When Soul Calibur's cadre of fighters cut their way onto the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this July in North America, they will do so in pairs. The latest issue of Famitsu reveals that the game will feature tag team elements in order to "perform combos" based on an on-screen meter that depletes as characters continue to test the bonds of friendship.

However, according to crack CAG translators, it remains unknown to what extent "character swapping" will be featured in Soul Calibur IV. The article interestingly only mentions the mechanic in reference to the game's single player mode, and that "teammates may suddenly join and leave at the end of the battle." We can't imagine that Namco Bandai would be so shortsighted as to leave something like this out of the game's versus mode. Still, we imagine that just the idea of Darth Vader conquering the galaxy shoulder to shoulder with top-heavy Taki (or Ivy, or Cassandra, or...) is enough to get fan fiction writers reaching for the keyboard and a change of pants.

In addition to yesterday's cinematic trailer, which gave us a fantastic look at the game's three combatants from a galaxy far, far away, a plethora of gameplay videos for Soul Calibur IV also recently made their way into GameTrailer's expansive archives. Other than the addition of a few new characters and a graphical overhaul, it's tough to pick out any changes that Namco Bandai has incorporated into their armament-rich fighting franchise -- we suppose the Soul Calibur series has adopted the official mantra of the fighting genre: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The above preview and those embedded after the jump certainly don't look broken, and have imbued in us an insatiable hunger for well-timed counters, guard impacts, and incredibly overdramatic dialogue.

We knew Darth Vader's "Secret Apprentice" from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed would join the fight in Soul Calibur IV, and here he is in all his Dark Side-ian glory. Unlike the console exclusive Star Wars characters in SC IV -- Darth Vader for PS3 and Yoda on Xbox 360 -- the Secret Apprentice will be a playable on both consoles.

Oh, and if you care, the video also shows a tiny bit more of the actual non tie-in Soul Calibur cast.

A tale eternally retold (and resold), the Soul Calibur franchise will be making its Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 debut on July 29th in North America. In case you haven't been staying abreast with the fighting franchise's ample development, Soul Calibur IV sees the character roster expanding in an inverse proportion to the size of Ivy's clothes. At last count, the cast included an undead demon pirate, a Sith lord, an asthmatic S&M fetishist and a little green friend. Oh well, at least Spawn's not in this one.

As excited as we are, purchasing the game won't be as easy as simply walking to the store shelf and stuffing it into our trench coats, like we normally do. It seems Namco Bandai has constructed a chicane of decisions for us all: Want to play as Darth Vader right away? Get the PlayStation 3 version. Perhaps you'd prefer Yoda instead? That's the Xbox 360 version. Would you like a comic book, a "tournament kit" and "extra customization content?" Oh, you want the $79.99 Premium Edition ... don't you?

We appreciate Soul Calibur IV director Katsutoshi Sasaki's candor. In a recent CES interview with GameTrailers, the Namco Bandai bigwig explained the bizarre inclusion of Darth Vader and Yoda as playable characters in his upcoming game, simply stating that he's giving gamers what they want. Here at Joystiq HQ, we appreciate nonsensical pandering more than the average bear. How about Jack Bauer as the protagonist of the next Resistance game? Chuck Norris in Street Fighter IV? Or an unlockable Ron Paul in Super Smash Bros. Brawl? (Actually, no news about Brawl would shock us at this point.)

We hoped it was a joke, but trailers don't lie, do they? Sure, the best part of that one Star Wars was when Yoda flipped out and killed people. (Actually, it was probably the best part of all three.) But a Yoda-and-Darth cross-over to Soul Calibur IV? We're not sure if we should feel bad for Star Wars or Soul Calibur.

But here's the trailer. Watch it with your splayed fingers covering your eyes after the break. Or drink from the HD faucet at GameTrailers.

Is it April already? A quick glance at our calendars confirms that it's still January, and an extended glance at 1UP's reveal of Soul Calibur IV's secret characters does nothing to evaporate the reigning feeling of utter confusion. The lineup of saucer-eyed assassins, scantily clad combatants and bizarre pain fetishists in Namco's anticipated fighter is set to be joined by the Sith's darkest lord and the Force's most diminutive master. Our little green friend can almost manage to fit in to Soul Calibur's ye olde fantasy trappings, but poor ol' Vader appears to have gotten lost and disoriented after leaping over some sharks on his space jet ski.

Even better news can be found in 1UP's suspicion that even more Star Wars characters will waltz into Calibur's cantina, possibly via downloadable content. An interesting idea, but we reckon you'd save money by simply buying a copy of Masters of Teräs Käsi off eBay.

Update: Gamespot reports that Darth Vader is reserved for the PlayStation 3, while Yoda will be included in the Xbox 360 version.

[Thanks, Antonio]

We've become so adjusted to expecting lovely almost-exposed breasts in our Soul Calibur IV media that the above Tokyo Games Show video of so many characters fully clothed is incredibly jarring. We expected Namco Bandai to show off in the video that the game would feature slow-mo stripping as a new game feature whenever the characters get hit. It's actually worth noting that these characters feel almost over-dressed now. Come on, there has to be a clothing balance -- it's not like people fighting with sharp blades should be wearing as much armor as possible.

Soul Calibur IV's bountiful breasts bounce along as Namco Bandai recently released more images of characters in the game. The first outing for the Soul Calibur crew on current-gen consoles is becoming better known for its breasts than anything else following a first-look at Ivy and her string-top battle bra in early June. Now we have Sophitia (above) in her almost see-through Jennifer Lopez-inspired double-sided-tape-required battle gear. Her sister Cassandra can be found in the gallery below with her breasts packed in nicely with a hole to breath through and show cleavage. Seriously, these women are fighting with blades in these outfits. How is this sane?

Also, after the break, we have a borderline NSFW image of Voldo. Now, granted, Voldo has always been overtly sub-pornographic with a BDSM vibe; however, the place where he has a spike coming out of now may be a bit over-the-top. If you don't instantly imagine it, just try to conceptualize how Voldo would sit down in that outfit.