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102-462: The game introduces a variety of modes, such as Story, Arcade, and the innovative Tower of Lost Souls, where players face challenges for rewards. It also includes an extensive Character Creation mode, allowing for detailed customization of fighters, and a new online multiplayer feature that enables players to compete in both Standard and Special VS modes. Notably, the Critical Finish system and

204-469: A steelbook case edition was released instead, which included a bonus DVD containing four trailers in HD, four wallpapers, exclusive concept art, and an exclusive booklet with character biographies. Shortly after the initial release, various pieces of paid downloadable content became available, including music tracks from the original Soulcalibur , customization equipment, and weapon packs. On October 23, 2008,

306-434: A 10-episode adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back debuted in 1983. Billy Dee Williams joined the other two stars, reprising his role as Lando Calrissian. In 1983, Buena Vista Records released an original, 30-minute Star Wars audio drama titled Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell , written by Daley. In the 1990s, Time Warner Audio Publishing adapted several Star Wars series from Dark Horse Comics into audio dramas:

408-416: A Guard Impact. The color transitions from blue to green, then to red, and eventually flashes red. The player's Soul Gauge regenerates if they successfully hit the opponent with an attack, guard, or otherwise. If a character manages to deplete the opponent's Soul Gauge, the enemy suffers a piece of armor destruction (characters now display permanent visual damage, such as broken and torn clothing) and experiences

510-836: A book-like package containing the game, a CD of the game’s music soundtrack, The Art of SoulCalibur V book, a making-of DVD, and exclusive White and Dark Knight character creation downloadable content . Namco has released additional downloadable content for the game. The first "Launch Day" pack includes a set of character customization items described as "exotic," as well as music from Soul Edge and Soulcalibur . The Valentine's Day pack, released on February 14, includes customization items described as "fearsome," along with music from Soulcalibur II and Soulcalibur III . The February 28 pack includes more customization items and music from Soulcalibur IV and Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny . The music tracks are also available individually. Further DLC packs were announced and planned for release once

612-563: A brief stun during which the character can execute a powerful Critical Finish move by pressing all four face buttons simultaneously. Each character has a unique Critical Finish move. Namco developed the Soul Gauge to mitigate the advantages of constant guarding, thus enhancing the game's tempo and making matches more offensive. The Star Wars guest characters, Darth Vader , Yoda , and the Apprentice , utilize unique attacks powered by

714-454: A broader range of character voices and the ability to adjust their pitch. Players may also modify a character's general physique and muscularity. Additionally, equipped items now affect a character's statistics. Armor, weapons, and accessories may increase health, attack, or defense; they may also grant skill points that allow the character to equip special traits affecting playstyle. These traits may include automatically triggered guard impacts,

816-452: A follow-up to Soulcalibur IV (2008). It retains the weapon-based combat that characterizes the series while introducing a new protagonist, Patroklos, who aims to free his sister from a curse inflicted upon her by an ancient weapon. This installment marks the conclusion of the original Soul series timeline. The game received positive reviews, being praised for its gameplay, atmosphere, and character creation. However, it faced criticism for

918-430: A master and their apprentice. The franchise is set against a backdrop of galactic conflict involving republics and empires, such as the evil Galactic Empire . The Jedi and Sith prefer the use of a weapon called the lightsaber , a blade of plasma that can cut through virtually any surface and deflect energy bolts. The rest of the population, as well as renegades and soldiers, use plasma-powered blaster firearms . In

1020-497: A member of Siegfried 's revived Schwarzwind. Siegfried inducts him into the group and informs him that Pyrrha is being held captive by Soul Edge devotee Tira , assigning Z.W.E.I. and Schwarzwind mystic Viola to accompany him. After a brief skirmish, Tira seemingly releases Pyrrha to her brother, who abandons Z.W.E.I. and Viola to bring her sister home. However, upon arriving in Greece, they are confronted by Dumas, who reveals himself as

1122-514: A meter and unleash powerful special attacks. The game offers a variety of gameplay modes. In Story Mode, players control the protagonist, Patroklos, along with various supporting characters, guiding him through a series of battles divided into 20 episodes. Unlike previous installments, not all characters are playable in Story Mode. The arcade mode allows players to choose any character and face six opponents in time trial matches. Additionally,

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1224-472: A mixed reception from critics and audiences. Several Star Wars films have been produced separately from the Skywalker Saga. In 2008, Lucasfilm released the animated film The Clone Wars , which is set during the prequel trilogy and serves as the theatrical pilot of the television series of the same name . Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, an "anthology" film series set between

1326-411: A month. Critical reception of Soulcalibur V was generally positive, with average Metacritic scores of 77 (Xbox 360) and 81 (PS3). Jose Otero of 1Up.com criticized the story mode but was overall positive in his review, stating that the game " reinvents the series again." PSM3 stated, "Faster and more aggressive, SCV is what the series needed. Long-term fans may bemoan the changes, but this

