SoulCalibur II

"One of the best 3D fighters just got better."

Even the most casual gamers or non-gamers in general have at one point in their lives probably had the opportunity to enjoy the experience of playing a fighting game. A very popular genre in arcades, fighting games have evolved over the years into a generally much more in-depth gameplay experience. The biggest jump in the genre was the transition to 3D, which allowed fighting in all directions. Fighting fans were somewhat reluctant at first to try this new idea, and many of the early 3d fighters were not constructed very well. A few gems shined and made names for themselves though, such as the acclaimed Tekken and Virtua Fighter series.

It was then 1998 now, and a big name in the video game industry, Namco, released the sequel to their mildly-popular 3D fighter, Soul Edge. It was entitled Soul Calibur. Soul Calibur had brought more than everyone had expected, and it immediately became a huge success. A year later, the almost flawless game was ported to the Dreamcast with better graphics and more features. Soul Calibur was perhaps the most revolutionary 3D fighter ever to come out.

We now fast-forward to today, where just recently Namco has released Soul Calibur 2 for the 3 next-gen consoles in Japan. I myself was so excited that I made this my first import game, and I briefly say, I am not disappointed at all.

Gameplay: 10/10

The flawless fighting system that made SC such a great game is still intact for the most part. The main difference is the change in the Guard Impact system. In SC1 you could choose to parry of repel against an oncoming attack, whereas now repel only guards against high and mid attacks, and parry only guards against low attacks. Die hard SC fans may not like adapting to this change, but in the end it still feels and plays much like SC1, in fact it adds a little more depth the combat as well.

There are 20 selectable characters in the console version, although Charade is a random fighter much like the Edgemaster was, so he doesn't really count. 15 of the characters are available from the start, and the others must be unlocked. Each character has 12 weapons, and 2-3 costumes (Link has 4). Most of these must be unlocked through the Weapon Master mode. Weapon Master mode is similar to the Mission mode of SC. You to select from different missions on the map which usually have special rules. From completing these missions you obtain experience and gold. Experience allows you to level up and obtain new titles, but does not affect your character in any way. Gold is used to buy weapons, costumes, and other things from the shops. Overall this is a very cool feature for a fighting game, and will keep you busy for a while.

Overall, this game has perhaps the best fighting system ever seen in a fighting game. The character design and weapons are top-notch as well. The game is fun by yourself, but the real fun lies in the vs. mode.

Control: 10/10

Just like SC, SC2 has 4 action buttons; vertical slash, horizontal slash, kick, and block. You can also do soul charges like before. This is a very practical system, and manages to maintain a complex move system without generating confusion from numerous attack buttons, like other fighters. Most of the moves are can be performed easily without near-impossible command inputs.

The Gamecube controller works surprisingly well, better than the PS2 and Xbox versions. The button layout is very functional, and you will not have any problems hitting 2 buttons at once, which can be difficult with the other controllers. You must use the analog stick, however, because the d-pad is hard to manipulate considering it's size. This works fine though, and does not feel awkward like the Dreamcast stick did. Namco obviously spent a lot of time making sure the game performed great on each console, and it really did pay off. The option to customize your controls also exists.

Graphics: 9/10

Really spectacular. The graphics are identical to the arcade version, which isn't a problem but kind of a disappointment considering the revamp of the console transition of the first SC. Character models and skins are very detailed and have high poly counts. The most welcomed improvement is the stages, which have been significantly improved over the somewhat plain stages of the first game. The lighting effects are also quite nice.

A point is lost, however, simply because there are better looking games out there. Also, there is sometimes an extremely rare slowdown in the framerate, but this is so insignificant you probably won't even notice it. Overall the game is extremely detailed, and a definite improvement over SC1, even if not ahead of it's time like SC was.

Audio
-Sound: 10/10

The multiple weapons clangs and superbly done character voices (this is the import btw, not the lame English dubbing found in the arcades and probably on the American console release) make it clear that the sound effects are top quality. On par if not better than SC1.

-Music: 8/10

A little disappointing, but not the most important category in a fighting game. Some of the tracks are distant remixes of SC's, but most are original. You won't be humming the stage themes when your away from the game, but while playing the music is appropriate and a nice touch. A bonus point for Link's theme being in the game.

Longevity: 10/10

5 unlockable characters, 14 unlockable costumes, a crapload of unlockable weapons (200+), 20 character profiles and endings to unlock, dozen of modes also to unlock, stages, and 116 missions to complete. Oh and plus the fact that the game is so fun you'll want to spend hours training in practice mode and playing through arcade mode to get that high score. Add some friends to the equation and you might just not find time to do anything else. It took me about 20 hours to just unlock everything, let alone actually spend time playing a great fighting game. This game will still be fun for years to come, and will last you a very long while.

Overall: 10/10

The perfect sequel to Namco's flawless fighter. Every aspect of the game is almost top notch, and with so many unlockables and modes you'll be busy for quite a while. With the superb control and graphics, anyone can easily get into SC. And if you don't want to wait for the long-away US release date, I would highly recommend importing. The menus and options are all in English, and the game can easily be played without any knowledge of Japanese. You might have to fork over a few extra dollars, though.

I don't like to give 10's out, but I simply cannot find anything wrong with this game that subtracts from the gameplay. In the end, this is one of the best fighters ever created, and even the most remote fan of fighting games should either import or grab a copy when the US release comes.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/13/03, Updated 04/13/03