Soul Calibur V - Xbox 360

As a large fan of the SoulCalibur series, I was expecting great things of Soul Calibur V. I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it has enough redeeming qualities for it not to be a complete slap in the fans' faces. We're introduced to a new generation of warriors, all with a unique (and some with very familiar) combat styles, leading to interesting fights. As usual, the combat enviroments are visually pleasing with excellent music, and the addition of secondary areas add a nice touch. The Creation function let's for fun customization—though the ability to alter voices hardly works as it should. And, of course, multiplayer. However, if Soul fans are hoping for quality solo play, they will be very disappointed. The first—and arguably biggest—of these disappointments is the story. The ability to follow a character through their story has instead been replaced by a locked story following the characters Patroklos and Pyrrha, and though their story does bring interesting things, the inability to follow other characters is a major let down. Furthermore, most of this "exciting new generation" we get to know nothing about, with nearly everyone's role in the story—old and new—being reduced to small appearances, or not at all. While it is true that the cast is arguably the most variable, with several unique fighting styles, it is arguably the opposite as well, with three shield and sword characters and three mimic characters. Plus, the strategy in picking which weapon to use—whether to pick one that recovers health, breakes defences, etc.—is nullified with the removal of weapon effects, making different weapons only cosmetic. One of my major turn-offs is the new definition of what they consider "hard" to be. Instead of having computer characters that can chain together great combos, it seems to me that most of the "hard" characters you fight are only hard by spamming the exact same move or combo over and over, tarnishing the spirit of the game. All in all, while the combat is pretty good and the game has a nice, unique cast, it is only really good for multiplayer, since single-player's limited and short story has little replay value and the computer spams moves worse than a little kid. Creation is fun, though. I would recommend it now only since the price is $20.

This is a great game if you're good at it. The pc is tough and so are a lot of human opponents!

I bought the game on sale, and have played for a total of 20 hours already. Still haven't played a ton of online multiplayer, but as of Feb 2013, there seems to still be a good number of people playing. I recommend this for anyone who likes fighting games.

great price if your looking for a fighting game to play with a group of people. I was looking for a game more like Tao fang but this came close.

Love fight games with good creation engines. You can do so much with this engine and the unlockables that there's always more

good game but they didn't have the fighters that I like to play as.

this is the 5th installment in the soul calibur series. the graphics are top notch in locations and character models which is to be expected in the series. the character custimization looks good and has a good selection of items to choose from when creating your own character, sadly though most options for clothing customization are bland and nothing really stands out. i got the collectors edition of the game and it came with a code for the dark and light (good/evil) armor sets, but it doesnt appear to be a full set (no leggings, arm guards ect.). i myself wasnt able to make a character that looked any near as good as the default characters available, and i dont think there are any other customization options that can be unlocked through playing the game which makes the character creation mode a bit lacking, but there are some items available through the xbox marketplace to purchase, it isnt much but it adds a little bit. in regards to gameplay the characters are as fluid as ever and they have added some new attacks. the story mode however is lacking alot. it sticks you ith a generic character and you use him to progress through the main story. most of the story is done by story boards that feel cheaply put together and are lacking compared to previous soul calibur games. it doesnt feel like they put as much efffort into teh story mode as previous games. teh game does have multiplayer to keep players hooked, but in the end it becomes a game that is worth playing, just not worth purchasing at full retail. i recommend the game, but i would wait till it does on sale at a lower price.

Soul Calibur 5 hopes to surpass its predecessors by offering better gameplay and an “epic” story. Unfortunately, its story is far from epic; featuring various plot holes and new, yet uninteresting characters. Fans of the Soul Calibur series will be unhappy to discover that some of their favorite characters are replaced by these newcomers. Luckily, Soul Calibur 5 does excel in gameplay by featuring fun, fast paced action that both experienced and inexperienced players can enjoy. There is a little something for everyone, including character customization, competitive multiplayer (both online and offline), and an arcade mode for those who prefer to play alone. If you’re willing to overlook its lackluster story, Soul Calibur 5 will keep you occupied for a while. You can read my full review of Soul Calibur 5 at http://thevideogamejournalist.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/soul-calibur-5-review-souls-and-swords-collide/