Namco Bandai’s Okubo talks about Soul Calibur Legends, possibility of a DS version

It’s quite a surprise that Namco Bandai decided to take Soul Calibur into a whole new genre, with the new Soul Calibur for the Nintendo Wii being an action adventure game. Aside from this change, the game company also decided to make this game a Wii-exclusive. Gaming site Cubed³ was able to get hold of Jin Okubo, director for Soul Calibur Legends to talk about the game.

Okubo said that he and the Project Soul team – the development team dedicated to the Soul Calibur franchise – already thought of making an action game to add to the series. Seeing that the Nintendo Wii controls were ideal for sword-based gameplay, they decided to develop Soul Calibur Legends for the Wii, based on the results of their Soul Calibur-related survey.

The were no specific details available regarding Soul Calibur Legends’ storyline, but Okubo said that the “Soul Calibur” touch is present in the game. And the touch is indeed prevalent in the game: Players will need to plow through enemies and giant monsters, sometimes in one-on-one combats, all in the lavishly detailed backdrops used in past Soul Calibur video games.

Some gameplay details were also given mentioned in the interview. Players will be able to choose two characters to play as in the game, and when things get rough the characters can be swapped to take advantage of their various strengths and weaknesses.

Check out what Okubo says about the possibility of a DS version in the Full Article.

It’s quite a surprise that Namco Bandai decided to take Soul Calibur into a whole new genre, with the new Soul Calibur for the Nintendo Wii being an action adventure game. Aside from this change, the game company also decided to make this game a Wii-exclusive. Gaming site Cubed³ was able to get hold of Jin Okubo, director for Soul Calibur Legends to talk about the game.

Okubo said that he and the Project Soul team – the development team dedicated to the Soul Calibur franchise – already thought of making an action game to add to the series. Seeing that the Nintendo Wii controls were ideal for sword-based gameplay, they decided to develop Soul Calibur Legends for the Wii, based on the results of their Soul Calibur-related survey.

The were no specific details available regarding Soul Calibur Legends’ storyline, but Okubo said that the “Soul Calibur” touch is present in the game. And the touch is indeed prevalent in the game: Players will need to plow through enemies and giant monsters, sometimes in one-on-one combats, all in the lavishly detailed backdrops used in past Soul Calibur video games.

Some gameplay details were also given mentioned in the interview. Players will be able to choose two characters to play as in the game, and when things get rough the characters can be swapped to take advantage of their various strengths and weaknesses.

When asked if Link will have a cameo appearance in Legends, Okubo only had a vague answer: “Nothing can be confirmed at this stage but we definitely feel the importance of such collaborations.” It’d be a shame if Link wouldn’t be able to make it – besides wielding a sword and shield, Link was included in the Game Cube version of Soul Calibur2, and a Wii Soul Calibur wouldn’t be complete without him.

When asked if Legends will be a timed exclusive, or if it’s going to be released in other platforms, Okubo only answered with this:

WeÂ’re still looking into the capabilities and possibilities of the Wii console at this stage so there are no plans to convert it at this moment. Of course we will look into the case if such demands are to arise.

So for the meantime, expect that Legends will be a Nintendo Wii-exclusive title. If the game proves to be successful, Legends might merit a sequel, which can then appear on other consoles.

And how about the rumors that the first Soul Calibur video game will be released for the Nintendo DS? Again, Okubo takes on a vague stance. “IÂ’d definitely like to try a DS version personally, if the rumour has it right,” he said. ” But I suppose anything is possible until a fact is confirmed in this world!”

He would personally love to see Soul Blade becoming a downloadable game for the Virtual Console, however. We wish that him being Soul Calibur‘s director will help that possibility become a reality, if only to liven up the Wii’s library of fighting games.