S&S Review: SoulCalibur V

Title: SoulCalibur V
Format: PS3,360
Release Date: Jan 31, 2012
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Developer: Project Soul
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: T


Throughout history, a legend has been told of the cursed blade Soul Edge and the spirit sword SoulCalibur. The Soul series, now going into its 16th year, slashes and punctures a niche of weapons-based combat in a world of hand to hand street fighting. I'm very happy to see the official resurgence of the fighting genre. This is one entry that Gamestop needn't tempt me with an Ivy bobble-head. I am left, however, thinking about some missed elements from the past.


Presentation/Story:
Three years after the release of SoulCalibur IV, we have a tale of the times ahead by a generation. The main story focuses on the journey of Patroklos Alexander as he sets out to avenge Sophitia's (his mother's) death at the hands of malfested. Apparently, these malfasted are more demonic creatures than humans as they are tainted by the power of soul Edge. At the same time, it follows Pyrrha Alexandra who is the long-lost sister of Patroklos. So, we have some usual soap opera style family drama. Still, it's dressed up in SoulCalibur's usual pomp and grandeur. The visuals are improved, but you still get the odd background scrolling. The cast is brought up to date, but in a Saved By The Bell: The New Class way. This story is 17 years after SoulCalibur IV, and most of the cast is gone or dead. We're told to move on, but are left with stand-ins. You won't get Taki or Xianghua. Instead you have to make due with Natsu and Leixia respectively. Xiba is this entry's Kilik, though Kilik is present. Does that make Kilik the SoulCalibur "Screech"? Ezio from the Assassin's Creed series is the featured guest character, but his appearance does not quite have the impact of previous guests.

　
Core Gameplay:
Everything is speeding up, Final Fantasy got a speed boost in combat. Now SoulCalibur gets a 2D brawler style spit shine. It's interesting to see how the flow of 2D games with 3D models have redefined the flow of SoulCalibur. You do have slower thrusting with spears and swords to do damage. However, button mashing comes in handy with a character like Voldo. There are several versus modes offline and online, and a Quick Battle mode to simulate play online with custom characters from different regions. Creation mode is just as core to the gameplay as fighting itself. In this iteration, you can customize SoulCalibur fighters and create alternate costumes. Original characters start as souls or styles of the playable fighters (with one addition for Devil Jin). You have more freedom with the actual models you create, but I personally miss the job system of SC III and the equipment buffs of SC IV. Still, this game is definitely SoulCalibur and it manages to hold to the formula with incremental adjustments.

Final Thoughts:
Sometimes history and legends shine and deliver momentous drama. Often, history just continues on to the next iteration. While SoulCalibur V may not be completely awash in dull moments, this certainly is not the celebration of the series that SC II was. And while creation has improved since SC III, there are some missing elements that limit the freedom of the feature. Still, Ivy's non-aged well.

Final Score = 8.00/10

Email: jeanlucpierite@gmail.com

Twitter: @jeanlucpierite

PSNID: neshoba78

gamertag:neshoba78