Editorials

Another year, another E3. Another year where we wait for an announcement at E3. While previous years we've been grasping at straws, I think this year we could actually get some sort of hints of a new release. Allow me to explain why I think you guys should get your hopes up and why I think Namco has yet to abandon the series...

Firstly, depending on which game (Soul Edge or Soulcalibur), and which release you are talking about (arcade or console), we're right in the middle of what could be considered the 20th anniversary for the series. This can be seen with the the activity on the Official Soulcalibur Facebook all last year celebrating the 20th anniversary. If Namco had indeed abandoned the series, why spend the effort to conduct polls and keep readership alive on Facebook; a platform which companies primarily use for marketing.

But you may be asking: why have we been waiting 5 years? Traditionally, we get a new numbered...

Belial has recently written an excellent guide on the basics of footsies. Thankfully, he informed me about his article and I have posted it on the front page for him. Please give him all the credit for sharing his information and experience.

Picture this scenario, someone recently purchased Soul Calibur 5. He went all the way through story mode and spent a few minutes in practice mode. He's starting to feel fairly good about his skills and decides to try his luck at ranked mode. His first match is against someone called "Coolguy97" who happens to have a score of 97 wins and 3 losses. "Man this guy must be good" he thinks to himself.

When the match starts he notices that Coolguys Mitsurugi custom is nothing but a naked dude with a cat head. As the match progresses the newcomer is trying his best but repeatedly gets hit by this move where misturgi lunges backwards really far then comes in with a stab. After every round Coolguy decides to hold guard and move up and down on the newcomers dead body.

In the course of fighting, eventually your defenses will falter, and you will find yourself lying on the ground. This is a precarious position- you have no invincibility on the ground, you have no wakeup kicks, no reversal. Nothing is stopping your opponent from running over and stomping mudholes into you for the rest of the match.

Hence, it goes without saying that being able to return to standing position safely is one of the most important defensive skills you must know. There are a variety of ways to do so; all of them must be known to increase the chances of success. Avoid your opponent’s attacks, and prevent yourself from becoming roadkill.

Strings, or preset series of attacks, can be effective initially. Often, when blocking a string, you don’t know when the string will end, and take action at the wrong time. Some strings are also completely safe on block, which can lead to their abuse. With study, however, these strings become a liability, or a mixup of “will I or won’t I” at best. Opponents who do not realize this and use entire strings every time should be punished to the fullest extent.

Guard Impact is a classic gameplay feature in the Soul series, going all the way back to the first Soul Edge. When GI was changed in Soul Calibur V, a lot of players dismissed it, citing the changed command and meter cost. This is a shame, as GI can be a powerful technique; arguably, more powerful than its previous iterations.

So you have found 8WAYRUN.com, and you are starting to like the people, conversations, and atmosphere of the place. You’ve maybe heard of tournament players or have already considered the idea of entering a tournament, but the idea of traveling anywhere farther than a few hours can be a scary prospect.

In this article we’ll demystify traveling and reveal some options what will make getting to the big leagues a lot easier.