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Vader, Yoda Cross Soul Calibur IV Versions On October 23

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:20:00 +0000

Like a disturbance in the force, you knew it was coming. With the official announcement popping out for the Japanese market last week, today we hear that Darth Vader and Yoda will be made available as downloadable characters for Soul Calibur IV in the US as well. Which means 360 owners can play as Vader, PS3 owners, as Yoda. Both will be available on October 23 – same day as Japan – and will cost 400 MS Points/$US5.

Santa Clara, Calif., (October 17, 2008) – Due to overwhelming fan response, NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., today revealed that Sith Lord Darth Vader and Jedi Master Yoda will be downloadable characters for Soulcalibur® IV on Thursday, October 23 from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®Network for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Once console exclusive characters, players will soon be able to pit these adversaries against each other for the true epic battle between dark and light. Soulcalibur® IV has shipped millions of units worldwide since its July 29 launch and continues to win audiences over with its rich gaming experience and robust feature set.

Set to reveal the origins of this ongoing story, Soulcalibur IV features new and familiar faces from across the galaxy who seeks the rival swords for their own ambitions. The line-up of weapon-wielding fighters grows as new characters add to the mythos including Hilde, a striking armor-clad warrior who wields a short sword and spear. In addition to the iconic Star Wars characters, the Secret Apprentice from LucasArts’ STAR WARS®: The Force Unleashed™ also makes an appearance as a guest character for both Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system.

Retooled from the ground up, Soulcalibur IV perfects its highly celebrated weapons-based fighting system with stunning high definition graphics and new gameplay mechanics. Adding to the depth of combat, players can now destroy protective armor; weakening their enemy’s resolve and unleash Critical Finish moves to defeat opponents in one spectacular blow. Also new to the series is the ability to battle online against players from around the world using customised characters or fan favourites to challenges others for global domination.

Soulcalibur IV is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB and is currently available in stores for a suggested MSRP of $59.99. The downloadable characters will be available for 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 and $4.99 on the PLAYSTATION Network. For more information please

First Official SCIV Yoda/Darth Vader Fighting Screens

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:00:00 +0000

You’re surprised? Please, don’t be. When Namco Bandai released the multi-platform Soulcalibur IV, the PS3 got Darth Vader and the Xbox 360 got Yoda. Now you can get both thanks to the magic of DLC and capitalism. Ah, bless capitalism. It’s made it not only possible for Vader and Yoda to fight each other, but for them for battle women with ridiculously large swords.

Starting October 23rd in Japan, Yoda will be available as PS3 DLC for ¥600 (US$5.93), and Vader will go for 400 Microsoft Points. Check out the gallery below.

ベイダー対ヨーダがついに実現！『SC IV』のDLCは23日配信 [Dengeki Online]

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:40:55 +0000

This weekend should be full of “Oh shit!” moments, as Kotaku Towers West and Kotaku Annex Atlanta prep for the Leipzig Games Convention. We’re mostly caught up on our bookings, but I still need to score a train ticket from Frankfurt to Leipzig, as well as book my German vacation days. You won’t have this editor to kick around post Games Convention, as I’m taking my first vacation days of the year after the con. Speaking of, any Munich-based Kotaku readers with some local recommendations?

In my downtime (ha!), I’ll be relaxing with some Soulcalibur IV and pulling my hair out with some PixelJunk Eden. I’m surprised to find myself only halfway through my Spectra collection and completion. There’s little doubt that Q Games gives you plenty of value for your dollar.

What about you? What are you playing this weekend?

Buy Soul Calibur IV For $50

Logan Booker — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:00:00 +0000

EcoGamer’s Anthony has once again sent us a great tip for those looking to pick up Soul Calibur IV on the cheap. We’ve previously posted prices for a bunch of popular stores, but if you’re willing to do a bit of leg work, you can shave $50 off the RRP.

I could paraphrase Anthony’s tip, but bless him, he’s done an excellent job of summing up the details:

If anyone missed out or thought SCIV was too expensive, using a combination of deals you can pick it up for just $49.90. Even less with an EB Games EDGE card (10% discount).

