Soul Calibur 3

Fighting game from Namco. Played on PS2.
Should be more aptly named Soul Tekkenbur 3. yes, this one feels like a combination of Tekken and Soul Calibur; which is in ways good and bad. the bad is that countering and side stepping feels less fluid now, which could to be fair be due to the ps2 controls (I played sc2 on gamecube). On the other hand, there are more counter moves, more emphasis on comboing, and more (HUGELY satisfying) attacks that link into throws, for example Nightmare's gigantic lifting stab, or his punch that links into a choke hold followed by a beat down with his sword. The word 'sweet' comes to mind. Therefore, the fighting system is still fantastic.
As with all fighter sequels, there are more characters available to play as than in its predecessor, and scythe-wielding Zasalamel in particular is great to use. However the biggest addition to the character select is the option to create your own custom character, for whom there are several classes to choose from for your fighting style.
The lasting appeal of collecting weapons is still there; however now there are also collectable items of clothing, thankfully much more affordable than in Tekken 5, which allow you to make your own custom character look as perfect as possible. And while the time consuming weapon master mode is gone, now there is the equally time consuming Chronicles of the sword mode where you guide custom-made characters through strategy game-type maps to take strongholds; these characters also level up, so powering them up adds lasting value too. However, like weapon master, this mode can become tedious.
A final interesting addition is the story mode, 'Tales of Souls'. Each character has a different storyline and path through the narrative to take on this series of fights, but this is made more interesting by the inclusion of choices to certain destinations. Additional choices of whether to accept one chance-only fights, and Quick Time Events in the cut scenes make this a far more interactive affair than most story modes, and taking a specific path in each storyline can even change the final boss of the game. However, working out this path for every character is a tedious affair, and clues should have been included for this in my opinion. However, this is still a smart idea for a mode, and the inclusion of two endings for every character (decided by a final QTE) is most welcome.
In summary: just as good as Soul Calibur 2. Therefore, 9/10.