Dream Games: Soul Calibur III
Dream Games is a new weekly column where we explore a game we'd love to see on the PSP. Feel free to check in, and comment, every week.
Soul Calibur III
The Soul Calibur franchise is considered one of the best fighting series ever. With a large roster of characters, some genuinely interesting weapons and moves, and a great gameplay system, Soul Calibur has it all. After making a brief multiplatform appearance in Soul Calibur II, the third Soul Calibur went exclusively to Sony's PlayStation 2.
Why PSP?
Namco squeezed all of Tekken 5, and then some, into the tiny PSP. The impressive graphics and enhanced functionality of Dark Resurrection proves that Namco is quite capable of delivering a truly full-fledged fighting game on Sony's portable. The single-player features of Soul Calibur III were mostly bashed by critics, but they might just work on the PSP: the short missions the player must complete are ideal for gaming on the go. Also, the character customization feature doesn't have to go to waste on the PSP; the use of ad-hoc or Infrastructure features can make creating characters worthwhile. While true Infrastructure multiplayer may be too much to ask for, sharing ghost data a la Dark Resurrection may prove to be quite the hit. Imagine: data exchanges that allow you to play against a friend's unique character. Undoubtedly, Soul Calibur III on PSP can become the definitive portable fighting game of all time.
Is it possible?
Tekken 5 has sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide on the PSP. While not an overwhelming success, that's still an impressive figure (for a port!). Once the game enters Greatest Hits status, it will undoubtedly sell a lot more. There's a demand for good fighters on Sony's portable, and I doubt Namco will want to miss out on such a great opportunity. I hope you're reading this, Namco.
