by: Michael Barnes

From Capcom’s top notch (yet over-monetized) Street Fighter games to the unexpectedly brilliant Mortal Kombat last year, sequels to ‘90s-era fighting games have had a good run over the past couple of years. Namco Bandai steps into the ring with SoulCalibur V and although all of the series’ melodramatic flourish and its bloodlessly spectacular swordplay returns, the game feels like a distinct second tier entry when held against its competitors. It’s not that it’s a bad game at all- in fact, it’s really good- but the content is paltry and there’s a whiff of the workmanlike throughout that suggests a relatively uninspired, incremental sequel that falls short of the standards established by the competition. SoulCalibur remains a franchise that peaked with its second sequel, and that’s disappointing given the game’s unique tone and colorful roster of souls and swords.

There’s no doubt, however, that the game looks stunning in action. Character models are huge, detailed, and splendidly animated in 60 FPS against vibrant backdrops. Attacks are impactful, visceral, and there’s certainly no shortage of unique fighting styles and personalities ranging from a nunchuck-wielding Elvis impersonator and a spooky pirate to Ezio Auditore from the Assassin’s Creed games. But these are traits that have been with the series from day one, and anyone who’s ever played the games is well aware of the series’ high standards of presentation. The new edition certainly doesn’t embarrass the franchise’s legacy of quality.

There are a few tweaks to the mechanics that are really quite significant. A new power-up meter, not unlike the kind that Capcom has been employing lately, fills up in response to attacks and defense, eventually enabling the player to unleash a Critical Edge or Brave Edge attack. Guard impacts, a kind of parrying or counter defensive move, are now keyed to the meter as well. Although the gameplay feels as if it rewards more aggressive, initiative-based play, it remains fairly tactical and a good defense is still vital. But even the best blocking game won’t stop you from losing match after match to unblockable and ground-pound or wall-pinning attacks that are cheaper than a chain of dollar stores.

Despite cheap attacks (which the AI just loves to pummel you with), the gameplay is just as fun and fluid as ever. It’s very comfortable, but in that also rests a significant problem. The changes to the mechanics aren’t really significant enough to make the game feel any different than playing SoulCalibur II. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the change from previous editions to this game isn’t anywhere near like the transition from Street Fighter II to III to IV. And it’s also not as comprehensive as the Mortal Kombat, with key characters, moves, and concepts omitted from the new game.