Update: Namco Bandai has released a trailer of Yoda and Darth Vader's in-game antics.

Original Story: Star Wars icons Darth Vader and Yoda are officially playable characters in Project Soul's Soul Calibur IV, with Darth Vader exclusive to the PlayStation 3 edition and Yoda exclusive to the Xbox 360 version. Yes, really.

Publisher Namco Bandai announced the news today and then proved it true by releasing pictures of the two squaring off against the ever-unbalanced Tira and the well-endowed Taki, both of whom are returning characters.

Even more inexplicable than the appearance of Darth Vader and Yoda in the fantasy-oriented historic fighting game is the suggestion that the primitive weaponry and armor of the other participants is somehow able to block lightsabers.

It's the first time the Star Wars crew has dabbled in the fighting genre since LucasArts' Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi (PSX) in 1997.

However, it's not the first absurd cameo in the Soul Calibur universe: Tekken's Heihachi, Todd McFarlane's Spawn, and Nintendo's Link appeared in the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube versions of Soul Calibur II, respectively.

"Adding our iconic Star Wars characters to Namco Bandai's great game franchise is a match made in heaven," said LucasArts marketing director Kevin Kurtz.

There are no words to describe the ShackStaff's collective disbelief in light of this news, though we are now hopeful for an in-game appearance of maverick Republican John McCain (pictured above). Soul Calibur IV is slated to arrive on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this summer.