Soul Calibur V

From Soul Blade on PS1, through Soul Calibur on Dreamcast, right through its incarnation on 360/PS3, I have been an avid fan of this series, but to be honest, its not only wearing a bit thin, it is getting worse.

This latest installment relies on you being online. I am as it happens, but that does not mean I always want to play in this way, and to be honest, in the UK, where connection speeds are not particularly great, the lag in response does not really lend itself to fighting games online.

The single player options (such as they are) feel bolted on, and superfluous. So in essence, this is only half a finished product.

As to the graphics, yes they are lovely, and its nice to see a small amount of environment interaction, but its nothing to the extent that D.O.A. managed on the original Xbox, let alone this gen. of console; and graphics can only take a game so far.

As to gameplay. It just doesnt flow like it used to. There was a time when a SC game meant attacks with momentum, and an intuitive control system that invited experimentation. Sadly, the series is now veering towards 'joystic gymnastics' more akin to Streetfighter to get the combos and special moves going. And without these, all the characters basic attacks leave them strangely static.

I wanted to be sure that my assessment was fair, and not that of being jaded by familiarity, so I downloaded the Dreamcast port of Soulcalibur 1 on xboxlivearcade, and found myself playing it for HOURS. It may not be as pretty, but it plays 10x better than its Great Great Grandchild.

If there is to be a VI, then they need to do more than focus on online options, and address the gameplay and single player value.

As it stands, Part 5 feels more like an add-on pack for Part 4 than a fully realised game worthy of a full price tag.

To make it short, let's list the good and bad things in this game:

Good:
- New characters to replace some aging (but still loved and missed...) old ones
- New combat dynamics make the game faster, harder. The new just guard system rewards aggressive players.
- Good Online Functionalities
- Superb graphisms, even better than those of the precedent opus.
- Nice and diverse customization possibilities for original fighters in the "Create your own character mode"
- DLC: old soundtracks of Souledge/Blade and Soulcalibur 1 available!

Bad:
- Noticeable gameplay inbalances: some very powerful, heavy armed characters are quicker than lightweight, weaker ones. In the past Soulcalibur games, the physics were realisticaly rendered for each type of character and weaponry. This is no more the case.
This means that in the coming weeks a great amount of online players are going to be playing with the same "inba" characters. Prepare yourself to play a LOT against Siegfried.
- An almost totally absent single player mode. If you don't have any internet connection, the game loses almost 70% of its content.
- The new "just guard" system requires a timing precision that is -during online play- tragically hindered by the inherent properties of an "average" internet connection.
- Lots of mimic characters (3! which represents 10% of the cast)
- If you except 2 characters (Pyrrha and Patroklos) every other (old or new) characters appear to be totally "empty" because of the lack of content regarding them. No story mode whatsoever. No explanation regarding their reasons to be here or to have replaced their older counterparts.
- A lot of customization options have inexplicably disappeared from the Versus Mode (no time limit above 60s, no infinit time limit, no double life heathbar...)
- Some DLC released the very same day the game released, and that could, that SHOULD have made it to the game (because, he! it's already on the disc!) + Price of said DLC (inclusive the soundtracks listed earlier)

Conclusion: a game that COULD have been great, but feels totally rushed, and released in an seemingly unfinished state. A great disappointment for me who played and loved all the past iterations of the "Soul" series.

To set this review in context I am a casual fighting game fan - I have played every fighting game this gen but at the likes of Street Fighter I tend to loose a lot to the hardcore still playing it online now. I put about 100 hours into Soul Calibur IV and it was my most loved fighting game this gen - until now...

First thing to say is that if you liked or enjoyed SCIV then the tweaks and changes that SCV has introduced will not upset you too much - in my view the addition of Soul Gauge has been introduced in a very balanced way - you store up power that can be used in a variety of ways to enhance moves or ultimately to perform a Critical Edge or Super Move. The Super Moves are easy to perform - easier even that Mortal Kombat's Special Moves - but they are balanced and do not upset the fight to the point that you feel cheated if they are used against you - nor do you feel overpowered when you use one - you still have to win the fight. The 8 way run, making SCV 3D rather than 2D is great, giving you options of sideways dodges to add to blocking and backing off.

The single player story mode is fun but basically it is a gentle intro to the fighting and very forgettable. There is a 6 stage progression mode for each fighter with 3 difficulty settings - useful for learning a new fighter. Legendary Souls is a ranked SP mode with online leader boards. All the SP adds up to an enjoyable and varied practice arena and those searching for a solo experience are best looking elsewhere.

Practice for what though? The online multiplayer is just great in SCV and it is the games most marked progression from SCIV. The buzzword for the online is community - hardly anywhere can you go seeking a fight without entering a cool lobby area where you can chat to fellow combatants - this really helps diffuse some of the rage from the fights - that person who just smacked seven shades from your character is actually dead nice and congratulates your near miss in the second round! (OK not always). The sense of community so far is one of the best features. So far I have experienced very little lag which is always a positive but more importantly a small bit of lag will not ruin the fight. The pace of fights is fast but because the moves are easier to perform you have time to think a little, making the experience engaging for the mind as well as speed of response.

Character creation has also evolved and it will only be a matter of time before some really brilliant creations are online.

Will it convert someone new to fighting games? Probably not but if you dabbled in Street Fighter 4 but stopped short of frame counting and hours of practice then this is certainly an antidote. Fans of the SC series though should be delighted - just don't buy it for the SP alone.