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It's a new generation of video game consoles so there has to be a new Soulcalibur. While Soulcalibur Legends was made for the Wii, the more traditional sequel Soulcalibur IV is coming for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Namco Bandai Games director Katsutoshi Sasaki helped us preview their newest one on one fighting game, due out in the summer.

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CraveOnline: Which characters do you feel had to make an appearance in Soulcalibur IV?

Katsutoshi Sasaki: That is a difficult question. Personally, I love all of them so I’d like to say, let’s get them all in there. New characters are one of the most important and anticipated elements in each new installment of the series. Then there are Mitsurugi, Taki, Nightmare, Siegfried, Sophitia, Ivy, etc. It would be sad to lose any of these characters that are so symbolic of the series. It’s these staple characters that make the new characters stand out all the more.

CraveOnline: What new characters will we meet in Soulcalibur IV?

Katsutoshi Sasaki: We’ve already unveiled Hilde. She’s a bit special for a Soulcalibur character. In this game many characters are very flashy and each has a unique look. We took a different route with Hilde. She, in contrast to other female characters in the game, is covered in armor and has very little exposure. However, we paid a lot of attention to the specific details of her design and are quite happy with the result. There are other new characters I can’t really discuss right now, however we have no doubt that they will excite a lot of players. Please stay tuned for future announcements!

CraveOnline: Has the Soulcalibur fighting system improved with the next generation consoles?

Katsutoshi Sasaki: We absolutely have to improve it every time we come up with a new chapter in the series. I think both creators and players of the game feel strongly about this. When you change an existing system in a long running videogame series there are times when you may face a backlash in public opinion. So we want to make the most of the existing system while incorporating new and unique features.

CraveOnline: How were the control schemes designed for the PS3 and 360?

Katsutoshi Sasaki: They are essentially the same. Both pads feel really well, and we ship the games with the classic button arrangement, with the premise that players can always remap the controller to their personal taste. From its origin, this is an arcade series optimized for joystick and button input. You can say there are certain difficulties in adapting that system to each console’s particular controllers. So in certain cases we have tweaked the controls in favor of smoother gameplay, optimizing input to be more forgiving towards the player.