14 DAY TRIAL // Finally they came up with an EXACT release date for the most debated sequel of the Soul Calibur series. Now, it's up to the Namco staff to keep their promises, and fill out the stores worldwide with this game. Famitsu Magazine announced November 24 as the apparition date for Soul Calibur III in Japan, and October 25 for USA. They also promised that a few old characters will return and will be ready to "rock the house". Fortunately, Famitsu has already disclosed the names of the characters: Maxi, Seong Mi-na, Xianghua and Yun-Sung.
For the first time in the Soul Calibur series, the third apparition features a battle arena mode. This is very useful, and can be used by players to practice skills, and challenge fights under special set-up conditions.
Another mode in the game is the Coin Collector, where players are challenged to rush through the levels and collect as many coins as possible. Coins are discovered by attacking enemy forces. Depending on how powerful was the hit received, the enemy will drop down an amount of currency the player will try to collect, avoiding enemy attack.
The second mode is called the Statue Dances. While playing it, the gamer fights against a stone statue, that is eight times higher than his character. This obviously is a combat speed versus strength as the player needs to avoid the statue's POWERFUL attacks by avoiding them FAST.
Soul Squash is one mode that defies most laws of physics. While taking a hit, one character will move further than it should. You might ask why? Well, the answer is very simple. To make things a little harder. Therefore, the only way you can damage a character is to attack him, and rush him into a wall. Seems hard, doesn't it?
In the end, the last mode they mentioned is called the Wisp Shot. This is a very tactical mode, as the only way to cause damage is to deal soul-charge hits. This type of attack is based on a "all-or-nothing" principle and they take time to charge up, so you will need to think twice before acting.
Now that we saw all this, $49.99 for the retail version of the game seems insignificant, if you're thinking at the advantages and the quality of the game you will receive.