Soul Calibur 3 Review by Geek Woman
Soul Calibur 3 is a fighting game that is an exclusive on the PS2. That was a big disappointment for many people. On the whole it is a truly great fighter. There are some problems with it, as there are with any game. It is a quality offering considering that we are in the twilight days of the reign of the PS2.
Games that are vast and that have achieved a level of praise from gamers on previous installments, have a rough time of it when something like a third sequel is finally rolled out. That can go several ways. The game could just be terrible for many reasons. Sometimes a sequel isn't finished, and it doesn't have the depth that early versions of game had when the developers were trying to curry favor. This is not the case with SC3. It is almost too vast this time. It falls into that trap of trying to be the "everything for everybody" game. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, because it means they are trying to give you more stuff for your money. The good intentions don't always translate well. The addition of a real time strategy (RTS) game into the mix largely failed.
Not all game play modes are available from the start of the game. Many of the characters move lists have been changed which apparently has p'oed the hardcore fans to no end. Why would the developers of a much loved franchise do something like switch up the moves? It would seem that since the game is exclusively for PS2, that it was directed mainly at an existing fan base. Why mess with them?
OK counter to most reviews that you read which tell you the good stuff first, we've gotten the only two bad points about this game out of the way. First of all there is tons of content. Some of it is lousy granted, but still you won't run out of things to do. There are several new characters. Three of them are introduced right off. Access to the other new characters is gradual. There is new game-play, and the new modes too. If you have played Soul Calibur before you won't really be disappointed. If you haven't played any Soul Calibur games yet, get it or rent it.
Soul Calibur 3 has some of the most fun and interesting female characters in gaming today. Each one has a complete move-list. They have a selection of weapons that upgrade. You can buy more weapons, and armor. There are several costumes for each avatar.
Best of all is the character creation feature. You can design an avatar that suits you perfectly. There are endless combinations of clothing, armor and accessories. You chose a profession, appearance and even the voice of your character. That seems to be the most fair way to settle the issue with nudity in avatars. If you want to wear "barbarian underwear" to fight in - you can. If you want to cover up - you can. There are hoods and headscarves, your character could be clothed from head to toe and layers of armor can be piled on. The character creation capability gives a range of options that not only enhance the looks of your character, but it adds a new component to the game. You get to create your own ultimate fighter.
Game-play
There are about 18 different modes in the game. If you want to be hardcore and get all the unlockables, you would have to beat all of the modes to get absolutely everything. There are many surprising features in this game. Bottom line is it is the best 2 person fighting game out there. Still in all, you can win with button mashing. It's a fighter plain and simple, in spite of all the fancy window dressing. The AI is pretty predictable which can be good or bad depending on how you like to play. They seem to try to push your character into a wall or a corner. If you like a big challenge it is there. If you like to take it easy and see the whole game, you can do that too. Like many games, I can analyze what the game "punishes" you for. If you don't get the opening move right, it is likely that you will loose. If you turn your back to your enemy, or if your attacks fall short you loose. The timid are not rewarded in gaming.
There are around 30 characters to play with in the game as well as a strange random character generator which is fun. Two of the new characters are female. Tira, is a girl fighter who uses a razor sharp hoola hoop as a weapon. Setsuka is a Japanese geisha with a parasol and a sword. Someone must be hearing us. The fighting engine was revamped and improved. The weird Chronicles of the Sword mode enables you to take your new custom players onto a map, where you need to occupy enemy forts by beating them in battles. That was done better in SC2. The Arcade mode is called "Quick Play". The Tournament mode puts you in fictional competition. What is that about? There is no online play for this game which is a terrible shame. I have to say that SC3 beat the pants of Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks - which I was looking forward to more, but MK Deception has online mulitiplayer.
Graphics
The environments in this game are stunning. There are gorgeous landscapes. Marvelous temples, over flowing water falls and Ivy's over decorated mansion. The camera pans quickly over pink hued clouds in the background, water effects shimmer with some of best eye candy you can see. For a fighting game SC3 has the best looks going. And I am including DOA when I say it is the best looking fighter out there. There is no lack of colors. It is bright, bold and conspicuous.
Sound
The sound is a disappointment. There could have been better music for this game. I would have saved the space on the disk that was wasted on the RTS mode for better music. The voice acting is still very poor, and amusing because of it. The voices and the sound effects have not changed or been upgraded. While other games are integrating song lists and even iPod interfaces into games, SC3's lack there of is a letdown. I guess the developers missed the bit that Morgan Webb did on Xplay where they dubbed the weird grunts and groans from SC2 into suggestive parody skits.
Despite the superfluous extra features the game still is the top of the line fighter for PS2 beating out Tekken 4 with style. Soul Calibur 3 has a lot to offer girl games that like to kick butt. They built this one for us. (Yeah, I know they built it for guys that like to play with sexy female avatars.) I give Soul Calibur 3 a 4.5
Labels: Games, iPod, Parody, PlayStation, PS2, Tekken, Upgrade
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