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Soulcalibur

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Soul
File:Projectsoullogo2.jpeg
Current logo of Project Soul
Genre(s)Fighting
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)Namco, Namco Bandai Games
Creator(s)Hiroaki Yotoriyama[citation needed]
Platform(s)Arcade, PlayStation, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Wii, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable
First releaseSoul Edge
April 1996
Latest releaseSoulcalibur V
January 31, 2012
Spin-offsFilms, live-action and animated series, stage show, comics

The Soul series (ソウルシリーズ, Sōru shirīzu) is a weapon-based historical fantasy fighting game series by Namco (later Namco Bandai Games).

General information

The series has seven main installments and one spin-off:

Wikipedia uses a standarized naming convention of Soulcalibur for all games in the series except of the original Soul Edge/Soul Blade. However, most Soulcalibur are in fact offically written as SoulCalibur / Soul Calibur (abbreviated to SC), and even SOULCALIBUR in all capital letters. The latter used in all documentation and official websites but not in the logos and only since Soulcalibur III[2] (including for Soulcalibur Legends, written as SOULCALIBUR Legends[3]). Various western media outlets use either Soulcalibur or Soul Calibur.

All games in the series before Soulcalibur III were originally arcade games, subsequently being ported to home consoles. The ported versions are known for their extra features, including new characters, weapons, new costumes, art galleries, martial arts demonstrations and involved single player modes, when compared to the original arcade versions. For example, Seung Han Myong is not featured in the arcade version of Soul Edge and in home versions there is an RPG-type mode titled "Edge Master" where the player can unlock various items including weapons for the default characters.

As of November 2011, the Soul series has sold approximately 12 million units worldwide.[4]

Soul characters Taki, Mitsurugi and Charade also appeared in Namco X Capcom.

Project Soul

File:Projectsoullogo.png
The original logo of Project Soul, using the Soul series character Nightmare

Project Soul is the internal Namco development group responsible for the Soul franchise after the release of Soulcalibur II. Although the games are most often simply credited to Namco itself, the team established its name to draw attention to the group's combined accomplishments.[5]

History

Soul Edge/Blade

Main article: Soul Edge

The first installment was named Soul Edge in the arcades, which was updated to Soul Edge Ver. II and transported overseas as Soul Blade on the Sony PlayStation hardware. Set in the late sixteenth century, the game follows nine warriors in a quest, each of whom has his or her own reasons but share a common goal: to obtain the legendary sword, Soul Edge. After appearing in arcades, it was made available for the PlayStation in 1997. Along with its soundtrack, this weapon-based title has been widely praised for being innovative yet traditional to the fighting genre of games.[6][7] With Versus (one-on-one battle mode), Survival (take on a gauntlet of opponents until the player is unable to continue), Time Attack, Team Battle (a selection of combatants will take on an opposing group, a victor is announced when the last remaining member of a team is defeated) and Training modes, the console port also saw the addition of Edge Master, a single-player mode in which the player would guide one of the ten main characters in a story-like manner while obtaining a variety of weapons for use.

Soulcalibur

Main article: Soulcalibur

The sequel to Soul Edge arrived in video arcades a year later, its plot being set two–three years later than the first game's, with an exclusive porting to the Dreamcast console in 2000. The title is derived from Soul Calibur, a legendary weapon which opposes the evil of Soul Edge. This title would also retcon the Soul series as a whole, establishing its popularity in video gaming history as it garnered positive reviews from gaming fans and critics alike. Though retaining elements of its predecessor, Soulcalibur incorporated an extensive amount of new features, including the "8-Way Run".

On July 2, 2008, Namco Bandai released Soulcalibur on the Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360. Although online leaderboards and achievements are supported in this version, there is no online mode or mission mode, which was in the Dreamcast version.[8]

Soulcalibur II

Main article: Soulcalibur II

Soulcalibur II further improved and expanded from Soulcalibur, in both graphics and gameplay. Soulcalibur II was released in arcade format three years after the previous outing of the series, subsequently being ported to all three active sixth-generation consoles. This is the first game in the Soul series to feature characters in other media, such as Link from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda, playable on GameCube's roster. Specially featured on PlayStation 2's roster is Heihachi Mishima of Tekken fame, while Image Comic's character Spawn was an exclusive addition for the Xbox version.

