LATE Top Ten Tuesday (strengthens the soul of…)
Yeah, yeah, shut up… XP
Since I got Soul Calibur IV, I’ve been like a crack addict waiting for his next fix. That said, I need help. Actually, I’ve been pretty patient about this, but I’ve still got inner-child bouncing up and down going “Can we play it yet? Oh… How about now? Ok… Now! …. Now? … How about now?” So in an attempt to satisfy my video game junkie side, Soul Calibur is the focus of this weeks Top Ten.
As I said in yesterday’s Monday’s update, SC has become a tradition among my brother, sister and I. It’s a way of bonding for us, and by “bonding” I mean exchanging harsh words, choking each other with controller cords and just talking shit in general. My sister (who from this moment forth shall be referred to as Panda) lives in Ohio and has access to a 360 as well as a copy of the game. So Live is going to make the choking part a bit problematic. Although I’m sure I’ll hear plenty of Panda’s Soul Calibur mantra of “Ring Outs are bullshit.”
Our little brother (who shall now be referred to as the Wii One) unfortunately will have to wait and see if teh mommeh will get him a 360 for Christmas. At least I know what game to get him if she does.
This week’s Top Ten are my favorite characters in the series and the Top Five are the ones we have down to a fine art.
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10. Yoshimitsu
There were plenty of other characters I could have put in this slot, but Yoshimitsu gets special consideration for his unique fighting style and cool factor. The last of his clan, Yoshi lost his arm in combat and had it replaced with a working prosthetic one. In addition, he robs from the rich and gives to the poor. So he’s basically some kind of steam-punk Samurai Robin Hood.
Yoshimitsu’s fighting style is a little difficult to learn at first, but once you’ve mastered him, he can be a really fun character to use. His style has gone mostly unchanged throughout the series but his appearance is always different from game to game.
9. Ivy
Isabelle “Ivy” Valentine is a british noblewoman and the biological daughter of Cervantes: the original wielder of Soul Edge. The coolest thing about Ivy (other than her ginormous b00bz) is her weapon, the Snake Sword. It looks like your standard short sword but the majority of Ivy’s moves consist of the sword uncoiling into a whip for long range attacks.
The one thing that’s disappointing about Ivy is that her move set has never remained consistant throughout the series. Namco always toys with it and she never controls the same. Other than that, she has what is probably the most inventive weapon in the series. She also has a reputation for wearing really slutty dominatrix outfits and her already massive breasts somehow manage to get slightly larger as the series goes on. The current gen consoles may not have the processing power for Soul Calibur V if the pattern continues.
8. Taki
The only Ninja in the game and second place for biggest b00bz in the series. Taki is a demon huntress of the Fu-Ma clan and wields two ninja swords: Rekki-Maru and Mekki-Maru (Taki is also a blacksmith and forged Mekki-Maru using a shard of Soul Edge). As a ninja, she’s known for her quick, agile movements and fast strikes. She also has some exaggerated ninjutsu moves and some unblockable magic attacks.
Taki deserves a spot on the list because she’s a fucking Ninja and also a hot one. In the hands of a pro, Taki can be an incredibly cheap character, though I have seen some idiots accidentally fall out of the ring trying to pull off some of her moves.
7. Siegfried
Siegfried is the blonde pretty boy formerly known as Nightmare: the demon possessed warrior wielding Soul Edge. After regaining his free will, he escaped Soul Edge’s influence and goes on a quest to atone for his sins. Shortly afterward, the essence of Soul Edge physically manifests itself into the warrior that last wielded it and Nightmare is reborn.
The last couple of games (including Soul Calibur IV) use the conflict between Siegfried and Nightmare as the central focus of the story with Siegy wielding the “good” sword, Soul Calibur and Nightmare wielding (of course) Soul Edge.
Siegfried’s weapon of choice is a gigantic-ass sword that’s almost impossible for him pick up but he swings it around like it’s nothing. Panda doesn’t like it when I play as Siegfried (or a custom character that uses his style) because I can be really cheap with him. That and I have a reputation for stomping on my KO’d opponents when I play as him.
