SoulCalibur III (PS2)

Gameplay/Movesets:
I guess I was a little annoyed my favorite character Ivy had lost some of her best moves, but most of them have been improved. The Alexandra sisters are still a little similar but on the whole, the rest of them are very varied and fun to use. Not too difficult to master either if you put your mind to it. Still, not as difficult as Tekken, and more asthetically pleasing. The different weapons each character has really allows for greater diversity than in most games. The fact even the custom characters you create have their own movesets as well makes it even more fun and long lasting.

Length:
Well, compared to most fighting games, this is packed. I guess its the Chronicles of the Sword that does it. It's basically got so much stuff in it, it's got the life of some RPG's, possibly longer. I play it every spare moment and I've had it for a month, still not unlocked everything. It's the kind of game its hard to stop playing, and one you will probably be playing for years. The varying story paths for each of the characters also keeps you going and going. Serious value for money!

Graphics/Music:
The graphics are so amazingly detailed and stunning. Playing other games straight after it will really let you apprieciate SCIII's quality. The stages you fight in are all very detailed, with smashing floors and walls, mice, fire and falling pictures. Really is beautiful, the characters look pretty danm good too. Much of the music is very well suited to each area and character, it just adds to the overall feel.

Characters/Stories:
Personally, I adore the stories and personalities of all the characters in this game. Some seem a little pointless, like Cassandra who is basically a helpless sister of one of the other characters. However, she is still very enjoyable to use. The alternative story endings you can get for your characters adds a dimension other games don't have. A great deal of choice and another level of information and interest for the player. The characters do vary quite a bit, ages and nationalities, even species (well there are monsters too...) All makes for an entertaining game!

Modes:
The soul arena, with the varying tasks is fun, but there really isn't enough. It was far more fun before. HOWEVER - Chronicles of the sword kind of takes over from weapon master mode from SCII. This is the mode where you create your own characters and direct them through another seperate story from the main game. It's strategy crossed with fighting, I really enjoyed this mode more than I expected. It's really more about the battles than the strategy, which made it much less daunting. Creating the characters too is almost entertaining enough to buy the game. I know that seems a bit ott but they are SO customisable you can be tweaking your characters for ages! Then Tales of Souls. The basic story modes. With the interactive cut scenes and varying endings. It's probably my favorite game because of this alone, it really is diverse and fun to play again and again.

These are just the main features. The amount of unlockable things and purchasable things is huge. It's really entertaining for a genre thats usually considered quite 2d, this is in the next dimension entirely.

Really worth the money and outdoing all the competition a million to one. Truely a brilliant game.

The game follows the two swords again, and the various warriors stories either meaning they destroy them, or end up being decieved by their powers. The swords are Soul Edge, (evil) and Soul Calibre (anti-evil.) In terms of story, it's different for every character, so i won't say any more.

Graphically, this is the most impressive game ever! Every action, and every move of the weapon looks incredible. Charcters are all original, and are all incredibly detailed. The backgrounds are almost fully interactive (yet there is still little damage to the environment) and the gaming intro is yet another masterpiece.

However, its the gameplay that sets this game apart. There are numerous modes including the "tale of Swords" mode, which follows one of 30 characters quests to either obtain or destroy the swords, each having a unique ending. This sees the return of many veteran fighters including Sophitia, Voldo, Cervantes, Raphael, and a couple of new characters, including, Setsuka. Each character has a different weapon, different moves, throws, and combo's meaning each character has a totally different feel to them. This makes the game a joy and you'll soon find yourself associating with a favourite character (mine is Kilik.) Not only this, but there are other modes.
There is mini-game mode which has games such as Colossos where you have to be a giant, money game where you collect coins for hitting an enemy, all new to Soul Calibur. Add to this the Time attack mode, survival mode, and the two player Vs mode and you've got a great game in the making.

A fantastic new addition is the inclusion of character creation. Once you've chosen gender, and job (monk, barbarian, theif etc-this determines the weapon they'll use) you can fully create and customize any character you desire. There are hundreds of different items unlockable in the various games modes and to buy in the shop with the money that you earn. The statergy game they've included sees you using a made character on a quest from a novice to the head of the army. Whilst this is good, is quite slow compared to other game modes.

Add to this the hundreds of weapons to unlock, art work, scenes, and items to customize your characters and the game has at least 60 hours of solid gameplay ready for your poor fingers.

If you like your beat em ups, then get this game.