1428-557: A new round for each defeated opponent, new opponents enter the battle immediately after a K.O., with the exception of certain combatants. Matches utilizing the AMB system only appear in the Story and Tower of Lost Souls modes. Soulcalibur IV introduces an all-new Critical Finish system. Next to a player's health meter is a colored gem known as the Soul Gauge. The gem changes color when the player blocks an attack or has their own attack blocked by

1530-615: A roster of 34 fighters. Many characters from the Soul series return, along with two newcomers and three guest characters from the Star Wars franchise: Darth Vader, Yoda, and The Apprentice. Initially, Darth Vader was exclusive to the PlayStation 3, while Yoda was available on the Xbox 360 as part of a full game download; Namco later made both characters available as downloadable content on

1632-572: A series of murders of Jedi Masters. The Star Wars canon fictional universe spans multiple eras, of which three are focused around each of the film trilogies. The following eras were defined in January 2021, and further refined and expanded in April 2023: The Expanded Universe of spin-off media depicts different levels of continuity, which were deemed non-canonical and rebranded as Legends on April 25, 2014, to make most subsequent works align to

1734-442: A theme for Obi-Wan Kenobi for the miniseries and Han Solo's theme for Solo: A Star Wars Story . Williams also created the main theme for Galaxy's Edge . Several other composers worked on other soundtracks, including John Powell ( Obi-Wan Kenobi ), Michael Giacchino ( Rogue One ), and Ludwig Göransson ( The Mandalorian ). The first Star Wars audio work is The Story of Star Wars , an LP using audio samples from

1836-437: Is an American epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas , which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various films and other media , including television series , video games , novels , comic books , theme park attractions , and themed areas , comprising an all-encompassing fictional universe . Star Wars

1938-514: Is common due to lightspeed hyperspace technology. The planets range from wealthy, planet-wide cities to deserts scarcely populated by primitive tribes. Virtually any Earth biome , along with many fictional ones, has its counterpart as a Star Wars planet which, in most cases, teem with sentient and non-sentient alien life. The franchise also makes use of other astronomical objects such as asteroid fields and nebulae . Spacecraft range from small starfighters to large capital ships, such as

2040-772: Is impossible for the Force. These superpowers are wielded by two major knightly orders at conflict with each other: the Jedi , peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic who act on the light side of the Force through non-attachment and arbitration , and the Sith , who use the dark side by manipulating fear and aggression. While Jedi Knights can be numerous, the Dark Lords of the Sith (or 'Darths') are intended to be limited to two:

2142-512: Is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. The original 1977 film, retroactively subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope , was followed by the sequels Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), forming the original Star Wars trilogy . Lucas later returned to the series to write and direct a prequel trilogy , consisting of Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II: Attack of

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2244-502: Is permitted for Offline VS. mode, meaning that only one profile's created characters can be loaded at any given time. Multi-fighter battles in Soulcalibur IV employ a different structure from its predecessors, known as Active Matching Battle (AMB). Similar to the tag system of games such as The King of Fighters 2003 , the AMB system allows players to switch to other members of their fighter party mid-battle. Instead of starting

2346-410: Is the perfect starting point for newcomers." Adam Biessener of Game Informer called it "the best Soulcalibur ever." On the other hand, IGN 's Steven Lambrechts wrote that Soulcalibur V "feels like more of the same" and expressed disappointment with the game, particularly criticizing its main story mode. Jordan Mallory of Joystiq claimed that Soulcalibur V "is simultaneously one of

2448-538: The Jedi Academy trilogy (1994) by Kevin J. Anderson , the 14-book Young Jedi Knights series (1995–1998) by Anderson and Rebecca Moesta , and the X-wing series (1996–2012) by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston . Del Rey took over Star Wars book publishing in 1999, releasing what would become a 19-installment novel series called The New Jedi Order (1999–2003). Written by multiple authors,

2550-525: The Tekken series) indicated that he would seriously consider a sequel if there was sufficient interest. He informed fans that he was open to opinions and requests via Twitter, asking that messages be short and simple due to his limited English skills. While the possibility of a sequel appeared stronger than ever, Namco had not made any statements to confirm their commitment to the project. Fans were encouraged to continue showing support and interest to help secure

2652-442: The 2008 series of the same name . Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, all animated series released prior to 2014, apart from the 2008 series, were discarded from the franchise's canon . Subsequent animated series include Rebels , released in 2014; Resistance , released in 2018; and The Bad Batch , released in 2021. Several micro-series and shorts have also been released by Lucasfilm since Disney's acquisition, with

