Frank-ProvoSoul Calibur III for the PlayStation 2 (exclusive!) is here at E3.
And it's still the same Soul Calibur as before… pretty much… yep.
The demo here only has two playable characters–Mitsurugi and Tira, the new hoop-wielding hottie.
The controls and gameplay are classic Soul Calibur. The analog stick moves the characters around. Meanwhile, light and strong
attacks can be performed with the square and triangle buttons, the X button initiates a guard pose, and you can tap circle to
kick. Pressing guard+attack initiates a grab/throw move. We played a few matches against the CPU and the game was lightning
fast and pretty just like the last one was. Tira is a fun character to play, since her hoop wielding is very acrobatic… not
to mention the crotch-panty camera viewpoint that sometimes appeared.
Visually, this new game is just as impressive as Soul Calibur II was. There is a little more detail evident in the
backgrounds, the eyes and mouths on the characters look more crisp, and the characters' clothes look a little more
realistic–but there aren't any major graphical improvements going on.
So what's new? Well, four new playable characters for starters. In total, the final version of SC3 will sport 18 playable
characters. Also, they've included a new RPG style mode, called Tales of Souls, which is a vastly expanded version of the
mission-based modes in previous Soul Calibur games. You'll also be able to outfit and customize your own character in this
mode.
So… yep… Soul Calibur III. Fall 2005.