Still the Same Great Game You've Known (and Loved)
Hardcore fans of the series will notice enough changes and tweaks to the gameplay since the last Soul Calibur II. But even so, the engine hasn't been changed that much since the last game. Newcomers should get used to the game pretty quickly too. The basic mechanics are smooth and seamless and not hard to pick up, and getting into the flow of the game isn't a problem. It'll probably take you about an hour to get the fundamentals (8-way walk, basic attacks, guarding), and a little bit more time to learn your chosen character. To REALLY master the game, of course, takes time, but unlike Tekken it's not as tough of a game to get into.
Story mode is as always marked by the somewhat-cheesy dialogue from very cool characters. Soul Calibur series in my opinion has always have a somewhat better storyline than most (some of the things in Tekken or DOA, for instance, are just ridiculous). That said, with the game being advertised as being driven by single player experience, I really wish they'd spend more time on the story.
Oh, I KNOW IT'S A FIGHTING GAME, and fighting games don't need good storylines to succeed (again, see Tekken). But really, as I said before, the best part of Soul Calibur III as a SINGLE PLAYER experience is playing through the stories of the ultra-cool characters. And here's where I knock a point off: Chronicles of the Sword is the same as Soul Calibur II's "Weapon Master" mode, which is to say it's uninspiring and even annoying. Also, the character creation system is really not as big as the game creators touted it to be. It's fun to try to make your very own fighter, but after a while I find myself drawn right back to my Cervantes or my Ivy. The player-created characters just don't have the personalities and charm to compete.
The best part about this game is, of course, the chance to test your skills against your buddies. Versus mode is just as much fun as it's ever been, and that's a big part of the game. Online play may seem like a neat feature to have, but in my opinion it's really not all that necessary. Given the fact that the mode isn't even prevalent right now in fighting game genres, it's not fair to hold the lack of an online play against SCIII. Theoretically, it's nice to play against other people online, but remember that online play hasn't really been perfected yet. It's just not practical at this point. You're talking about a game (and in fact a whole GENRE of games) that depends on having frame-precise inputing of commands and lag from online play will ruin that. So don't trust Gamespot or whoever when they complain about no online play. It's just not that big of a deal.
Sounds and graphics are the same as ever. The game is pretty, as always, and the music (although not awe-inspiring) is good at setting the mood for the game.
All in all, for Namco to "play it safe" isn't a bad thing. Soul Calibur III is not as polished as I'd hoped it would be, but as I said it's still a solid, fun game on its own and worth the money. The core gameplay is still there and still excellent. Newcomers to the series will find the system smooth and easy to get into to, yet challenging to really master. And old timers will find something new that they love. It's not a showcase item the way the original Soul Calibur is (which is a masterpiece by the standards of its time), but it's a game that 95% of the time you won't regret owning whether you're new to the game or not. So at the very least, it deserves the same score as Soul Calibur II.