Soul Calibur V trailer shows gameplay and... wait... is that a SF-esque Ultra combo?

Character movement seems faster, to the point where there might be a newevade button similar to Virtua Fighter 3. The Soul Calibur series' traditional 8-way run may be incredibly versatile, but it's never moved like this before.

Above: Don't blink! Siegfried's sword attack is dodged by the swiftest sidestep this side of Bayonetta

And what about those Ultra Combos? There's no solid evidence that they'll work like SFIV's brilliant match-levellers, but they do look very familiar. The action freezes while Cassandra performs a spectacular move almost outside of time. The games have always had unblockable attacks, but the focus on these moves in the trailer and the spectacular, over-the-top nature of the resulting combo screams Street Fighter IV.

Aside from that, little seems to have changed. Familiar cast, familiar graphical style and even some familiar stages. Nice skeletal motif on the demon blade, mind. Just a pity it's due out next year - we want this now.

03 Jun, 2011