Namco Bandai Debuts Soul Calibur XBLA, PowerUp Forever, Wii/DS Titles

Publisher Namco Bandai Games America announced its upcoming titles at a recent press briefing, including the original Soul Calibur for Xbox Live Arcade and PowerUp Forever for both the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. The Santa Clara-based publisher hopes to make the downloadable version of Soul Calibur, originally ported to the Dreamcast from its Arcade game, available before Soul Calibur IV for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 ships to stores on July 29. The re-release of Soul Calibur for Xbox Live Arcade will support HD resolutions and online leaderboards, but multiplayer will be restricted to local matches. In addition, PowerUp Forever will debut this summer as a downloadable game for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network. Similar to Geometry Wars and Super Stardust HD, PowerUp Forever is a space shooter, but with a ship that grows in size as it absorbs energy. Also for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Namco Bandai plans to release Afro Samurai, an action-adventure video game adaptation of the Samuel L. Jackson-voiced animated series, in fall 2008, after an original game licensing announcement that occurred back in 2005. Finally, for the Wii, Namco Bandai formally revealed Active Life: Outdoor Challenge, Tales of Symphonia: Knight of Ratatosk, and We Cheer, a Wii-based cheerleading game. The publisher also will bring National Geographic Panda to Nintendo DS - a virtual pet simulation title in which gamers nurture and play with a panda bear via the system's touch screen.