Soulcalibur III

Main article: Soulcalibur III

Breaking tradition, Soulcalibur III was released only for PlayStation 2 in 2005, before an Arcade Edition was seen. It is also possible to identify the use of a different graphics engine used to develop the game. Soulcalibur III contained a new single-player mode called "Tales of Souls", the true story mode in which the player could make course-altering decisions along the way. Arenas were made more interactive, such as the breaking of rocks if one of the 42 selectable characters were to impact against them. Soulcalibur III is the first game in the series to feature a character creation system, and features a story mode called "Chronicles of the Sword" which is a mode with some strategic aspects purely for created characters. It is the first and only game in the Soul series to be THX approved.[9]

Soulcalibur IV

Main article: Soulcalibur IV

Arriving in 2008 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the fifth installment of the series is the second game not to see an arcade release prior to the home game, as well as the first to take bouts online. Soulcalibur IV instates new gameplay mechanics into the series in the form of damage-absorbing armor (that can be shattered) and Critical Finishes (both tied to the new Soul Gauge).

Like Soulcalibur II, the fourth game also included cameos from different media. Initially, Star Wars character Darth Vader is an exclusive playable character on the PlayStation 3, while Yoda is selectable on the Xbox 360. Both versions of the game also include the Apprentice character from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Like Soulcalibur III, the game also includes a character creation system with various customizable parts, some unlockable. These characters can also be taken into online bouts, which in itself is a new addition to the series. However, unlike Soulcalibur III, the only available weapon disciplines are taken from the existing roster (there are no unique disciplines for created characters).

Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny

Main article: Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny

Released in 2009 for the Sony PSP, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny is the first portable installment of the Soul series.It uses many of the features used in Soulcalibur IV such as the soul crush, armor destruction, critical finishers, and Character Creation and also brings in some new features such as new lighting effects for stages so that they have different times of day, and the new Gauntlet Story mode. The game's features are pulled heavily from Soulcalibur IV, including its customization features. It features a new character named Dampierre, a conman who wears twin blades on his wrists. In addition, Kratos from the God of War franchise appears as a guest character.

Soulcalibur V

Main article: Soulcalibur V

Released on January 31, 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Soulcalibur V is the sixth installment of the series is the second game to take bouts online. Like the other Soulcalibur series, this game features a guest. The game is set 17 years after its predecessor, Soulcalibur IV, and the main character of the game is Patroklos, the son of series' veteran Sophitia.

Gameplay system

All the games in the Soul series retain some specific features while introducing or removing others from game to game. The basic button layout for the series are two weapon attacks (horizontally and vertically aligned strikes), a kick button, and a guard button for blocking. Two features that have been kept in the series since its inception are the Guard Impact defense system and the Ring Out condition of victory. In the first game (Soul Edge/Blade), the Guard Impact system is a repelling technique that allows the player to "check" an incoming strike and push it back and allowing for a free hit. A Guard Impact requires precise timing (having the player pressing forward plus guard at the instant an opponent strikes) but results in tactical advantage for the defender. The opposing player is also able to counter a Guard Impact with their own and can stalemate their opponent until someone misses the timing on the subsequent Guard Impact. As the series moved forward, the Guard Impact system was made deeper. In Soulcalibur, Namco introduced multiple Guard Impact techniques (the original repelling technique was named "Repelling" while two new techniques, "Parrying" and "Weapon Stripping" were introduced). These different Guard Impact types have been kept for the subsequent installments. For the fifth game, Guard Impacts were slightly altered by giving the Parry maneuver a new property of slamming opponents to the ground rather than just easing their weapon off its course. Repels still work the same way as they have in previous Soul series games.

Ring Outs occur when one of the fighters is forcibly removed from the arena (or "ring"), instantly ending the round and resulting in a round point for their opponent. The idea of Ring Outs in 3D fighting games was originally conceived by the Virtua Fighter series of fighting games and adopted by Namco for Soul Edge. A combatant cannot be knocked out of the ring without being eliminated by some effort from themself or by their opponent. Later games introduced new ring designs that modified the way Ring Outs were handled (Soulcalibur allowed rings to take different shapes instead of a basic square, Soulcalibur II introduced stages with walls that blocked off parts of the ring and made Ring Outs possible only in certain parts of the stage or removing that condition altogether, and Soulcalibur III introduced low walls that can be destroyed and create a Ring Out opportunity once it is gone). Soulcalibur V introduces a new aspect of Ring Outs: if a Ring Out is declared on certain stages, the battle will continue in a new location below the point where the Ring Out occurred.

