Soul Calibur II Review

Developer	Namco
Publisher	Namco
Genre	Fighting

The sequel to the illustrious Soul Calibur is here. The original was constantly praised for its quality and excellence. It quickly became one of the most popular fighters around, and now Namco is looking to repeat their great success with Soul Calibur 2, but have they succeeded? Will an almost flawless fighter be yet again delivered into the hands of gamers around the globe? Can Soul Calibur 2 outdo its predecessor and satiate the desires of fighter fans everywhere? Enough questions. Read on.

Gameplay - The Gamecube is all about multiplayer action - Super Smash Brothers, Mario Party, Super Monkey Ball, and now Soul Calibur 2. The combo system is faultless, and the fun factor is way up there, just as with its predecessor and the other Gamecube multiplayer titles. A fighting game for all gamers, Soul Calibur 2 ultimately manages to surprise despite its sweeping similarity to its predecessor.

As you probably already know, each version of Soul Calibur 2 features its own exclusive character. The Gamecube has Link, a character that many would surely be excited to play as. The sad thing lies in that Link seems to be more of a novelty character that a true playable character, but there are some that will definitely find him suitable to their tastes. The other characters in Soul Calibur 2 are all unique in their own right, ranging from school-girl Talim to the claw slashing and bizarre-looking Voldo. The game has it all- slow characters, fast characters, monstrous characters such as the sword-wielding Nightmare and the double-blade toting pirate, Cervantes. In total, there are around two dozen characters, about a fifth of them being unlockable as you progress through the arcade mode and such.

Aside from the standard arcade, time trial, survival, and versus modes, Soul Calibur 2 comes packaged with a Weapon Master mode. Namco tried their best to make this mode more of an RPG journey by adding experience points and gold that you obtain after winning battles to be used to purchase weapons and costumes galore.

Although Soul Calibur 2 is a fighter at heart, Namco did a great job by trying to deliver a unique experience with the Weapon Master mode. After you choose your character you’ll travel to different locations, read some storylines, and battle it out against an opponent, with one catch. Each level of each mission (of which there are quite a lot I might add) requires you, or at least gives you an incentive, to play a particular way. In one instance, throws result in increased damage, in another hitting your opponent into the wall is more effective than a basic attack. The variety in this mode is great, and really adds to the games already high value. Not only that, but the weapons purchased in the mode can be carried over to versus or arcade play, assuming you unlock this feature first. Each character has several extra means of destruction at their disposal, which again adds to the games immense lasting ability.

The weapon mode can become repetitive, as each level’s objective is repeated several times throughout, but it is still rather clever. As mentioned above, the main draw in this mode involves gathering experience and gold to gain class levels and buy items. You can buy weapons and costumes, but Namco has added in a variety of other extras as well, ranging from battle exhibition movies that show off characters martial arts skills to demos and more.

A successful fighter is defined by its precise and manageable control, as well as its camera. Thankfully, Soul Calibur 2 pulls off both almost flawlessly. Each character has a variety of power moves, signature moves, quick attacks and more. Every gamer, ranging from the casual to the hardcore, will be able to pull them off with ease after some practice, so button-mashers beware! Aside from throws and attacks, you’ll be able to perform the standard blocks, guards, and counters to throw-off any of these would-be button-mashers that you can’t seem to shake off. The Soul Charge has also returned so you can deal extra damage to your opponent once charged up.

Simply put, the Gamecube controller, contrary to popular belief, is actually a great controller for Soul Calibur 2. Although the button layout may seem odd at first, it quickly becomes second nature. The Playstation 2 controller is still ideally the one to have for a fighter, but the Nintendo controller is by no means a poor choice.

Soul Calibur 2 is ultimately a truly special fighter with a great combat system. It’s easy to get into, but hard to master, and there’s no doubt the game will hook most gamers in right away. Featuring unlockable galleries, character profiles, and more, Soul Calibur 2 will not only hook you right away, but will keep you hooked for quite some time.

Graphics - The first Soul Calibur dazzled us with its brilliant visual presentation, and although Soul Calibur 2 won’t have the same effect this time around, it still manages to be a great looking game overall. But when you get past the overall package, you’ll find a variety of little flaws that dampen the visual experience slightly. You’ll find for example, that water effects and clothing movement do not impress as much as one might expect. Similar shortcomings exist in other aspects of the graphics as well.

The environments are spectacular and varied, ranging from a grandiose library to a sprawling grass field. In total, there are more than a dozen selectable levels, many of which have to be unlocked as you progress. You’ll find spider-themed cage arenas, an abandoned underground area with a lost pirate ship in the background and more. Although, as with the individual aspects of the visual presentation, there lies a small problem. The fighting locales do indeed look gorgeous, but they don’t scream “excitement”, they aren’t as “alive” as one might like them to be. There aren’t myriad palm trees flowing in the wind or spectators shouting or animals running to get out of the way. Character models on the other hand are near perfect, featuring amazingly well-done facial details and imaginative costumes and weapons.

Although one can nit-pick endlessly, all in all the game looks absolutely fantastic. Improvements could have surely been implemented, but what’s there is certainly strikingly prodigious in beauty and nothing to scoff at by any means.

Sound - Similar praise can be used to describe the energetic and dynamic soundtrack. Each level’s music matches the fighting’s locales quite well, and all the songs feature a fitting medieval-like theme. This goes along great with Soul Calibur 2’s fast-paced action as well. The music pumps you up and makes the adrenaline flow, making the fighting experience even better.

Sound effects from swords, character grunts and the like are all well-done, though nothing spectacular. Smash an opponent into the wall and you’ll hear a standard bang, hit with a sword to hear a standard slash- nothing out of the ordinary. As for the voice acting, it’s rather poor unless you switch to Japanese.

Again, as with the visual presentation, it is the overall aural package that satisfies at such a high level. Although one may be worried about the next combo coming from their opponent instead of the sound, the music is part of the engrossing experience that Soul Calibur 2 tries to deliver. The game is so polished, that the music delves into your inner soul and you become attached to it. No longer is there a “soundtrack,” but rather a match against your opponent.

Overall Value - After the long wait, Soul Calibur 2 has finally arrived, and it was well worth the time. Namco has provided us with an extremely well-done fighter. Although it may not be any substantial improvement over the original, it is still a must-have.

Not only that, but Soul Calibur 2 is a great party game and a great single-player game. It is nearly the epitome of perfection when it comes to fighters. It features unlockable weapons and characters galore, its gameplay is unmatched, and the replay value is limitless. A substantial improvement in every aspect of Soul Calibur aside from originality, Soul Calibur 2 has fulfilled all expectations and has easily secured the genre crown.

Review by Kevin Sloan