Soul Calibur has been a long standing series for not only some high-quality weapons combat, but also special guest appearances that have shaken up the fighting industry.  Over the years, we've seen everyone from Link from The Legend of Zelda to Spawn to Star Wars characters like Yoda and Darth Vader.  Today, Namco Bandai continued the tradition by revealing a character that will be in the upcoming Soul Calibur V -- Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Assassin's Creed.

The popular character, who will be making his final stand in next month's release of Assassin's Creed: Revelations (alongside Altair), will bring all his traditional weapons with him in combat, including his Roman longsword, his hidden hand blades, his crossbow and even a hidden gun that can deliver a blow from a distance.  He can also supercharge his moves, making him an even deadlier assassin than we could have ever hoped for.  The only catch?  No sneak kills.  Ah well.

Ubisoft is thrilled to bring the character to the Soul Calibur series.  Said Geoffroy Sardin, EMEA Chief Marketing and Sales Officer for the company, "We are thrilled to see Ezio enter the world of Soul Calibur, as we believe the values of both brands fit together. We think that this partnership will bring a great new gameplay experience to both Soul Calibur and Assassin’s Creed fans."

Namco is equally thrilled.  Olivier Comte, Senior Vice President at Namco Bandai, had this to say: "The entrance of Assassin’s Creed into the Soul Calibur universe is an historic meeting of two of the most revered and influential game series. Ezio has captured the imaginations of millions of fans around the world, and it will be very exciting to see how his lightning fast moves stand up to the mighty swordplay of Soul Calibur’s finest."

What's more, Namco has officially unveiled a collector's edition for the game, which will include the following and go for around $99.99 retail...

Specially designed ‘book’ box

Art book

Original soundtrack CD

The making-of DVD

DLC card for the Black Knight and Paladin armor sets

Original artwork and letter on reproduction parchment paper signed by developer Project Soul.

Though we miss the collector's tin from Soul Calibur IV (and the Darth Vader t-shirt!), this is a pretty cool package.  We suggest pre-ordering now.

Soul Calibur V will hit store shelves on January 31st for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.  The soul still burns...

About the Author

Robert Workman

Senior Writer/Editor

Robert has years of experience in the video game industry, writing for such sites as AOL GameDaily, PlanetXbox360 and Comic Book Resources.  He can also outdrink you any day of the week.  And twice on Sunday.  Follow him at www.twitter.com/thedcd.