa-packing $140 Real Arcade Pro. That's wild speculation on our part, of course, so while we're speculating let's go ahead and say that the stick is also filled with molasses. Gross, Hori!
Play dress-up with this new Soulcalibur 5 character creation trailer
After you've acquired that snazzy branded Soulcalibur 5 fight stick and modded it out fresh with LEDs and Sanwa/Seimitsu parts, you'll need a customized character to compliment your rogue individuality. Luckily for you, Soul Calibur's character creation mode is returning for the series' fifth installment, and it looks as, uhm, robust as ever. It really looks like Namco Bandai has tried to include the whole package this time around, allowing players to change fabric patterns, add additional models to pieces of armor, and layer decals to create their own designs. Obviously custom characters will never be allowed at tournaments, but who hasn't always wanted their very own Corrupted Soul Barbie?
Rumor: Space Channel 5 coming to Wii, other systems
Between Nights and the upcoming Samba de Amigo, Sega seems pretty committed to remaking their classic franchises on the Wii. Soon there might be a third series to add to the list, as Japanese news site The Magic Box is reporting that Sega has announced Space Channel 5.0. The Wii remake of the stylish, rhythmic original will feature licensed songs from series fan Michael Jackson, according to the extremely brief report. The lack of detailed information and a Sega denial via IGN make us less than certain on the validity of this information, but we wouldn't be surprised (or sad) if this turns out to be true.Don't own a Wii? Don't lose hope! In an interview with Wired, SC5 creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi hinted that he might be interested in bringing the Dreamcast game to modern download services, a la the upcoming Rez HD. "If I had a reason to remake Space Channel 5 on the new platforms, I will do that," Mizuguchi said. Of course, for that to work, he'd have to get the rights for the game back from Sega. Maybe if we all sing in unison the company will be convinced to make it happen.