2754-561: The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Soulcalibur IV for the " Fighting Game of the Year ". In 2010, the game was included as one of the titles in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die . Project Soul (the development team of the Soul series) had always suggested that Soulcalibur IV would be their final installment, as there were rumors that the team had disbanded. However, Katsuhiro Harada (producer of

2856-457: The Assassin's Creed series. ^a Newcomers ^b Guest character ^c Unlockable ^d DLC only ^e Moveset available through Character Creation A petition for Soulcalibur V posted on Facebook caught the attention of Katsuhiro Harada, producer of Namco's Tekken series. He accepted suggestions and promised to advocate for fans in

2958-463: The New Republic era, serving as the climax of the various live-action television series that began with The Mandalorian in 2019. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will direct a third film about a new Jedi Order, set fifteen years after the sequel trilogy. In January 2024, it was announced that Jon Favreau would direct a new Star Wars film, titled The Mandalorian & Grogu . In February of

3060-466: The Republic , the return of Luke as a Jedi Master (a role similar to that of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy), Luke's sister (not yet determined to be Leia), Han, Leia, R2-D2 and C-3PO . However, after beginning work on the prequel trilogy, Lucas insisted that Star Wars was meant to be a six-part series and that there would be no sequel trilogy. Lucas decided to leave the franchise in

3162-476: The Sith . Although no longer canon, the story is paralleled in The Force Awakens with Han and Leia's son Ben Solo , who becomes the evil Kylo Ren. Three series set in the prequel era were published by Scholastic for younger audiences: the 18-book Jedi Apprentice (1999–2002) chronicles the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn in the years before The Phantom Menace ;

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3264-480: The Star Destroyers , as well as space stations such as the moon-sized Death Stars . Telecommunication includes two-way audio and audiovisual screens, holographic projections, and hyperspace transmission. The universe of Star Wars is generally similar to the real universe but its laws of physics are less strict allowing for more imaginative stories. One result of that is a mystical power known as

3366-618: The Thrawn trilogy, Leia considers an advantageous political marriage to Prince Isolder of the planet Hapes, but she and Han ultimately marry. Steve Perry 's Shadows of the Empire (1996), set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi , was part of a multimedia campaign that included a comic book series and video game. The novel introduced the crime lord Prince Xizor , another popular character who would appear in multiple other works. Other notable series from Bantam include

3468-619: The University of Southern California , licensed the Star Wars radio rights to KUSC-FM for US$ 1 . The production used John Williams's original film score, along with Ben Burtt 's sound effects. The first was written by science-fiction author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden . It was broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981, adapting the original 1977 film into 13 episodes. Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels reprised their film roles. The overwhelming success, led to

3570-528: The 11-book Jedi Quest (2001–2004) follows Obi-Wan and his own apprentice, Anakin Skywalker in between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones ; and the 10-book The Last of the Jedi (2005–2008), set almost immediately after Revenge of the Sith , features Obi-Wan and the last few surviving Jedi. In 2019, a new prequel era novel, starring Qui-Gon and the young Obi-Wan, was published by Del Rey under

3672-480: The Clones (2002), and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). In 2012, Lucas sold his production company to Disney , relinquishing his ownership of the franchise. This led to a sequel trilogy , consisting of Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). All nine films, collectively referred to as the " Skywalker Saga ", were nominated for Academy Awards , with wins going to

3774-535: The EU material until April 25, 2014, when the company announced all of the EU works would cease production. Existing works would no longer be considered canon to the franchise and subsequent reprints would be rebranded under the Star Wars Legends label, with downloadable content for the massively multiplayer online game The Old Republic the only Legends material to still be produced. The Star Wars canon

3876-408: The Force which is described in the original film as "an energy field created by all living things ... [that] binds the galaxy together". The field is depicted as a kind of pantheistic god. Through training and meditation, those whom "the Force is strong with" exhibit various superpowers (such as telekinesis , precognition , telepathy , and manipulation of physical energy); it is believed nothing

3978-475: The Force . Darth Vader can employ Force-based blasts, punches, and chokes; Yoda can use the Force to propel himself into the air for intricate aerial attacks; and finally, the Apprentice is capable of wielding Force lightning and other dark-side abilities. These moves consume a special Force Meter, which gradually recharges when not in use. If the Force Meter is depleted, the player momentarily loses control of

4080-492: The Marvel magazine Pizzazz between 1977 and 1979. The 1977 installments were the first original Star Wars stories not directly adapted from the films to appear in print form, as they preceded those of the Star Wars comic series. From 1985 to 1987, the animated children's series Ewoks and Droids inspired comic series from Marvel's Star Comics line. According to Marvel Comics former Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter ,

