SoulCalibur V

 PlayStation 3
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 206 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 90 out of 206
  2. Mixed: 83 out of 206
  3. Negative: 33 out of 206
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  1. DefWish
    Apr 11, 2012
    8
    First off, I love the SC series, since SE/SB it has had a great system to discourage button mashing and turtling, and this is no exception. You still have to be very aware of how your style strikes, and how to counter your opponent; you actually have to be patient to win. It also retains the same fluid feel to movement and attacking fans of the series are familiar with. I, unlikeFirst off, I love the SC series, since SE/SB it has had a great system to discourage button mashing and turtling, and this is no exception. You still have to be very aware of how your style strikes, and how to counter your opponent; you actually have to be patient to win. It also retains the same fluid feel to movement and attacking fans of the series are familiar with. I, unlike others,welcome the soul gage combo. My major gripe is that it is too easy to pull off, since every character has the same button sequence to pull it off. I 'get' it, this makes it more acessable to new players, but being able to pull off a nearly unstoppable combo that takes off 25%-45% of the opponents energy bar with a simple controller motion and basically one button is just too easy. This game would have got a 9 had they made this more complex and unique to each character. However, like SCIV, the customization system is back... it gives an insentive to do the challenges, but not as much as SVIV, since the different weapon attributes are gone (a huge mistake). In this regard SCIV is actually better. It seems like they dumbed it down to attract new fans, as opposed to building on what made SCIV so great. That knocks it down a point as well. Also, make sure your TV is compatible with the output, as if you have an older HDTV that only does 1080 and not 720, you will be playing it in standard def. This is kind of a ridiculous glitch that really should be fixed, but I will not dock them another point, just give you the warning to check your TVs compatability, since there is no upscaling option. All in all a solid and fun fighter with lots of unlockables, but dumbed down that may dissapoint you in a few key areas if you have followed the series for years. Where SCIV was a 9 or 9.5, this is more a 7.5 or 8… Expand
  2. dharma
    Feb 4, 2012
    8
    By setting the game 17 years after part IV, Project Soul managed to keep this fighting franchise fresh. New characters are introduced and while some are different versions of previous fighters, they feel fresh and above all, fun to play. Graphics are also the highlights, running at 60fps! The only gripe is the story mode, that is presented through storyboards!! Weird considering thatBy setting the game 17 years after part IV, Project Soul managed to keep this fighting franchise fresh. New characters are introduced and while some are different versions of previous fighters, they feel fresh and above all, fun to play. Graphics are also the highlights, running at 60fps! The only gripe is the story mode, that is presented through storyboards!! Weird considering that 'lesser' games such as Dead or Alive Dimensions in 3DS, used the in game graphics engine for that. Otherwise, a solid fighter!… Expand
  3. valber
    Feb 29, 2012
    8
    SoulCalibur V is a beautiful game. The gameplay has been completely re-worked, the graphics are very refined and the scenarios are consistent with the whole. The new characters are extremely charismatic and varying styles of gameplay proposes great challenges. But no challenge is better than online mode. Create your own character and venture into the strange universe of real players isSoulCalibur V is a beautiful game. The gameplay has been completely re-worked, the graphics are very refined and the scenarios are consistent with the whole. The new characters are extremely charismatic and varying styles of gameplay proposes great challenges. But no challenge is better than online mode. Create your own character and venture into the strange universe of real players is still trumps. The title is good, it is worth, but it is far from perfect.… Expand
  4. Fenro
    Apr 7, 2012
    8
    For competitive players my verdict is 10!
    For Casual players my verdict is 6.5
    I myself am what i would call a successful competitive gamer and do allot of research into game mechanics and what makes a great fighting game. Soulcalibur V team has done some remarkable job with the game and has acknowledged the issues with the game by chancing game mechanical aspects to suit competitive    For competitive players my verdict is 10!
    For Casual players my verdict is 6.5