EB Games started their ‘Buy 2 preowned games’ sale this week, and you can pick up Gears of War, Fight Night Round 3 and Bomberman: Act Zero which are currently not on JB Hi-Fi’s trade in exclusion list. Then simply walk into JB Hi-Fi and trade in all three to get Soul Calibur 4. This is also a good opportunity to get Ninja Gaiden 2, DBZ Bust Limit and GRID amongst others for $50. These trade in deals end on the 10th and it is not known yet which ones will be carried into the next catalogue.

EB Games Preowned Sale – Cheap SCIV [EcoGamer, thanks Anthony]

Soulcalibur IV, Over 2 Million Copies Sold Worldwide

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:00:00 +0000

Either bigger boobs or Star Wars characters did the trick, because Namco Bandai Games has announced that Soulcalibur IV has already sold (not shipped, sold) over 2,000,000 copies of SCIV. The multi-platform game went on sale in the States on July 29th and in Japan and Europe on July 31st. Many people have purchased it.

バンダイナムコ、PS3/Xbox 360「ソウルキャリバーIV」
全世界での累計販売本数が200万本を突破 [Game Watch]

People Are Going SCIV Creator Crazy!

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 05:00:00 +0000

There Are ‘No Plans’ For Yoda v Vader In Soul Calibur IV

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:30:00 +0000

While some could-be-real, could-not-be-real images and video of Vader battling Yoda in Soul Calibur IV have surfaced over the past few weeks, the rumour that both characters will feature as DLC (Yoda for PS3, Vader for 360) is far from confirmed. Enter Soul Calibur IV director Katsutoshi Sasaki, who…fails to confirm or deny said rumours, saying “We don’t have any plans” to add the pair as platform-crossing DLC. Once was a day “no plans” meant just that, there were no plans, but these days it could just as easily mean “sure we will, but we’ll announce it in a month’s time when you’re starting to get sick of the game”.

XCN Soul Calibur IV Q&A with Katsutoshi Sasaki, Director [MSXBOX World]

Obama vs. McCain in Soulcalibur IV

Owen Good — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:00:00 +0000

PC World’s Darren Gladstone got an itching to make some custom characters in SCIV, and created U.S. presidential candidates John McCain (Vietnam vet headband, big arse mallet) and Barack Obama (shirtless and swingin’ nunchaku.) And of course, the video ends with their series tied at 2-2, just so no one thinks this is an endorsement of or in-kind advertisement for either — because FEC paperwork is a bitch.

I’m trying to make allegories between their fighting traits and campaign positions but to be honest, haven’t followed things that closely. I do think the choice of weapons is rather adroit. Do you want your president to be some dancing elitist who prefers foreign fightin’ styles with sticks, or a guy with good-ole cornfed brute strength enough to pound his enemies with a massive phallic object?

As one commenter on GamePolitics aptly pointed out: Thank God Hillary did not get the nomination. I’ll let you think on it for a second.

McCain vs Obama — FIGHT! [PC World, via Gamepolitics]

SoulCalibur IV Review: Polishing The Stage Of History

Mike Fahey — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:30:00 +0000

I can’t write about any version of SoulCalibur without saying how amazing the Dreamcast version of the first installment was, so we’ll get that out of the way up front. The original SoulCalibur for the Dreamcast is the game that got me hooked on 3D fighters, and no other game before or since quite compares to the thrill of the first time I spun up the disc in my imported Sega console. Nevertheless, Namco Bandai continues to try, and now the fourth installment (fifth counting Soul Edge) is upon us, marking the series’ first appearance on current generation hardware. SoulCalibur IV brings us new fighters, new modes, a robust character creator, and the addition of online play – a franchise first. On top of all that, they’ve added a healthy dose of midi-chlorians to the mix in the form of cameos from Yoda, Darth Vader, and the Secret Apprentice from The Force Unleashed. Do all of these new additions lift the franchise to new heights, or throw it off balance so it falls right out of the ring?