Soul Edge is unique in the series as it is the only game to feature the "Weapon Meter"; a sword-shaped meter under the characters' vitality bars that determined how much damage a weapon could sustain. As a character blocked attacks; the meter would deplete until it emptied which resulted in a weapon break (the player would also have to pay half the Weapon Meter to perform a "Critical Edge" combo). Once the character's weapon was broken, they were forced to fight bare-handed until the end of the round. The Weapon Meter was designed to promote consistent offense and not constant defense (other fighters have adopted similar means to deter over-defending; Street Fighter Alpha 3's Guard Meter is an example of such a device). The Weapon Meter was abandoned following Soul Edge and instead replaced with Soulcalibur's trademark "8-Way Run" system. The 8-Way Run allowed players to walk in any direction at any time instead of using a specific command to sidestep. This kept the fights truly three-dimesional and made it easier to maneuver around attacks or away from ring edges (as well as launch specific 8-Way Run attacks). Each of the sequels to Soulcalibur have used the 8-Way Run movement system.

In Soulcalibur IV, Namco introduced a new spin on the Critical Edge combo called the "Critical Finish". Rather than being a combo, a Critical Finish is more in the vein of a finishing move which involves an elaborate move that defeats opponents in a single attack. This new attack is tied to the "Soul Gauge" that works similarly to the Guard Break meter in Street Fighter Alpha 3 (the meter decreases whenever the player blocks an attack and is replenished by landing attacks on the opponent, it also refills slowly over time). Also tied to the Soul Gauge is the concept of destructible character armor (akin to Fighting Vipers) that can be smashed off characters to weaken their resistance to attacks. The Critical Finish itself replaces the "Soul Charge" from the other 3 Soulcalibur games (a supercharge-like move that can give your character counter properties for the duration of its charge).

Large gameplay changes have been implemented for Soulcalibur V. Critical Finishes are no longer part of the gameplay, instead replaced by the Critical Edge (different from the attack used in Soul Blade). Critical Edge attacks can be used after filling up the new Critical Gauge, which works similarly to "super meters" in other fighting games. Guard Impacts are now tied to this gauge (a segment must be sacrificed to execute one) and the original Guard Impact mechanic is replaced by "Just Guard", which works similarly but removes the consequence for missed timing. The Critical Gauge can also be used for "Brave Edge" attacks, which are stronger attacks than regular moves that don't require an entire bar to use. In addition to the 8-Way Run, "Quick Step" allows players to execute a faster sidestep to circle their opponent.

Story

The series revolves around a sword that, after years of bloodshed and hatred, gained a soul of its own, the Soul Edge, and the sword forged to counter it, Soul Calibur.

Characters

Main article: List of Soul characters

This table contains all the main characters in the series, with the bonus and guest characters listed below it.

Character Soul Edge/Blade Soulcalibur Soulcalibur II Soulcalibur III Soulcalibur Legends Soulcalibur IV Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny Soulcalibur V
Abyss No No No Yes 5 No No No No
Algol No No No 1 2 No No Yes Yes Yes
Amy No No No 1 Yes 3 4 No Yes Yes No 2
Astaroth No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Cassandra No 2 No 2 Yes Yes No Yes Yes No
Cervantes Yes Yes 5 Yes Yes Yes 6 Yes Yes Yes
Charade No No Yes Yes 6 No No No No
Dampierre No No No No No No Yes Yes 8
Edge Master No Yes No 1 No 2 No No No 1 2 Yes
Elysium No No No No No No No Yes
Hilde No No No No No Yes Yes Yes
Hong Yun-seong No No Yes Yes No Yes Yes No
Hwang Seong-gyeong Yes Yes No 1 Yes 3 4 No No 2 Yes 2 6 No
Inferno/SoulEdge Yes 6 5 Yes Yes 6 No No No No No
Ivy No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Kilik No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Leixia No No No No No No No Yes
Li Long Yes No No 1 Yes 3 4 No No Yes 2 6 No
Lizardman (Aeon Calcos) No Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Maxi No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Mitsurugi Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Natsu No No No No No No No Yes
Necrid No No Yes 5 No No No No No
Night Terror No No No Yes 6 No No No No
Nightmare No 1 7 Yes Yes Yes Yes 6 Yes Yes Yes
Olcadan No No No Yes No No No No
Patroklos/Alpha Patroklos No No No No 2 No No 2 No Yes
Pyrrha/Pyrrha Omega No No No No 2 No No 2 No Yes
Raphael No No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Rock Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No
Seong Han-myeong Yes 5 No No No No No No 2 No
Seong Mi-na Yes Yes Yes 5 Yes No Yes Yes No
Setsuka No No No Yes No Yes Yes No
Siegfried Yes Yes No 7 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Sophitia Yes Yes Yes 5 Yes Yes Yes Yes No 2
Taki Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No 2
Talim No No Yes Yes No Yes Yes No
Tira No No No Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Viola No No No No No No No Yes
Voldo Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Xianghua No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No 2
Xiba No No No No No No No Yes
Yoshimitsu No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Zasalamel No No No Yes No Yes Yes No
Z.W.E.I. No No No No No No No Yes
Total 12 19 20 30 8 26 29 30
Notes:
  1. Makes an appearance in-game
  2. Only mentioned in-game
  3. Bonus character in console versions
  4. Standard character in arcade edition
  5. Playable on console versions only
  6. Unplayable boss/enemy/minor character
  7. Appears as an alternate costume
  8. Exclusive for players who pre-order the game or downloadable content
  • Playable on console versions only:
    • Inferno/SoulEdge and Seong Han-myeong in Soul Blade
    • Necrid, Sophitia and Seong Mi-na in Soulcalibur II
    • Abyss in Soulcalibur III
  • Unplayable boss/enemy characters
    • Inferno/SoulEdge in Soulcalibur II
    • Charade and Night Terror in Soulcalibur III
    • Cervantes and Nightmare in Soulcalibur Legends
  • Appears as an alternate costume:
    • Nightmare (Siegfried's costume) in Soul Blade
    • Siegfried (Nightmare's costume) in Soulcalibur II

