Soulcalibur IV, the sixth incarnation of the Soul series of fighting games (also counting the Wii spin-off), will feature the Star Wars character Secret Apprentice, who is Darth Vader's student. Darth Vader and Yoda will be split among gaming platforms: Vader will only be available to PS3 customers while Yoda is going to hit the Xbox 360. Namco Bandai also unveiled videos and screenshots.

For the first time in the game's history there will be online multiplayer support. In single player, apart from the familiar Story, Arcade, Training and Museum game modes there will be a new mode called Tower of Lost Souls. It allows the player to fight special battles in order to gain rewards.

Character creation will be maintained, which allows fine-tuning of a character by changing the appearance and playstyle. The modded characters will be playable in online multiplayer matches.

GameSpot recently reported that Namco Bandai plans a limited Premium Edition of SCIV which will also include an art/comic book, a t-shirt, a tournament kit and extra in-game customizations, everything neatly packed in a metal box.

The Soul series of weapon fighting games debuted with Soul Edge in 1996. It was followed by the three Soulcalibur games and the Wii spin-off Soulcalibur Legends which was released last year.