Play Modes
SC5 is a continuation of the popular franchise set nearly two decades after the events of its predecessor, and as such there are very few changes to how most of the standard modes of play have been hashed out. It's all about the basics here with a short story mode, arcade challenges, online and offline multiplayer, quick play matches, a "Legendary Souls" mode which pits you against CPU controlled opponents of increasing difficulty, and an obligatory training mode.
Story mode was perhaps the most disappointing of these game types due to the fact that most of the plot revolves around the actions of no more than 3 main protagonists throughout its 20 chapter span. Rather than giving each playable character his or her own unique story line, SC5 strictly follows the story of Patroklos and Pyrra Alexandra whose fates are tied directly to the Soul Calibur and Soul Edge swords. Many of the other characters make appearances throughout the main campaign, but they are used either as opponents or as minor support devices.
In a presentation sense, the story mode is primarily illustrated through a series of manga style story board pictures with character narration. Some scenes were delivered by way of game engine animated CG vignettes, but these felt few and far between given the emphasis on the static images that comprised the majority of the story's delivery. The combination of both forms was not particularly impressive or stylistically unique in regard to Japanese fighting games, but they adequately drive the action forward.
Regrettably, the plot was too weak to warrant a stand alone effort, and the lack of variety left me wanting after using the same characters over and over for nearly three hours (including cutscenes and dialogue). Arcade mode offers some respite in this regard for players who want a progressive opponent based challenge that allows you to sharpen your skills with a given character. Story mode seemed bent on confining the experience to just a few characters for the sake of continuity, but the weakness of the plot made this move superfluous.
Arcade mode is interesting as it pits players against 6 consecutive CPU controlled opponents and then reports the time that it took to defeat them. That score can then be reported to a leaderboard or to your friends list for a bit of friendly competition. Of course the meat of this game can be found in the competitive multiplayer mode which can be played either online or offline against friends or a CPU opponent. The character gallery provides enough variety in terms of play style and character design that most players will be able to find a niche that fits their own play style.
The character creation tool is another way to tailor the Soul Calibur experience to your liking as it provides a way for players to customize their own fighter's appearance, fighting style, and weapon selection. There isn't as much customization available as in the creation tools found in Skyrim for example, but it's still a cool way to leave your own mark in online matches. A character's height and build does factor into his or her level of strength and agility, however, so a four foot tall fairy sprite swinging a two hundred pound battle axe won't necessarily do as much damage as a seven foot troll would. It should also be noted that the fighting styles available for character customization are limited to those used by existing characters in the multiplayer catalogue.
Final Thoughts
3D fighting games have grown somewhat stagnant lately as many of the mechanics that made them unique in the early days of arena fighting have become so common place across the full spectrum of game developers. Soul Calibur doesn't necessarily cater to the hardcore skill player culture in the way that past Virtua Fighter or Street Fighter titles have, and it lacks the creativity in multi layer set design that Dead or Alive provides. The result is that SC5 fails to recapture the spark that 3D fighters set off in the late 90s. That's not to say that the variety found in SC5's character gallery isn't impressive or rewarding, but the fact remains that this game's basic formula is a bit overplayed for today's market.
SC5 is ripe with acheivements and trophy opportunities, but none of them really lead to areas that make playing the title feel fresh or fun. The online multiplayer runs as smoothly as can be expected, but input lag is frustrating and can often be game breaking if either party has a weak connection. Offline multiplayer is still fun, but I can't see myself pumping hours and hours into it like I did with past games. I also found the lack of any multiplayer game type tweaks to be a bit of a let down. Most modern games employ some sort of tag team mode or 4 player mode, but SC5 is devoid of any of these conventions.
The verdict here is that SC5 may not be a sub par fighting game, but it doesn't really do much to advance or challenge the current state of 3D arena fighting games in any way. It's nice to see that this title stays true to it's loyal fan base by preserving Soul Calibur's core gameplay. However, it would have been great to see things mixed up a bit more. The game play is solid on this one, but I think more should be expected from 3D fighters in order for the genre to continue to be successful.
Overall Score: 6/10 Average
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