Now that DragonBall FighterZ has been out for a few months, the next big fighting game on top of everyone’s mind is Soul Calibur VI. Since the last game came out in 2012, fans of the series have been desperate to see Namco Bandai bring the Soul series into the eighth generation of home consoles. Luckily for everyone, Bandai Namco revealed Soul Calibur VI at this year’s Game Awards, and news has been slowly trickling in. That’s been great, most of us want to actually pick up the stick and play this game! At Final Round 21, Bandai Namco allowed us to do just that, and the fighting game community collectively rejoiced upon seeing live gameplay of SCVI, some for the first time.
Return of the Dog
The first person we spoke to was friend of the site and fighting game frankfurter AVN|Jon Nitti. Clad in his classic meat byproduct costume, the longtime Soul Calibur fan was able to sit down and take the game out for a spin. “I like how the movement is,” he said. “And they gave a lot of the characters some new tools to work with. Overall, I really like what they’ve done with it.” Nitti mentioned that he played Sophitia and Xianghua during the demo period, saying that Sophitia, “has a lot of the same moves she had in Soul Calibur II,” which should be pleasant news to longtime players.
Nitti mentioned his appreciation for the updated, yet familiar feel to the series. He mentioned that the community didn’t respond well to the changes Soul Calibur V brought them and said that no matter how much Soul Calibur experience you’ve had, you’ll feel at home with Soul Calibur VI.
Jon also has the honor of being part of one of the first recorded money matches in Soul Calibur VI history. You’ll find the video of the entire mirror match set below, where Nitti uses his Soul Calibur II character Xianghua to battle Sword Lord.
A Real Nightmare
One of the biggest surprises of the Final Round set was a mysterious Nightmare player who was kicking ass and taking souls by the name of Stephen “RandomNinja” Hayden. Hayden has been playing Soul Calibur since the original, but admittedly fell off a bit with the fifth game. At Final Round, Hayden amassed a 14-win streak against random players (including our editor-in-chief Jesse Collins) and said that he only used Nightmare. He spoke to us about the way his favorite character felt in the new game. “He’s a bit different from his appearances in IV and V, since he’s got moves from both Nightmare and [former series protagonist] Siegfried. It’s kind of interesting.” Hayden also told us that he thinks Nightmare is a great starting point for new players. “Nightmare has a very long reach, and hard-hitting moves. He’s a great character for new players to start with.”
Need more from Final Round? Check out our comprehensive look back at the top moments from the event. If you need another hot dog, head over to our sit-down at the snack bar with Jon Nitti.