    I myself am what i would call a successful competitive gamer and do allot of research into game mechanics and what makes a great fighting game. Soulcalibur V team has done some remarkable job with the game and has acknowledged the issues with the game by chancing game mechanical aspects to suit competitive gaming better (ie. removing Quick step guard & Fuzzy guard) The games characters are well toned and most characters are suitable for tournament play (excluding some very bad characters, which every game has to have at least a few)
    This game will definitely be in the tournament cycle for at least few years. The problem with the game is, that it was not made for casuals at all. the game was made possible with a big effort from the fan base and the still active soulvalibur IV scene. and thus the major focus was to make the game a good tournament fighter above all else. This is why some of the new characters were just bland anime stereotypes (Xiba anyone? or how about the EMO skunk hair Z.W.E.I?) and the story mode was a big letdown. the story mode can be summarised by one sentence "Seen that, done that"

    The multiplayer options are interesting and offer somewhat of a good basis for onlinewarriors. the connections were fine wen the game launched but now for some reason the games online environment has gone aloof, allot of random de-synch and other problems make it hard to play against some people you had no problem playing earlier.

    Also i have to note that a majority of players online seem to be full of "s#it" and cant handle a loss. dont get me wrong every game has these, but soulcalibur has always had a very salty player base online. If you are a casual gamer who likes to sit down with friends and have a few rounds, this game is great. but dont go looking for a big bundle of Singleplayer content because its next to nothing. Competitive gamers ahoy, go buy this game and give it a go. it will definitely suit your needs.    … Expand
  5. Bookmaster
    Feb 8, 2012
    9
    Soul Calibur 5 is a spectacular game of its genre. From Soul Calibur 4, they have improved the game mechanics to become more sleek and fun, making it much more easy for people to jump in, and learn. Though, like any fighting game, the game now offers a feeling of much depth, a system to be mastered that was impressive when it is, unlike Soulcalibur 4, that seems to lack that sort ofSoul Calibur 5 is a spectacular game of its genre. From Soul Calibur 4, they have improved the game mechanics to become more sleek and fun, making it much more easy for people to jump in, and learn. Though, like any fighting game, the game now offers a feeling of much depth, a system to be mastered that was impressive when it is, unlike Soulcalibur 4, that seems to lack that sort of reward. SoulCalibur 5 also brings back character customization, with a more sensible customizer and much more reasonable loading times. The graphics look as though they were taken straight from SoulCalibur 4, which is a good thing, and improved upon to the point things move quicker, and manage to look more impressive. While the story is a bit short, I found it to be a very good one, and something most should enjoy if they don't mind a narrative within their fighting games. If not, a classic arcade mode, a quick battle where you compete for titles, and a legendary battle mode are all offered to add more depth to the lonely SoulCalibur man. Now, for all the lonely online SoulCalibur players, online makes a return with improvements all around. The only place where I'm disappointed, is in fighting styles. After a while, you start getting characters that are blatant clones of past ones, offering nothing new except slightly different controls, and even then, some of them don't play different AT ALL. Despite these choices in characters, the game is still very good. I would quickly recommend it to just about any fan of fighting games that feel a bit more brutal, swords slashing against shields, that type of combat. Now, let us meet on the holy ground, where the phoenix rises! Ready? Fight!… Expand
  6. RMenezes
    Feb 4, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's better than Soul Calibur 4 in gameplay, but is worse than 3 in game modes. The Creation and Online modes are excellent, and the new characters like ZWEI and Viola were very creative. And finally the story mode started walking again, but I would like to see the end of the other characters too. I recommend this game for all the fighting game fans, specially the SC fans.… Expand
  7. c0mmander
    Feb 4, 2012
    8
    Soulcalibur V is nothing short of excellent and takes its crown of one of the most systematically marvellous fighters of this gen. While there is a depth to other fighters, the Soul Calibur series has commonly been seen as the scape goat for methods to implement in the Tekken series. Soul Calibur V not only completely obliterates this theory it proves itself to be a game to be marvelled atSoulcalibur V is nothing short of excellent and takes its crown of one of the most systematically marvellous fighters of this gen. While there is a depth to other fighters, the Soul Calibur series has commonly been seen as the scape goat for methods to implement in the Tekken series. Soul Calibur V not only completely obliterates this theory it proves itself to be a game to be marvelled at and is not just leaps and bounds above Soul Calibur IV, it is also leaps and bounds above any 3D fighter currently on the market. However thats not to say there aren't problems with the game. The single player modes are too far and few between and it feels like the single player experience has been cut dramatically from SCIV, the biggest hinderance on the single player time is the reduction of a Story Mode for each character. Instead the game has switched to a single story path which mainly follows new characters Patrakolos and Pyrrah. While this story line is extremely weak it is good enough to plug the holes between each fight and adding a bit of substance, however the narrative as a whole falls flat on its face. Again this is a step by Namco Bandai in one of their leading fighting game franchises which should not have been made. A similar fate beheld Tekken 6 which attempted to change the story structure and again fell more than flat on its face, this is one of the reasons why Tekken 6 was a dissapointment to many. Moving away from the single player experience in story mode, there are also the 'Legend of Souls' mode, which is a bit like a challenge mode, an arcade mode which is standard and a quick battle mode which again is standard. But where this game excells is not in its modes but in the fighting system they have created for Soul Calibur V. The system really excells in every way taking a cue from the Street Fighter series and adding special moves resembling those found in the earlier mentioned series. The system is fast and fluid and takes into consideration the high, low and mid attacks and makes them a main function of surviving in a battle. We also have the critical guard system and many other systems to engage even