DEVELOPER Project Soul | Director - Daishi Odashima
PUBLISHERS Namco Bandai Games | Ubisoft
GENRE 3D Fighting
PLATFORMS PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360
RELEASE DATES NA - January 31, 2012 | JP - February 2, 2012 | EU - February 3, 2012
Soulcalibur V is the latest entry in Namco’s 3D weapons-based fighting game series. It takes place 17 years after SC4 and includes returning favorites, brand new fighters, and Ezio from Assassin's Creed as a guest character in its roster. SC5 features a more robust version of the Create-A-Soul character customization mode, online play, and combat that mixes elements from previous games with mechanics brand new to the series. In addition to Soul staples such as Guard Impacts and the 8-way movement system, Project Soul have added meter management, a new defensive technique with the Just Guard system, and more.
OFFICIAL SITES Soulcalibur | Project Soul
COMMUNITY SITES 8WayRun | Soulcalibur Wiki
I’ll be keeping this topic up to date with details of DLC, patch changes, major developments in the competitive community, and any other info relevant to SC5... so keep an eye out for news here.
Congrats to Shining Decopon for winning SC5 at EVO 2012! The Tira player from Japan came in 1st out of 400+ competitors hailing from around the world. Top 8 included heavy hitters from the US, Japan, Korea, and Singapore... surprisingly, France was completely shut out. It seems that Asia's Calibur scenes are stronger than ever, so the next international matchup should be hype!
JULY 8, 2012 EVO 2012 Results
v1.02 patch changes: http://8wayrun.com/threads/official-soulcalibur-v-1-02-patch-notes.12322/
For more detail on all of SC5's mechanics and gameplay systems, check Gameplay System Info at 8WR.
BUTTON LAYOUT and GENERAL NOTATION
GAME MODES
ONLINE PLAY 3 modes: Ranked Match, Player Match, and Global Colosseo - details from exclusive multiplayer online preview
CREATE-A-SOUL - Character Creation Mode Trailer | Share your custom characters in the GAF SC5 Soul Creation Thread.
STAGES
SC5 features over 20 stages to choose from. In addition to the wall-less and walled arenas of previous games, Tekken-style endless stages are available for the first time. Also, ROing an opponent on certain multi-tiered stages will result in your fighting in another area/level during the next round.
MOVEMENT
CRITICAL GAUGE
Detailed Information on Critical Gauge mechanics by OmegaXCN
How to Play: Critical Edge Video
The Critical Gauge is SC5's super meter system, which is used for Guard Impacts, Brave Edges, and Critical Edges. Players can build up to 2 full bars (200%) of meter through attacking, guarding, etc. and are given an additional 100% if their opponent is 1 round away from winning.
GUARD BURST
A system which punishes players who block too many attacks (similar to SC4's Soul Gauge) and causes them to stagger back in a lengthy stun. Unlike SC4's Critical Finishes, which result in a free round win, causing a Guard Burst only provides an opportunity for a damaging combo. There is no on-screen guard meter, but a player's life bar will flash yellow or red if one is in danger of being Guard Burst.
JUST GUARD
Just Guard Tutorial by Aris
By quickly tapping and releasing a button on the moment of an attack's impact, you can reduce the amount of blockstun and cause the move's animation to pass through your character. A successful JG is indicated by your character flashing blue.
NOTE: For character movelists, frame data, and strategy, visit 8WR's Soul Arenas and Wiki.
NEW TO SOULCALIBUR V Patroklos | Pyrrha | Leixia | Natsu | Viola | Z.W.E.I. | Xiba
RETURNING SOULS Siegfried | Mitsurugi | Hilde | Maxi | Raphael | Ivy | Yoshimitsu
RETURNING SOULS Nightmare | Astaroth | Tira | Voldo | Lizardman | Cervantes | Algol
GUEST CHARACTER Ezio from Assassin's Creed - Character Announcement Trailer
Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Hidden Blades, Swords, Daggers, Crossbow, and Hidden Gun)
MULTI-STYLE CHARACTERS Elysium (female styles) | Edge Master (all styles) | Kilik (male styles)
ALTERNATE CHARACTERS Alpha Patroklos (Iaito) | Pyrrha Omega (Short Sword and Shield)
BONUS STYLE Devil Jin from Tekken (Fists) | DLC CHARACTER Lord Geo Dampierre (Hidden Punching Daggers)
NOTE: All character styles are selectable for use in CAS except for Ezio's. Algol's appearance can be edited but his style cannot be used in an original character.
