Soul Calibur III

Two legendary swords, one epic battle - it didn't take long to make up our mind, but we were too busy playing to do the review on time.

	Version PS2	Developer Namco	Publisher Namco	Genre Fighting

By Joseph Jackson

Page: 1  2 

Soul Calibur III opens with what Namco fans should be used to by now, glorious Namco CGI - a scene where Sigfried is shown sealing away the Soul Edge sword, then switching over to an epic battle sequence where Nightmare fights off an army of knights, followed by a variety of other fight sequences showing the rest of the game's combatants in action against each other. The intro is simply stunning to say the least, and frankly, the rest of the game is just as polished as these first moments boasting Namco's trusted seal of quality. (We added this video below for the hell of it).

The latest chapter in the Soul series revolves around the age old battle for supremacy between two legendary swords - the holy blade that is the Soul Calibur, and the soul-corrupting, evil sword known as the Soul Edge. With dark knight Nightmare having been revived by a mysterious individual and the Soul Edge re-emerging, the Soul Calibur has once again returned in order to preserve the balance from shifting. Only one sword can prevail!

This time, things are a whole lot tougher. While the previous games were considered by some to be highly accessible button-mashing affairs, that's not the case this time around. Namco has fine-tuned the AI into a relentless, well-guarded beast that's quite effective in seeking out any weaknesses in your defenses and dealing some serious damage. Whereas I could run through the original Soul Calibur in a mere 5 - 7 minutes, Soul Calibur 3 left me battered and beaten on a number of occasions, on the verge of tossing the controller against the screen. Practice, practice, and more practice is in order if you intend on checking out each of the character endings.

While Namco fighting games sometimes seem to favor the aggressor, Soul Calibur III succeeds in letting players use defensive techniques to gain an advantage; the all-familiar Guard Impact system from previous Soul Calibur games returns, allowing players with quick reflexes and timing to counter incoming attacks. However, it's much easier said than done, as players will need to utilize some Virtua Fighter-like "yomi" to effectively read their opponents and anticipate the type of attack in order to counter. In successfully doing so, you'll be able to knock your opponents off balance, leaving them wide open to counter-attacks.

The fighting engine certainly feels a little more refined over that of its predecessors, and similarly to Tekken 5, features interactive environments with breakable walls and floors that the fighters can smash during combat. While it's nowhere near the level of interactivity found in Tecmo's Dead or Alive series, the amount of interactivity present is at a decent enough level given that it's a first for the series.

While Soul Calibur III sports a pretty hefty roster of fighters, all of them are pretty easy to control thanks to the game's intuitive control scheme. The series' traditional 8-way movement and four-button setup allows players to quickly circle the arenas, perform high and low weapon attacks, as well as kick and block. Utilizing different button combinations, players can perform a variety of flashy moves with ease, lighting up the screen with flashy combos, throws, and juggles.

In addition to an expanded set of game modes and improved AI, Soul Calibur III's fighting roster has also seen some growth with over 40 characters to choose from. While the majority of the cast consists of faces that will be instantly familiar to long-time fans of the series, Soul Calibur III also introduces three brand-new faces to the fray.

There's the one-eyed, scythe-wielding, tribal warrior, Zasalamel. A death-seeker cursed with immortality, Zasalamel had set out to acquire the two swords in order to reclaim his mortality. While big, Zasalamel is quite mobile and effective as a long range fighter with a variety of devasting moves in his arsenal.

In keeping with a similarly dark theme there's also the cute but deadly Tira, a predominantly green-cladded assassin who sports a circular shaped weapon known as a ring blade. Pledging her allegiance to Nightmare, Tira sets out to destroy the Soul Calibur, free the Soul Edge and find a new host for the cursed sword. In the ring Tira is pretty quick, and the speed at which she can wield her blade makes her a pretty effective close-range fighter.

Last but not least there's Setsuka, an orphan turned drifter. Beautiful in appearance, Setsuka wears a colorful kimono with her Lai blade concealed within her oilpaper umbrella. She sets out to extract her revenge on Mitsurugi over the death of her master and caretaker. Similar in style to Mitsurugi, Setsuka is a good close-range fighter who can use her sword to deal out some pretty quick and lethal combos.

Visually, the graphics are second to none on the PS2, and Namco continues to impress with its ability to dial into the PS2's graphics hardware and squeeze out some amazing looking visuals. The character models all look great and are well-detailed with nice cloth dynamics and fluid character animations. The game's mythical settings also look quite fabulous, with moderately interactive environments that are colorful and vibrant with lush, beautifully detailed backdrops and a variety of special effects that help enhance their appearance.

In addition to the fantastic sights, Soul Calibur III's sounds are equally well-served. The game's soundtrack consists of some beautifully orchestrated themes accompanied by high-quality sound effects registering the sharp metallic sounds of blades clashing, and various spoken phrases with English and Japanese language options available.

A variety of game modes are included in Soul Calibur III. While there's no traditional arcade mode so to speak, the Quick Play mode serves as a suitable substitute, allowing players to quickly get a feel for each character before delving into the meatier portions of the game.

Players can experience each character's unique story and watch it all unfold in the "Tales of Souls" mode, which in a nutshell, is your basic story mode, albeit with a few little twists. As players battle through, they'll be taken to a map screen between battles with information chronicling their character's adventures, as well as plot their next course when presented with the option to do so.

What's cool about this feature is that some of the choices you make will occasionally trigger miscellaneous events, like a special battle against a giant statue on one occasion. Players will also be presented with a number of Shenmue-like sequences that will appear during some of the pre-battle cutscenes, prompting players to quickly hit the correct buttons or direction on the d-pad in order to avoid certain dangers.

While the Tales of Souls mode is pretty short, the rewards for completing it are plentiful. Not only will you be able to view individual endings for each of the characters you complete it with, but you'll also be able to unlock additional content in the form of hidden characters, game modes, weapons, and additional arenas to supplement what's already there.

Players can also battle their way up the ranks in a variety of tournament settings in the World Competition mode, engage in gimmicky arena battles in the Soul Arena mode, as well as practice their moves under a variety of conditions and hone fighting skills in the Practice mode.

Page: 1  2 

NEXT PAGE >>