Any fighting game has to be able to evolve and change as time goes on. A series can’t always feature the same characters over and over again, or it will grow stale and stagnate with the fans. As a result, it’s expected that developers will add more characters to future releases.
Sometimes the new faces make fans happy, sometimes they don’t. Soul Calibur V is no exception to this rule, as they’ve promised that the roster will be a mix of both old and new characters - with the older characters enjoying noticeable changes due to a 17-year timegap.
Now, a new trailer has been released that shows off a few more characters that we can expect to see once the game releases. Have a look at the newest additions to the roster of Soul Calibur V in the trailer below:
The newest character shown is Xiba, who looks to be taking Kilik’s spot as far as fighting styles go. Though, in terms of appearance and personality, they are quite different. Kilik was more the calm pacifist type, while Xiba is much more loud and boisterous. The tail he appears to have may make him a reference to the Chinese legend of the Monkey King.
The three returning characters shown are: the Dread Pirate Cervantes, now somehow resurrected as a human being rather than the undead ghost that he was in previous games; Lizardman, now using his human name of Aeon; and Yoshimitsu, though he calls himself “Yoshimitsu the Second.” Aeon seems to have gone through some more significant changes than the other two, now wielding two axes instead of one as well as the ability to sprout wings and fly. It will be interesting to see how these four meld with the rest of the roster, including guest characters like Ezio.
Though it’s expected of any fighting game, or any game series in general, new customization options in Soul Calibur V are likely to have players scratching their heads in confusion. While customization of characters is expected of many fighting games nowadays, Soul Calibur V appears to be taking that in a rather risque direction.
According to a recent announcement by the ESRB, players will be able to change the breast sizes of the various female characters in the game (via a customization mode), as well as manipulate the camera to zoom in on certain parts of their bodies. One has to wonder just why something like this was included in the game, though someone from Bayonetta working on the title (an arguably risqué and overtly sexual game) may provide the needed explanation.
What do you think of the recently-announced characters? What do you think of the supposed “breast-augmentation” feature?
Soul Calibur V has been announced to arrive January 30th in North America and February 2nd in Europe for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Sources: The Escapist, Eurogamer
