Still wondering what is Soul Calibur 3?

Soul Calibur 3 is a fighting-genre video game developed by Namco. The story behind the game comes from the first video game series release, Soul Edge, in which a handful of various warriors set out to find a powerful, legendary sword by the name of Soul Edge. Although the sword is rumored to be very powerful, it drives its wielder murderously insane if their will is too weak. Throughout Soul Edge, Soul Calibur 1, 2, and now 3, more swords become part of the story: there’s Soul Calibur, the holy version of Soul Edge; Soul Calibur (evil), the completed demonic sword of Soul Edge; and Soul Embrace, a sword composed of Soul Calibur lodged in Soul Edge. The entrance of Soul Embrace ends the Soul Calibur 2 video game, beginning the much-awaited Soul Calibur 3 video game.

With Soul Embrace in Soul Calibur 3, many of the same warriors from earlier Soul Calibur games return to find the Soul Edge swords and its scattered fragments. Some characters that are playable again in Soul Calibur 3 have received rewarding new features. One big change in playable characters is apparent in the main carrier of Soul Calibur 3’s storyline, Siegfried Schtauffen.

In the earlier Soul Calibur games, Siegfried shared the same moves as his evil alter ego, Nightmare. Now separated from the demonic Nightmare, Siegfried’s play style has increased in speed with considerable damage attacks. Although his single strike hits aren’t as damaging as Nightmare, who is a separate entity wielding a half-completed Soul Edge sword, Siegfried’s agility and ability to quickly combine combos make him a formidable opponent.

Other loved characters that have been polished by the Namco staff include the samurai, Mitsurugi, whose speed and attack power has increased; the teenaged warrior, Talim, with a new slam combo; and the Greek-born sisters, Cassandra and Sophitia, who have almost godlike strength and recovery agility.

And what’s a new game without new characters and new features?

Although the Soul Calibur 3 creators have managed to create a convincing fighting ensemble, they have taken the game to a new level. Within the RPG-like Conquest Mode of Soul Calibur 3, the Creation Character Mode awaits. Any player can create a character from top to bottom, from the hair color to their sandals. The character is playable only in Conquest Mode, but it is a step aside from other Namco creations like Tekken.

Not only does Soul Calibur 3 have new features like the Creation Character Mode, but it also has new characters. The new roster: Abyss, Olcadan, Setsuka, Tira, and Zasalamel. They are all playable, some with overwhelming speed recovery, others with incredible muscle to toss a little fighters like Talim out of the stage. Personally, these new playable characters have embraced Namco’s true creativity. Setsuka fights with an umbrella, Tira uses a human-sized bladed ring as her weapon, and Olcadan can only be regarded as an oversized owl.

Laughter aside, the Soul Calibur 3 game has improved on simple measures that only geeks and fans can decipher. Take the fighting stages in general. If Talim slams Mitsurugi into the ground and breaks the concrete floor, when Mitsurugi jumps to his feet and decides to hit her into a wall, anything that was previously broken stays broken. Even with broken walls and shattered regions of the ground, the stages are as beautiful and breath-taking as ever. Hand it to the Namco team to reinvent ancient areas around the globe.

Although the Namco team has forged a better fighting game in Soul Calibur 3, there have been outraged cries of disappointment among its fans. The game is exclusively for the Playstation 2 console, which makes the game play very different. The graphics are not PS2 comparable—it is more X-box or Game-Cube comparable—but the controls for the game are not the same. It has proven difficult to control a character after playing the previous two games on X-box or Game Cube. Basically, if an X-box owner wanted to play Soul Calibur 3, they would have to buy a PS2 or play the arcade version of the game, missing out on the true enjoyment of the game.

Another problem with having a heavily compacted game like Soul Calibur 3 on PS2 has to be the many glitches and problems. When a player has finally learned how to use the controller settings on his new PS2, he has to wait for the game to register just a preview of the character they want to pick. After picking the character, there is a minute or two wait time—that is, if the PS2 did not freeze during the time it loads the preview of the wanted character. For a fifty-dollar game, Soul Calibur 3 has a lot of glitches like this. Who wants to constantly reset their game?

Despite the problems and glitches, Soul Calibur 3 has proven to take the Soul Edge series to the next level in fighting games. The ending effect in all of this? The confused expression on the other person’s face would light up at the notion that he has an excuse to actually play his Playstation 2 once again.

Graphics: 9.0 out of 10

Game Play: 6.5 out of 10

Uniqueness: 8.5 out of 10

Storyline(s): 8.5 out of 10

Final Grade: 8.0 out of 10

Bottom line: Trick your friend into buying it, then borrow it for a LONG time, until the game is finally only $20.