User:Kung Fu Man/tempspace

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Amy
Soul series character
Amy, as she appears in Soulcalibur IV
First gameSoulcalibur III
In-universe information
WeaponAlbion (Rapier)
OriginRouen, France
Fighting styleLa Rapière des Sorel

Amy (エイミ, Eimi) is a fictional character in the Soul series of video games. Created by Namco's Project Soul division, she was introduced in the opening sequence of Soulcalibur II, later expanded upon as a playable character in Soulcalibur III and followup titles. She was voiced in Japanese by Kanako Tateno in Soulcalibur III and Hitomi Nabatame in Soulcalibur IV; in English, Amy was voiced by Heather Hogan for all her appearances.

Creation and conception[edit]

First seen in Soulcalibur II opening sequence, Amy's character model was reused with a modified design in 'Soulcalibur III as a debug character for the developers to test elements of the game with and against, also appearing in some of the game's epilogue sequences. After completion of most of the game, they decided to implement her as a full character as a result of liking her design.[1] When she was announced as a playable character in the sequel for Soulcalibur IV, game director Daishi Odashima stating the reason behind her inclusion as "I like weaker characters.", noting her as one of his three favorite characters in the game.[2]

Design[edit]

In Soulcalibur III, Amy wears outfits resembling the Gothic Lolita style. As a bonus character, Amy represents the custom discipline "Rapier" of the Character Creation mode. Unlike every other character, including customs she doesn't say anything during the beginning and end battle cutscenes. She only says two words in the entire game, "Amy" and "no". In Soulcalibur IV Amy has a full fledged speaking part.

In Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition, Amy has a specially-designed alternate costume which is not available in the Home Versions of the game.[3]

Amy returns in Soulcalibur IV with an updated costume.[4] Aside from having a new costume, her eyes were also changed from green to red.[5] When Amy became an independent character, rather than a costume for the Rapier style, she gained her own, unique moveset which is based on her fighting style in Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition.[6]

In video games[edit]

Introduced as a background character for Raphael's story in Soulcalibur II, Amy hid him from his pursuers,[7] and out of a debt of gratitude he took her in as his foster daughter. To secure a future for her, he left Amy behind to pursue the cursed sword Soul Edge, with plans to present it to the nobles that pursued him so they would be overtaken by its curse and destroy each other.[8]

One day, Raphael returned from a vicious battle with Nightmare, the wielder of Soul Edge. Raphael collapsed before Amy's eyes and she nursed him back to consciousness. When he came round he told her that though the battle had been won, he had become infected by the evil seed, and by handling his blood, she was also infected. Their skin turned pale and their eyes shone red. They felt weak and sluggish by day, and a powerful thirst by night. Amy had always found it hard to open her heart to the world, but now she couldn't even try because she was too different from everyone else. She was no longer human. She went with Raphael to the castle he bought in Romania. She sat in a dim room seeing the torches and troops gathering there. Raphael left, saying he would be out for a while. He took care of the troops and the noises ceased. They eventually returned, but he didn't. He had left her. And now the noises and light spread violently in the world he made, bringing it to ruins. She stood up and went to the exit. She was bound to the words from those days and then she smiled. For it was she who must protect this world that Raphael created.[9]

Gameplay[edit]

In Soulcalibur IV she used a moveset based on her fighting style in Soulcalibur III: Arcade Edition.[6]

Promotion and reception[edit]

Yujin released two four inch tall immobile figurines of Amy armed with either Albion or a cane based upon her Soulcalibur III' design as part of their "Namco Girls Series #7" line of gashapon figurines.[10] Sabertooth Games released a promotional Amy character card and a "Support" Foundation card called "Amy's Assistance" for the Soulcalibur III branch of their Universal Fighting System trading card game.[11] In an omake manga released by Namco to teach about the new features of Soulcalibur IV, Amy's outfit from the game appears as one of Hilde's possible clothing options in the section about character customization.[12]

Amy has been described as a gothic lolita and/or emo by the media,[6] who have also noted her status as a "fan favorite" character in the Soul series.[13] Others have noted her appeal in contexts outside of the games, including material such as hentai.[14] British gaming website GAMER stated in their review of Soulcalibur IV "Amy...steals the show for us, using her own balletic take on [Raphael's] fencing style."[15] X360 magazine called Amy a solid character, "well rounded and fun enough to use."[16] Edge magazine noted the changes to Amy's gameplay from Soulcalibur III to IV made her feel like a "fresh [addition] to the series."[17] IGN described her as "a faster but less aggressive version of Raphael with even better real combo potential."[18] Third-party developers have utilized Amy's likeness to promote their material related to the Soul series such as fighting game tournament compilation DVD's,[19] or have marketed attire modeled after Amy's own for purposes such as cosplay.[20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sakasi, Katsutoshi (2008-12-03). Q&A with Katsutoshi Sakasi, part II. Namco Bandai. Retrieved on 2008-12-05
  2. ^ Mielke, James (2007-09-17). Soul Calibur IV Preview. 1UP.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-22
  3. ^ Amy's SCIII Costumes
  4. ^ Amy's SCIV Soul Archive Profile
  5. ^ Official Artworks of Amy
  6. ^ a b c Jenkins, Alex. "Soul Calibur 4 Character Spotlight: Amy". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-08-03. Cite error: The named reference "1up spotlight" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ Namco (2003-03-27). Soulcalibur II (Console ed.). Namco. Level/area: Introduction movie for console Soulcalibur II. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Raphael Soul Calibur II profile. Namco Bandai. Retrieved on 2008-09-03
  9. ^ Amy's SCIII Soul Archive Profile
  10. ^ Namco Figures. The HoA Outlet. Retrieved on 2008-08-04
  11. ^ Amy - Universal Fighting System Cards. CoolStuffInc.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-23
  12. ^ Soul Calibur 4 Omake (archive) (Japanese, English translation). Otadesho.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-13
  13. ^ Hines, Zach (2008-08-08). Soulcalibur IV review. Game and Player. Retrieved on 2008-08-28
  14. ^ LaVigne, Vince (2008-10-14). Humping the Invisible Turkey. The Escapist. Retrieved on 2008-11-03
  15. ^ Albiges, Luke (2008-07-31). Soul Calibur IV Review. GAMER. Retrieved on 2008-08-04
  16. ^ Leclerc, Tom (2008-07-31). Soul Calibur IV Review. X360 Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-08-04
  17. ^ Edge staff (2008-08-01). Review: Soul Calibur IV. Edge. Retrieved on 2008-08-04
  18. ^ Soulcalibur IV Guide - Amy. IGN. Retrieved on 2008-08-22
  19. ^ Movie index (in Japanese). ko-hatsu. Retrieved on 2008-08-23
  20. ^ Soul Series/Soulcalibur 3 Cosplay,Amy Sorel Outfit fan-store.net. Retrieved on 2008-08-28

External links[edit]

Amy's SCIII profile at Namco Games Channel (in Japanese)

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