<s>
is	O
a	O
fighting	O
video	O
game	O
produced	O
by	O
Namco	O
as	O
a	O
sequel	B-Language
to	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
II	I-Application
and	O
the	O
fourth	O
installment	O
in	O
the	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
originally	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
improved	O
arcade	O
version	O
,	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	O
Arcade	O
Edition	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
last	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
game	O
to	O
receive	O
an	O
arcade	O
version	O
,	O
as	O
IV	O
onwards	O
did	O
not	O
have	O
an	O
arcade	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
last	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
by	O
Namco	O
as	O
an	O
independent	O
company	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
would	O
merge	O
with	O
Bandai	O
's	O
video	O
game	O
division	O
to	O
form	O
Bandai	O
Namco	O
Entertainment	O
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
second	O
in	O
the	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
series’	O
1590	O
A.D.	O
trilogy	O
games	O
,	O
between	O
II	O
and	O
IV	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
includes	O
new	O
modes	O
such	O
as	O
Tales	O
of	O
Souls	O
,	O
an	O
interactive	O
story-driven	O
mode	O
comparable	O
to	O
Edge	O
Master	O
Mode	O
from	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
;	O
Character	O
Creation	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
can	O
create	O
custom	O
characters	O
from	O
13	O
total	O
occupations	O
,	O
with	O
multiple	O
weapons	O
and	O
fighting	O
styles	O
;	O
and	O
Chronicles	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
,	O
a	O
real-time-play	O
mode	O
that	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
take	O
their	O
created	O
souls	O
through	O
adventures	O
of	O
their	O
own	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
Mortal	B-Application
Kombat	I-Application
,	O
Dead	B-Application
or	I-Application
Alive	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
series	O
all	O
supported	O
online	O
play	O
,	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
III	I-Application
does	O
not	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chronicles	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
is	O
a	O
single	O
player	O
mode	O
gametype	O
that	O
combines	O
Real	O
Time	O
Strategy	O
(	O
RTS	O
)	O
gameplay	O
with	O
the	O
standard	O
Soul	B-Application
Calibur	I-Application
fights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
may	O
allow	O
his	O
troops/commander	O
to	O
fight	O
on	O
the	O
RTS	O
board	O
,	O
or	O
choose	O
to	O
do	O
a	O
traditional	O
Soul	B-Application
Calibur	I-Application
battle	O
with	O
various	O
characters	O
for	O
each	O
side	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
can	O
lose	O
property	O
if	O
they	O
lose	O
on	O
the	O
RTS	O
board	O
;	O
a	O
risk	O
not	O
present	O
when	O
fighting	O
in	O
the	O
traditional	O
Soul	B-Application
Calibur	I-Application
style	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chronicles	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
and	O
the	O
other	O
modes	O
are	O
tied	O
together	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nearly	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
warriors	O
previously	O
featured	O
in	O
Soul	O
series	O
titles	O
return	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
Inferno	O
,	O
Necrid	O
,	O
Seong	O
Han-myeong	O
,	O
Edge	O
Master	O
and	O
the	O
console-exclusive	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
II	I-Application
special	O
guests	O
(	O
Heihachi	O
,	O
Link	O
,	O
and	O
Spawn	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soulcalibur	B-Application
IIs	I-Application
mimic	O
character	O
Charade	O
does	O
return	O
in	O
a	O
non-playable	O
form	O
,	O
as	O
do	O
the	O
generic	O
Lizardmen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlockable	O
characters	O
include	O
personnel	O
in	O
the	O
Chronicles	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
,	O
opponents	O
from	O
the	O
Tales	O
of	O
Souls	O
mode	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
weapon	O
,	O
armor	O
,	O
and	O
item	O
shop	O
owners	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
Character	O
Creation	O
mode	O
,	O
players	O
can	O
re-create	O
KOS-MOS	O
from	O
the	O
Xenosaga	O
series	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Taira	O
No	O