the most hardcore Soul Calibur fans. Now the roster. The roster features around 27 characters (I believe) and between this set of warriors the variety is fantastic with those characters which are more technical to those which are simply slow, but power houses. They've added new characters which mostly stick to the same fighting styles as characters of old however some like viola introduce new fighting styles to the series. All in all the roster is not bad but is not the best roster in fighting games either, it feels just about good enough but is still very befitting for players with enough variety to keep players wanting to learn the tricks of each style. As usual creation is back, however it is not the best creation mode we've ever seen in the Soul Calibur series. It lacks some finesse that other creation modes as in 3 (Particuarly) and 4 had. However again it is fitting and gives many different styles of creating your character from that cool ninja outfit to that not so cool Viking helmet. There are other modes such as an online mode and the usual multiplayer modes to explore as well which again as with many fighting games is where the game truly excells, giving all players a chance. Gameplay: 9.5
    Graphics: 8.5
    Presentation: 8.5
    Lasting Appeal: 8    … Expand
  8. Maxkev11
    Mar 21, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. SoulCalibur V is an awesome game with stunning visuals, good customization, and great variety of characters. Down side is that most mode from previous SC series haven't return. So there's a lack of mode for offline play, but quick battle and legendary mode makes up for it. The story contains at least 20 chapters. It took me a day to finish the story. If your fan of SC or sword fighting games you should defiantly buy.… Expand
  9. VidsRule
    Feb 28, 2012
    8
    This is an easy 9 but the AI brings it 1 full point down. I'm playing a enemy who i destroy for 2 rounds but then some impossible god ai come forth and makes even a hit impossible while my health bar is destroyed in 2.45 seconds. And don't tell me to just play online like everyone else. If you look at others online cards you'll see that single player is played 90% of the time. SingleThis is an easy 9 but the AI brings it 1 full point down. I'm playing a enemy who i destroy for 2 rounds but then some impossible god ai come forth and makes even a hit impossible while my health bar is destroyed in 2.45 seconds. And don't tell me to just play online like everyone else. If you look at others online cards you'll see that single player is played 90% of the time. Single Player is EXTREMELY important. And this game is lucky I only detracted 1 point. Other than that it's a great fighter.… Expand
  10. Sideline
    Aug 24, 2012
    9
    This is the king of 3D fighters as far as I'm concerned. I cannot compare it to the previous iterations as I am not a veteran of the series but I can say that a lot of work and attention went into this title. This is a fighting game that rewards patience and focuses on mind games instead of pure input skills. The online mode is solid with very little noticeable lag and the training modeThis is the king of 3D fighters as far as I'm concerned. I cannot compare it to the previous iterations as I am not a veteran of the series but I can say that a lot of work and attention went into this title. This is a fighting game that rewards patience and focuses on mind games instead of pure input skills. The online mode is solid with very little noticeable lag and the training mode is very helpful for newcomers in the series. The story mode is not that great but I don't see this as an important aspect of a fighting game. The creation mode is an awesome feature as it allows players to customize an existing character or create a new one from scratch with a wide variety of costumes and items that can be used to make a really unique fighter you can use online. The graphics are great and the music is really nice. There is a leveling system that is not punishing to beginners and there are lots of modes where you can fight against AI that actually feels intelligent compared to other fighting games. If you love 3D fighting games, SoulCalibur V is a must!… Expand
  11. metatcn
    Mar 19, 2012
    8
    I was very happy to hear them do a one story line route as I have enjoyed balzblue recent take on this foray, little did I know it was just gonna feature 3 characters and rushed job presentation. One minute you are enjoying one of the best CGI/ingame cutscenes ever and then next minute you are watching still pictures that are basically black and white screenplay type quality. Ok so atleastI was very happy to hear them do a one story line route as I have enjoyed balzblue recent take on this foray, little did I know it was just gonna feature 3 characters and rushed job presentation. One minute you are enjoying one of the best CGI/ingame cutscenes ever and then next minute you are watching still pictures that are basically black and white screenplay type quality. Ok so atleast there is arcade mode. what? no character intro and endings there either. So basically you get story on 3 new characters and that is it. Also no gallery mode so you can't even read up on any of the other new characters. Then the other modes are basically arcade hard and offline online sim which is a bit fun due to you fighting random generated characters which can be hilarious. And vs mode. That's all there is in the offline portion. If you are an offline gamer and love the lure and story and characters of soul calibur I can see why it has such negative fan rating. So I complained a lot and still gave it an 8. Why you ask. Because the games main bread and butter to me if the actual vs competition whether offline or online, ie against real players. In this regard SoulV shines above a lot of fighters. The online netcode is amazing. It's smooth as butter. Capcom should copy this game as their games are great but have piss poor online play like SSFIVAE, UMvC3, and the new SFxT. Also what's unique is that create a soul is amazing so lots of people can make their own characters and ultimately represent your individuality. In this regard the game is amazing. Also the lobby system is one of the best. This game is up there with arcana hearts 3 and blazblue in the god tier netcode. I'll definitely be playing online for years to come. If you are Single player type player you might want to give this a rent but if you love competition you have one of the the smoothest and best robust online fighters there is so if it's competition you want this games delivers in spades.… Expand
  12. RetrogamingFTW
    Jul 1, 2020
    8
    Nice game,. it was decent, story mode was obviously rushed and is a much shorter story mode compare to the other Soulcalibur games. I was level 99 till my brother erased all my data. I loved playing online against toxic opponents online, really improves the experience.
  13. F1aw1ess1
    Jun 4, 2013
    9
    Just wanted to say, don't believe the hate, SC V is just as good if not better than SC 2. (SC 1 is my personal favorite)

