SoulCalibur V was one of the most anticipated fighters of this year, and MadCatz decided to get in on the action by partnering with Namco Bandai to release the SoulCalibur V Soul Edition Fight stick. This is the first time MadCatz have partnered with Namco, and this stick is retailing for $160, which is actually $10 more expensive then previous MadCatz sticks. So is it worth the purchase, or for people looking for a fight stick, is it worth the extra $10? Read on to find out.

The Soul Edition Fight Stick is the latest stick by MadCatz, and follows in the footsteps of some impressive peripherals for games such as, Street Fighter IV, Marvel Vs Capcom 3, and Super Street Fighter IV. Straight away what will stand out to you about this stick is its looks. The stick is gorgeous looking, and the background art is some of the nicest I have seen on a fight stick.

First off, just like all MadCatz sticks, it comes in great packaging. This is packaging you are going to want to hang onto to store your stick. The packaging, is bright and colourful and features images of some characters from the game, and is definitely worth keeping for storage. The art on the stick is actually an image of Soulcalibur, and Souledge swords. Soulcalibur is surrounded by a bright and colourful icy blue, whilst the other half of the stick, Souledge, is surrounded by a fiery red colour. Either side of the stick is coloured in too, the Soulcalibur side being blue to match the sword, and the Souledge side being red to match it’s fiery evil glow. It’s really great looking, and it’s much more appealing then past sticks, of course if you don’t like it you can always customize it which is one of the best things about Madcatz fight sticks. One nice touch is that the blue and red sides, are actually see through, so you are able to see all these components that actually make the stick work. The PS3 version of the stick, are all completely black, whilst the 360 one has 4 colored buttons, and 4 black ones.

Like past sticks, the buttons are made from real quality arcade components, from the legendary arcade manufacturer Sanwa Denshi. The buttons feel great, just like they have on past sticks, and they worked so well. Of course, the stick also features a Japanese style ball handed joystick, which like the buttons works great, and we had no problems with either. For inputs, such as delayed attacks, it was all very responsive and worked just as it should. On the back of the stick there is a compartment which can open up, this is to hold your 13′ USB cable, in which you use to connect your fight stick to your system. Although some people may be happy that the cable is so long, others might not, and personally it was a bit to long for our liking. Sometimes it was awkward to get the cable to go back into it’s compartment, but it’s only a small problem.

Of course various button lock switches, turbo buttons, and such are all present and correct, just like they are on all Madcatz sticks. Seeing as this stick is for SoulCalibur V, and not MVC3, or SFIV, like past Madcatz sticks, the button layout has been re-done to suit the SoulCalibur series more comfortably. It was expected that they would to this from the start as it makes the game much easier with the buttons in the right place, and so we’re happy that they followed through on their decision.

Overall this is quite a fight stick, the price may be a bit steep, and some people may not be able to afford it no matter how much they want it. If you are looking for a fight stick, for any fighting games in general and are willing to pay the money, go with this stick. It may be $10 extra then the SFIV and MVC3 sticks, but if your willing to pay $10, then definitely go for this stick. It’s worth the extra $10 just because the art and design is great, and really is much nicer than any of MadCatz previous sticks. So if your looking for a new fight stick this is the one for you.

Final Score: 4/5