We didn't get many entries for the prior Fanart Friday, so I extended it for two weeks... and we still didn't get too many entries. That's okay, it wasn't a topic I expected to appeal to many users. So this week will have a much broader appeal!

This week's topic is simple... Soulcalibur characters in present day! Just like Zasalamel's ending in Soulcalibur 4; what would your favorite characters look like if they were alive today? Be as creative as you want.

This weekend, Namco Bandai will be bringing the TGS build of Soulcalibur V to Battle Arena Melbourne which is held in Melbourne, Australia and presented by CouchWarriors. You be able to watch the SCV action being streamed on Twitch.tv starting Saturday at 3PM Local | 1AM Eastern. You can also check out this press release for additional information.

I would also like to thank Namco Bandai for bringing the game out to another event for people to check out.

Like many of you heroes out there, I spent several hours last Friday watching the French play Soul Calibur 5. As the stream ended, I found myself reflecting on two major issues: first, a suffocating, heady mix of shame and loathing at having lost a beautiful day, and second, the traits that make games compelling for spectators.

In fairness, Friday's exhibition wasn't my first rodeo; I've waved a fond farewell to countless hours of my life as I watched them spiral away down the match video/tourney stream toilet, which makes sense within the context of Soul Calibur matches because I'm personally invested in the game. Then again, I've also found myself watching intently as people I don't know play games I've never touched, and I've loved every second of it. So what gives? How does a game become "good tv?"

Kayane, with the help and generosity of Namco Bandai, have come together to organize an event where the top Soul Calibur players in France have been invited to play the demo of Soul Calibur 5. The event starts Friday, 9/23 at 6:30PM local time and will also be streamed through Twitch.tv with Kayane answering questions that are given in chat.

I would like to thank Namco Bandai for allowing this event to take place and for our top players to get their hands on the game. Hopefully this is the beginning of more events to come for SC5. Check after the break for a list of local times and Kayane’s blog for additional details.

Fact: Namco isn't afraid to perform radical surgery on Soul Calibur's core mechanics from one iteration of the game to the next.

This is perhaps most evident with additions like SC4's implementation of the soul gauge, but it's equally present in the ongoing metamorphosis of the guard impact system, the overall speed of the games, and the considerable retooling of characters such as Nightmare, Ivy, and Talim.

Well last week was a mistake. This was an awful, awful idea; and any of you who participated in it should be absolutely ashamed of yourselves. These are not good, and I already regret ever doing this! You people are sick!

Hopefully this week's topic will give us a reprieve from you nasty people. Its a lot simpler: custom stages. Come up with some stage design; whether you want to be ornate and come up with a setting, or be as simple as possible and come up with a mechanic is up to you.

Tokyo Game Show started today (half a day ago, due to timezones) and already a metric ton of information has been released about various fighting games for the upcoming year. Soul Calibur V is of course no exception with Famitsu getting the details on two new confirmed characters!

The first revealed character is a returning favorite... Astaroth; who if my math is correct, is now 23 years old. The second new character is "Viola"; who attacks with disembodied jewels, very similar to Z.W.E.I. She is working with Z.W.E.I. to accomplish something or another.

With all hype around SummerJam wearing off, it is time to shift our attention to the next Soul Calibur 4 major in the United States, DEVASTATION 2K11!

Taking place in Phoenix, Arizona, on the weekend of October 7-9, DEVASTATION is far more than just a Soul Calibur tournament. There will be developers on site. There will be large pot cosplay competitions. There will be big money tournaments in dozens of games.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is BrianHatesYou, or just plain Hates, and I think it's time we all had a little chat....

This is the inaugural installment of what will be a regular column in which I'll be discussing issues pertinent to the community. What's fair game?

We actually didn't get a lot of submissions for last week's Swimsuit Edition of Fanart Friday. What's the problem? Was the topic too "pervy" for Soul Calibur's obviously high brow stature and community? Well moving on...

This week's topic actually ups the perv factor; but in a different way. The topic: gender bending. Draw a Soul Calibur character, but in the opposite sex. Naturally, only official Soul Calibur characters will be accepted.