Soul (series)

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Soul
Developer(s)	Namco, Namco Bandai Games
Publisher(s)	Namco, NBHD
Designer(s)	Hiroaki Yotoriyama
Platform(s)	Arcade, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360, Dreamcast
Release date	(Soul Edge) 1996–1997, (Soulcalibur) 1998–1999, (Soulcalibur II) 2002–2003, (Soulcalibur III) 2005, (Soulcalibur Legends) 2007, (Soulcalibur IV) 2008
Genre(s)	Fighting
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer

Soul is a weapon-based fighting game series by Namco. 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. The series is special in that each character is created to have his or her own unique weapon and style creating a varied fighting experience. The popular series has spawned five games so far, with one more underway.

Contents 1 General information 2 History 2.1 Soul Edge/Blade 2.2 Soulcalibur 2.3 Soulcalibur II 2.4 Soulcalibur III 3 Basic gameplay 4 Featured characters 4.1 Guest Characters 5 Original soundtracks 6 Film 7 References 8 External links

[edit] General information

All games in the series before Soulcalibur III were originally arcade games, subsequently being ported to home consoles. The game has four main installments and one spin-off, with another sequel on the way:

• Soul Edge (1996): Arcade and PlayStation (PlayStation port released as Soul Blade in USA, Europe and Australia).
• Soulcalibur (1998): Arcade and Dreamcast.
• Soulcalibur II (2002): Arcade, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube.
• Soulcalibur III (2005): PlayStation 2 and Arcade.
• Soulcalibur Legends (2007): Wii. – Spin-off title
• Soulcalibur IV^[1] (2008): Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

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.

Project Soul is the internal Namco development group responsible for the Soul franchise. 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.^[2] The designed logo for Project Soul, like the first game it was applied to, contains an outlining of the in-game character Nightmare.

As of May, 2007, the Soul series has sold approximately 9 million units worldwide.^[3]

[edit] History

[edit] Soul Edge/Blade

Main article: Soul Edge

The first installment was named Soul Edge in Japan, which was "upgraded" to Soul Edge Ver. II and transported overseas as Soul Blade. Set in the late sixteenth century, the game follows nine warriors in a quest, each of whom have their 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 console. Along with its soundtrack, this weapon-based title has been widely praised for being innovative yet traditional to the fighting genre of games.^[4][5] 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 whilst obtaining a variety of weapons for use.

[edit] Soulcalibur

Main article: Soulcalibur

The sequel to Soul Edge arrived in video arcades a year later, the plot being 2-3 years later than the first game's, as was its exclusive porting to the Dreamcast console. 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".

[edit] 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 3 years after the previous outing of the series, subsequently being ported to all three active sixth-generation consoles. The game scored near-perfect reviews^[6][7][8]. This is the first game in the Soul series to feature cameos from characters in other media, such as Link from Nintendo's Legend of Zelda, playable on GameCube's roster. Specially featured on PlayStation 2's roster is Heihachi Mishima of Tekken fame, while Spawn was an exclusive addition for the Xbox version.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Basic gameplay

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 Soul series is 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.

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 (Soulcalibur allowed rings to take different shapes instead of a basic square, its sequel 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).

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.

[edit] Featured characters

This table contains all the playable characters in the series, with the guest characters listed below it. Note that shaded cells denote unlockable characters in each game.

Character	Soul Edge/Blade	Soulcalibur	Soulcalibur II	Soulcalibur III	Soulcalibur Legends	Soulcalibur IV
Abyss	N	N	N	Y 5	N	?
Abelia	N	N	N	Y 3	N	?
Amy	N	N	N 1	Y 3 4	N	Y
Angol Fear	N	N	N	N	N	Y 3
Arthur	N	Y 7	N	Y 3	N	?
Ashlotte	N	N	N	N	N	Y 3
Assassin	N	N	Y 7	Y 6	Y 6	?
Astaroth	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Aurelia	N	N	N	Y 3	N	?
Berserker	N	N	Y 7	Y 6	Y 6	?
Cassandra	N 2	N 2	Y	Y	N	Y
Cervantes	Y	Y 5	Y	Y	Y 6	Y
Charade	N	N	Y	Y 6	N	?
Chester	N	N	N	Y 3	N	?
Demuth	N	N	N	Y 3	N	?
Edge Master	N	Y	N	N	N	?
Girardot	N	N	N	Y 3	N	?
Greed	N	N	N	Y 3	N	?
Han-myeong	Y 5	N	N	N	N	?
Hilde	N	N	N	N	N	Y
Hualin	N	N	N	Y 3	N	?
Hwang	Y	Y	N	Y 3 4	N	?
Inferno/SoulEdge	Y 6 5	Y	Y 6	Y 6 4	N	?
Ivy	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Kilik	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Li Long	Y	N	N	Y 3 4	N	?
Lizardman (Aeon Calcos)	N	Y	N	Y	N	Y
Lizardman (Generic)	N	N	Y 7	Y 6	Y 6	?
Luna	N	N	N	Y 3	N	?
Lynette	N	N	N	Y 3	N	?
Maxi	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Miser	N	N	N	Y 3	N	?
Mitsurugi	Y	Y 7	Y	Y	Y	Y
Necrid	N	N	Y 5	N	N	?
Night Terror	N	N	N	Y 6	N	?
Nightmare	N 1	Y	Y	Y	Y 6	Y
Olcadan	N	N	N	Y	N	?
Raphael	N	N	Y	Y	N	Y
Revenant	N	N	N	Y 3	N	?
Rock	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y
Scheherazade	N	N	N	N	N	Y 3
Seong Mi-na	Y	Y	Y 5	Y	N	Y
Setsuka	N	N	N	Y	N	Y
Shura	N	N	N	N	N	Y 3
Siegfried	Y	Y	N 1	Y	Y	Y
Sophitia	Y	Y	Y 5	Y	Y	Y
Strife	N	N	N	Y 3	N	?
Taki	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Talim	N	N	Y	Y	N	Y
Tira	N	N	N	Y	N	Y
Valeria	N	N	N	Y 3	N	?
Voldo	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Xianghua	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Yoshimitsu	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y
Yun-seong	N	N	Y	Y	N	Y
Zasalamel	N	N	N	Y	N	Y
Notes: Makes an appearance in-game Only mentioned in-game Bonus Character Standard Character on Arcade Edition Playable on console versions only Unplayable boss/enemy character Appears only in certain versions of the game