4182-550: The Year ," which was ultimately awarded to PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale . It was also nominated for "Fighting Game of the Year" by Igromania , which was awarded to Dead or Alive 5 . Soulcalibur V reached number 4 in the UK PS3 sales charts, and number 3 on the Xbox. In eight months, the game sold 1.38 million units worldwide, which is somewhat less than the 2.3 million copies of Soulcalibur IV sold during its first eight months. Star Wars Star Wars

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4284-565: The ability to inflict damage on a blocking opponent, or even a statistic increase based on parameters such as an opponent's alignment or gender. Standard characters can also be modified in this manner, albeit only modestly, allowing custom costumes and skill sets to be used in Special VS. mode. Custom characters may still be utilized in Standard VS. mode but without any special abilities gained through equipment or weapon choice. One profile

4386-465: The ancient king Algol, his tower, and his connection to the origin of the spirit sword known as Soulcalibur. Each character's motivations and relationships with others are explored in a mode called Chain of Souls. As is customary, none of the individual endings from the previous game are considered canonical events, and most characters' motivations from that game remain unresolved. However, a small number of characters experienced significant events related to

4488-727: The announcement. Since the new canon has been introduced, there has been a multitude of pieces of Expanded Universe continuity that have become a part of canon. Star Wars in print predates the release of the first film, with the November 1976 novelization of Star Wars , initially subtitled " From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker ". Credited to Lucas, it was ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster . The first "Expanded Universe" story appeared in Marvel Comics ' Star Wars #7 in January 1978 (the first six issues being an adaptation of

4590-412: The best Soul Calibur games ever made and the worst Soul Calibur game ever made." Besides the story mode, many reviewers criticized the absence of the series's longstanding female characters, such as Sophitia, Talim, Cassandra, Xianghua, Taki, and Seong Mi-na. During the 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards , the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Soulcalibur V for the " Fighting Game of

4692-537: The blade, Patroklos tracks down Nightmare's former pawn Ivy , who knows a ritual to enhance the blade, but it requires its other two counterparts, Krita-Yuga and Dvapara-Yuga, which are possessed by a young staff fighter named Xiba and Leixia , the daughter of Xinaghua . During the ritual, Patroklos has a vision of his mother, Sophitia, who tells him that the only way to save Pyrrha is to kill her. Meanwhile, Nightmare wages war on Europe to strengthen Soul Edge, with Schwarzwind fighting to stop him. Z.W.E.I. manages to kill

4794-435: The character. For the first time in the series, Soulcalibur IV includes an online multiplayer option. The versus modes available in online battles are Standard VS (for classic matches) and Special VS (for customized characters). Created characters are playable in the online multiplayer mode. A player's wins and losses are recorded and used to establish a ranking level that reflects their online skill. Soulcalibur IV features

4896-427: The chart served as a poster. It was packaged in a metal case and released on the same date as the regular edition, along with exclusive access to additional customization content for this version. This extra content included the automatic unlocking of the most powerful weapons and joke weapons for each character, as well as clothing items to create a schoolboy or schoolgirl character. In New Zealand, Australia, and Europe,

4998-450: The creation of a new Soulcalibur game. The game was teased as early as 2010, when game director Daishi Odashima tweeted " SC is back! ." On December 25, 2010, a new Soul series project was announced to be underway, led by a new director. In late April 2011, Odashima tweeted again, stating " Hopefully I will be able to announce something mid-May. " Soulcalibur V was officially announced by Namco Bandai on May 11, 2011. Development of

5100-569: The development of Soulcalibur V . On May 11, 2011, Namco Bandai officially announced the new game, which was released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on January 31, 2012. Soulcalibur V Soulcalibur V ( ソウルキャリバーV , Sōrukyaribā Faibu ) is a 2012 fighting video game produced by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 . As the sixth main installment in Namco 's Soulcalibur series, Soulcalibur V serves as

5202-416: The earlier animated series falling under Disney's "Vintage" collection of Star Wars content. The Star Wars franchise includes several live-action series. The first series, The Mandalorian , was released in 2019 for the streaming service Disney+ and is set between the original and sequel trilogies of the Skywalker Saga. Due to its success, the series spawned multiple live-action spin-offs set during

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5304-399: The episodic films, The Clone Wars film , and television series . From 1976 to 2014, the term Expanded Universe (EU) was an umbrella term for all officially licensed Star Wars storytelling material set outside the events depicted within the theatrical films, including novels, comics, and video games. Lucasfilm maintained internal continuity between the films and television content and

5406-486: The events of Soulcalibur IV , and centers around the children of Soul series veteran Sophitia . Her son, Patroklos, serves as a soldier for Graf Dumas, the Roman Empire's appointed ruler of Hungary, and is tasked with eliminating the "malfested," a curse bestowed upon anyone who comes into contact with the evil weapon Soul Edge, in exchange for help in locating his sister, Pyrrha , who has been missing since he