OFFICIAL GUIDE Buy from Amazon
COLLECTOR'S EDITION
Unboxing Video with Namco-Bandai's FilthieRich
NA ($79.99) - Book Box Case | Making of DVD & Music CD | Artbook | White Knight & Dark Knight DLC Costumes
EU (£59.99) - Book Box Case | Parchment Letter | Making of DVD & Music CD | Artwork w/ Dev Team Signatures | Artbook | White Knight & Dark Knight DLC Costumes
PRE-ORDER BONUSES
OFFICIAL ARCADE STICKS Soul Edition by Mad Catz | Soulcalibur V Joystick by Hori
SOUNDTRACK by Creative Intelligence Arts | Pre-order Limited Edition OST
DLC
For reviews of all the DLC CAS packs, take a look at BloodBurger's videos: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9F17D67570D13045
TRAILERS
TUTORIAL VIDEOS Quick Step | Critical Edge | Quick Steps - 8WR's Tutorial Series by Maxx Dreamkiller and Chuck the Landslide | Just Guard Tutorial by Aris
MATCH FOOTAGE
Channels to Watch:
Pre-Release & Launch Events:
Majors:
PUBLISHERS Namco Bandai Games | Ubisoft
GENRE 3D Fighting
PLATFORMS PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360
RELEASE DATES NA - January 31, 2012 | JP - February 2, 2012 | EU - February 3, 2012
Soulcalibur V is the latest entry in Namco’s 3D weapons-based fighting game series. It takes place 17 years after SC4 and includes returning favorites, brand new fighters, and Ezio from Assassin's Creed as a guest character in its roster. SC5 features a more robust version of the Create-A-Soul character customization mode, online play, and combat that mixes elements from previous games with mechanics brand new to the series. In addition to Soul staples such as Guard Impacts and the 8-way movement system, Project Soul have added meter management, a new defensive technique with the Just Guard system, and more.
OFFICIAL SITES Soulcalibur | Project Soul
COMMUNITY SITES 8WayRun | Soulcalibur Wiki
I’ll be keeping this topic up to date with details of DLC, patch changes, major developments in the competitive community, and any other info relevant to SC5... so keep an eye out for news here.
Congrats to Shining Decopon for winning SC5 at EVO 2012! The Tira player from Japan came in 1st out of 400+ competitors hailing from around the world. Top 8 included heavy hitters from the US, Japan, Korea, and Singapore... surprisingly, France was completely shut out. It seems that Asia's Calibur scenes are stronger than ever, so the next international matchup should be hype!
JULY 8, 2012 EVO 2012 Results
v1.02 patch changes: http://8wayrun.com/threads/official-soulcalibur-v-1-02-patch-notes.12322/
For more detail on all of SC5's mechanics and gameplay systems, check Gameplay System Info at 8WR.
BUTTON LAYOUT and GENERAL NOTATION
- Directions (number notation) - 6 = forward, 4 = back, 2 = down, 8 = up, 3 = down-forward, 1 = down-back, 9 = up-forward, 7 = up-back, 5 = neutral
- Buttons (letters) - G = Guard, A = Vertical Attack, B = Horizontal Attack, K = Kick (Non-Weapon) Attack
- Notation and Terminology of Soulcalibur (8WR)
GAME MODES
- Legendary Souls - Boss Rush mode. Fight powered up versions of Algol, Inferno Cervantes, Nightmare, and more.
