Soul Caliber 3 Preview
From LoveToKnow VideoGames
I have lived and breathed Namco’s fighting franchise as a video game staple in my collection ever since Soul Blade on the original Playstation. While not achieving cloud-like status like Madden or Halo, Soul Calibur has gained a respectable community of gamers with outstanding graphics, deep characters and storylines, and unique modes of play. And on 10/25/05, Soul Calibur 3--exclusive to the PS2--will ignite the Stage of History again. Will you be ready?
Something Old, Something New: Character Creation
Character Creation is new to Soul Calibur and will probably be the meat and potatoes of the game. You can either choose an existing character or change some basic features and stats or you can get real dirty by jumping into the Character-Creation option.
First you’ll pick male or female, and then you’ll pick an occupation. Fighting styles are based on the occupation you choose. There are a number of variations of each occupation which will effect how you use weapons. After finding a job, you can customize your fighter with many different options. You can change lips, hair, and even the voice if you want. After finding a fighter you’re happy with, it’s time to plop him down in Soul Calibur 3’s other game modes.
Chronicles of the Sword Mode
Namco seems to be throwing new things into the mix except the kitchen sink. This new mode is completely different than the old Mission Mode of Soul Calibur past. It can be compared to a combination of Real-Time-Strategy, action, and RPG. The story takes place during the time of the single-player game. You’ll travel the 3D world with your growing band of fighters seeking out objectives in non-linear fashion.
You may have to take over areas, help other characters defeat bad guys, or simple fighting. There are basic one-on-one fights, similar to single-player fighting in which your band will have to team up to beat other bands of fighters. You’ll gain experience and get stronger with each battle…provided you win.
Everything You’d Expect
The graphics of all the Soul Caliber games have been exceptional and viewing the screenshots and videos of the game in action proves SC3 is right on track. There seems to be more details on the characters and more effects in backgrounds. I just hope they don’t distract me from the actual fighting, but that’s a good thing, right? As of this writing the game is nearing completion, so everything should be tweaked out and in full magnificence on 10/25/05.
Tidbits
- Release Date: 10/25/05 (but you knew that already)
- The U.S. is getting the PS2 exclusive game before Japan
- Features Battle Arena Mode where you can challenge fights under special conditions and Coin Collector Mode where each hit will make your opponent drop coins that you have to snag.
- Don’t worry, your favorite characters are returning: Mitsurugi, Taki, Raphael, Astaroth (maybe not everybody’s favorite), Voldo, Cassandra, Ivy, Maxi, Seung Mi-na, Xianghua (not my favorite), and Yun-Sung. Alas, no Rock.
- New Characters include Setsuka, an umbrella wielding, Clog lover (yes, I said she had an umbrella, what of it?), Tira who thrashes you with a barbed hoop of some sort, and Zasalemel, who looks pretty darn brutal with the scythe.
- You have to kill a GIANT STATUE & not get crushed by it when it topples.
- Weapons have "special effects", but the icons are impossible to understand! HELP!
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