5508-495: The evil Sith lord Palpatine (Darth Sidious). The original trilogy depicts the heroic development of Luke Skywalker as a Jedi and his fight against Palpatine's Galactic Empire alongside his sister, Leia . The prequels tell the tragic backstory of their father, Anakin , who is corrupted by Palpatine and becomes Darth Vader . The sequels follow the conflict between Leia's son, Ben Solo , and Luke and Leia's protegé, Rey , and their eventual alliance against Palpatine after

5610-463: The fall of the Empire. In 1971, George Lucas wanted to film an adaptation of the Flash Gordon serial , but could not obtain the rights, so he began developing his own space opera . After directing American Graffiti (1973), he wrote a two-page synopsis, which 20th Century Fox decided to invest in. By 1974, he had expanded the story into the first draft of a screenplay. Fox expected

5712-479: The film would be of limited financial success, and so it was given a relatively low budget, with production being moved to Elstree Studios in England to help save on cost. Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977, and first subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope in the 1979 book The Art of Star Wars . The film's success led Lucas to make it the basis of an elaborate film serial . With the backstory he created for

5814-650: The film), followed by Foster's sequel novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye the following month. After penning the novelization of the original film, Foster followed it with the sequel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978). The novelizations of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) by Donald F. Glut and Return of the Jedi (1983) by James Kahn followed, as well as The Han Solo Adventures trilogy (1979–1980) by Brian Daley , and The Adventures of Lando Calrissian trilogy (1983) by L. Neil Smith . Timothy Zahn 's bestselling Thrawn trilogy (1991–1993) reignited interest in

5916-609: The first two releases. Together with the theatrical live action "anthology" films Rogue One (2016) and Solo (2018), the combined box office revenue of the films equate to over US$ 10  billion, making Star Wars the third-highest-grossing film franchise of all time. The Star Wars franchise depicts the adventures of characters "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" across multiple fictional eras , in which humans and many species of aliens (often humanoid ) co-exist with droids , which may be programmed for personal assistance or battle. Space travel between planets

6018-532: The franchise and introduced the popular characters Grand Admiral Thrawn , Mara Jade , Talon Karrde , and Gilad Pellaeon . The first novel, Heir to the Empire , reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list , and the series finds Luke, Leia, and Han facing off against tactical genius Thrawn, who is plotting to retake the galaxy for the Empire. In The Courtship of Princess Leia (1994) by Dave Wolverton , set immediately before

6120-404: The franchise as "the tragedy of Darth Vader". Prior to releasing the original 1977 film, and made possible by its success, Lucas planned "three trilogies of nine films". However, he announced to Time in 1978 that he planned "10 sequels". He confirmed that he had outlined the prequels and sequels in 1981. At various stages of development, the sequel trilogy was to focus on the rebuilding of

6222-506: The game as "some of the best weapons-based fighting action in town". Certain criticisms were directed towards the guest characters from the Star Wars franchise, with several critics maintaining that their presence felt unnatural and that Yoda and The Apprentice, in particular, were "broken" (a reference to a perceived imbalance in fighting games that gives some characters a vastly unfair advantage over others) and "absurd", respectively. Yoda's smaller size (and thus his immunity to grab attacks)

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6324-418: The game includes Quick Battle mode, which enables players to unlock titles for their online profiles, as well as an extra "Legendary Souls" mode. Like its predecessors, Soulcalibur V features a variety of multiplayer modes, allowing players to compete against each other both online and offline. The character creation mode from previous games has also been retained. The game takes place in 1607, 17 years after

6426-465: The game's story mode was outsourced to CyberConnect2 , developers of the Capcom game Asura's Wrath . The story was originally planned to be four times longer, but it was reduced due to time and manpower constraints. Pre-order bonuses included the playable character Dampierre from Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny . A collector's edition of Soulcalibur V was released alongside the standard edition in

6528-421: The game, utilizing the fighting styles of returning characters. They are designed by Mine Yoshizaki , Ito Ōgure , Hirokazu Hisayuki , Yutaka Izubuchi , and Hiroya Oku , respectively. ^a Guest character ^b Unlockable ^c Bonus unlockable characters ^d Newcomers The story of Soulcalibur IV, conveyed through in-game written profiles and cutscenes, centers around

6630-640: The gap between the High Republic publishing initiative and the events of The Acolyte . Titled Star Wars: The Acolyte – Kelnacca , the one-shot was written by High Republic writer Cavan Scott with art by Marika Cresta. It focuses on Kelnacca, the Wookiee Jedi introduced in The Acolyte . John Williams composed the soundtracks for the nine episodic films. He stated he would retire from the franchise with The Rise of Skywalker , but he composed

