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

Update - Perhaps sensing the internet's trepidation, the source of the pics - GamersReports - have thrown a video clip up on YouTube, showing Yoda and Vader going at it. You can see it after the jump. Still not proof, but it's fun to watch regardless.

Vader Coming To 360 Soul Calibur IV As Download [GamersReports]

No. They were very good. After all, at that point they'd been playing the game for three days straight, so I didn't stand much of a chance. Still I took a few swings, only to discover the force isn't quite so strong in this one.

The reps were really keen on showing off the Star Wars characters, so that's what I mainly played. First came Yoda on the Xbox 360, who proved a bit of a nuisance to my opponent's Cervantes, who couldn't seen to land a high attack to save his life. Yes, Yoda effectively cuts the attack arsenal of his enemies by a third, with upper attacks harmlessly passing over his tiny, wispy head. His character model was excellent - in fact the characters have never looked better, but that's the sort of thing you'd expect from a "next gen" game. I was so busy button mashing gawking at Yoda's character model that I was soundly defeated.

Then I tried out Vader's secret apprentice, and proceeded to get pummeled by my opponent's newly useful upper attacks. He did show me some of the special force moves, including a force lightning attack that actually had me win a round before the Namco Bandai rep realized he was better than that and came back strong.

We moved over to the PlayStation 3 then, where another rep had been working on creating a custom character than looked a lot like Jack from the Tekken series. He moved aside to let me try my luck playing as Darth Vader in a match against an AI opponent.

"So who do you want to fight against?"
"Oh, let me fight against Raphael. She's hot."
"Um, Raphael is a guy."
*blank stare* "Riiiight.

Apparently Raphael is a vampire, a fact that I must have completely missed in the last two games? When did this happen?

Confusion aside, I quickly found the one hidden weakness of lightsabers - real swords. If Obi-Wan had just pulled out a scimitar during his final battle aboard the Death Star, the trilogy would have been severely truncated. I decided to forego button mashing and note taking for actually playing the game as it was intended, and Raphael went down like the little bitch he is.

My final match pitted me as the pointy-breasted, anime-inspired Angol against the game's big boss, bird-armored Algol - no relation. Using a secret combination of "blocking" and "attacking intelligently" the boss soon succumbed to my adorably spiky chest armor and I was triumphant.

Force powers aside, the game plays out much like any other Soul Calibur game does, only prettier. The Soul Calibur series has been uniformly excellent for years, and the fourth installment (technically fifth) looks to be no different. Tons of characters, smooth controls, and what looks like one of the best character creation elements ever included in a fighting game - you were expecting anything less?

Soulcalibur’s Ivy may be the poster child for this annual augmentation – literally. It seems with each passing year, her endowment multiplies, ushering in each passing technological evolution with more ludicrous, top-heavy jiggle than the era before.

But it’d be unfair to pick on Miss Valentine. After all, unrealistic body types in games are nothing new, a conversation-starter as old as Lara Croft. The fact that “sex sells” and the proliferation of exploitive body types is a cultural pandemic, not simply a video game issue, is the easy way to explain it, but the “easy” way is seldom very enlightening, nor does it help us learn about why we play.

What does it all mean, in an interactive medium where realism, immersion and engagement are the primary goals? Are we seeking idealistic images as avatars for ourselves, to complete the fantasy of power that gaming can provide?

Is this a case where the gaming audience has been misjudged through the ages by marketing teams who assume each and every one of us is a vapidly salivating 15-17 year-old male – until their assumptions have unconsciously shaped our taste?

Is This What We Want?

Again, it’s an easy pastime to criticize our society for leaning too heavily on unrealistic stereotypes for male and female bodies. It can actually be an enlightening exercise, when you’re on a packed subway or on a crowded street, to simply take a look around you, and see what human beings really look like. Chances are the handsomest man you see will not be a broad-muscled he-man, nor will the loveliest lady be a leggy siren with burgeoning cleavage.

However, most of the heroes in popular entertainment are still uncommonly beautiful; ugly or even merely common looks are still considered a plot device or a character trait, and with a few exceptions, games generally seem to lag a bit behind film as far as discovering the appeal in the common. Even men with war-torn, unattractive faces, still have heroic bodies, usually.

But that’s because we don’t want games to be common, do we? Picture a fighting game where the characters were simply ordinary, dressed in suitable exercise gear, and not particularly special to look at. That would be true realism, and even with some glorious game mechanics, you’ve got to admit it’d be a bit boring.