[edit] Guest Characters

The following are guest characters from other franchises who have appeared in the Soul Series:

• Darth Vader from Star Wars (Soulcalibur IV; represents the PS3 version)
• Gilgamesh from the Tower of Druaga game (Can be created as a Custom Character in Soulcalibur III by wearing certain items including the Hyper Helm, and using the "Sword & Shield" discipline while equipping Excalibur)
• Heihachi Mishima from the Tekken series (Soulcalibur II; PS2 version)
• KOS-MOS from the Xenosaga series (Can be created as a Custom Character in Soulcalibur III after unlocking and purchasing all the Type X items from the Armor Shop)
• Link from The Legend of Zelda series (Soulcalibur II; GameCube version)
• Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia (Soulcalibur Legends)
• Spawn from the Todd McFarlane comic of the same name (Soulcalibur II; Xbox version only)
• Starkiller from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Soul Calibur IV) ^[9]
• Yoda from Star Wars (Soulcalibur IV; represents the Xbox 360 version)

[edit] Original soundtracks

Every game has its own original soundtrack CD. The installments are:

• Super Battle Sound Attack Soul Edge
• Soul Edge Original Soundtrack - Khan Super Session
• Soulcalibur Original Soundtrack
• Soulcalibur II Original Soundtrack
• Soulcalibur III Original Soundtrack ~Legend of Sounds~

[edit] Film

Soulcalibur^[10] (or Soulcalibur: Endgame) is a movie adaptation of Namco's Soul video game series.

During spring 2001, Sammo Hung committed to do a movie adaptation of Soulcalibur and had Jackie Chan in mind to star. At first everything seemed to be going well, Sammo was given a $50 million budget and backed up by Namco. Sammo's official website announced their plans regarding Soulcalibur, but after a year later nothing developed. Eventually Sammo's official website removed their announcement and the Soulcalibur movie was presumed cancelled. Unofficial sources suggest that Sammo had lost interest in creating the movie after Jackie Chan could not commit a schedule to create the movie. Sammo had forfeited his rights to produce the movie and they were taken by an American producer.

Warren Zide's Anthem Pictures has since 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."

Nevertheless, other than the copyrights, it provides no further information. The teaser website from 2nd Degree Media (affiliated with Anthem Pictures) have not since released any new information in almost two years since its appearance. The only change is the year release date has been updated to 2007, otherwise there is no mention of any real developments. It is speculated by many that the Soulcalibur movie has been scrapped once again and that the official website is merely an abandoned web page. To further support the speculation, Namco has yet to make any official announcements of Soulcalibur's movie status.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official site and forum
• Official site for the film
• Project Soul Official Website (Japanese)

v • d • e Soul video games Main series Soul Edge/Blade · Soulcalibur · Soulcalibur II · Soulcalibur III · Soulcalibur IV Spin-off Soulcalibur Legends Soundtracks Super Battle Sound Attack Soul Edge · Soul Edge · Soulcalibur · Soulcalibur II · Soulcalibur III

v • d • e Soul series' characters Main Abyss · Amy · Astaroth · Cassandra · Cervantes · Charade · Edge Master · Hilde · Hwang · Inferno · Ivy · Kilik · Li Long · Lizardman · Maxi · Mitsurugi · Necrid · Nightmare · Night Terror · Olcadan · Raphael · Rock · Seong Han Myeong · Seong Mi-na · Setsuka · Siegfried · Sophitia · Taki · Talim · Tira · Voldo · Xianghua · Yoshimitsu · Yun-seong · Zasalamel Bonus Abelia · Angol Fear · Arthur · Ashlotte · Aurelia · Chester · Demuth · Girardot · Greed · Miser · Hualin · Luna · Lynette · Revenant · Scheherazade · Shura · Strife · Valeria Other Chronicles of the Sword characters · Minor characters