6732-483: The hands of other filmmakers, announcing in January 2012 that he would make no more Star Wars films. That October, the Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Lucasfilm and announced that Episode VII would be released in 2015. The co-chairman of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy , became president and served as executive producer of new Star Wars feature films. Lucas provided Kennedy his story treatments for

6834-501: The job he couldn't. When Pyrrha comes to her senses, her desperate attempt to save Patroklos frees his mind enough to confront his "mother," who reveals herself to be Elysium , the spirit of Soul Calibur. After a long battle, Patroklos breaks free from Elysium's control, and together, he and Pyrrha seal away both swords. The game features 28 playable characters, including 10 that are new to the series. The new characters include two versions of Pyrrha and Patroklos. The game also introduces

6936-418: The late 1980s and early 1990s, including the ability to create computer-generated imagery (CGI), inspired Lucas to consider that it might be possible to revisit his saga. In 1989, Lucas stated that the prequels would be "unbelievably expensive". In 1992, he acknowledged that he had plans to create the prequel trilogy. A theatrical rerelease of the original trilogy in 1997 " updated " the 20-year-old films with

7038-418: The legendary swords now wielded by Siegfried and Nightmare, with most facing Algol as the final boss of Story mode. All characters feature animated ending cutscenes. The Premium Edition of Soulcalibur IV included a 48-page softcover art/comic book illustrated in full color, an XL 100% cotton T-shirt, and a tournament chart that allowed fans the opportunity to document battles among friends. The reverse side of

7140-671: The main episodes of the Skywalker Saga entered development in parallel with the production of the sequel trilogy, described by Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo as origin stories . The first film released was 2016's Rogue One , which tells the story of the rebels who steal the plans for the Death Star , the Galactic Empire 's superweapon, just before the events of the original Star Wars film. A second film, 2018's Solo , tells Han Solo's backstory, set 10 years prior to A New Hope . The series Obi-Wan Kenobi

7242-490: The movie material, while others rely heavily on the non-canonical Expanded Universe (rebranded as Star Wars Legends and removed from the canon in 2014). Star Wars games have gone through three significant development eras, marked by a change in leadership among the developers: the early licensed games, those developed after the creation of LucasArts, and those created after the closure of the Lucasfilm division by Disney and

7344-802: The mysterious Z.W.E.I. as well as Viola, an amnesiac fortune teller (later revealed to be Raphael's grown-up adopted daughter, Amy Sorel). Several new characters utilize the fighting styles of previous characters in the series: Taki's student and successor Natsu, Xianghua 's daughter Yan Leixia, and her illegitimate eldest son Xiba, who employs a fighting style reminiscent of his long-lost father, Kilik. The game also features several returning characters, such as Siegfried , Voldo , Ivy , Tira , Algol, Aeon (Lizardman), Hilde, Kilik, Maxi, Mitsurugi , Raphael, Yoshimitsu , Cervantes , Nightmare , Dampierre (who first appeared in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny ), and Ezio Auditore da Firenze from

7446-506: The nine films of which are collectively referred to as the " Skywalker Saga ". The saga was produced non-chronologically, beginning in media res with the release of the original trilogy between 1977 and 1983. This was followed by the prequel trilogy, released between 1999 and 2005, and the sequel trilogy, released between 2015 and 2019. Each trilogy focuses on a generation of the Force -sensitive Skywalker family and their struggle against

7548-451: The nine-film series plotted, but due to the stress of producing the original trilogy, he had decided to cancel further sequels by 1981. In 1983, Lucas explained that "There was never a script completed that had the entire story as it exists now ... As the stories unfolded, I would take certain ideas and save them ... I kept taking out all the good parts, and I just kept telling myself I would make other movies someday." Technical advances in

7650-547: The opposite platform for a fee. The Apprentice, the main protagonist of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed , is playable on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. Revenant, Frederick Schtauffen and several other minor characters from the Soul series make an appearance in battle, and most can be created in Character Creation mode. Several bonus characters designed by manga artists ( Angol Fear , Ashlotte, Kamikirimusi, Scheherazade, and Shura) are also playable in

7752-558: The options to play as Yoda in the PS3 version of the game and Darth Vader in the Xbox 360 version became available via paid downloadable content. However, both pieces of DLC were later removed from PSN and XBL due to licensing issues following the purchase of Star Wars by Disney. Soulcalibur IV received mostly positive reviews from media outlets. In 2014, six years after its initial release, it held an average Metacritic score of 85 for both its PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. The game

7854-473: The original film and a new narration to retell the story, released in 1977. Most later printed novels were adapted into audio novels, usually released on cassette tape and re-released on CD. As of 2019, audio-only novels have been released not directly based on printed media. Radio adaptations of the films were also produced. Lucas, a fan of the NPR-affiliated campus radio station of his alma mater

