SoulCalibur II

"A new generation of fighting games have begun"

With the release of Soul Calibur 2 came the release of a new revolution in the fighting game genre. This game has definitely set the standard for games to come and it's going to be a tough act to follow!

This isn't your ordinary fighting game, so before you think this game is just another Tekken, Virtua Fighter or Mortal Kombat, think again.

Story: 8/10

The story is based on the legendary sword called Soul Edge. What makes this sword unique is that controls the user with it's evil intentions and possesses the holder of Soul Edge to consume as many souls with it as s/he possibly can. All characters in the game have some connection with the sword. Some are after it in order for it's power so they can rule the world with an iron fist. Some are in search of the sword to destroy it and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands and then we have others who have their own reasons for wanting the sword in their possession.

Gameplay: 10/10

This is definitely the most important factor of fighting games, if the gameplay isn't good then you can rest assured the game will be pathetic. As you can tell by my 10/10 score for gameplay, it is very very good in this game.

Rather than using separate buttons for punching and kicking, the characters in Soul Calibur 2 use weapons rather than fists. You can attack opponents using horizontal, vertical and kick attacks, aswell as charging up your weapon with your unique Soul Charge.

The X-Box controller has a great set-out, at first look it may appear harder to play the X-Box version rather than the Cube and PS2 version but in fact I find the X-Box one is a lot easier and better to use.

Sound: 8/10

The sound in the background during this game are pretty much symphonies which isn't a bad thing but I would've personally preferred more of a rock/metal feel to go with the fast-paced weapon fighting. It would've received a better score if we could have our own tracks being played in the background during fights.

Replay Value: 10/10

This is by far a 10, no doubt about it. There is so much to unlock in this game. This is done by completing arcade mode aswell as the very fun 'Weapon Master Mode', where you basically start off as a kid with dreams in his/her eyes of attaining the almighty powerful Soul Edge. You fight other characters throughout the storyline of your quest and along the way you gain experience and gold.

Obviously, experience is for leveling up your character. Gold on the other hand is used for what the main purpose of Weapon Master Mode is, buying items.

You can buy extra weapons, costumes, weapon demonstration videos aswell as other movies.

Another main reason why this game has such great replay value is the number of modes it has. Just like any other fighting game, Soul Calibur 2 has Arcade, Survival, Team Battle & Time Attack modes however there are separate modes for these modes. Still with me? For example, in Survival mode you have the choice of fighting a normal style survival mode, a death match survival(First one to hit the other opponent wins) & No recovery mode(You recover no health at all between rounds). That's not all yet folks, as you can play those modes and many more in 'Extra' mode, which is where you play the certain types of matches only this time you can use any weapon of your characters rather than their original, the same applies to your opponents though so don't expect any easy battles as a result of using a powered up weapon.

Final Comments:

This game sure as hell is worth it, any fighting game fan won't be disappointed. Even people who used to dislike the fighting genre have become fans of it now because of this game. Soul Calibur 2 is the best fighting game out right now, it's at the top of the mountain.

Now now, I don't think this game is perfect. Far from it in fact, I would've preferred a few more voice lines rather than hearing the same ones over and over again, but my main problem with the game is that it lacks a tag-team mode. If this game had incorporated the tag-team function I'd give it 11.

Nevertheless, just because it didn't have a tag-team mode wasn't enough of a reason for me to deny this fantastic game a 10/10.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/13/03