Fights in SoulCalibur V are fast, with high damage and the potential for an instant KO by knocking your opponent out of the arena. The inclusion of ’Brave Edge’ and ’Critical Edge’ attacks that allow you to spend part of a special meter to unleash even stronger techniques only makes this all the more notable, and matches default to a best three out of five format to compensate for it. It’s not quite on the level of ’one hit finishes’ lethality like Bushido Blade was, but a single mistake can still cause a huge shift in the round’s momentum. Further enhancing this feel of speed and decisive strikes are a few system mechanics, most notably guard crush. While blocking is very important, doing it too often will cause your life bar to flash in warning; keep blocking and you’ll eventually be left wide open for whatever combo your opponent likes! Thus, players are expected to use defense as a means to buy time and think on how to get back on the attack rather than ’turtling’ the whole match.
While one-on-one versus play is the most obvious mode in a fighting game, there are others worth discussing even if this set is a rather mixed bag. There is a story mode, but it’s short and does not tell a particularly great tale. Worse, you’re limited to using a very small pool of characters for it, most of whom have similar fighting styles to one another. The only reason to really bother with it is that it’s a good way to unlock some characters along with new items for the custom character mode, which is admittedly a decent reward for your trouble.
More positive is the inclusion of a strong online mode. Along with the usual mix of player match and ranked match settings, you can participate in larger lobbies that try to add a social aspect to the game and help you find players in your region. The lag in actual matches seems to be fairly good so far, though that assessment is admittedly based on a very limited pool of pre-release players to choose from. Nonetheless, it’s clear the developers are making an honest effort to provide a good online experience and not just treating it as some undesired, forced inclusion.
SoulCalibur V is a pretty strong fighting game. While reasonably accessible to casual players, it also offers a very deep and interesting set of attacks and defenses for those interested in learning. While the single-player offerings are weak, it’s very enjoyable when played with friends or against various people online. I began as an utter beginner, but am impressed enough to keep playing this on a regular basis. With that in mind, this is pretty easy to recommend to both competitive diehards and more casual fans of the fighting genre!
This review is based on a retail copy of the Xbox 360 version, provided by Namco-Bandai.