7956-497: The outer reaches of the galaxy, crime syndicates such as the Hutt cartel are dominant. Bounty hunters are often employed by both gangsters and governments, while illicit activities include smuggling and slavery . The combination of science fiction and fantasy elements makes Star Wars a very universal franchise, capable of telling stories of various genres. The Star Wars film series centers around three sets of trilogies,

8058-450: The removal of fan-favorite characters and for its story mode. It was succeeded by Soulcalibur VI (2018). Like the previous games in the series, Soulcalibur V is a weapon-based fighting game. Players utilize high and low vertical and horizontal attacks to damage opposing characters and can block incoming attacks or parry enemy moves to gain a tactical advantage. The game features an updated "Critical Edge" system, allowing players to fill

8160-431: The same fictional era, including The Book of Boba Fett , released in 2021; Ahsoka , released in 2023; and the upcoming Skeleton Crew . These series follow the plight of the New Republic and its allies against the remnants of the fallen Galactic Empire . A story focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi was planned as a film before becoming a live-action series after the box office failure of Solo in 2018. The series

8262-502: The same year, Bob Iger announced that the film would be the first release of the next slate of Star Wars movies. The Mandalorian & Grogu is scheduled for release on May 22, 2026. Lucasfilm has a number of Star Wars films in various stages of development, including: The first two animated series, Droids and Ewoks , were produced in the 1980s. They were followed by the Clone Wars animated micro-series in 2003 and

8364-460: The sequel, Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy of trilogies. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21, 1980, also achieving wide financial and critical success. The final film in the trilogy, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi , was released on May 25, 1983. According to producer Gary Kurtz, loose plans for a prequel trilogy were developed during the outlining of the original two films. In 1980, Lucas confirmed that he had

8466-746: The sequels during the 2012 sale, but in 2015 it was revealed Lucas's sequel outline had been discarded. The sequel trilogy also meant the end of the Star Wars Expanded Universe stories, which were discarded from canon to give "maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience." Episode VII: The Force Awakens was released on December 16, 2015, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi on December 13, 2017, and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker on December 18, 2019, in many countries. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi were both critical and box office successes. Episode IX received

8568-417: The series they would like their created character to mimic. This differs from Soulcalibur III , which featured many unique styles such as "Grieve Edge". The styles of Algol , the bonus characters, and the Star Wars guest characters cannot be used by player-created characters. A wide array of new equipment pieces are available for use in Soulcalibur IV ' s Character Creation mode, and new options include

8670-467: The series was set 25 to 30 years after the original films and introduced the Yuuzhan Vong, a powerful alien race attempting to invade and conquer the entire galaxy. The bestselling multi-author series Legacy of the Force (2006–2008) chronicles the crossover of Han and Leia's son Jacen Solo to the dark side of the Force; among his evil deeds, he kills Luke's wife Mara Jade as a sacrifice to join

8772-618: The still weakened Nightmare but is quickly disposed of by Tira and Pyrrha, who proceed with Tira's true goal of turning Pyrrha into a new host for Soul Edge. However, as soon as Pyrrha picks up the demonic blade, Patroklos arrives and kills her with Soul Calibur. Shocked by his actions, Patroklos' mind winds up in Astral Chaos, where an encounter with Edge Master convinces him to travel back and save Pyrrha by removing Soul Edge, thereby severing its control over her. However, "Sophitia" encases him in glass, intending to take over his body to do

8874-443: The strong sales of Star Wars comics saved Marvel financially in 1977 and 1978. Marvel's Star Wars series was one of the industry's top selling titles in 1979 and 1980. The only downside for Marvel was that the 100,000 copy sales quota was surpassed quickly, allowing Lippincott to renegotiate the royalty arrangements from a position of strength. In the late 1980s, Marvel dropped a new Star Wars comic it had in development, which

8976-417: The style of CGI envisioned for the new trilogy. Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released on May 19, 1999, Episode II: Attack of the Clones on May 16, 2002, and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith on May 19, 2005. The first two films were met with mixed reviews, with the third being received somewhat more positively. Together with the original trilogy, Lucas has referred to the first six episodic films of

9078-457: The three-part Dark Empire saga, Tales of the Jedi , Dark Lords of the Sith , the Dark Forces trilogy, and Crimson Empire (1998). Return of the Jedi was adapted into 6-episodes in 1996, featuring Daniels. The Star Wars franchise has spawned over one hundred computer, video, and board games, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles . Some are based directly on

9180-490: The title Star Wars: Master and Apprentice . Although Thrawn had been designated a Legends character in 2014, he was reintroduced into the canon in 2016 for the third season of the Rebels animated series, with Zahn returning to write more novels based on the character and set in the new canon. Marvel Comics published a Star Wars comic book series from 1977 to 1986. Original Star Wars comics were serialized in