It seems we don’t really mean it when we, as gamers, say we want “realism” – what we really want is an appealing fantasy so vivid we can really believe in it. A world where the women are titillating and the men are fierce, rendered with such eye-catching density that we can almost reach out and touch it.

The Flesh Is Weak

At the same time, we as an audience seem to reach a general consensus in rejecting games that seem to be manipulating us with too many crotch-shots. Using overblown flesh visuals and overt, eye-to-brain sexuality is a quick and dirty shortcut to emotional engagement, when we’d rather be drawn in by things like, oh, I don’t know – good characters, perhaps, a compelling backstory, and maybe, just maybe, really solid game mechanics?

We sense when the marketing campaign is trying to buy our attention with a huge neon sign emblazoned with “XXX,” and we resent that. Contrary to outsider belief, gamers comprise a spectrum of age ranges, motivations for play, tastes and preferences – if we’ve been caged into a single demographic in the past, it’s only because that makes it easier for the folks upstairs to sell us things. That’s just business, but games are personal to their audience.

We’re in a state, now, of continually considering what our young medium is and what we can expect to get from it, where we want it to go. We’ve richened in many ways, but are still using shortcuts – long cutscenes in lieu of narrative environments, high-powered explosions in lieu of crafted plot climaxes, and raw, primal flesh in lieu of subtler kinds of power.

We’d like to look at beautiful fantasies we can believe in, but that’s not all we want.

What We’re Fighting For

And there’s no backlash like that of the internet-based gamer audience when it doesn’t get what it wants. So if we’re not all salivating teenage boys, and we resist being bought with cheap sex alone, then why does the stereotype of unrealistic bodies in games persist? Why is Ivy’s exponential bustline such a hot issue to our community?

Maybe the genre has something to do with it. While most video games feature a hot woman at some juncture, fighting games seem to have the highest and most diverse population of them. Fighting games ask you to “choose your fighter,” and while those games generally are made or broken on game mechanics, part of the appeal is that the character images we control may be representations, unconsciously, of ourselves.

In a mechanics-driven genre, the star of the game is the player’s skill level. Yes, Taki might be beating Astaroth silly for mysterious reasons of ninja vengeance and sword-obsession, but it’s really about you, challenging the machine, or your friend, for control-pad dominance. Whose looks, and whose body movements, best represent you?

Though, is anyone reading this article five-foot-eight and 110 pounds with a 22-inch waist and a triple-E breast size? (And if you are, can I steal your figure?)

Assuming that body types in games represent ideals, and that game bodies are stand-ins for ourselves to some extent, we still haven’t figured out a good reason why we want to look quite this way.

Survival of the Fittest

The idealization of the human form in art is nothing new. When Botticelli painted Venus, or when Michelangelo chiseled David, we can assume they were not, at least on a conscious level, creating depictions of themselves, or even what they wanted to be. And if we think of games as art to the extent that we’re able to use them as vehicles for self-expression, the same holds true for our Soulcalibur lineup.

Venus was an archetype of female beauty, in the humanoid tradition of Greco-Roman gods; David was an archetype of male beauty, both representative of human evolution taken to its highest condition. And our fighting game characters are archetypes of what they represent – fearlessness, aggression, purposefulness, and primal fierceness. It’s even arguable that tapping into adrenaline-fueled aggression when we play video games is a biological replacement for how we as humans felt in an era when we had to fight more overtly for social dominance, physical superiority, the best mate, the food we had to kill to eat.

That’s Darwinism at work – survival of the fittest. And so in a game where you survive on your skills, you want to look like the fittest. Why not go over-the-top and be such an ideal that it wouldn’t be possible for you to exist in the current genetic landscape?

The Unanswered Questions

So even though we’ve generated a theory for why we like to be obscenely perfect women or aggressively idealized men when we play video games where aggression or combat is at the core of the gameplay (and that’s most games, really), there’s still one issue left – how does this affect us, and what does it mean for the future of games?

As a female, I’m not sure whether my perception of other women – or of myself – has been affected by the avatars I see in the games I play every day. I do know that, when I take that quick look around the crowded subway car to see how other women really look, I am always a little bit surprised – but there’s no clear way to blame games for that, when it’s such a pervasive complex in other entertainment media.

I do know that some of my female peers feel that the flesh displays in gaming are degrading to them – even if that primal, aggression-based exposure supports the core tenets of a particular title. And I’ve often wondered how my majority-male peers in the gaming audience feel about how men are portrayed in games, and whether being continually exposed to powerful, armed brawlers on the warpath makes them feel more or less powerful in their “real” lives.