    The game looks and runs like art in motion, its truly amazing 60 FPS. The level art and design is superb, its really art in gaming. People are butthurt why im not sure. They added some features that arent gamebreaking, while still sticking to the roots. Great    Just wanted to say, don't believe the hate, SC V is just as good if not better than SC 2. (SC 1 is my personal favorite)

    The game looks and runs like art in motion, its truly amazing 60 FPS.
    The level art and design is superb, its really art in gaming.
    People are butthurt why im not sure. They added some features that arent gamebreaking, while still sticking to the roots.

    Great Game, MUST HAVE for any fighter collection    … Expand
  14. BasilZero
    Jul 16, 2023
    8
    Game: Soulcalibur V
    Genre: Fighting
    Developer: Project Soul Publisher: Bandai Namco System: Playstation 3 (PS3) Year of Release: 2012 Length of Playthrough: 15 Hours Total Score: 84/100 Value Score: 8.4/10 • Story: 8/10 • Characters: 8/10 • GamePlay: 7/10 • Graphics: 8/10 • Sound: 10/10 • Music: 8/10 • Length: 8/10 • Replay Value: 9/10 • Player Value: 8/10 Pros +28    Game: Soulcalibur V
    Genre: Fighting
    Developer: Project Soul
    Publisher: Bandai Namco
    System: Playstation 3 (PS3)
    Year of Release: 2012
    Length of Playthrough: 15 Hours

