Great news for fighting fans everywhere - SoulCalibur V has officially gone gold! That doesn't mean it's won a sparkly pendant to denote its victory in some kind of Olympic event - instead it just means that the game has been finished and mastered, ready to be copied and shipped out (and then inevitably tweaked with a Day One Patch, negating the whole process *cough*). But wait - what's the ESRB age ratings board talking about? Portions of what?
Here's their charmingly straight-faced appraisal of the content of SoulCalibur V, which they found mature enough to warrant a Teen rating:
Rating summary: This is a fighting game in which players engage in one-on-one combat against a large cast of human and supernatural characters. Players use guns, swords, spears, and other melee weapons to strike opponents and drain their health meters. The frenetic battles are highlighted by slashing sounds, impact effects, and frequent cries of pain. Cutscenes depict additional acts of violence, such as characters getting impaled with swords. Some female fighters wear outfits that reveal large amounts of jiggling cleavage and portions of their buttocks; on the character creation menu, players can augment fighters’ breast sizes and manipulate the camera to zoom in on their bodies. The words “damn,” “b*tch,” and “bastard” can be heard in the dialogue.
Above: This is totally how the ESRB saw the game. They'd probably disapprove of this
So it's Soul Calibur then. Which is great, in truth - we're well up for some more tales of souls and swords, even if they really are eternally retold with numbered installments. This is, after all, Soul Edge 6. And, of course, we waxed lyrical about Soul Calibur 'one' in our Appreciation Section not so long ago.
Above: Yowser! The game's looking superb and we can't wait to get our hands on it
Won't be long now - the game is scheduled for release in the UK on February 3, and January 31 in the US. In the mean-time, why not download the SoulCalibur V Magazine from the iTunes NewsStand? All you need to do is download the free container App for Edge, GamesMaster, Official Playstation Magazine UK, PSM3, Official Xbox 360 Magazine UK or Xbox World 360 and it'll be there for you to download, absolutely free.
Above: There it is, free to download, free to read... if you have the means, it's a no-brainer
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate villain Minecraft Steve is the star of the "best Smash clip of all time," as genius player makes a literal Trojan Horse to destroy an unsuspecting opponent
Masahiro Sakurai says Super Smash Bros "might have died out" if not for late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata: "There's no doubt that he influenced me in many ways"
