Amy (Soulcalibur)

general VG character
name = Amy


caption = Amy, as she appears in "Soulcalibur IV"
series = "Soul" series
firstgame = "Soulcalibur III"
creator =
artist =
voiceactor = Heather Hogan
japanactor = Kanako Tateno ("SC3"), Hitomi Nabatame ("SC4")
motionactor =
liveactor =
inuniverse = Soul character
birthplace=
bloodtype=Unknown
weapon=Albion (Rapier)
fightingstyle=La Rapière des Sorelnihongo|Amy|エイミ|Eimi is a fictional character designed for the Soul series of fighting games. Amy made her first appearance in "Soulcalibur II", albeit only in the opening video sequence. [Soulcalibur II videogame]

She appeared as a playable bonus character for "Soulcalibur III" although in "" she is included as one of the main characters. She returns as an unlockable main character in "Soulcalibur IV".

Creation and conception

Design

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. She only says a few words in the entirety of the game. During Raphael's ending she says: "Amy". She also says "No!" and "Oww!" as a playable extra character in battle when she has been hit by an enemy. [Soulcalibur III videogame] In "Soulcalibur IV" Amy has a full fledged speaking part.

In "", Amy has a specially-designed alternate costume which is not available in the Home Versions of the game. [ [http://www.irisblade.org/amy/info_appearance.php Amy's SCIII Costumes] ]

Amy returns in "Soulcalibur IV" with an updated costume. [ [http://www.soularchive.jp/SC4/character/amy/index.html Amy's SCIV Soul Archive Profile] ] Aside from having a new costume, her eyes were also changed from green to red. [ [http://www.irisblade.org/amy/media_artwork.php Official Artworks of Amy] ] 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".cite web| url = http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3168955| title = Soul Calibur 4 Character Spotlight: Amy| author = Jenkins, Alex| publisher = 1up.com| date = | accessdate = 2008-08-03] In a preview of "IV", game director Daishi Odashima noted Amy as one of his three favorite characters in the new title, stating "I like weaker characters." [Mielke, James (2007-09-17). [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=2&cId=3162887&p= Soul Calibur IV Preview] . 1UP.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-22]

In video games

Cleanup-section
date=July 2008 Introduced as a background character for Raphael's story in "Soulcalibur II", Amy hid him from his pursuers, [cite video game
title = Soulcalibur II
developer = Namco
publisher = Namco
date = 2003-03-27
version = Console
level = Introduction movie for console Soulcalibur II] 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. [ [http://www.soularchive.jp/tmr/calibur2/gc/01raphael/c01.htm Raphael Soul Calibur II profile] . Namco Bandai. Retrieved on 2008-09-03]

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. [http://www.soularchive.jp/SC3/index.htm Amy's SCIII Soul Archive Profile] ]

Gameplay

Amy wields a Rapier named Albion. Aside from its name, nothing else is known about it. Albion is also the most ancient name for the British Isles, although Raphael and Amy are both French.

Promotion and reception

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. [ [http://www.hoaoutlet.com/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d1438.html Namco Figures] . The HoA Outlet. Retrieved on 2008-08-04] 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. [ [http://www.coolstuffinc.com/main_viewCard.php?Card_Name=Amy*&viewtype=Universal%20Fighting%20System Amy - Universal Fighting System Cards] . CoolStuffInc.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-23] 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. [ [http://www.otadesho.com/soul-calibur-4-omake/ Soul Calibur 4 Omake (archive)] (Japanese, [http://www.otadesho.com/soul-calibur-4-omake-translation/ English translation] ). Otadesho.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-13]

Amy has been described as a gothic lolita and/or emo by the media, who have also noted her status as a "fan favorite" character in the "Soul" series. [Hines, Zach (2008-08-08). [http://game-and-player.com/articles/2008/08/soul_calibur_iv.html Soulcalibur IV review] . Game and Player. Retrieved on 2008-08-28] In their review of "Soulcalibur IV", British gaming website GAMER stated "Amy...steals the show for us, using her own balletic take on [Raphael's] fencing style." [Albiges, Luke (2008-07-31). [http://www.gamer.tm/review.php?id=2807 Soul Calibur IV Review] . GAMER. Retrieved on 2008-08-04] "X360" magazine called Amy a solid character, "well rounded and fun enough to use." [Leclerc, Tom (2008-07-31). [http://www.x360magazine.com/games/soul_calibur_iv/soul_calibur_iv.html Soul Calibur IV Review] . X360 Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-08-04] "Edge magazine" noted the changes to Amy's gameplay from "Soulcalibur III" to "IV" made her feel like a "fresh [addition] to the series." [Edge staff (2008-08-01). [http://www.edge-online.com/magazine/review-soul-calibur-iv Review: Soul Calibur IV] . Edge. Retrieved on 2008-08-04] IGN described her as "a faster but less aggressive version of Raphael with even better real combo potential." [ [http://guides.ign.com/guides/739577/page_23.html Soulcalibur IV Guide - Amy] . IGN. Retrieved on 2008-08-22] 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, [ [http://www.ko-hatsu.com/scn/movie/index.html Movie index] (in Japanese). ko-hatsu. Retrieved on 2008-08-23] or have marketed attire modeled after Amy's own for purposes such as cosplay. [ [http://www.fan-store.net/servlet/Detail?no=149 Soul Series/Soulcalibur 3 Cosplay,Amy Sorel Outfit] fan-store.net. Retrieved on 2008-08-28]

References

External links

[http://namco-ch.net/ps2_soulcalibur3/character/amy.php Amy's "SCIII" profile at Namco Games Channel] (in Japanese)