Soul Calibur 3
Granted all of these titles (except maybe DOA) had their roots in the arcade and that no doubt lead to their popularity. I can't remember how many afternoons I spent in the local mall dropping quarters on Soul Edge (Blade). When the game was released for the PlayStation One I went out and bought the system just to play it. I figured it would have been cheaper to splurge and go that route instead of dropping ten bucks a day at the arcade. I loved the game but couldn't appreciate the PlayStation's controller for the fighting genre no matter how hard I tried. That's why when Soul Calibur came out for the Dreamcast I yet again went out and bought the system for that game.
While most franchises take baby steps towards the improvement of their installments, the differences between Calibur and Blade were night and day. The graphics engine was overhauled to the nth degree, the combat featured more intricacies and the roster of characters was better than ever. Since then the series has become somewhat stagnant in its growth and none of the sequels has impressed the pants off me like sitting down for the first time with the original Calibur.
Sure Soul Calibur II came out for the big three consoles and the game offered more of the same, just with, well…more. Again, I had tried the PlayStation version and found the controller to be rather cumbersome so silly me, I decided to stick with the Xbox edition and play as Spawn. I loved the game immensely (of course) and was thrilled when I heard about a third installment. That delight turned into disappoint when I realized that the game was only headed to Sony's system this time around. I sucked it up and gave it a whirl though and found that the Soul Calibur series, while still good, was starting to wane in innovation.
Gameplay:
Just like the prior installments, the third tries to do several new things in order to keep the franchise fresh and user friendly for newcomers. As usual, the first thing that you may notice that has changed this time around is the selection of available characters. Everybody comes back from the previous installments but a few newcomers are front and center in the so-called story. It's really just nice to see everyone from the history of the franchise back here and kicking butt.
The new warriors are decent enough though they each come across as feeling like an amalgamation of current characters. Setsuka feels like a cross between Mitsurugi and Seong Mina and is a well rounded fighter. Zasalemel portrays the game's villain and is an Egyptian guy that runs around with a scythe. Tira reminds me of a blend of Ivy and Talim and joins the bevy of busty female combatants. I couldn't really get into her character, but I can see how some people could. That's the nice thing about the Soul Calibur franchise; everybody that plays it can find a character that feels natural for them.
The fighting is essentially the same this time around that it was in the last. Very little has changed with the combat system and really the only alteration made has been to the different modes that are available. There is a story mode available that feels more like he mission based trial from the last go around. The joke of that feature is calling what the game offers an actual story. The tale of the burning souls this time around is just as preposterous and dull as it can get. Not to mention the fact that it's barely existent in cut scenes and dialogue.
Another gameplay mode is the Chronicles of the Sword. The twist here is that it's more of a light real-time strategy with some combat tossed into the mix now and again. When you win you'll also get a little bit of money to buy stuff with. Whether it's new armor, a new weapon or whatnot this adds an interesting element to the series. Of course most of the doodads that you can gain from this mode transfer over to the character customization feature that's available. These extra options are really the only reason to play this mode because I hate to say it, but it's just not a lot of fun otherwise.
If you've ever thought to yourself that you could make a more screwed up looking fighter than Voldo you're in luck! You can make just about anything or anyone that you want to with the customization system and you can even adjust the style of fighting that they'll use, though you can't really edit attacks. Once you select the job you want to test out the rest of the mode options are basically superficial. You can adjust facial features, voices, clothing and hair styles, but not much else actually. You can use your new fighter in most of the modes so if you're into creating things you'll really be able to sink your teeth into it and enjoy it.
The versus mode makes a return (but of course you could figure that out) though unfortunately there is no online support. It's a shame, especially when you consider that DOA 4 for the 360 supports it (it may be laggy, but it supports it at any rate). Apart from the modes that I have mentioned there is also a world competition; well… digital world really, and a soul arena. The soul arena is interesting because it's a collection of objective-based battles that are reminiscent of the mission battles in Soul Calibur II. Whether you have to pick up the most coins, play "tag" with your opponent or fight a monolithic statue, there's always something different, interesting and challenging to face.
The same great fighting system makes its return from the previous incarnations of the series with little change to speak of. The new modes that were added feel like an attempt to add some diversity into the mix, but this comes across as good and bad. I like the character customization aspects and the soul arena, but didn't care much for the world championship or Chronicles of the Sword. It's not that they are "bad" necessarily; it's just that you're here to play a fighting game, why would you want to play a light RTS?
Graphics:
When Soul Calibur hit store shelves for the Dreamcast the gaming world was rocked by the amazing attention to detail in every facet. Since then there hasn't been a major leap forward in the graphics engine, but the franchise still looks as good as ever. Characters animation beautifully and the improved hit detection means that battles are fluid, harsh and fast paced. Especially with the new custom characters included in the game it's impressive to see all of the movements and fighting styles that were added. As usual the backgrounds themselves are just as rich as the characters that battle in them.
Audio:
As with the other Soul Calibur games the soundtrack is always better than the voices in most cases. It's not really that the dialogue is bad, but it's just really tacky sometimes and I swear that most of the cuts have just been copied and pasted from the last game. The same can be said with most of the song selection that's available here, though it's just as good as ever. The sound effects also come from the Soul Calibur vault so don't expect anything too groundbreaking.
Conclusion:
The third (well…technically fourth) addition to the Soul franchise provides all of the action that fans have grown accustomed to. The only problems really come from some lackluster modes and the fact that the game is starting to feel a little long in tooth. It could just be me considering that I've burned countless hours on the series over the years, but I found myself bored after only a short while. The stuff to buy and characters to create help alleviate some of the tedium though so long time fans will appreciate those additions. I am still keeping my fingers crossed for a 360 version that is compatible with Live, but who knows what the future holds.