6. Xianghua
Xianghua used to be Panda’s favorite character but she was replaced later with likes of Talim and Seung Mina, but she still plays as her quite often. Xianghua is a dancer who uses a Chinese sword and, until the later games in the series, was the only character with a pure enough heart to wield Soul Calibur.
Every game has the “young and cute girl” archetype and Xianghua filled that role nicely until the likes of Talim and Amy came along to battle over that particular niche. She’s still one of the better and more balanced fighters in the series. In the first couple of games, she had a particular move that involved her falling to ground face down and throwing a temper tantrum, earning her the nickname Xiangwha-wha.
5. Maxi
Now we’re talking. Enter the nunchuk wielding Pirate guy with the Elvis hairdo. Maxi is a vengeful son of a bitch who pursues Astaroth, another fighter in the game who wields a giant axe and is responsible for the deaths of Maxi’s friends and crew. To avenge his crew mates, Maxi teams up with Xianghua and Kilik in their quest to destroy Soul Edge: an ancient sword that Astaroth is also seeking.
Maxi gets a bad rap because of his ridiculously button-masher friendly fighting style. It’s really easy to chain a string of attacks together with little knowledge as to what the hell it is you’re doing. That said, he’s a goddamned monster in the hands of a pro.
4. Talim
Talim is the new young and cute girl of the series and a wind priestess in training. Armed with two tonfa-like weapons called “Elbow Blades,” she seeks to destroy Soul Edge in order to protect the people of her village.
Her fighting style with those twin Elbow Blades can be summed up in a single word: CHEAP. Talim, being the tender age of 15 in the latest installment, is an agile little thing who’s movies involve a crap load of somersaults and jumps which also gives a lot of room for accidental self-Ring Outs.
“Holy cow, I’m flippin’ out like a monkey on crack here- OH SHIT! *splash*”
She may be cute and adorable, but she’ll mop the floor with your ass (assuming you can control her enough to not kill yourself).
3. Mitsurugi
Here we go. Mitsurugi is a Ronin (Samurai without a master) and the very embodiment of the term BAD-ASS. He’s a scruffy, long haired, traveling warrior with a katana and a bad attitude. Mitsurugi isn’t on any quest in favor of good or evil. He just wants one thing: to be the best damn warrior in the world. And what does the best damn warrior in the world need? Well, that would be the best damn sword in the world (gee, I wonder what it’s called).
Mitsurugi is a favorite among all of his. He’s quick, he’s strong and he talks a lot of shit. “Name’s Mitsurugi. Remember that!”
2. Kilik
My all time favorite character since the first installment. Kilik is a highly skilled martial artist from China and, according to the game’s mythology, Xiangwha-wha’s love interest. Not that anyone really cares. In a fighting game, the last thing on your mind is the story.
What makes Kilik so cool to use is his Bo Staff. It makes him worthy opponent at both close and long range, and gives him the advantage in most fights. There are those who abuse him, however, and just spam the same move over and over again giving a bad rap to those of us who actually know how to use him.
Besides, there is no greater satisfaction than taking out a big guy with a Battle Axe using nothing but a stick…
1. Seung Mina
… Unless you attach a blade at the end of the stick, in which case, you end up with Seung Mina: a young girl from Korea going through that troublesome “You’re not the boss of me!” phase and ends up running away from home to fight the good fight.
Mina started out as sort of a cross between Kilik and another character, Hwang, but she’s come into her own with more unique movesets (even if some of them are still lifted from other character’s movesets). Mina is Panda’s all time favorite character so we’ve had us quite a few Kilik VS Seung Mina battles.
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Well, today’s the day. I’m finally getting a 360 so I’ll be able to review the game that’s been sitting on my shelf for the past two weeks collecting dust. If you don’t here from me for the next few days, don’t worry. I’m planted safely in front of my TV.

