Sangoku is another weapon based 3D fighter, based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms games by Koei. This game has a lot more strategy then most 3D weapon games, such as Soul Edge. It has two guard buttons, which are used to counter incoming attacks, however you can't hold them down (the normal blocking is done by holding back on the controller, ala Tekken 2). Mastering these blocks will take quite some time, and you won't master the game completely until you get the blocking down pat. There are various button tap combos, however the game doesn't rely on those as the soul method of attack. There are various special moves done by control movements (fireball motions, etc) that result in a good amount of pain being dished out. The game seems to play like a mix between Tekken 2 and Soul Edge...it's not quite as fast and mindless as Soul Edge, but more crazy than Tekken 2 as far as attacking speed and such.

The graphics are very similar to Tekken 2, although a bit more detailed. The characters have that polygon look to them, and the backgrounds are flat 2D with the ground and such rotating as you play, just like in Tekken. Every character has a rendered ending like Tekken, and some of the endings are really cool (and really crazy...one guy pulls out his own eye with a spear and eats it!).

The game offers many modes of play as well. standard 1 player and 2 player vs. modes, a endurance mode, a tournament mode, and a team mode. Plenty of modes mean good replay value, and each character is completely different, no "doubles" like in Tekken. All in all I'd say this is one of the best 3D games you can get, on psx or otherwise. However, there is nothing really spectacular to make this game shine above the likes of Tekken 2 and others, so chances are it won't become the next "big thing" as far as 3D fighters go.