Bandai Namco's weapon-based 3D fighter Soul Calibur (or "Soulcalibur", if you prefer) turns 20 today, but the publisher isn't giving us a new outing to celebrate - we're getting a Soul Calibur-themed Pachinko machine instead. Just what the doctor ordered, right?

The series began not with a Soul Calibur title, but with Soul Blade (known as Soul Edge in Japan), which launched in arcades in December 1995 and would find global fame thanks to a timely PlayStation port the following year.

In 1998, Soul Calibur launched in arcades and was updated for the Sega Dreamcast in 1999, giving the franchise a new lease of life. Soul Calibur 2 arrived in 2002 and was notable for featuring console-specific exclusive fighters, with the GameCube version famously getting The Legend of Zelda's Link.

We haven't seen a mainline console release in the series since 2012's Soul Calibur V on the Xbox 360 and PS3, although we've had spin-off free-to-play (Soul Calibur: Lost Swords) and mobile (Soul Calibur: Unbreakable Soul) outings since then.

Were you hoping to see Bandai Namco mark Soul Calibur's 20th with something a little more exciting, or does Pachinko get your juices flowing? Cross swords in the comments to let us know.

[source eurogamer.net]