review
I wish I could be happy about the fact that there's so much to do in Soulcaliber III but the point is that most of the stuff is pointless. You can create your own character, and while that is all and good, there's not much you can do with him or her except to visit some lame single-player modes. The story doesn't make much sense to begin with but when you add some 25 different characters to the mix all with different back histories, it's impossible to keep track of what's going on. Not that you have to.
The beauty of Soulcaliber III is that underneath it all lie an excellent combat engine and gameplay that has stood the test of time. It's difficult to find fault with the combat system. At first it may seem too easy. It's totally accessible for beginners that just want to button mash, although they'll eventually find they don't really know what they're doing. With more practice, one is able to master the controls to perform a series of hard-hitting combos and counter attacks that the newbie wouldn't even know existed. There's lots of ways to hone your skills in this game including the Practice mode. Some of the other modes such as Museum, Story and Creation can also make for some good practice but they don't impress much on their own. They are definitely a means to an end - and that's the two-player mode. More on that later.
The story tells the tale of a magical but incredibly deadly sword called the Soulcaliber. The demonic Nightmare has been revived and the fight is on. There are various weapons, armors and upgrades to be collected, although the characters don't gain experience or increase their skills as in an RPG which kind of makes the game feel a little stagnant unless you're really into developing your combat skills with the control system which not everyone is interested in doing. At least changing characters will give you a different feel as they use different weapons, armor and special moves.
In the single-player mode, things do get very tough. You must work your way up the ladder by defeating numerous enemies, each one more difficult than the next. You can even ramp up the difficulty and give yourself a friggin' migraine if you want a real challenge.
There is plenty to do and explore in the single-player modes though you will hardly revisit the majority of them because they are basically novelties. There are lots of unlockables available that can be used to enhance your character in the create-a-character mode. It's fun to find them and experiment with them but since you can't take this character to the best modes it seems like a waste of time.
Battling in the two-player mode is where the party is. There's nothing like taking on a skilled adversary. The animations are done so well and play out so smoothly it's easy to become transfixed on them and forget to plan your next move. If the character animations don't distract you the locations surely will. Areas from all over the world are presented in great detail with bright colors and excellent dimensional depth. It's candy for the eyes. (Editor - eye candy, perhaps?)
In many respects I would have to refer to this game as Soulcaliber Two-and-a-Half. It's not so different from the last one if you just consider the core gameplay to be the main attraction. The new features are just like icing on the cake. If you can live with that and know that going in, SC3 will provide with a healthy challenge.