Kagekiyo	O
from	O
Genpei	B-Application
Tōma	I-Application
Den	I-Application
and	O
Gilgamesh	O
from	O
The	B-Application
Tower	I-Application
of	I-Application
Druaga	I-Application
and	O
even	O
Valkyrie	O
from	O
Valkyrie	B-Application
no	I-Application
Densetsu	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
game	O
takes	O
place	O
shortly	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
in	O
1590	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
wicked	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
survived	O
its	O
fated	O
encounter	O
with	O
the	O
wielder	O
of	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
,	O
Xianghua	O
,	O
and	O
restored	O
its	O
control	O
over	O
the	O
body	O
of	O
Siegfried	O
Schtauffen	O
,	O
turning	O
him	O
back	O
into	O
the	O
Azure	O
Knight	O
Nightmare	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Four	O
years	O
later	O
,	O
Nightmare	O
was	O
about	O
to	O
restore	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
,	O
when	O
suddenly	O
a	O
man	O
named	O
Raphael	O
appeared	O
,	O
intending	O
on	O
taking	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
the	O
distraction	O
,	O
Raphael	O
pierced	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
's	O
eye	O
,	O
giving	O
Siegfried	O
the	O
edge	O
he	O
needed	O
to	O
break	O
free	O
from	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
's	O
control	O
once	O
again	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
waking	O
up	O
,	O
Siegfried	O
found	O
the	O
holy	O
sword	O
,	O
free	O
from	O
its	O
entrapment	O
within	O
the	O
wicked	O
sword	O
,	O
and	O
out	O
of	O
instinct	O
used	O
it	O
to	O
pierce	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Siegfried	O
took	O
both	O
weapons	O
and	O
started	O
a	O
quest	O
to	O
find	O
a	O
definitive	O
way	O
of	O
sealing	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
,	O
but	O
memories	O
of	O
his	O
slaughters	O
,	O
plus	O
the	O
attacks	O
of	O
those	O
resentful	O
of	O
the	O
Azure	O
Knight	O
,	O
drove	O
his	O
mind	O
towards	O
insanity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unbeknownst	O
to	O
him	O
,	O
the	O
evil	O
soul	O
of	O
the	O
blade	O
escaped	O
and	O
obtained	O
a	O
temporary	O
shell	O
,	O
starting	O
a	O
new	O
killing	O
spree	O
to	O
strengthen	O
himself	O
while	O
seeking	O
its	O
body	O
,	O
Soul	B-Application
Edge	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
soundtrack	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
III	I-Application
Original	O
Soundtrack	O
-	O
Legend	O
of	O
Sounds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
guide	O
books	O
were	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
November	O
–	O
December	O
2005	O
:	O
Famitsu'''s	O
Soul	B-Application
Calibur	I-Application
III	I-Application
Starting	O
Guide	O
Book	O
and	O
Namco	O
's	O
own	O
Soul	B-Application
Calibur	I-Application
III	I-Application
Official	O
Complete	O
Guide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soulcalibur	B-Application
III	I-Application
:	O
Arcade	O
EditionSoulcalibur	O
III	O
:	O
Arcade	O
Edition	O
is	O
a	O
re-tuned	O
and	O
glitch-fixed	O
version	O
of	O
Soulcalibur	B-Application
III	I-Application
that	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
arcades	O
on	O
April	O
3	O
,	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
has	O
three	O
different	O
modes	O
:	O
Training	O
Mode	O
,	O
where	O
one	O
can	O
try	O
the	O
characters	O
 '	O
moves	O
for	O
a	O
set	O
time	O
;	O
Standard	O
Mode	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
traditional	O
arcade	O
mode	O
with	O
nine	O
battles	O
in	O
a	O
row	O
,	O
without	O
cut	O
scenes	O
or	O
endings	O
;	O
and	O
Legends	O
Mode	O
,	O
a	O
complex	O
eight-round	O
mode	O
based	O
upon	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
and	O
competition	O
between	O
customized	O
characters	O
with	O
accumulated	O
skills	O
taken	O
from	O
the	O
home	O
version	O
's	O
Chronicles	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
mode	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
increased	O
stamina	O
or	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
automatically	O
escape	O
grapples	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
official	O
founding	O
franchises	O
of	O
the	O
card	O
game	O
,	O
next	O
to	O
Street	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
,	O
when	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
April	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
