Preview
del.icio.us
Digg This
Glink ItSoul Calibur II stormed the gaming world when it was released two years ago. In an unexpected turn of events, it became the top-selling multi-platform fighter of the generation. It scored 9.5’s and 10’s from countless publications, but it was the reaction from the average gamer that made it a huge success.
Soul Calibur III is Namco’s return to their grand weapon fighter, and this time it’s coming exclusively to PlayStation 2. This wasn’t uncommon in the old days, but SCII did so well that many people expected the game to stay multi-platform. Soul Calibur has and probably always will be designed on PlayStation architecture, so if you have to pick just one, you’d go with PlayStation 2.
But enough about that! Soul Calibur III is on its way and it rocks.
Included on the E3 demo were two characters: the classic samurai Mitsurugi and the all-new warrior, Tira.
Tira is extremely fast. She wields her sharp, disc-like weapon very well. She can quickly hop into the air and dive down on her enemies, similar to the way that Taki used to (maybe they’re somehow related? Could be a plot twist in the works). She has a back kick that’ll remind you of other characters’ moves, but she also has several attacks that are distinctly her own. She’ll spin the disc in several ways, changing its position based on the buttons you press, the direction you’re holding, and the move that was previously executed.
Mitsurugi was his traditional self, but both he and Tira seemed to move slightly faster than the characters did in the last game. It could’ve been the high-res HD monitor that made the game seem faster. Maybe they have a higher frame rate. Or maybe appearances are not deceiving and this game truly is faster (which is what I’m hoping for). As I’m sure any Soul Calibur fans can imagine, the controls were as perfect as a sword fighter can get.
Early or not, this version had gorgeous graphics, interactive backgrounds (destroy the ground!), and plenty of lights, shadows and other cool effects to keep your eyes from losing sight of the artistic value of the game. That’s one thing I’ve always loved about Namco’s fighters – their visuals and soundtracks are on par with the gameplay. E3 is too noisy to hear game music, but I’m confident that Namco will finish the game with spellbinding music.
The destruction element has been done before, but it looks great in Soul Calibur III. Now that it’s here it feels like it was a necessary addition. It further separates it from reality (you can’t stomp on concrete and expect it to crumble in real life), which is important in any game that focuses on fantasy elements.
At least two other new characters will be playable in the final version. There will be new game modes, new features, and you can practically count on a few new moves for each of your favorite characters.
Look for it this fall and stay tuned to GameZone Online for further coverage of this and every other must-play game at E3.