- Arcade - Fight against a series of opponents from the main cast and try to get a quick time. Can select different routes (Standard, Asia, Europe, Extra).
- Quick Battle - Fight against CAS characters made by Project Soul - of various difficulties and with different play styles.
- VS Battle - Local play between players or AI.
- Training - Includes demonstration and notation of move sets/basic combos, multiple record slots, and the ability to set up a variety of situations to practice.
- Online Battle - Fight other players through PSN or XBL.
- Story ~1607 A.D.~ - Play through multiple episodes depicting SC5's story, which focuses on Patroklos Alexandra.
- Creation - Create-A-Soul, customize existing characters' outfits/colors and create new characters with various weapon styles.
ONLINE PLAY 3 modes: Ranked Match, Player Match, and Global Colosseo - details from exclusive multiplayer online preview
- Ranked Match - find a single opponent to play a ranked battle against
- Player Match - rooms where you can invite friends and hold small tournaments, has no impact on ranking
- Global Colosseo - lobbies which hold up to 50 players, can queue for Random battle, Ranked match, or Tournament matches (available periodically) check stats and challenge specific players by selecting their card
- Soul Link - allows you to closely monitor 3 players' stats and in-game activities
- Replays - last 8 online games are saved automatically
CREATE-A-SOUL - Character Creation Mode Trailer | Share your custom characters in the GAF SC5 Soul Creation Thread.
STAGES
SC5 features over 20 stages to choose from. In addition to the wall-less and walled arenas of previous games, Tekken-style endless stages are available for the first time. Also, ROing an opponent on certain multi-tiered stages will result in your fighting in another area/level during the next round.
MOVEMENT
- 8-Way-Run (hold down any direction) - "Run" is actually a misnomer since 8wr refers to a mode where you can walk in any direction. You can enter it quickly by double tapping any direction and holding the second input. Certain moves can only be executed while 8wrunning in a specific direction.
- Quick Moves/Quick Step - Tutorial Video | speed is the same for all characters
CRITICAL GAUGE
Detailed Information on Critical Gauge mechanics by OmegaXCN
How to Play: Critical Edge Video
The Critical Gauge is SC5's super meter system, which is used for Guard Impacts, Brave Edges, and Critical Edges. Players can build up to 2 full bars (200%) of meter through attacking, guarding, etc. and are given an additional 100% if their opponent is 1 round away from winning.
- Guard Impact (4A+B+K) - 50% meter | Deflects all levels of attacks, if successful opponent is left in a stunned state where they can only reverse GI (reGI) provided they have enough meter.
- Brave Edge (A+B+K immediately after select moves) - 50% meter | EX versions of attacks/throws that have extra properties or additional hits.
- Critical Edge (236236A+B+K) - 100% meter | Super moves that do a large amount of damage, can be a throw, projectile, etc. depending on the character.
GUARD BURST
A system which punishes players who block too many attacks (similar to SC4's Soul Gauge) and causes them to stagger back in a lengthy stun. Unlike SC4's Critical Finishes, which result in a free round win, causing a Guard Burst only provides an opportunity for a damaging combo. There is no on-screen guard meter, but a player's life bar will flash yellow or red if one is in danger of being Guard Burst.
JUST GUARD
Just Guard Tutorial by Aris
By quickly tapping and releasing a button on the moment of an attack's impact, you can reduce the amount of blockstun and cause the move's animation to pass through your character. A successful JG is indicated by your character flashing blue.
NOTE: For character movelists, frame data, and strategy, visit 8WR's Soul Arenas and Wiki.
NEW TO SOULCALIBUR V Patroklos | Pyrrha | Leixia | Natsu | Viola | Z.W.E.I. | Xiba
- Patroklos Alexandra (Short Sword and Shield) - Sophitia's son and SC5's main character. Brash and fights for justice. Discovers his family's history with the Soul Edge.
- Pyrrha Alexandra (Short Sword and Shield) - SC5's deuteragonist and Sophitia's daughter. Timid and meek, was kidnapped by Tira at a young age.
