SoulCalibur III

"Be forewarned, it will steal you soul..."

Judging by this review, you may know that I'm not a die-hard Soul Calibur fan, but this game got me addicted and wanted to write about it in three days!!! Developed by one of Japan's greatest game experts, Namco has created a game powerful enough to charm many gamers to play even to those who never heard of the series. Soul Calibur III has manage to entice most players with its fascinating graphics, superb sound quality, extraordinary gameplay, almost infinite secrets and unlockable treasures to keep the fans glued to the game for months. Here are the elaborations:

Gameplay – 8 (Very Good)
There's just so much to write about this. Although this is a fighting game, Soul Calibur III delivers a different perception to the breakthrough of the fighting games revolution. Instead of the usual and sometimes boring ‘Arcade' mode, Namco has transform it into a storyline-based ‘Arcade' mode named Tales of Souls which the player will fight enemies one by one, at the same time play through the story of a character. Each character has a different story, and each tale has an abundant of choice and paths, with unique unlockable characters, stages, powerful weapons and item and other accessories lurking in every corner and every path. Even some parts of the storyline splits if you pressed certain buttons during a cut scene. For example, during a cut scene, if you manage to press to correct buttons in time, you'll be able to avoid a certain attack or unlock a different ending. There is also the strategy based mode: Chronicles of the Sword and many missions from the Soul Arena that will keep you busy for a long time.

Now, on to the fighting part. Some of the old features are still there, especially the one that your main objective is to knock out your opponent. Namco have added a couple of new complicating yet attractive features like the 8-way run, different guard tactics to evade combos and airborne control. Combos are more deadly and there are many tricks and tactics that give the players a difficult and exciting battle. Both old and new characters are gorgeous. Like every game you can find, the female characters are voluptuous and sexy, my current favorite ones are Setsuka, Tira and Cassandra. But Namco haven't neglect on the men. Guys like Kilik, Maxi look equally stunning as their counterparts.

Another interesting feature is the Shops feature, where you can buy unique weapons and armor for your character with the gold you collected from playing Tales of Souls or other single player mode. Although this isn't welcomed by lots of gamers as they think it is futile, but it actually adds a little twist and a taste of ‘RPG' style. Instead of direct unlockable goodies (which is still included in this game), players can spend some time to choose a variety of weapons or armors to buy with their current gold. There is also an item shop where you can buy characters' profile, illustrations and other miscellaneous.

Of course I should mention one of the most important features is the custom character creation., you could create your own fighter with a wide range of option from eyebrows color, voice, underwear color to footwear. The basics of creating a character is made easy so players could create legendary or well-known characters such as Yuna from Final Fantasy or Mileena from Mortal Kombat. Sadly, Namco has failed to include more options for a character's wardrobe. Many players still complain that the custom character look dull due to limited or less exotic costumes. Despite more clothes and armor which can be unlock, a custom created character equipped with the best attire still looks like a joke compared to those default characters. Also for the first time, you can change the colors of the default character outfit to your liking.

Graphics – 10 (Majestic)
I was left to awe on the ultra detailed graphics when the introductory video was played. This is probably the best aspect in the game. Everything looks very realistic. The characters are masterly created and refined to precision. The environment and sceneries look beautiful and others like water and weather effects are just wonderful. Not to mention the characters look will leave you speechless. There are a few glitches and flaws sometimes, but so far, there's nothing to complain about.

Sound & Music – 9 (Outstanding)
This is another great aspect in this game, making the game of combat a wonderful experience. Each stage has their own soundtrack and every one of them is just satisfying. The voice actors who lend their voices really suit their particular character. Other sound effects during combat are fine.

Replay – 9 (Addictive)
So many secrets, so many battles, so many characters to choose, there's practically not enough time to unlock every single secret in months. The Tales of Souls alone contributed a large part of fun to keep player playing again and again and again for weeks, what about the Chronicles of the Sword and the Soul Arena and the custom character creation? You can spend some time to think about that too.

Overall - 9
All in all, Soul Calibur III is loaded with most of the things players dream of, so buying this game is recommended. Namco could do a little more work by adding a couple of unique costumes into the custom character wardrobe. Maybe they did, through unlocking the secrets. So there you have it, another reason why you should play this game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/07/05