Not to mention the fact that gaming is in steady pursuit of wider-spread cultural legitimacy. And while it’s good that many “casual gamers’” play habits are helping them understand ours better, and that Rock Band has made all kinds of folks quit believing that the console is a mysterious tool of evil for immature people, we’d really like it if people could appreciate our core titles the way that we do, consider the value in the things we find most valuable.

And if, when they take a closer look, all they can see from a distance is that we like tits, there’s going to be a problem.

While I’ve said before it’s not constructive to consider anything “just a game,” a game is still not in and of itself real, and that’s part of the appeal – we can explore fantasies, see and do things that aren’t possible in the real world. And we all, of course, can delineate the difference between fantasy and reality, right?

So, with a good reason or not, are idealized body types harmful or helpful to the identity and maturity of gaming? Next time, would you rather see the debut of a demure, complex Ivy – or one with bigger jugs than ever?

So how powerful is the bird-armored ancient ruler? His right hand glows red because he is holding the Soul Edge, and his left hand holds the Soul Calibur and a blue glow. He has 10 different weapons built into his body. In short, he's much more of a bad ass than a generic energy being who mimics the other character's styles could ever be. Hit the jump for the full description in somewhat broken English from Hideo Yoshie.

Answered By Hideo Yoshie, Character Designer

We aimed to make a character that is the “king” of an ultra ancient civilization and a character that obviously proves the setting of being the strongest character ever in SC series.

So, he’s wearing a costume from the ancient kingdom that isn’t recorded in history, and it was really difficult and troublesome to make the design of his costume as so just by looking at it.
The final motif of the amour ended up being the “bird,” but there were many other ideas like the lion, cobra, dinosaur and more.
I believe the design combined dynamism and splendor, and is very cool.

His right hand glows red and his left hand glows blue because he holds the Soul Edge in his right and the Soul Calibur in his left.

Also he has 10 kinds of weapons built in his body and shows a variety of fights never seen before, including flying in the air and sitting in the throne.

I want people to have fun by his buzzard actions.

There was an idea for an additional option which he causes an off-site brawl with a pipe chair instead of the throne, but we were not able to put the idea in the game this time.

By the way, the Algol that shows up in the opening demo is Algol when he was still a human.. That’s why his hair has a different color from within the game. There are some more detailed differences, so please go on and find more differences on him for fun through the game.

Soul Caliber IV’s Starwars Stage [Aeropause]

Wonder why they didn't include that Raphael chick? She was hot!

Soul Calibur IV Features 'Character Swapping' [1UP]

Hit the jump for Yoda and try not to wonder why the Lightsabers aren't slicing through the swords!

Japanese Release Dates [Dengeki]

Pic and video after the jump.

「ソウルキャリバーⅣ」、戦闘中にキャラクターの服が破けることが判明 [Hatimaki]

They got the scale right. Vader's a big guy. And they got the cloak right. And...the lightsaber. I guess. But really, all this does is confirm that while for a percentage of people their fanboy dreams are about to come true, it confirms for the rest of us that this is the stupidest Vader-related idea since someone thought screaming NNNOOOOOO would be touching.

Bash doesn't come in for another couple of hours (I think) so if a commenter can read/translate the text, we all thank you. Otherwise, I could find no word on special abilities, moves or where the rest of the dress is. Nice panties though. Yeah, like we couldn't see that one coming.

Full Size Version of New Soul Calibur IV Character "Ashlotte" [Thanks, readers Tim and Alberto]

Thanks rikasao for the tip!

The influences that Yoda will have in terms of gameplay because of his height, [is that] some of the upper attacks won't hit him... However, we always try to make the gameplay fun, so we prepare positive demerits of choosing Yoda and also negative demerits on it. There's always some give and take... I don't know who will be best to use to defeat him, but what's more interesting is you can use Asteroth to make it like David and Goliath. That'd be fun.

SC IV was on display for everyone to check out, but much like McWhertor's experience at GDC, there were only a limited number of characters to play with. My choices were a bit different than McWertor's however as I got to pick between Taki, Cassandra, Seung Mina and Hilde. I took Cassandra in hand and roundly bested my opponent (who's name I will leave out to save them embarrassment, but You know who you are!) in three rounds. I was also able to check out a little of Hilde and her shiny armor before i had to give up the controller to the next journo in the long line. I really like her fighting style and plan on exploring them more extensively when the final release happens. Something tells me she will be in my regular roster along with Ivy.

