Alright, I wanted to make this guide for a few reasons. As you may know, Soul Calibur 3 is a very troublesome game to run in PCSX2 - it's not only demanding but requires quite a few fixes - however, with these tweaks it runs absolutely beautifully. I searched this sub and didn't find any threads about this beloved game of mine so I figured I'd post the steps I took to get it running smoothly. With these tweaks, you'll be playing SC3 at 6x resolution/1440p with minimal slowdown.
June 2016 Update: PCSX2 released an updated stable build, so using a dev build is no longer needed (just remember to enable 'align sprite') however, I still encourage you to use one since you'll usually get the best performance. Also, I created a new screenshot album, it's crazy how impressive the game looks to this day, especially in shots like this.
Firstly, make sure you have the NTSC/USA iso of SC3, this will definitely help if you're looking to use a pnach (cheat code file) to unlock all characters automatically - I'll explain more about that later.
To max out the graphics quality, go to Config > Video > Plugin Settings and adjust the settings to resemble this picture. 'Align Sprite' fixes uprendering issues, 'Wildarmsoffset' fixes ghosting, 80% saturation boost fixes mild colors. I set it to 4x in the image, but adjust the rendering resolution according to your rig (I personally use 6x.) You can also download MMJ's Cel Shader here and enjoy a nice change in texture style, comparison shot here.
Open Audio > Plugin Settings and make sure the module is set to XAudio (the dev build sets it to Portaudio for some reason, which doesn't work well with SC3.)
Now, to unlock all characters automatically. Download the pnach file here (it's essentially a text file that works to modify the game in various ways.) Be sure they're named to just their CRC code (meaning '027C604C.pnach.') If you want to adjust any cheats, simply remove // prior to the cheat to enable it, where as alternatively, placing // disables it. Lastly, simply paste the pnach files in the cheat folder for pcsx2, and click 'enable cheats' under the system drop-down menu. So be absolutely sure you remove the '//' beside both lines of code for the 'unlock all characters' text. Note that the download should already removes the lines by default, I only added the instructions on the off chance someone downloads from a different source.
Finally, to reap the rewards. Load the iso (use the fast mode to skip the ps2 intro screen) while holding Triangle and Cross at the same time to enable Progressive Scan (you'll be prompted for it, just hit continue - it raises the resolution from 240p to 567p, which makes a massive improvement especially when using 6x upscaling) and then after the title screen enable 16:9 ratio mode in the settings menu. Then adjust any settings you want - I personally like to enable neutral guard and vibration - then load up the versus menu and create a save state. This will let you jump directly to the versus menu, completely skipping the intro logos, which is awesome if you have a friend over and want to play some sweet Soul Calibur local multiplayer.
Enjoy! Here's an album of screenshots I took, the rendering resolution 6x native downscaled to my 1080p monitor. Someone also uploaded some 2x res footage of the game in action, skip to 9:40 for a bit of Kilik combat. Some of the environments look really gorgeous. Anyway, let me know if you need any help or find any improvements! Despite being a decade old, the game is still exceptional in both visuals and combat. The announcer wasn't kidding when he said 'the legend never dies.'
'Soul Calibur III: Arcade Edition is a re-tuned, re-vamped, and, most importantly, fixed version of Soul Calibur III. You might have noticed that OOFMATIC had made this port before but the torrent is no longer available. Look for Soul Calibur III and download the CHD file (not the other romset).
ISOs » Sony Playstation 2 » S » Soulcalibur III (USA)
Sabathia rates this game: 5/5Soul Calibur 3 is a mixture between a full 3-D arena and 2-D sidescroll fighter. You can move left and right as typical of most 2-D as well as 'side-step' to go closer or further from the camera in a circle more or less. The game is fast paced and fans of the series will feel right at home immediately. What sets 3 apart from the others is the story mode it has, which allows you to create a new character and lead them through a rather long campaign that offers an interesting change from the normal repeatitiveness that is the fighting game genre. You can also use an indepth creation system to make characters outside of that mode, giving them your favorite character's style, or one of seven or eight custom 'generic' ones. I own all 4 of the games, this one kept my attention the longest of them all and Soul Calibur series remains my favorite in the genre.
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