Love it or hate it, here’s your SoulCalibur IV review.

Loved
Gameplay: Still the same great SoulCalibur gameplay we all know and love, with a few nifty additions to keep things fresh. Opportunities to pull off the new Critical Finisher moves are few and far between, but they definitely add to the humiliation of your opponents, and that’s what fighting games are all about.

So Many Characters: I love a fighting game with tons of variety, and SoulCalibur IV features a very impressive roster indeed, with old favourites (Ivy!) joined by all-new favourites (Kamikirimusi!). The characters also seem a bit more realistic to me, as opposed to the slightly more exaggerated characters of the past two games.

Character Customization: So many characters, and then you create more! Sure, they’re all just clones of existing characters, but the ability to make your mark on online play as Kotaku, the pink and yellow Talim kitty girl is priceless.

Skill System: Being able to power up and customise your favourite characters is a definite plus. The mechanic of leveling up fighting styles to allow for bigger and better skills rewards players who pick a character and stick with it.

Online: An amazing first for the series, so far online battles in SoulCalibur IV have been relatively lag-free and painless, at least from a game performance standpoint. Just wish I didn’t have to fight so many damn Yodas.

Story Mode: Some people hate story mode for it’s brevity, but I appreciate the developers mixing things up a bit. It’s relatively fast and ridiculously easy, but still a pleasant change from just fighting a series of battles leading to a drawn cutscene.

Unlockables: Always a staple of the SC series, the game features unlockable characters, unlockable items for character customisation, and unlockable artwork. Just wish there was a bit more of the latter.

Hated
Balance: SoulCalibur has never exactly been gameplay balance central, and the addition of the Star Wars characters – particularly the tiny, unthrowable Yoda – sets the game askew even further. Adding in a character that is immune to some of the most powerful attacks in the game is never a good idea.

The Tower Of Souls: The extra modes in the SC series have been on the decline since they traded up the mission mode in SCI for SCII’s room-to-room dungeon crawl. SCIII brought us a strategy game, and now we have The Tower of Souls. Going up is Mission Mode with no story and no way to know the special conditions you need to unlock items the first time through. Going down is tag-team survival mode. Bleh.

The Voices: Yes, yes – the cheesy announcer is part of what makes a SoulCalibur game. It doesn’t make it any less painful to listen to. The character voices can be grating at times as well, especially Tira. I’d suggest switching to Japanese voices immediately.

I’ve found that the key to enjoying each new entry in the SoulCalibur series is not to expect a revolution. The first SoulCalibur was the launch of the revolution. Each successive title has added new troops, new tactics, and new battlefields, but for the most part they are just the evolution of the revolution SoulCalibur started.

SoulCalibur IV might not have the impressive impact of the original, but it’s still a hit gamers will be feeling for a long time coming.

SoulCalibur IV was developed by Project Soul, published by Namco Bandai. Released on July 29th on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Played Xbox 360 version. Completed story mode for all characters including custom, unlocked all hidden characters and artwork. Played multiple rounds online with both custom and normal characters. Got to floor 11 of the Tower before pausing for breath.

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Soulcalibur IV Magazine Promo Swaps Girls for Girls

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Once upon a time, when you mentioned Soulcalibur, people thought of swords. Now, they think of jubblies. So no wonder UK men’s magazine FRONT returned for another round of Photoshop-cheesecake-models-into-videogames. This time, Page Three girls Danni Wells and Amii Grove bust out the “i”s and the sporting equipment for an in-mag SoulCalibur IV. Look at that picture! It’s like they’re thus destroying and pillaging Soulcalibur IV. (But can cricket bats defeat lightsabers? Gah….)

Hit the jump for a good old fashioned butt-off.

Why is that woman wearing no pants at the dock? That doesn’t make sense. Like, if we went to the dock, we’d sure as shit wear pants. Shoes, too.

Know this: FRONT claims to be “Britain’s Funniest Magazine”. That in itself is pretty funny.