SoulCalibur III

 PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: Namco
  • Release Date: Oct 25, 2005
SoulCalibur III Image
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 57 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 146 Ratings

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  • Summary: Soul Calibur III offers players unprecedented variety in gameplay modes and fighting styles. Gamers can guide the fate of their favorite character in the narrative Tales of Souls Mode, play head-to-head with a friend in Vs. Mode, create their own custom fighters in Character Creation Mode,Soul Calibur III offers players unprecedented variety in gameplay modes and fighting styles. Gamers can guide the fate of their favorite character in the narrative Tales of Souls Mode, play head-to-head with a friend in Vs. Mode, create their own custom fighters in Character Creation Mode, battle as their custom fighter in a real-time simulation in Chronicles of the Sword Mode, engage in unique and original battles in Soul Arena Mode and even recount the history of the franchise in Museum Mode. Also, the addition of three new characters to the existing family of classic warriors gives Soul Calibur III a collection of more than 25 playable characters, each with their own unique fighting style. New characters Zasalamel, Tira and Setsuka will engage in combat within all-new stages, further enhancing the game's unmatched epic scope and trademark weapons-based fighting engine. [Namco]… Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 57
  3. Negative: 0 out of 57
  1. Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
    100
    Namco went all-out and put forth a tremendous effort, showing onece again why the series continues to remain at the top of the genre. [Nov 2005, p.80]
  2. PSX Extreme
    93
    There's no denying that Soul Calibur III is the most refined, most feature-rich, and most artistically pleasing fighting game ever released for a home video game console.
  3. Computer Games Magazine
    90
    The last great fighting game of this generation. [Jan 2006, p.92]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. 1UP
    90
    Playing a new Soul Calibur is like embarking on a two year (or however long it takes Namco to release the next game) journey into personal mastery, constantly pushing yourself and your friends to become better players. That's the mark of a transcendent fighting game, and Soul Calibur III has the makings of a classic.
  5. netjak
    85
    And while I'm tempted to tell you that Link is unlockable deep within the game, he isn't. I know, you're sad, I'm sad, we're all sad. And sorry, still no nude codes for Ivy or the rest of the female cast. Freakin' perverts; go back to the Gamefaqs boards. Tira's practically a nude code herself, anyway.
    All this publication's reviews
  6. G4 TV
    80
    We can gripe about colors and crummy modes till the ninjas come home, but the simple fact is that Soul Calibur III is still a top-tier fighting game.
  7. RewiredMind
    60
    It really does little better than Tekken or DOA. Possibly time would have been better-spent working on a PS3 title rather than releasing this. It’s time for the genre as a whole to move forward.

See all 57 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 46
  3. Negative: 2 out of 46
  1. vahn
    May 15, 2012
    10
    The best of the series so far: has great single player contents, massive longevity even without versus mode, and it adds at last the characterThe best of the series so far: has great single player contents, massive longevity even without versus mode, and it adds at last the character creator, one of the best I've ever seen in a fighting game. It's hard in here to find flaws though and, in general, the main flaw is probably the absense of online feature, and to "compensate that loss" they made a lot of content for the single player instead. And we can only thank for that. Other flaws maybe are, actually, the chronicles of the sword campaign: it's not a bad addition but it feels like a rushed strategy mode, and so it can be a bit disappointing. The plot in the campaign also isn't anything special but it's decent and, again, it's more content for the single player and a good practice for you (some bosses takes a lot of time, as they are harsh to beat). There is also a GREAT arcade mode, where you also have paths to choose! Yes the ending often is the same, but the ways to go are many and it can always be different if you really want to. The creator also is vast and offers many combinations, and on top of that you can use both the official styles of the main characters AND original styles made for them specifically. They aren't as strong as the standard ones, but it gives variety and everything can be unlocked by buying them with (In-game) gold and playing the campaign mode (a good time where dlc weren't dominating us....). That's it, nothing else to say: this game alone is gonna last a lot of time and, unless you prefer or only like Tekken (like my pals back then), there's almost no reason to skip this game. Except if you don't like fighting games with weapons.… Expand
  2. evolution98
    Jan 17, 2018
    10
    The BEST Soulcalibur out of all the series. It's sad that we will never get a remaster of this game. It has to be done.

    It's a perfect    The BEST Soulcalibur out of all the series. It's sad that we will never get a remaster of this game. It has to be done.

    It's a perfect game. Everything that the original and the sequel gave us was fantastic but Namco and Project Soul were able to make it the magnum opus of the franchise until they made 4 and 5.

    The graphics were so realistic and sublime. The stages, motion capture demonstrations and fighters looked so amazing. The soundtrack is THE best out of all of the series. I love the soundtrack of the second game but this one was perfect. Forgotten Sanctuary, Courage Ablaze, Time Marches On and Catastrophe are so brilliant I still listen to the soundtrack to this day. The sound is outstanding and the voice acting was so awesome to hear. The gameplay is perfect. So many new modes added to the game gave it a LOT of longevity. The addition of classic characters such as Li Long, Hwang, Arthur and Rock was a brilliant idea. I never really got into the Chronicles of the Sword Mode or the Story Mode but wow the game sucked me in so well. The customization mode was amazing and still holds up.

    It's a childhood classic. It has to be remastered.    … Expand
  4. Julian
    Oct 29, 2005
    10
    Soul Calibur 3 is what Soul Calibur 2 should have been. SC3 is a complete version. Sure, there are some few things that went wrong (like the Soul Calibur 3 is what Soul Calibur 2 should have been. SC3 is a complete version. Sure, there are some few things that went wrong (like the AI gone poweful) but if you are a true SC fan, you could beat them without any proplems. With many modes to play with and all the characters in the previous titles returned, how can you not like this game? This game is for everyone, especially for single player.… Expand
  5. Leontorres7
    Nov 15, 2018
    9
    This is really a great game, there is so much to love about it, must play for sure!
  6. AnthonyV.
    Nov 2, 2005
    9
    The only reason this game didn't get a 10 is because Chronicles of the Sword has "afterthought" written all over it. Creating your own The only reason this game didn't get a 10 is because Chronicles of the Sword has "afterthought" written all over it. Creating your own character is a neat addition but essentially you're creating a disguise for one of the 42 other characters in the game. As for the positives, the game looks fantastic (minor slowdown here and there but it doesn't hurt the game), there's 42 freakin' characters, the pace is faster, there are about 30 different backgrounds, similar characters such as Lizardman and Cassandra are now more unique, and they got rid of Necrid. This is what the PS2 version of SoulCalibur II should have been. The mere fact that the playable roster is practically doubled is more than enough reason to warrant the purchase of this game.… Expand
  7. PatW.
    Feb 20, 2007
    8
    I enjoyed this game a lot, I play this all the time even after I got all the characters. A minor wish is that Nightmare and Sigfried were I enjoyed this game a lot, I play this all the time even after I got all the characters. A minor wish is that Nightmare and Sigfried were different handed. Holla… Expand
  8. Th3UniQu3
    Dec 4, 2016
    0
    Ridiculous AI and terrible balance ruins this game down to the core. There is no redeeming this piece of trash with it's stupid psychic AIRidiculous AI and terrible balance ruins this game down to the core. There is no redeeming this piece of trash with it's stupid psychic AI that will never fail to block EVERY SINGLE **** ATTACK you throw at it. 100%. It is programmed to **** you up.… Expand

See all 46 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best PS2 Game of 2005
15
#15 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2005
39
#39 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2005