Swords, Boobs, and Other Dangerous Things

Let's cut right to the chase. This post is all about Soul Calibur III.

As of right now, I've played for about 30 minutes. That's long enough to beat the story mode with Maxi, including several continues. I'll play plenty more tonight, I'm sure. Basically, I have to keep up with my friends, who bought the game yesterday, too.

The backgrounds are beautifual, blah, blah, the moves have changed, blah, blah, the new characters are cool, blah, blah. If you've read any reviews about the game, you know all this. Let's get to my personal experiences from last night. (It's my blog, after all. Let the pros do the review work.)

Maxi's alternate costume looks like ass. His hair is white. His skin is orange. He's wearing a purple(ish) shirt/scarf thing. One arm is sleeveless, with what looks like a Henna tattoo on it. Blech. Every other costume I saw in the game outstrips this one by far. Even Astaroth's "Hammer Time" outfit, which consists of a hammer hat and huge nails sticking out of him.

Maxi's moves feel more useful this time around. He's pure short-range offense. Get in, beat ass, win. Repeat. Blocking is for pussies. He seems to have lost his "drumsticks" move, which my opponents will appreciate. His throws seem exactly the same as they were in SC II. Boo. He is, of course, combo-riffic. I will learn him. He will become an extension of my own soul. His unfortunate name will be no detriment to his "beating you in the head with sticks" style.

I found the difficulty level about medium, except for Astaroth. Astaroth beat the ever-loving funk outta me repeatedly. He's got all these instant knockdown moves that really counter Maxi's up-close style well. I eventually taught him respect, though... despite Maxi's store-bought tan.

I finished the boss in two or three tries. I actually won by Ring Out, which wasn't possible with SC II's boss and felt cheap and satisfying at the same time. He has some quick, annoying moves that surround him on all sides, but jumping in and out of range was effective. FINALLY, we get actual ending animations! They may be in-game graphics, as opposed to CG, but they're TONS better than the grayscale pictures and text we used to get.

There are several cutscenes throughout the mode I played. In these, a button might appear on the upper-right that you have to press to change the way the scene plays out. For example, hit Guard or get hit by a rolling clock gear and start the round with less health. The ending uses this too, presumable allowing for alternate endings. I especially like how the Museum mode in the game lets you view any of the cutscenes you've seen. There are blank slots for those I haven't seen, presumably because I didn't (or did) press the right button at the right time. There also appear to be 3 more CG movies I haven't found. Not sure how I unlock those, but I'm sure I'll get them eventually.

The opening movie is long but very nice. There's the requisite close view of Taki's Tatas, of course. Voldo makes an appearance - a change from last year. Several cool one-on-one fights. There's a big focus on Siegfreid and Ro... err... Nightmare. Newcomer Zasalamel (aka Gargamel) figures prominently as well.

One final note, regarding the strategy guide. It's well done, and seems comprehensive. I'd have liked a little more strategy discussion, but there seems plenty there to get me on the right track to playing each character well. Plus, Seong Mi-Na gets in on the underboob trend that is sweeping the nation. Can't say I disapprove.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
-- Mark Twain