    Total Score: 84/100
    Value Score: 8.4/10

    • Story: 8/10
    • Characters: 8/10
    • GamePlay: 7/10
    • Graphics: 8/10
    • Sound: 10/10
    • Music: 8/10
    • Length: 8/10
    • Replay Value: 9/10
    • Player Value: 8/10

    Pros
    +28 playable characters with choice of adding via character creation
    +Story mode and other various single player mode options
    +Sound test

    Cons
    -Cannot change number of rounds - always 3
    -Difficulty spike in arcade mode after stage 3
    -Story mode lacks a lot of characters and feels rushed

    -----

    Series wise score comparison

    Soul Blade (PS1): 79
    Soulcalibur II (GCN): N/A
    Soulcalibur Broken Destiny (PSP): N/A
    Soulcalibur V (PS3): 84    … Expand
  15. mrnice
    Feb 26, 2017
    8
    I didn't expect online to be a satisfying experience 5 years after release, but it's set up really well with different lobbies for newcomers and some for fun and some for custom-made characters. The character editor gives enough freedom for an unpredictable online experience. To me, the single player / offline felt like a minor offering, a few hours of very solid gameplay, while the onlineI didn't expect online to be a satisfying experience 5 years after release, but it's set up really well with different lobbies for newcomers and some for fun and some for custom-made characters. The character editor gives enough freedom for an unpredictable online experience. To me, the single player / offline felt like a minor offering, a few hours of very solid gameplay, while the online is something without much of a expiration date, besides the day someone shuts down the servers.… Expand
  16. asjklasjklas
    Apr 19, 2014
    8
    If it weren't for its overall dull single player experience and removal of many, many majorly popular characters, Soulcalibur V had the opportunity to become one of the most highlighted games in the franchise, choosing refinement over "fixing what ain't broken". Any personal qualms with V should derive from the aforementioned and shouldn't be held against an overall potential fighter.If it weren't for its overall dull single player experience and removal of many, many majorly popular characters, Soulcalibur V had the opportunity to become one of the most highlighted games in the franchise, choosing refinement over "fixing what ain't broken". Any personal qualms with V should derive from the aforementioned and shouldn't be held against an overall potential fighter.

    Pros? Refined gameplay; excellent controls; excellent HD visuals and sound; excellent online experience and options; beautiful graphics; excellent detail in character and stage designs; less one-dimensional dialogue, "less"; the greatest Create a Soul options you'll ever see in another Soul game or in a fighting game in general; Critical Edges are a major improvement over IV's Critical Finishers in terms of, well, actually implementing them; Ezio Auditore has overall well-balanced controls and has to be one of the most functional in a Soul game.

