1up.com recently had the fortune of cornering the Director of upcoming brawler Soul Calibur 4, Katsutoshi Sasaki, and ask him a few questions about the gameplay and some other tidbits of info.
1UP: In Japan, you recently revealed two guest characters, Scheherazade
and Angol Fear, each designed by a famous manga artist. But those characters
haven't been promoted in the U.S. and aren't in the playable demo here
today...will they still be in the U.S. game?
Katsutoshi Sasaki: Yes, they will definitely both be in the U.S. version as
well.
1UP: Will we see even more guest characters from other manga artists in the
game?
KS: Yes, there are a few more characters from manga artists and other famous
illustrators, too.
1UP: Will these guest characters have their own stages? The Star Wars guys
have some pretty nifty arenas...
KS: No, there won't be a stage for each character. In the past we've always
made a "home" stage for each fighter, but this time around we're not taking that
approach.
1UP: So far, you've only revealed one all-new character who's actually
part of the Soul Calibur world, Hilde. We have to wonder, are there any more
real Calibur characters in this game?
KS: Yes, we do definitely have more...we still have many things to reveal,
actually.
1UP: We also haven't seen anything about a new single-player mode like SC3's
Chronicles of the Sword or SC2's Weapon Master Mode...will SC4 have something
comparable?
KS: For SC4's single-player game, we're introducing a new mode called Active
Matching Battle. This is a team battle mode where you have a pool of characters
to choose from who must face a steady stream of opponents in one arena.
1UP: SC4 will also be the first game in the series to offer online
play...how's that going? Is everything running OK so far?
KS: We're currently going through lots of trial and error getting the online
up and running, and we're testing connectivity between Japan and the U.S. to
make sure that everyone can play together with minimal stress or frustration.
Another big component of this online experience that I need to mention is the
Create-A-Soul mode. This time around, you can create a custom character and
introduce it into the online versus mode. What's different is that this time
you're not only changing your fighter's appearance, but also their attributes.
For example, a certain piece of armor might raise your defense or give you
special properties, and a new weapon may give you a stronger attack. It really
adds a lot of depth to the online combat.
1UP: How will you acquire these special weapons? Will you unlock them in the
game or will you have to purchase them as downloadable content?
KS: We have several different methods for acquiring these weapons and armor:
Some will be unlocked by playing through the game, while others will only be
available as downloads.
1UP: You announced that the special $80 Premium Edition will offer
exclusive downloadable content -- might that stuff be armor and weapons?
KS: Yes, that is definitely a consideration.
1UP: Will the 360 and PS3 premium packs offer different downloadable
content?
KS: For Soul Calibur IV, we're trying to make it so that there are no
fundamental differences between the two versions. We do have Darth Vader in the
PS3 game and Yoda on 360, but that's the only division between the two; the rest
of the contents will be identical.
1UP: Are you worried about fan reaction to the addition of Critical Finish
moves? People might equate them to Mortal Kombat's Fatalities...
KS: Critical Finishes are fatal attacks that defeat your opponent in one
strike, but I'm not worried that fans won't like them because you can't really
abuse them. In order to do a Critical Finish, specific criteria must be met --
only players who block frequently will allow their armor to be destroyed,
opening them up to a finishing attack. In past games, when players would turtle
it slowed the pace of the match down and made it less fun. Now, they're at a
major disadvantage because their opponent will be able to punish them for
blocking. We're hoping that it inspires players to play more aggressively, using
Guard Impacts and Eight-way running to avoid succumbing to these Critical
Finishes. Pulling one of these moves off really fills you with a sense of
satisfaction...and even if you're a novice player who gets murdered by one,
you'll hopefully be so inspired by how impressive the move looks that you'll be
motivated to improve your skills.
1UP: Your team definitely appears to be having fun with these Critical
Finish moves...we saw Cassandra's and it involves her planting her butt on your
face amid an explosion of giant pink hearts. Will these moves go way beyond what
we're used to seeing in Soul Calibur?
KS: They all look really cool, and we are designing these moves in a way that
reflects each character's true personality and characteristics. And yes,
Cassandra's is very cute and innocent...it's probably my favorite one in the
game, actually!
1UP: Nearly every veteran character from past games returns here, yet we
still haven't seen Setsuka or Rock. Will their fans be disappointed when they
play the final game?
KS: Well, we always strive to satisfy all of our fans...and we wouldn't want
to disappoint them.
1UP: Both Tekken 6 and Street Fighter IV feature hugely obese
fighters...this obviously must be a hot new trend in fighting games, so will you
be adding a forklift fatty to Soul Calibur to keep up with your competitors?
KS: We'd definitely consider adding a character like that if people really
want it, but it seems that he'd be at a big disadvantage, getting hit from every
angle because he's so big.