SoulCalibur II

"The soul burns as bright as ever!"

After waiting and drooling over the screens Soul Calibur II is finally here and Namco has done a great job putting this juggernaut of a sequel together. From its crisp and beautiful graphics and excellent audio to its complex fighting system, it shows Soul Calibur II was worth the wait.

Gameplay: 9.5/10

Soul Calibur II, easy to learn, difficult to master. What I mean by this is that someone can pick up the controller and learn the basics of the fighting system (eight way run, horizontal, vertical attacks, etc.) in about an hour or less. But these basics are the bases of much more complex actions which are the bases of ever more complex actions! Someone can pick up this game and have a good time and then they can have an even better time trying to master the system. The only complaint I have is that some characters might seem to overpowered and ring-out are easy to get and rather annoying. Other than those complaints, Soul Calibur II has a gem of a fighting system.

Story: 8/10

Pretty basic, but good for a fighting game, Soul Calibur II takes place four years after the original Soul Calibur. One again, warriors are trying to find Soul Edge for their own reasons. What makes this story interesting is that each of the character’s stories intertwine and branch off from each others adding a bit more complexity to the story. All in all it is a good and enjoyable story.

Graphics: 9.5/10

The graphics in this game are wonderful. If you thought Soul Calibur’s graphics were good, Soul Calibur II’s graphics will grab you by your eyes and burn them, but in a good way. The characters and stages are very detailed and nice to look at. The character combos look awesome and whether you are on the receiving end of the combo or not, you will enjoy watching them. The only complaint with the graphics is that there are minor clipping problems (hair going and weapons going right through characters’ clothing when the characters pose, etc) but that is minor complain. Namco did a wonderful job in this department.

Sound: 8/10

The sounds in this game are great and, most of the time, sound authentic. The characters’ voices are for the most part, well done. But sometimes it sounds like the American voice actors were trying too hard with some of the voices which makes the voices sound a little fake, but that isn’t so bad. The music in this game also stands out. The tunes flow along well and fit each level for the most part. Even though it wouldn’t have hurt adding a little more fast-paced tunes to the game. The sound in this game gets the job done well, even though you might get tired of hearing some characters say the same thing over and over.

Control: 10/10

If you liked the Dreamcast controller then you will like the Xbox controller. All of the buttons are well placed and make it easy for you to execute actions. Wonderful controller setup overall, ‘nuff said.

Replayability: 9/10

Soul Calibur II has lots of replayablility, only rivaled by Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution. You can beat the game with all of the characters, master all of the characters, and go on an epic quest in Weapon Master mode. In Weapon Master mode, you earn gold to buy your characters more items and costumes, and unlock all kinds of things for the game. But when you finish all of this (which will take some time) you can still verse friends and test your skills. Only downside is that you might not always have a friend around.

Buy/Rent: BUY!

Soul Calibur II will not disappoint you and will last you a long time, considering you have the patience to master some of the harder characters and combo. This game is one of the highlights of the 2003 gaming year.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/31/03