    Cons? Limited single player modes; limited character backgrounds; shallow story mode; shallow main "protagonist"; cheap AI; replacing many, many fan favorite characters wasn't the refreshment the Soul series needed; not enough actual refreshing content to hold onto players for more than a few days.    … Expand
  17. RaphaelSorel
    Feb 26, 2014
    8
    I would say anyone who hates this game and calls it a Street Fighter rip off needs to take off their nostalgia glasses. Story is bad, really bad. However, the game play saves it. Solid, fluid, and beautiful.
    Pick this up seriously
  18. TheDarkling
    Dec 14, 2013
    8
    The soul caliber series is amazing I have loved it since the first time playing. It has always had a special feel that no other fighting game could bring. I loved SC2 the most, right now we are talking about SC5.
    First things first, the all new fighting system. I love the new fast pace, I believe that the fast speed makes the game look good. One thing I don’t like about the new system    The soul caliber series is amazing I have loved it since the first time playing. It has always had a special feel that no other fighting game could bring. I loved SC2 the most, right now we are talking about SC5.
    First things first, the all new fighting system. I love the new fast pace, I believe that the fast speed makes the game look good. One thing I don’t like about the new system is critical strike. I have long hated the moves that required little skill and dealt massive amounts of damage. I know I know, it is supposed to help the beginners do flashy and powerful moves, yet the people I noticed using it were the very good players that could easily defeat nations without it. i believe that it could possibly stay in the system but needs to be much less powerful. Overall I love the new system.
    I like the fact that they were trying to add an immersive story. The story was a little odd and very repetitive. I personally hated the fact that you were only allowed to play three people. Also I didn’t gradually increase in difficulty, you started by destroying everybody you went against to having to repeat the level many times before you were defeated. The story was also obnoxiously short and overacted. You could finish the campaign in well easily an hour. The characters especially Patrokolos, were extremely over acted. I n summary the story was okay needed much more freedom, longer game play, and less cheesy actors.
    I love the fresh new character roster. A lot of characters were getting very old an example is Taki. The developers did well with creating the new roster, and the character who replaced older characters were very well done. For example my personal favorite is Natsu. She is wonderful new girl to take Taki’s place. She seems so similar to taki yet she manages to take on new roles and task that taki couldn’t.
    So to sum everything up, we had a very cool new combat system that has very nostalgic feel. We had the story which was short and cheesy. Finally we talked about the characters and how they do well at enhancing the game. Overall he game is great I love it but I did notice many thing that needed improving and/or being taken out completely    … Expand
  19. vjvs983
    Feb 28, 2015
    10
    its a very good game, and you can now play with Ezio Auditore da Firenze, from assassins creed thats better than 3 star wars characters in soul calibur 4.
  20. AsDeEspadas
    Feb 21, 2016
    9
    I love soul calibur series, SCV is totally a new game and is almost perfect to me, there isn't another fighting game with weapons with 3 or 4 different block mechanics, normal block, GI, JG, aGI.

    The story mode is short, ok, but it shows a pretty good story more than the previous SC games who was just draws and texts. The lack of previous characters of this saga is compensated with    I love soul calibur series, SCV is totally a new game and is almost perfect to me, there isn't another fighting game with weapons with 3 or 4 different block mechanics, normal block, GI, JG, aGI.

    The story mode is short, ok, but it shows a pretty good story more than the previous SC games who was just draws and texts.

    The lack of previous characters of this saga is compensated with the new ones, keep in mind that this is a whole new game and I like so much the fact that the time has passed and characters got old, another fighting games are the same once and once again.

    The creation mode is maybe the best in a videogame ever, I heard some people buying this game just for this mode, no kidding.

    The game now has combos, blockeables "unblockables", gauge bar for special movements, the game is changing and I like that because I want to play with the old mechanics I would play SC2 HD or SCIV, this game is not more of the same.    … Expand
  21. angeles2010
    Apr 29, 2018
    10
    Soul Calibur 5 looks Gorgeous and Plays very Smooth.. I love the New Characters ..They Give us ome new fresh air ...
  22. Kostas101
    Jan 2, 2021
    8
    It's a great fighting game with a decent character roster, the gameplay mechanics are nice and the customization is amazing but the story isn't engaging.
  23. TheGreatNikakis
    Aug 4, 2022
    9
    Soulcalibur V is an excellent fighting game when it comes down to the gameplay, while also being incredibly beautiful to look at. However it suffers from a very small roster of characters and a lackluster story mode.

Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Best PS3 Game of 2012
31
#31 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2012
56
#56 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 53 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 53
  3. Negative: 0 out of 53
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Mar 22, 2012
    70
    A good genre piece brings fans hundreds of hours of entertainment. Japanese poetics with schoolgirls wearing katanas and thin knights with iron swords are worth seeing. [March 2012]
  2. Thunderbolt
    Feb 19, 2012
    70
    The combat mechanics are easy to pick up, but the advanced techniques ought to be more than enough to keep things interesting. Regardless of its shortcomings, Soulcalibur V is still a fun and engaging game. That's all what really matters.
    Read full review
  3. Games Master UK
    Feb 15, 2012
    86
    A gorgeous and playable fighter that offers a strong alternative to Street Fighter and Tekken. [March 2012, p.86]
See all critic reviews »