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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%
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.
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!
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.]
Why Soul Calibur Still (Quietly) Burns After More than a Decade
Soul Calibur has always been the everyman fighter. Of all the major fighting game series on the market, Soul Calibur is the game that you would probably feel most comfortable playing with your non-gaming friends or significant other. And a lot of that has to do with the weapons.The Soul series wasn't the first fighting game to feature weapons, of course. In the early days of the genre, Samurai Shodown distinguished itself with its detailed sprites, gore, and katanas. Battle Arena Toshinden, meanwhile, distinguished itself as the first 3D weapons fighter, close to a year before the original Soul Edge hit the arcades.Soul Edge, for its part, was Namco's way of testing uncharted waters. It was positioned as an alternative to Tekken and Virtua Fighter, which dominated 3D fighting at that time, and its weapons were a big part of its appeal. Apart from feeling smoother than the stiff Tekken, the strategic concept of weapon range was more intuitive than the combo-heavy 3D fighters that had preceded it.The reason it's so easy to understand is that the concept is built into the visual vocabulary of the game. When you look at Siegfried, you see a large knight with a gigantic blade. It's instantly apparent that he has longer reach than, say, the lightweight ninja Taki. And a good player knows how to put that advantage to good use, or to minimize it in its turn.Today, Soul Edge is largely forgotten outside of a small cadre of dedicated fans, but it did its part to lay down the foundation for the series by introducing the story as well as familiar characters like Mitsurugi. Soulcalibur V director Daishi Odashima certainly seems to have some affection for the original game. He even argued in favor of naming the upcoming sequel "Soul Edge 2," but was overruled.
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%
Take a look at the gorgeous and gory roster of Soulcalibur V
SoulCalibur V is similar to previous entries in one crucial aspect: There are some very pretty fighters on the roster who are more than happy to slice each other up. Even gory ol' Nightmare seems to have received some tips directly from Tim Gunn. Major wow factor, people!
Relax and watch this Namco X Capcom London Fight Club video
Some of you will enjoy a nice, extra day off on Monday, and we would hate for you to get bored while you sit around in your pajamas, not working. If at any point you feel as if you've moved or thought too much tomorrow, go ahead zone out with the above recap video from the Namco X Capcom Xmas Fight Club, where some lucky Londoners partied with SoulCalibur 5 and Tekken Tag Tournament 2. And don't worry about the site -- we'll be right here, working, all day. Although we'll probably be wearing pajamas too.
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.