The controls for the PS3 version were tight and familiar and I was glad that they hadn't tried changing them up. The graphics were stunning as always and the really showed off the power of the PS3. A particular favorite was a large round arena with walls of gears and little mechanical men and carousel horses giving one the feeling of fighting in a giant cuckoo clock. The HUD has also received a makeover looking much tighter and sharper than it's predecessors.

So, mark your calendars for July 29th and if you want that Collector's Edition, be sure to pre-order it. I have a feeling they will be going fast. Be sure to check after the jump for a ton of new screenshots featuring Darth Vader and Yoda.

She's got spiky boots, too! Wait a sec, there's a theme going on here...

Thanks, Alberto!

Namco Bandai sent out word last night that they will be in full force at this year's Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas to show off Soul Calibur IV. The invite-only event promises to allow attendees to be the first to play the game and " be a part of a special unveiling."

The fact that the invite includes a silhouetted character with a big-honking question mark in place of a face leads me to believe that the unveiling will be a new character. Fortunately we only have to wait until Jan. 8 to find out.

Despite a great interview with the director, Soul Calibur IV wasn't playable here at TGS. But fortunately we do have a new trailer to see! The game is looking really sharp and will be a definite addition to my collection. Who can resist shiny armor, sexy fighters and giant weapons? Now I just have to make the big decision: Xbox 360 or PS3...

I started off asking him some general questions about the new title and discovered that like every new release in the franchise that we could expect to see new characters and new weapons. I asked how many we might see and he grinned and said a few words in Japanese and his translator told me "several" but that they weren't saying an exact number at the moment. The game will be appearing on PS3 and Xbox 360 and the 360 version will have various achievements although they couldn't tell me at the time how many or what for. There will also be downloadable content in the form of new levels and costumes for both platforms. As we've heard before the game will be online compatible, allowing players to compete side by side or over their connection. Revamped gameplay and new moves will also add some more freshness to the franchise.

Once I was done with the regular questions, I decided to get a bit more personal. I asked him who his favorite character in the series was and he said Taki, followed swiftly by Lizard Man. We then talked about popular characters with fans and it seems that Sophitia is the most popular character across all territories. Nightmare and Zazamel are probably the most popular in the States while the Japanese tend more towards female characters. This led me to ask him a bit about his seeming attraction to strong female characters. Asking this actually revealed quite an interesting story about Soul Calibur's character design process. The character's look and feel are actually inspired by the weapon. The weapons are thought up first and then they design a character that they feel suits that particular weapon. An interesting process to be sure and one I never would have thought of. He also revealed that much like traditional animation, a set of designers is assigned a character that they work on exclusively with very little cross over.

Finally we chatted a bit about story. In my opinion, Soul Calibur has a pretty deep storyline for a fighting game, especially compared to other games in the genre. Mr. Sasaki felt that because the games is weapon based, that the story was very important to help add depth to the characters who could otherwise seem one dimensional. In addition, the game was designed to appeal to two types of gamers. Those who want a strong fighting game will find a rich battle system, and can play the vs. modes on their own merits, while those who wish to dig a little deeper will find a solid story and interesting characters. More games should take this approach and they might find themselves appealing to a wider audience and selling more copies.

After that my time was up and I thanked Mr. Sasaki for his time and for making the game that has kept my friends and I occupied and threating each others lives for years. I haven't been able to do that since Hurricane Katrina chased me out of New Orleans and I look forward to the release of Soul Calibur VI so I can put on that headset and use Ivy to lay the smackdown while I jeer at them from miles away. It'll be just like old times.

Way on the short side and big on the armor fiber close-ups, here's the trailer for cross-platform Soul Calibur IV. It's due out in 2008, so you have all year to practice your button mashing! Brian Ashcraft

In an interview with Namco Bandai's Daisuke Uchiyama, the producer let it slip that the company is working on a new Soul Calibur title. GameDaily reports:

Since Namco and Bandai have now merged and Namco is well known for its fighting game series such as Tekken and Soul Calibur, we asked Uchiyama if it was possible for one of Namco's development teams to work on a future DBZ title. Uchiyama laughed and said that ideally that would be the scenario, but by the time the merger was finalized a new Tekken (Tekken 6) and Soul Calibur (Soul Calibur IV confirmed!) were already in the works.

That means not one new button masher, but two! Brian Ashcraft

More Here [GameDaily]