A few weeks ago, Mad Catz sent me one of its latest arcade sticks, the SoulCalibur 5 branded Soul Edition arcade fightstick. After daily testing on SC5, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Mortal Kombat, the Soul Edition not only met my expectations, but exceeded them, as you can tell from the review video above.

The company's Tournament Edition sticks have always been excellent pieces of hardware, and the Soul Edition is no exception. It's solidly constructed from arcade-quality parts and is heavy enough to stay in place, regardless of whether you fight on a table-top or your lap. The stick's striking motif and subtle design elements set it apart from every other mass-produced arcade stick on the market; if you want to stand out at your local Ranking Battles without incurring the cost of a custom-made stick, you'd be hard pressed to find a piece of fighting tech that's this unique, right out of the box.