SoulCalibur III

"Maddeningly Frustrating, But Beautiful"

A brief introduction: I'm not a world champion, but I'd say that I'm a strong player. At least, when I play against others I usually win. I generally play (and prefer) fighting games and RPG's. I often don't get to play against others, but I've got the thumb calluses to prove that I play often enough on my own. I have a PS, a PS2, & a Dreamcast. I've played all the previous incarnations of SC III. I've bought the entire Tekken series, too; I like Namco's games. I like fighting games; I own quite a few and I play them whenever I have the time (or I'm not immersed in an RPG!) I've also read most of the other reviews for this game, which is one of the reasons I put off buying it. I'm glad I did. That said. . . . .

The GOOD: the visuals in SC III are delicious! Multiple vibrant colors in the backgrounds and costumes give the player a lot of eye candy. Fighters move fluidly, and their voices generally seem to fit. I particularly enjoyed the weapon demonstrations; they were entertaining, and helpful for studying a fighter's style and its strengths/limitations. It is truly a beautiful game. Watching others battle is a pleasure!

There are fewer arenas, and the load times are generally much faster than SC II, which is a very good thing. Why clutter up a game with multiple variances on the same theme?

The practice mode is excellent! It's very helpful and a great advantage for rookie and veteran alike! (Ironically, both will have to spend MUCH time there . . .) Also, with over twenty characters and fighting styles to choose from, each with multiple weapons, strategies, and costumes, there's something for everyone!!

The last piece of good: players can design their own fighters!! That's right; you choose the sex, fighting style, clothes, weapons, etc. You can use them against other players, which is very cool!! Well done, Namco!

The BAD: My personal complaints --- It's necessary to navigate the quest mode to unlock most items, new characters, etc. You'll need the “gold” won through the quests to buy weapons, art work, weapon demonstrations, etc. This means wading through a handful of cut scenes again and again and again. You can't skip through them; they must be endured by every character if you're going to unlock everything. This is rubbing salt into the wound. (Wait ‘til I tell you about “The Ugly”.)

The music is neither memorable nor inspiring. It becomes irritating after the tenth or eleventh hour. I was surprised it took that long, so I guess it's improving. Namco, let's get with the program and try to hire MORE THAN ONE BAND for this gig, okay?

Another gripe: Weapons bought at the shop have symbols. These symbols are neither universal nor are they in the game manual. You have to guess what they mean, which means experimenting with the weapon in practice mode. That's irritating, too.

Well, I imagine that Namco felt you'll need to do a lot of practicing anyway since the input commands are tweaked. Veterans will have to relearn their favorite characters. Some combos come off easier, but buffering commands is difficult, if it's even possible!! Also, I found it much more difficult to guard than previously. The 8 way run is tweaked towards the offensive player; guarding requires PRECISE control of the directional buttons and the PRECISE timing of the guard button to pull it off. Obviously, some characters' fighting styles are enhanced; defensive characters seem to be handicapped.

The UGLY: The single-player game sucks rocks. Quest mode progressively gets more difficult. It quickly gets to the point where it becomes ludicrous. The CPU routinely performs miracles. Example: (I tried this to test my observations) I attack with a long weapon, but I'm too far away to connect. The CPU's character has a much smaller (read “shorter reach”) weapon, but swings it at the same time. My character goes sprawling. No way am I going to get up!! The CPU is cheap AND relentless! I'll get hammered no matter which direction I roll, so I have to hope I have enough life to take a hit so I can at least get to a crouching guard and then counterattack quickly, before it's too late. It's generally hopeless, though. The CPU utilizes multiple combos, precise guarding, and powerful attacks that come at you fast and fluidly. And often. (Can anyone else remember the atrocities Bloody Roar II handed out?!)

I can't make the characters move as quickly, or attack as relentlessly, as the CPU. I've tried, and SOME characters have SOME combinations that offer multiple, speedy attacks. But again, it seems that buffering has either been handicapped, or it doesn't exist anymore. I find myself pushing buttons but nothing is happening – one swing, one lunge, pause and pray because here comes the CPU!! When I do unleash a multi-hit combo (from this freakish new input system) the computer simply guards, guards, guards, and then pulls off a multi-hit combo special of its own!! It is maddening; it is frustrating; it is pointless!!! I'm not talking about “a steep learning curve” or a “challenging fighting system”. The game is simply set at a level that is far more difficult than it should be, and it is impossible to set it at an easier level. If you bought it for a younger player, you should start saving for psychiatric counseling and anger management classes. Weak players TRULY hate this game! I've let many younger players copy my memory card so that they can have access to the multiple characters.

It takes hours and hours of frustrating play, but it is certainly possible to beat the CPU. I don't think it's worth it, frankly. I've gotten all the way through the story mode with most of the characters. I had to stop and practice a lot with some characters. Other characters I just gave up on; I got tired of practicing just to go through the abuse. Fortunately one earns gold, weapons, extra fighting arenas and extra characters regardless of whether or not one finishes a character's story, which is a blessing wrapped in a curse.

If you want numbers, here they are:
Graphics: 10 The scenery and costumes are colorful and artistic. Characters move fluidly and realistically.
Sound: 5 I'm ambivalent. I haven't heard a good soundtrack to a fighting game since Wu Tang. And that got repetitious, too.
Game play: 6 Against other players it's awesome!! The practice mode and tutorial are very nicely done. And there are so MANY fighters to choose from! However, I'd like to see Tag Team and more player control over difficulty and cut scenes. Since it seems that most people buy games to play by themselves (believe it or not) you would think that Namco would design single player mode to be more flexible. At least offer internet access so that there's somebody to play against at 3:00 a.m.!! Playing through at an easier level would make the game much more fun. If I want to improve I should be able to set it to “CPU = God-like powers”. However, if I merely want to experiment and have fun while earning gold and costumes, etc., I should be able to do so.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/07