Profile

General: Soul Calibur is no doubt one of the top 3D fighting games to date, and following it's predecessors, Soul Calibur 3 could be considered the most advanced 3D fighting game to date. All the things that made the Soul Calibur series great are highlighted and brought back to make one of the greatest sequels known in fighting game history. And there's no doubt Namco raised the bar once again...
   The 3 new main characters all have incredibly innovative fighting styles, which proves that Namco hasn't lost it's creative fire just yet. This game is pure art. Besides the 3 new SC stars (Setsuka, Tira, and Zasalamel) you'll come across many more new and clever fighting styles within "The Chronicle of the Sword" mode, which allows your created character to star in a strategy-ish battle mode. It's a fun play through, because you get to create your own clan of warriors. I read some reviews that complained about this mode having "long" load times and no strategy... Those assholes seem to forget that this is a bonus mode for a fighting game. And the load times aren't that bad, you fatasses can heat up a snack or something while it loads.
   The "Tales of Souls" story mode is better than ever, now giving the player an option to change his/her path, which will allow them to face off against different fighters each time. "Quick-time" events also make for cool interaction with the story, but a lot of them are the same for every character... Sure, there's a lot of text as well within story mode, but at least each character has a real ending now (based on the games in game graphics), not to mention cool alternate endings! I'm sure some people would have appreciated endings based on the amazing game intro graphics, but still, namco gives us a brilliant presentation from beginning to end of each character's story.
   SC3's graphics are just jaw-dropping... It really shows how far Namco has come with graphics on the PS2 since the likes of Tekken Tag for example. I read in some reviews that the character models have less detail...  I don't get it, because no doubt the characters look better in SC3 than in SC2; so what are those asshole mainstream reviewers complaining about? If you don't think SC3 looks good, you need a better TV, because it looks quite sharp on mine. The clothing effects have been improved, as well as the lighting effects and hit effects, not to mention new badass stage effects... all nice eye candy for the viewers of the battle. The overall lighting and contrast in general is quality stuff folks.
   The stages are better than ever, all of which graphically impressive in some way and brilliantly designed. Some of the best PS2 graphics yet... And props to Namco for bringing back some of the old stages from SC and SC2, with updated graphics of course and even remixed BGMs of the original themes... BAD ASS! If I was working on this game that's what I would have done. I love you Namco.
   All the returning characters have updated movelists and different move commands as well... So us veterans have to somewhat re-learn the characters. And that even gives newbies an excuse why they don't wanna play or why they suck. Boo hoo. Anyways, certain moves and even cancels seem to be gone, but theres so much new stuff to learn, that you might not even notice after a while. Because a skilled fighting game player would find new moves to replace the old ones. All your old favorite characters have returned with some great looking new moves, new stances, and more well rounded and practical movelists. Sure, the characters that you've practiced with so much in SC2 have drastically changed, but you'll find yourself saying things like "I like the new Ivy." or "I like the new Mitsurugi." Like I have, (for my top 2 characters in SC2).
   The move commands seem more spread out this time around, making many characters somewhat "easier" to use for beginners (button mashers). Yep, SC3 is a bit more button-masher friendly, but after a decent amount of practice, a skilled player should still be able to take down a beginner or mediocre player with NO problems. Ohh, and the computer AI has improved very much from SC2 and puts up a good fight. It even walks away from edges to avoid being ring-ed out... lol. Too good.
   A lot of the characters also seem much more "powerful" *cough* Taki *cough* Nightmare... and have some pretty insane new moves. So much for realism, but that's not what Namco was going for anyway...  Some of the create-a-character fighting styles are also a bit off-the-wall and unrealistic, but perhaps that's just Namco having fun. The animation is still rock solid, most likely the best in any 3D fighting game. Nuff said.
   I'm also very impressed with the VS mode. You can choose from 2 different costumes per character, plus 2 color edits. Which allows player 1 to select the same costume as player 2 if both players pick the same character, something we didn't see in Soul Calibur 1 or 2. You can even pick player 2's color edits if you're player 1, and vice versa. After you select your costume, its time to select your weapon, and thankfully in VS mode the special weapon effects have been turned off! Does that matter? Yeah, to people who play the hell out of fighting games... Ohh, and don't forget "Random Creation." Now you can let the computer randomly create a character for you, with the stuff that you've unlocked. How cool is that?
   You can create up to 10 characters on a single memory card, which is awesome. The amount of detail you can put into your created characters is probably the most comprehensive of ANY game thus far. You just have to see it to believe it. Sometimes there is "glitching" on certain clothing combinations, but that's to be expected. There are just so many possibilities, and Namco gives you the power.
   The fact that you can create you own character is cool and all, but another brilliant feature is the color-edit mode, where you can customize the clothing and hair color of ALL your favorite Soul Calibur characters... And there are A LOT of colors to choose from! Unlimited possibilities. Trust me, it's nice to be able to change the way the game looks when you play it as much as we fighting game enthusiasts do.
   Namco really went all out... Every Soul Calibur character you would want is in this game, not to mention a crap-load of BONUS characters representing their own fighting style as well. SC3 is packed with extras, most of which most people might not even notice. There's a lot to unlock, and it's a fun process... and yes, all you dishonorable gameshark / pro action replay whores should be ashamed and I hope your game gets F*ed up.
   As great as Soul Calibur on PS2 is, of course there were some glitches found including "throw cancels" and a technique which makes guard impacts pointless to use. But if you don't USE these glitches, the game itself isn't altered. It's the player that breaks the game... You can still play SC3 "fairly." Anyhow, the Arcade Edition of SC3 has come out AFTER the console release, a first ever for a Namco fighting game, and promises to fix these glitches. Hwang, Li Long, and Amy have also been given updated move lists and are part of the "Original" roster, instead of being extra characters. Returning characters will also be given completely new moves, and some characters will be toned down. Bah!
Manufacturer: Namco
Platforms: Playstation 2
Year: October 2005
Characters: Mitsurugi, Cassandra, Taki, Voldo, Ivy, Kilik, Nightmare, Siegfried, Astaroth, Hwang, Abyss, Giradot, Chester, Talim, Li Long, Yoshimitsu, Rock, Lizard Man, Maxi, Seong-Mina, Yun-seong, Xianghua, Zasalamel, Tira, Setsuka, Olcadon, Raphael, Valeria, Demuth, Luna, Abelia, Arthur, Amy, Greed, Miser, Lynette, Auriela, Strife
Comment: No doubt that fans of the series are pleased. Namco's mission was accomplished... with style. If you don't think SC3 deserves a 10, you're not a true fighting game fan, and don't deserve to be called a fighting game player. There's just no reason not to play this game if you ever liked fighting games. I can't stand any mainstream reviewer who slaps an 8.5 onto SC3 without actually "learning" how to play it, which takes more than just a few sit downs... Really, it takes A LOT of practice to call yourself even "decent." And mastering the system; well, very few people will ever make it to that level, and only they can appreciate the game for what it truly is. Because one of the most satisfying things about mastering a fighting game, is how you can destroy newbies or even half-way decent players with ease.
   Hence, this is the most complete Soul Calibur yet, and Soul Calibur is the top of it's class by far. Let's review: Soul Calibur = One of the Best 3D fighting games ever. So take the time to re-learn the system... and find yourself some REAL competition outside of the arcade.
Rating: 10