With the recent announcement that Ezio Auditore from the Assassin’s Creed franchise is set to appear as a playable character in Soul Calibur V, fighting game fanatics have been ecstatic worldwide. These days having a random playable guest character appear in a fighting game has become somewhat of an standard these days, but throughout video game history it seems almost nobody do guest characters any better than the Soul series. In this article we’ll take a look back through the history of Soul Calibur to see how damn well these guys do it, and exactly why we should be so excited over the inclusion of Ezio in Soul Calibur V.
Soul Calibur: Yoshimitsu (Tekken Series)
Ok so technically Yoshimitsu isn’t a cameo, but he originally came from the Tekken franchise. In fact, he’s appeared in not only every Tekken game but also every Soul Calibur game, making him a part of both series hinting that they are both set within the same universe. This wouldn’t be too surprising either, since both franchises are both from Namco Bandai. Although it hasn’t been confirmed, it is widely believed that the Soul Calibur Yoshimitsu is an ancestor of Tekken’s Yoshimitsu. Yoshimitsu uses a sword, so he seems more at home in Soul Calibur than in Tekken anyways. In a perfect world, he’d be a guest character in Tekken and not the other way around.
Soul Calibur II (Gamecube Version): Link (The Legend of Zelda Series)
Nintendo’s Hero of Time, Link of Hyrule made a GameCube-exclusive appearance in Soul Calibur II. Featuring one hell of a throwing technique a wide range of projectiles, Link brought a refreshing style of gameplay to the title. His story placed him after the events of The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, where Link hears of the possible resurrection of the Soul Blade and how it could place a strong threat to the kingdom of Hyrule.
Soul Calibur II (Xbox Version): Spawn (Comic Book Series)
Spawn is an anti-hero comic book character created by Todd McFarlane who made an Xbox-exclusive appearance in Soul Calibur II. His cape can take the shape of any object he envisions, and being in the medieval period he has selected the form of a double-bladed axe for combat. As the most foul-mouthed character in the soul series to date, Spawn’s story was about him being sent to retrieve the Soul Edge from his master in return for an escape back to his time period. The reason for including Spawn in this title was due to an agreement between Namco and Todd McFarlane who was developing Soul Calibur figurines.
Soul Calibur II: Heihachi Mishima (Tekken Series)
Another Tekken fighter?! Don’t worry this one’s definitely a cameo, although he does seem a little out of place here. In his appearance exclusive to the PlayStation 2 Heihachi Mishima stays true to his Tekken roots by not fighting with a blade but rather his hands and feet. To help him survive against opponents with swords, he has gauntlets made of Japanese armor wrapped around his wrists. What Heihachi lacks in range however, he makes up with devastating combos. His story is believed to take place between Tekken 3 and Tekken 4 and is quite bizarre: he accidently stumbled on a piece of the ancient Soul Edge, accidently cuts himself and ends up waking up in the medieval times fighting for the Soul Blade. Sure it’s a little silly, but hey it gets him in the game, right?
Soul Calibur III(Removed): Dante (Devil May Cry Series)
Hardcore Soul Calibur fans may be slightly confused thinking “Hey I don’t remember Dante in Soul Calubur III!” Well chill, you havn’t missed anything! Dante from Capcom’s Devil May Cry was originally set to appear as a playable character in Soul Calibur III but was removed due to unknown reasons. In Soul Calibur II Kilik wore a red trench coat, but it was changed in Soul Calibur III due to Dante being set to appear in the roster which unfortunately didn’t end up happening. Totally sucks because Dante would’ve been perfect in a Soul Calibur game!
Soul Calibur III: KOS-MOS (Xenosaga Series)
KOS-MOS is a rather unique and interesting guest character from the Xenosaga franchise. Instead of being selectable from the character select screen from the start, she’ll appear only after the player constructs her special armor in the character select screen which is a direct reference to how she is an Android that is not born but rather created. Furthermore the choice to give her any fighting style in the game is also a reference to her ability to create weapons from thin air, much like how she does in the Xenosaga series.
Soul Calubur Legends: Lloyd Irving (Tales of Symphonia Series)
Lloyd Irving is a character from Namco’s RPG Tale of Symphonia and makes an appearance in Soul Calibur Legends for Wii. It is unclear how he arrives on Earth, but it’s more than likely that his story within the game takes place between the original Tales of Symphonia game and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World/Knight of Ratatosk.
Soul Calibur IV: Darth Vader (Star Wars Series)
If you don’t know who Darth Vader is, you totally suck. Vader was given a unique force meter that allowed him to use the force for ranged attacks to switch up the gameplay a little, and has slower attacks than many of the other fighters in the game but makes up for it with strong focus on power. His story has him in search for the Soul Calibur and Soul Edge which he believes will help him rule the galaxy. Darth Vader is available for free on the PlayStation version of the game, and available for purchase for the Xbox 360 version.
Soul Calibur IV: Yoda (Star Wars Series)
Yoda is considered a joke character by many as he does seem a little…broken. You can’t grab him and the bastard is so short that high attacks are literally go over his head! His move set includes him using the force to launch him up in the air, and this is seen in many of his attacks to make up for his height. Yoda’s story involves him leaving Dagobah top stop Darth Vader obtaining the Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. Yoda is available for free on the Xbox 360 version of the game, and available for purchase for the PlayStation 3 version.
Soul Calibur IV: The Apprentice/Starkiller (Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Series)
Darth Vader’s apprentice, Starkiller also makes an appearance in Soul Calibur IV as he aids Vader in searching for the Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. Starkiller plays like a mix between Yoda and Vader, in the sense that he is fast like Yoda but aggressive like Vader. He also uses a force meter for a variety of ranged attacks. Unlike Yoda and Vader, Starkiller comes for free on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game.
Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny: Kratos (God of War Series)
Kratos of God of War makes a guest appearance in Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny. Kratos comes complete with his barbaric fighting style with a nice balance of both short and long ranged attacks. His long ranged attacks also make up for many of his attacks can be a little slow, making him a very well balanced fighter.
Soul Calibur V: Ezio Auditore (Assassin’s Creed Series)
Thanks to the power of the Animus, Ezio Auditore from the Assassin’s Creed franchise is set to appear in the up coming Soul Calibur V and out of all the guest characters so far this series has included, Ezio may be the best fit yet. According to Soul Calibur V producer Hisaharu Tago Ezio has the most tools per single character in the game. Featuring a variety of weapons, short, middle and long-ranged attacks Ezio is sure to be one character to be looking forward to playing as!
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