In preparation for the upcoming Namco Fighting Games Panel at the San Diego Comic Con (the countdown on the front of 8WR is currently counting down till the panel); Namco has released some new assets and character artwork which confirm Ivy, as well as a stage without ringouts.

The most stunning of all this is that the male character silhouette that Daishi leaked to us last week is not Raphael, which I'm sure most of us assumed, but is instead a new character named "Zwei" (German for "two"). He also appears to be holding his sword in a "tonfa-like" fashion.

Be a part of the creation of Soulcalibur V! Your original character name will appear in the game! All participants will receive special Soulcalibur V desktop wallpaper!

Project Soul is now running a contest where participants may submit their own character in the hopes that it gets put into the game; most likely as a premade create a soul custom character you may fight against in story mode.

In addition to submitting your character information, there is also a short survey of 10 questions asking players some basic questions about how they play the game, and their takes on existing characters and stories.

Check out this link to enter: http://www.soularchive.jp/npc_recruiting/

MCZ/LLL.Kayane interviews Namco Bandai Games' Katsuhiro Harada and chats with him about his life, Tekken, and of course Soul Calibur!

Be sure to check out this interview from her and Geek Studio. Also make sure to chuckle to yourself when Harada-san flinches as Kayane mentions GGPO.

This week Daishi has been teasing that he might do an early reveal of one of the two silhouettes posted about a week ago. He's been asking which of the two silhouettes people want to see most, and today he gives us an early look at a brand new female character!

Daishi has been rather glib on whether or not Taki would be returning. However, with the reveal of this character, it can be assumed that Taki may only play a secondary role in Soul Calibur 5.

Thanks Daishi! Comic Con 2011 is only a week away, stay tuned for the next reveal!

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes during the making of Soul Calibur? Well, now you can see it for yourself! Namco-Bandai has given us a sneak peak at the offices and staff behind Soul Calibur 5.

From the animators to the director, this is your chance to see the team responsible for making Soul Calibur 5 at work.

Daishi has uploaded a new image of Soul Calibur 5 as it is being tuned, as well as two silhouettes of characters to be revealed at San Diego Comic-Con which you can view here and here.

And stay tuned to 8WR for the latest news during EVO2K11 and SDCC.

Tune in HERE to watch Canada's finest compete Toronto Resurrection: Omega Tournament in Soul Calibur 4, BlazBlue and Tekken 6 at the Toronto Top Tiers Stream!

*EDIT* Tournament is now over!

• 1st - NeoRussel (Yoshimitsu)
• 2nd - Eli123s (Ivy)
• 3rd - Oofmatic (Mitsurugi)

Good stuff, guys! Recordings available via playlist.

Anybody who has attended SummerJam or DEVASTATION in the past knows just what an amazing time they guarantee. Both are great events which will be featuring Soul Calibur 4 and some of the world's best players.

If you are on the fence about attending either, or both of these events due to financial restraints, please be aware that for the next 24 hours Southwest Airlines is holding their 40th anniversary blowout sale on flights for the upcoming tournament season.

*EDIT* Deal is now over!

How good are these deals? Well check them out yourself at southwest.com! I'm talking about ROUND TRIP flights to either event from anywhere in the USA for $80-$240. Don't pass this opportunity up! If you have yet to join the offline tournament scene, or if you have had a taste and need more, this is the time to snatch up those dirt cheap tickets and kick some ass!

• Available only on southwest.com or swabiz.com.
• Purchase from...

EGM now has their June 6th issue of their magazine available to view online which features Soul Calibur 5 on the cover and an interesting interview with producer Hisaharu Tago and director Daishi Odashima.

You can click here to view the issue. You can also buy the current issue at your local news stand. Special thanks to Mr.Nobody for providing the tip.

CEO 2011 Fighting Game Championships were this weekend! We were also fortunate enough to have Katsuhiro Harada, fighting game directory of Namco Bandai in the audience. Harada-san presented the top 3 with a medal to wear around their neck, and also a Hori joystick. CEO 2012 is already in the works and SC5 is guaranteed to be on the docket!

• 1st - RTD (The Apprentice)
• 2nd - Suirad (Sophitia, Astaroth)
• 3rd - Enkindu (Voldo)
• 4th - LuigiPR (Voldo)
• 5th - Death In My Eyes (Nightmare)
• 5th - Killa6 (Setsuka)