SoulCalibur III Details

SoulCalibur III

When the mighty Dreamcast launched to a lukewarm reception back in the day, there was always one title that was always bound to impress. Namcos Soul Calibur was the sequel to Soul Blade on the first PlayStation. Newcomers to the system enjoyed the pick-up-and-play fighting mechanic, the lushly designed, fluidly animated characters, the bluer-than-blue skies and the outrageous lens flare.

Owners of the console delighted in the games hidden depths, countless moves and combinations, and wealth of unlockable extras. Of course the sad demise of the Dreamcast meant that the game had to move on to pastures new, and creators Namco elected to hedge their bets and bring the sequel, Soul Calibur II, to all three current generation consoles. It was a massive success, and sold best on the GameCube, which makes it all the more odd that the third Soul Calibur is to be a PlayStation 2-only affair. So what started as a Sony-only franchise now comes full circle and makes a home for itself on the creaky old PS2.

The third Soul Calibur game concerns itself once more with the battle between two supernatural swords. Soul Edge has cropped up throughout history, a blade forged from pure evil, which has unbelievable power. Possession of this cursed sword has been sought both by the black hearted, and those who feel they are strong enough to wield it. Soul Calibur is the nemesis of this hell sword, a holy weapon forged as a safeguard against the Soul Edge.

Third in the series is set in the 16th century and follows the characters form Soul Calibur II. Siegfried has managed to tear himself from what he became after succumbing to the Soul Edges control Nightmare and hopes to destroy it entirely as it threatens to become a warrior entity in itself. Still the dark blade calls to his troubled soul. All the other favourite characters return, along with three new ones, and the ability to create and customise your very own character from the ground up. Alos new is a real time strategy mode that combines map battles with arcade slash action a cue taken from the Dynasty Warriors series perhaps? Everyones favourite arcade sword fighter is back and looking in fine form.

Certificate
Developers	NAMCO
Publisher	SCEE
Genres	Fighting
Released	Production year: 2005 PS2: 18 Nov 2005
Number of players	1