Tekken Tag Tournament 2 netted 1.35 million units for all platforms combined, while SoulCalibur V hit 870,000 units sold and Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations sold 660,000 units. Considering the life of fighting games these days without the words “WWE” or “Super Smash Bros”, this is pretty well done.

For Japan-only releases, Run for Money and Taiko Drum Master, both 3DS titles, sold 450,000 units and 410,000 units respectively. Tales of Xillia 2, released only for the PS3, had a very strong showing, as is expected from the franchise with 500,000 units sold. This should help hype up the original’s Western release nicely.

If nothing else, it should also provide enough impetus to bring the sequel to North America and Europe as well.

Namco Bandai has announced that their latest fighting game opus, the sequel to the Playstation 2 fighter, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 has sold 840,000 units. Even more interestingly, this was from September 11th to 30th, which was the end of the company’s second fiscal quarter. That is to say, the game averaged that much in less than 3 weeks. Not too bad, considering the constant deluge of fighting games, and the fact that the game received good (but not spectacular) critical response.

On the other side of the fighting game pond, Namco Bandai also reported that SoulCalibur V has a total 1,380,000 units sold since release while Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations has hit 1,010,000 units. Again, this is only by the end of Namco Bandai’s second fiscal quarter.

These are some pretty solid numbers and should help fuel the company’s fighting game train for many more sequels to come. Now let’s see how Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 sells.

Source: Siliconera

Namco Bandai had announced that SoulCalibur V will receive a free title update for the PS3 and Xbox 360 for North America on March 21.  The title update will contain new online ranked game search optimization, gameplay tweaks, character balance adjustments for the entire roster based onplayer feedback. This updated version will be used in the SoulCalibur V Worldwide Finals taking place on April 10.

Namco will be holding worldwide finals for the game on April 10 at the Cosmopolitan hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The tournament will bring together the best players from around the world as they compete for a cash prize pool of $10,000. North American players competing in the upcoming MLG Winter Championships and NorCal Regionals will be able to qualify to compete in the SC5 Worldwide Finals.

Namco will also be providing transportation for fans in the Los Angeles area up to the SC5 Worldwide Finals the morning of April 10 and returning that night. The Worldwide Finals bus will be stopping at various locations around Los Angeles to be announced at a later date. You must be at least 21 years old with a valid driver’s license attend the SoulCalibur V Worldwide Finals.

But they have good tutorials, and once they do teach you stuff, they slowly ease you into the games mechanics. SoulCalibur V grabs your head from the back and pushes it into a barrel of water and the bubbles stop coming up. It teaches you a bit too much at the same time, and none too properly, and then it thrusts you right into the heat of the action, making it hell for you to have to fight through the fights. Seeing as this game is a fighting game, that poses a bit of a problem. This not only scares away people who may not have played fighters in a long time, but also newcomers. And there’ll be lots of newcomers.

The single player itself isn’t very impressive. There’s a very small number of modes to play through, and the most basic one- the story mode- is best left forgotten. While the character cast is comprehensive and impressive, the story mode has ridiculous and bland scenarios and the writing is just plain bad. When you compare that to the excellent SoulCaliur II, it breaks your heart. Overall, the single player lacks any kind of variety. The AI is repetitive and predictable after a point, so it makes fights more choreographed than they need to be later on.

The core fighting gameplay, however, is excellent. It’s fun and addictive, and once you get the hang of it, you realize the beauty of it. This weapons based and combos focussed fighter’s gameplay is very different from other contemporary brawlers, like Street Fighter or Tekken, and in some ways, it’s even better and  more enjoyable. It’s nothing fancy and nothing SC fans haven’t seen before- but why fix it if it ain’t broke?

However, that’s not to say that it’s exactly the same as before. A major new feature- Critical meters- adds a lot of depth and a huge element of strategy to the fights. Now even things like parrying and combos are dependant on this new feature and it makes things a lot more spontaneous and tactical than before. It opens up the doorway to several new combat moves and several new combos that will blow you away.

But like so many other games this generation, the true fun of SoulCalibur V is in online play, not off. As I mentioned above, single player lacks any kind of variety and gets boring, repetitive and predictable soon, despite the many new changes to the fighting system. However, when you’re battling it out, one-on-one with an opponent controlled by a real person, things get tense real fast. Fights are a lot more hot and a lot less static online and the element of strategy is greater than ever before.

It has some pretty great community features and seamless online integration makes the experience that much more addictive and fun.

I also have to take a moment to mention the excellent graphics of the game. They present some great details and a wonderful art style, one that is hardly replicated in games these days. It may not be the most outstanding visual work I’ve ever seen, but it’s definitely memorable. The fighting arenas are also very well built and will keep you on your toes during the fights.

Ultimately, SoulCalibur V isn’t the best game in the series. It has its faults- a lot of them- and it takes a lot of steps in the wrong direction. But it also takes a lot of them in the right one. SC5 is an enjoyable, addictive game that has it’s fair share of faults, but is well worth your time if you’re a fan of the series or the genre.

This game was reviewed on the PS3

Soulcalibur V is now out in the US for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

You can watch the unboxing video for the CE here.

Soulcalibur V is now out in the US for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and will be released in Japan on February 2 and Europe the next day.

Here’s some info on SC5 as given in the press release by the devs:

Developed by NAMCO BANDAI Games’ Project Soul team, SOULCALIBUR V picks up 17 years after the events of SOULCALIBUR^® IV with new heroes and returning warriors clashing in an epic showdown between good and evil. The tale of Patroklos and Pyrrha Alexandra unfolds as their family’s destiny becomes entwined with the Soul swords. With an expanded character creation mode and new gameplay features including theCritical Edge and Quick Move systems, SOULCALIBUR V will be the must-have fighting game of 2012. 

The updated Creation mode allows players to customize outfits for existing SOULCALIBUR V characters or create an entirely original warrior.  Tweak everything from hairstyle, voice, outfits, equipment and sizes of various body parts to create a fighter as fearsome or outrageous as possible.  Players will be able to show off their custom characters to the world in multiple online modes including the new Global Colosseo.  The Global Colosseo acts a hub for all SOULCALIBUR V community interactions from around the globe. Pick a region and start interacting with otherSOULCALIBUR V players through voice and text chat.  Create or enter specific rooms to challenge friends and other players.  Ranked and Player matches are also available for quick online battles. 

This specific CE is in stock only at GAME stores in UK.

Soulcalibur V releases on February 3 for PS3 and Xbox 360.