Bonus characters

  • Soulcalibur II: Assassin, Berserker, Lizardman.
  • Soulcalibur III: Abelia, Aurelia, Chester, Demuth, Girardot, Greed, Hualin, Luna, Lynette, Miser, Strife, Valeria.
  • Soulcalibur IV: Angol Fear, Ashlotte, Kamikirimusi, Sceherazade, Shura.

Guest characters

  • Soulcalibur III
    • KOS-MOS (character creation mode only)
  • Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny

Original soundtracks

Main article: Discography of the Soul series

Soul Edge sparked the release of two soundtrack albums. Soulcalibur, II, III, and IV each produced one album, while Legends and Broken Destiny have not seen the release of any albums.

Film

Soulcalibur is a movie adaptation project of Namco's Soul video game series.[10]

During spring 2001, Chinese director Sammo Hung committed to do a movie adaptation of Soulcalibur and had actor Jackie Chan in mind to star.[citation needed] At first everything seemed to be going well, Sammo was given a $50 million budget and backed up by Namco.[citation needed] Sammo's official website announced its plans regarding Soulcalibur,[citation needed] but after a year later nothing developed. Eventually Sammo's official website removed its announcement and the Soulcalibur movie was presumed cancelled.[citation needed] Unofficial sources suggest that Sammo had lost interest in creating the movie after Chan could not commit a schedule to create the movie.[citation needed]

Sammo had forfeited his rights to produce the movie and they were taken by an American producer. In 2004, Warren Zide's Anthem Pictures acquired the rights to adapt the game to film. It has been stated that the film's story, unlike the games', "revolves around two warriors who are chosen by Shaolin monks to recover and destroy a powerful sword that has fallen into the hands of an evil prince who plans to use it to open the gates of hell and destroy the world."[11] The now-defunct website for the film[12] contained a citation from Nostradamus.

References

  1. ^ Faylor, Chris (2008-06-30). Soul Calibur Hits XBLA Wednesday. Shacknews. Retrieved on 2008-09-05
  2. ^ SOULCALIBUR III official website
  3. ^ SOULCALIBUR Legends official website
  4. ^ IGN staff (2007-05-11). Soul Calibur coming to Nintendo Wii. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-01-27
  5. ^ Project Soul. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-12-10
  6. ^ "Soul Blade for PlayStation Review". GameSpot. 1997-04-03. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
  7. ^ "Soul Blade review". IGN. 1997-03-03. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
  8. ^ "Soul Calibur XBLA Stripped of Mission Mode, Contradicts Namco Promise of No Major Subtractions". Retrieved 2008-07-03.
  9. ^ THX Certified Game Titles. THX. Retrieved on 2008-12-10
  10. ^ Kelpek, Patrick (2006-04-18). Soul Calibur Movie In 2007. 1UP.com. Retrieved on 2008-12-10
  11. ^ Games-to-Film: Soul Calibur - IGN
  12. ^ Official site for the film [dead link‍]
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