Soul Calibur 3

It seems Namco can turn your PlayStation 2 into a PlayStation 3...

The original Soul Calibur on Dreamcast is one of the finest beat'em ups ever released. It still looks gorgeous even today, showing what a good machine the Dreamcast really was. Last year saw a second outing for the franchise on PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube, but it didn't quite cut the mustard. Sure it was pretty, you expect that from Namco, however the gameplay hadn't really advanced sufficiently since the first game and it wasn't as strong a game as many were expecting.

So here we are then with the third game in the series and this time it's only appearing on PlayStation 2. You may say that's a real shame from the graphical point of view, the Xbox being the much more powerful console. Yet Namco has squeezed so much graphical beauty out of the PlayStation 2 with Soul Calibur 3, you'll believe you're playing the game on a next-generation console.

The standard gameplay remains. There are buttons for horizontal and vertical attack, a button for block and one for kick. Many of the basic moves are similar from character to character allowing you to get to grips with the game quite quickly. However mastering each character takes time - even if you're familiar with them from the last game in the series. As you'd expect there are three completely new characters added to the mix to bring together a total of nearly 30 characters, some of which you'll have to unlock.

There's nothing amazingly new about the way the combat unfolds, but considering how finely balanced the gameplay has been in Soul Calibur from the get go, one can hardly complain. If it aint broke, don't fix it. It's still a joy to complete a well-timed block, and be met with ringing weapon sounds as they clash. Even if you've played Soul Calibur 1 and 2 to death, you'll find plenty of new moves on offer in this new game.

Yet there are enough changes to make this a worthwhile update. In the pat many of the characters have had other characters as near copies of them. This time around, thanks to new moves each character feels different enough to avoid that copy-cat feeling when playing as some of them. More focus has been put on the use of various fighting stances for the characters, lending a more authentic and visually exciting look to the battles, and of course adding gameplay depth.

Fans of the series' bigger stronger fighters might like the new character Zasalamel. This muscle-bound brute carries a scythe as his main weapon and although slower than some other characters, his longer reach gives him an advantage. Setsuka is an attractive Geisha lady with a parasol that conceals a deadly blade. She's a pretty fast character too, and may be the choice for users of the Taki character searching for a new challenge. Finally Tira is another female fighter that carries a strange bladed hoop as her main weapon.

You'll find a surprise when it comes to game modes because there's no arcade mode this time around. That's because there isn't actually an arcade version of this game, it's a PlayStation 2 exclusive. However the Tale of Souls mode is the arcade/story mode in all but name. Here you fight a succession of enemies until you meet and defeat the final boss. Some text based story and a choice of progressions mix things up a little, but it's pretty much your usual Namco arcade mode.

Chronicles of the Sword mode doesn't quite work as well. It tries to combine strategy with combat and it doesn't quite work. It's more a fault of poor execution than the idea being totally out to lunch. There are more modes, including the Soul Arena and the Practice Mode, so as you'd expect from Namco there's plenty to see and do. As you progress you'll unlock more characters, weapons and other features which you can look at in the game's museum. The game is at its best when you're playing against friends, adding some smack talk to the on screen action. You can also design your own fighter from several templates. It's not particularly detailed but with some care you can create something almost as good as the game's original fighters. It's fairly limited though and a more thorough version would be welcome in Soul Calibur 4.