October 25^th, 2005 (10:41am) - Namco announced today that Soulcalibur III has shipped to retail outlets throughout North America. The latest installment of the most celebrated weapon-based fighting series of all time, Soulcalibur III continues the tale of souls and swords with three new characters, an incredibly robust character creation system and an unprecedented variety of brand-new gameplay modes. Exclusively for the PlayStation 2, Soulcalibur III is rated T for Teen and carries a suggested retail price of $49.99.

"With three all-new characters, unique gameplay modes and an updated fighting engine, Soulcalibur III delivers on the expectations of being one of the most respected and distinguished fighting games of all time," said Yoshi Niki, business unit director at Namco Hometek Inc. "In this installment, players can create personalized characters with unique fighting styles and personalities to truly immerse themselves in the Soulcalibur universe."

Soulcalibur III introduces new characters Tira, Zasalamel and Setsuka to a roster of more than 25 returning fighters as they struggle for possession of the legendary swords, Soul Calibur and Soul Edge. The game marks the debut of an unprecedented amount of new gameplay modes, adding to replay value and providing more content than ever for fans to unlock and enjoy. In addition to the existing roster of characters, players can construct their own warriors in the game’s Character Creation mode, selecting from a wide variety of clothing and accessories, fighting styles and weapons to create a truly unique and impressive addition to the lore of the Soulcalibur series. The original characters can be played in the various VS modes of the game. In addition, characters can be created for use in the Chronicles of the Sword mode, an original mode that expands upon the series’ traditional gameplay with real-time strategy elements. Players can also fight to fulfill a series of special objectives such as taking down a massive living statue or collecting coins from opponents in Soul Arena mode, learn all of the game’s new moves and combos in Practice mode, and view unlocked game content in Museum mode.