- Yan Leixia (Chinese Sword) - Xianghua's daughter. Longs for adventure and seems to be wearing Kilik's Dvapara-Yuga pendant...
- Natsu (Dual Kodachi) - A rebellious female ninja. Has a demon named Arahabaki sealed in her and is looking for her master, Taki.
- Viola (Orb) - An amnesiac fortune teller traveling with Z.W.E.I. Uses a magic floating orb to fight.
- Z.W.E.I. (Sword and Familiar) - A member of Schwarzwind who is looking for the new wielder of the Soulcalibur. Brooding. Summons a wolf named E.I.N. during battle.
- Xiba (Rod) - A young man on a quest for the Kali-Yuga, one of the three sacred treasures. Really likes food.
RETURNING SOULS Siegfried | Mitsurugi | Hilde | Maxi | Raphael | Ivy | Yoshimitsu
- Siegfried Schtauffen (Zweihänder) - Leader of Schwarzwind, a clan of mercenaries. Former wielder of both Soul Edge and Soulcalibur, he allied with Hilde and succeeded in destroying Soul Edge at the end of SC4.
- Heishiro Mitsurugi (Katana) - A masterless samurai looking to finish a duel he started with Algol 17 years ago. Still has nothing to do with the main Soul series plot.
- Hildegard von Krone (Short Sword and Lance) - The princess of Wolfkrone. Rejoins Schwarzwind to hunt down the last of Soul Edge's minions and guarantee peace for her kingdom.
- Maxi (Nunchaku) - A pirate from Ryuukyuu and mentor to Xiba. Edge Master taught him how to suppress the influence of the Soul Edge shard within him.
- Raphael Sorel (Rapier) - A French nobleman turned vampire. Still obsessed with creating the ideal world for his adoptive daughter Amy.
- Isabella “Ivy” Valentine (Snake Sword) - Alchemist with cursed blood. Has extensively studied the Soul Edge and vowed to purge the evil sword from existence by any means necessary.
- Yoshimitsu (Dual Katana and Sashimono) - Yoshimitsu the Second. Killed his predecessor to become the new leader of the Manji Clan.
RETURNING SOULS Nightmare | Astaroth | Tira | Voldo | Lizardman | Cervantes | Algol
- Nightmare (Zweihänder-type Soul Edge) - A body reanimated by the shattered remains of Soul Edge. More devious and subtle than previous Azure Knights, used political machinations to prompt a crusade to look for more shards.
- Astaroth (Giant Axe) - A new and improved version of the Astaroth golem. Created by Greek sorcerer and cult-of-Ares leader Kunpaetku.
- Tira (Ring Blade) - A woman with dual personalities who wishes to see Soul Edge rise again. Has plans to use Pyrrha to do so...
- Voldo (Dual Katars) - The guardian of the Money Pit and loyal servant to the deceased merchant of death, Vercci. Is really damn old.
- Aeon "Lizardman" Calcos (Dual Axes) - A former minion of Nightmare. Wants to regain his humanity by eating holy warriors. Apparently he consumed Kratos and gained some of the God of War's moveset from Broken Destiny.
- Cervantes de Leon (Longsword and Pistol Sword) - Former wielder of the Soul Edge. Was defeated by his daughter Ivy and sent into a dimensional rift, but eventually made his way out, found a new body, and went back to his pirating ways.
- Algol (His Body) - The Hero King from ancient times. Wielded the Soul Edge without being corrupted by its influence and created the Soulcalibur.
GUEST CHARACTER Ezio from Assassin's Creed - Character Announcement Trailer
Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Hidden Blades, Swords, Daggers, Crossbow, and Hidden Gun)
MULTI-STYLE CHARACTERS Elysium (female styles) | Edge Master (all styles) | Kilik (male styles)
ALTERNATE CHARACTERS Alpha Patroklos (Iaito) | Pyrrha Omega (Short Sword and Shield)
BONUS STYLE Devil Jin from Tekken (Fists) | DLC CHARACTER Lord Geo Dampierre (Hidden Punching Daggers)
- Alpha Patroklos has a fighting style similar to Setsuka's from SC3 and 4.
