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Soul Calibur 3 Review: Should You Buy?

soul calibur cover

Soul Calibur 3 Review: Should You Buy?

Soul Calibur II is an interactive first-person fighting style video game as a sequel to Soul Calibur II. Published by Namco in 2006 for PlayStation 2 The beauty of Soul Calibur III is that underneath it all lies 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.

More to the Imagination than Meets the Eye

Soul calibur guy
Different modes will bring different experiences.

There’s lots of ways to hone skills in this Soul Calibur III 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. The story tells the tale of a magical but incredibly deadly sword called the Soul Calibur. 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 players are really into developing their combat skills. At least changing characters will give gamers a different feel as they use different weapons, armor and special moves.

Modes of Gameplay

soul calibur III
Fight your way to the top with creative characters equip for just that.

In the single-player mode, things do get very tough. Players must work their way up the ladder by defeating numerous enemies, each one more difficult than the next. They can even ramp up the difficulty and give themselves a real challenge.

There is plenty to do and explore in the single-player modes though players will hardly revisit the majority of them because they are basically novelties. There are lots of unlockable 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 gamers can’t take this character to the best modes it seems like a waste of time.

The Battle Awaits

soul calibur screenshot
Magical powers assist in the battle ahead.

The unholy sword was sealed by the destined one, but a mysterious individual revives the azure knight, Nightmare. The legendary battle of Soul Calibur and Soul Edge moves to the next phase. Which sword will ultimately prevail? What is the motivation of the three new souls who join the fray? And how will you, the player, become involved in the world of Soul Calibur?

Play as one of your favorite classic characters to follow how their fate unfolds in the Tales of Souls mode. Battle it out against your friends in the Vs. Standard mode. Create your own original character to play in the Character Creation mode. Rise in the ranks in the World Competition mode

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.

Last Thoughts

Gamers can create their own character, and while that is good, there’s not much you can do with him or her except to visit some single-player modes. The story doesn’t make much sense to begin with but when players add some 25 different characters to the mix all with different back histories, it’s impossible to keep track of what’s going on. If this style of gaming doesn’t hit right with people, then they may want to just move on to the next. However, at the least Soul Calibur III deserves a rental. 

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