SoulCalibur II

"Where are all my hardcore SC fans at?"

Ok, this being my first review in a long time, I'm a bit rusty, but I will promise to try to make this one good. First of all, this is the highly acclaimed sequel to the smash hit fighting game ''Soul Calibur''. Now, me being not a hardcore 3-D fighting game, I was pretty new to the series, so I'm new to the series. But once I picked up the controller, I started having fun right away. The ability to have never played the game more than a couple of times at the arcade, and still have tons of fun when I just picked up the game is amazing seeing how most fighting games take forever to master. But anyways, enough with the small talk, and on to the review!

First of all, lets talk about the fighting system. You have 3 attack buttons, 2 that attack with your weapon and 1 that you attack with a kick. There are plenty of throws in the game, from some which can be performed by simply pressing the 2 buttons at the same time, while others are extremely difficult to pull off. Then you have a guard button, so 2-D fans beware, you can't just walk backwards to block an attack now ^_^. But one thing I love about this game's fighting system is the parry system. Now this isn't some push a button at any time and he'll parry it, this takes skill, you have to predict your opponent's attack, and now just when to parry, or you'll screw and get your ass kicked.

I also like how the game is pretty much equal for all characters. Say, for instance, Ivy is being cheap and attacking from afar with her whip, you can just eight-way run(more on this in a little) around it and whack her in the face. Or say someone is parrying and blocking your attacks like crazy. Just use an unblockable attack, which every character has. Now about Eight-Way running. You basically have the freedom to sidestep at any angle in the ring at any time. Now this gives much more strategy and depth in the game.

Now on to the game play modes. You have your basic Arcade mode, and Time attack mode and all that yaddah yaddah yaddah. But what really shines is the Weapon Master mode. In this you can buy new weapons, costumes, or secrets, with the gold you earn from beating missions. Now missions aren't just beat the person type missions. Most missions have a catch in this mode. For instance, you have to beat your opponent without touching the ground, or you'll blow up. Or say your poisoned and your health depletes slowly and slowly. So don't expect to get bored from tedious battles. And just to unlock everything in this mode will take at least 5 to 6 hours, that's if your the type that worries about replay value. Now of course, this being a fighting game, you wondering if this will hold you long enough for your money. Although all hardcore fighting game fans will play this long into next year, all the casual fans may get bored with this after a week or 2, which disappointed me, since fighting games like VF4 have tons of replay value.

The graphics are outstanding. Almost up to par with DOA 3's graphics. Like many others who say, the arenas are a bit dull compared to others like VF4. But there are about almost no jaggies, and your in for a special treat if you have a HDTV. The character designs range from stereotypical to incredibly unique. But overall, there the graphics are amazingly sharp and crisp. You'll love it if your a graphics whore ^_^

The music is sub par compared to the first Soul Calibur, but it really does go with the game's old aged theme. Although I do think there could have been a bit more songs for the soundtrack. And the lack of custom soundtrack really disappointed here. Most of the character voice-overs are nice, only for a few exceptions. Beware of Taki's fight grunts, they can be...um...very distracting if you get my drift. I really think Namco could have done a better job with the soundtrack, but overall, the sound department is nice.

Now on to the controls. The controls are awesome. The Controller S works perfectly, and for the people with huge hands, the original controller works perfectly. And with the ability to change almost all of the controls, no one should really have a problem with the controls. Like I said before, there are 3 attack buttons, along with the guard button. If anyone who reads this, buys SC2 for the X-Box, and hates the controls, then my friend I will give you a 50 dollar refund. But honestly, I couldn't find anything wrong with the controls.

So your thinking ''You seem to praise SC2 a lot, why only a 8 out of a 10?''. Well, first of all, a lot of the characters are clone from the other characters, in which I mean their move list is about almost the same with another character. And some of the characters are about as cheap and overpowered than before. And me, being a 2-D fighter fan, I was disappointed with the lack of combos and original moves. Also a lot of casual gamers will be disappointed with the lack of replay value once you complete Weapon Master mode, which I said before, will only take about 5 to 6 hours to unlock everything in it. And the soundtrack could have easily been better. And of course, the game is insanely easy once you've mastered a character.

Overall, this game is a must buy. If your a hardcore 3-D fighting game fan, then go and buy this game right now! But if your more a casual gamer, then I say wait till its around $30 and below. Thank You Namco with this awesome game!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/20/03