9282-847: The unique Force Meter mechanics for guest characters add depth and strategy to combat. This installment is recognized for its contribution to the franchise, paving the way for future developments. The game received mainly positive reviews; it was followed by a handheld title, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny (2009), and later a full sequel, Soulcalibur V (2012). Soulcalibur IV features Story, Arcade, Training, and Museum modes. A new mode, Tower of Lost Souls, requires players to win battles to gain rewards. The game runs in HD resolution with 5.1 channel surround sound on both platforms. The Character Creation mode from Soulcalibur III returns in Soulcalibur IV . However, instead of including original weapon styles for use with certain classes of fighters, Soulcalibur IV allows players to choose which character from

9384-498: The universal events of Soulcalibur III. Siegfried has died and been resurrected by the Soulcalibur sword. Sophitia 's daughter Pyrrha has been kidnapped by Tira and malfested by Soul Edge, leaving Sophitia to fight for the side of evil in defense of her now-corrupted daughter. Tira is also suffering from a split personality disorder. Most characters are still driven by a desire to either obtain, destroy, or defend one or both of

9486-631: The vessel for Soul Edge's physical form, Nightmare. Complicating matters, Pyrrha has become a malfested, having been slowly corrupted by Tira over the seventeen years since her capture. Patroklos flees in horror after Nightmare's defeat, causing a distraught Pyrrha to wholeheartedly side with Tira. Returning to the Schwarzwind base, Siegfried entrusts Patroklos with Soul Calibur, the only weapon capable of saving his sister and stopping Nightmare. However, it has changed forms and weakened significantly since its last battle with Soul Edge. Seeking to strengthen

9588-404: Was a child. While searching a town to root out the malfested, he is attacked and defeated by half-werewolf Z.W.E.I , who reveals that Dumas is not who he seems. Confronting Dumas, Patroklos learns that Dumas is actually aligned with Soul Edge, and the "malfested" he had been killing were innocent people he needed to die to restore the blade. Escaping Dumas' control, Patroklos tracks down Z.W.E.I.,

9690-534: Was announced in January 2014 that in 2015 the Star Wars comics license would return to Marvel Comics, whose parent company, Marvel Entertainment , Disney had purchased in 2009. Launched in 2015, the first three publications were titled Star Wars , Darth Vader , and the miniseries Princess Leia . First announced as Project Luminous at Star Wars Celebration in April 2019, the Star Wars: The High Republic publishing initiative

9792-451: Was mentioned as one design issue. At the same time, Yoda's short range and low damage output were deemed problematic, making him both overpowered and underpowered simultaneously. Soulcalibur IV topped the UK sales charts for several weeks on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. As of March 31, 2009, the game had sold 2.3 million copies worldwide. During the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards ,

9894-411: Was originally planned as a film, but changed to a miniseries due to Solo underperforming at the box office. In April 2023, three new Star Wars films were announced to be set within different eras of the franchise. An untitled film written and directed by James Mangold will be set during the "dawn of the Jedi". Dave Filoni will direct a film set between the original and sequel trilogies during

9996-534: Was picked up by Dark Horse Comics and published as the popular Dark Empire series (1991–1995). Dark Horse subsequently launched dozens of series set after the original film trilogy, including Tales of the Jedi (1993–1998), X-wing Rogue Squadron (1995–1998), Star Wars: Republic (1998–2006), Star Wars Tales (1999–2005), Star Wars: Empire (2002–2006), and Knights of the Old Republic (2006–2010). After Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, it

10098-471: Was praised for its polished graphics, deep Character Creation mode, and long-awaited online play capability. Reviewers noted that the gameplay was accessible for newcomers and beginners while still offering plenty of depth and technicality for veterans and experienced players, including an abundance of single-player challenges in Tower of Lost Souls mode. The music was also praised, and Gaming Revolution summarized

10200-542: Was released on Disney+ in 2022 and is set between the prequel and original trilogy films. It was followed by the live-action series Andor in the same year; both series follow their titular characters during the reign of the Empire. The Acolyte is a series created by Leslye Headland set at the end of the High Republic era before the events of the Skywalker Saga , and follows an investigation into

10302-478: Was revealed in a press conference in February 2020. Involving the majority of the then current officially licensed publishers, a new era set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga was explored in various books and comics. Including ongoing titles by Marvel and IDW Publishing, written by Cavan Scott and Daniel José Older respectively. Marvel Comics will publish a one-shot comic book on September 4, 2024, that bridges

10404-503: Was subsequently restructured to only include the existing six feature films, the animated film The Clone Wars (2008), and its companion animated series. All future projects and creative developments across all types of media would be overseen and coordinated by the story group, announced as a division of Lucasfilm created to maintain continuity and a cohesive vision on the storytelling of the franchise. Multiple comics series from Marvel and novels published by Del Rey were produced after

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