- Pyrrha Omega uses a style that has attacks from both Sophitia and Cassandra's movesets but is completely different from her regular version's or that of Patroklos.
- The Devil Jin style is usable in CAS and appears in Quick Battle, including a character based on Tekken and Soulcalibur producer Katsuhiro Harada.
- Dampierre was available as a pre-order bonus from select retailers (such as Best Buy in the US) and now as DLC.
NOTE: All character styles are selectable for use in CAS except for Ezio's. Algol's appearance can be edited but his style cannot be used in an original character.
OFFICIAL GUIDE Buy from Amazon
- Written by top players from Europe - Saitoh, Hayate, Pantocrator, Jag the Gemini, Daggoth, Hyrul, Kerrigan, Blacksmith Tony, Wil, Iron Lobster
- Detailed strategies, combos, and frame data for every character
- SAMPLE: Mitsurugi pages from the guide, Mitsurugi combos
COLLECTOR'S EDITION
Unboxing Video with Namco-Bandai's FilthieRich
NA ($79.99) - Book Box Case | Making of DVD & Music CD | Artbook | White Knight & Dark Knight DLC Costumes
EU (£59.99) - Book Box Case | Parchment Letter | Making of DVD & Music CD | Artwork w/ Dev Team Signatures | Artbook | White Knight & Dark Knight DLC Costumes
PRE-ORDER BONUSES
- HMV, GAME, The Hut, Play.com - Dampierre DLC code
- Amazon and Walmart - $10 store credit
- GameStop and EB Games Canada - Ivy Valentine Bobble Budd figure
- Best Buy U.S. and Canada locations - Dampierre DLC code
- Select 24 hour Walmart U.S. locations - special “Fastest Way to Play” event and midnight launch for SC5, limited edition laser art-cell
- Future Shop locations across Canada - limited edition laser art-cell
OFFICIAL ARCADE STICKS Soul Edition by Mad Catz | Soulcalibur V Joystick by Hori
SOUNDTRACK by Creative Intelligence Arts | Pre-order Limited Edition OST
DLC
- February 3rd: Exotic Custom Items (Wings, face paintings, etc.) & Soul Edge/Soul Calibur DLC music tracks (available individually and packed -- prices are like SCIV DLC)
- February 14th - http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=35133721&postcount=3765
- February 28th - http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=35564735&postcount=4073
For reviews of all the DLC CAS packs, take a look at BloodBurger's videos: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9F17D67570D13045
TRAILERS
- Teaser Trailer
- E3 2011 Trailer
- GamesCom 2011 Trailer
- TGS 2011 Trailer
- Comic-Con 2011 Trailer
- Enter Ezio - Official Character Announcement Trailer
- Character Creation Mode Trailer
- Prologue to Story Mode
- Dampierre DLC Trailer
- Tokyo Game Night Trailer
- Story Trailer
- Japanese TV Commercial
- Meet Algol, Edgemaster & Soul of Devil Jin!
- Launch Trailer
- Soul Calibur 5 - Graffiti Art Featurette (Trailer 2012)
- UK Launch Trailer
TUTORIAL VIDEOS Quick Step | Critical Edge | Quick Steps - 8WR's Tutorial Series by Maxx Dreamkiller and Chuck the Landslide | Just Guard Tutorial by Aris
MATCH FOOTAGE
Channels to Watch:
- 8WR's YT Channel - streams by 8WR, lots of coverage of East Coast
- GnouzCorp's YT Channel - French streams and videos
Pre-Release & Launch Events:
- IPW: SC5 At Southtown Arcade
- SC5 Launch Party Tourney
- French Launch Event Casuals
- French Launch Event Tourney
Majors:
- GVN Winter Brawl 2012
- World Game Cup 2012
- Final Round XV
- MLG Winter Championships
- Norcal Regionals 10
- MLG Spring Championships