June 27, 2004

Title: Soul Calibur II
Genre: Fighting
System: Gamecube
Producer: Namco

By AqueousNepenthe
unrivaled.info

" Four Years have passed since the spirit sword, Soulcalibur, defeated the evil Soul Edge. At the end of that fateful battle, the shards of the shattered soul edge were scattered across the world and Soulcalibur was lost to the Void. Now, the evil that still resides in the scattered shards of Soul Edge threatens again to engulf the world in darkness."

The newest addition to the Soul Calibur series and it lives up to its name. The producers at Namco did everything they could to improve on the original, but keep players Familiar with the characters and game play. They succeeded and created one of the best fighting games to come out in a while.

Story - 7/10: Fighting games usually don’t have much for a story, but Soul Calibur is a bit different. In Arcade mode every character has a reason as to why they are fighting in this tournament of sorts. Some are questing to destroy the evil Soul Edge, and others are striving to harness its power for themselves or for a dark master that controls them. There is no real in-game story in Arcade mode, though, just a brief ending that tells what happens to them after they win the final match. Once you beat Arcade mode you will unlock a characters profile which will give an in-depth description of their past and why they are fighting for the Soul Edge. This is a nice feature, because focusing more on the characters personal stories can give the players a stronger feeling for certain characters. They may also choose their favorite character based on more than just battle tactics. This is just a small bit of the storytelling that goes on in Soul Calibur II. Weapon's master mode is the real heart of the game. It's basically like a story mode in which you travel around the world fighting to destroy the Soul Edge. The story unfolds in chapters and each one has a summary at the beginning that tells what happened in the last chapter and what will happen in the current one. The story may not have the most riveting and enthralling plot line, but it is still very well done and will keep you interested throughout most of it.

Graphics - 9/10: The graphics are a big step up from its predecessor. The character models no longer look slightly polygonal, but are more organic and smooth. They are also very detailed, from costumes to even strands of hair. Wind and movement effects are done nicely as well. You can see hair blowing in the breeze and clothes tussling as they combat each other. The arenas aren't as detailed as the characters, but they are still highly textured and have great lighting effects. There are many different locales ranging from Egyptian like catacombs to the ruins of an old European castle. Aside from being diverse the backgrounds are rich in color and beautifully designed. Overall the graphics are the biggest improvement over the original.

Game play - 10/10: Soul calibur II has many options and ways to play it. There is the normal Arcade mode that’s like any other fighting game, but main part of the game is, again, in Weapons Master mode. This is where you really learn how to play the game. The first few missions tell you what the basic attacks are and how to effectively use them against opponents. The mission based format of Weapons master mode is also how you unlock many other options in the game. After beating certain missions you can unlock extra modes of playing like Team battle, survival mode, and time attack mode. You also gain levels and gold throughout Weapons master mode. When you gain levels your ranking as a player goes up. With the gold you get you can buy different types of weapons for your characters and extras like new costumes and art galleries. But even with all these extras a fighting game is nothing without good mechanics, and Soul Calibur II delivers. The controls are responsive, and easy to figure out. All types of players can pick up and play this game. The learning curve for the game is fairly low, but it's not without its challenges. A button masher can go through Arcade mode fairly easy, but only a skilled player can tackle Weapons Master mode. My only gripe with the game play is that if a player can fluidly string together combos then it is harder for the other player to retaliate, and matches can be won in under ten seconds. This is a small problem, though, compared to all the other great aspects of the game play.

Sound - 8/10: The sound effects are great. The clash and clang of the weapons have realistic sounds, and each character has distinct grunts and screams. The ability to change the language from English to Japanese is a nice feature because the English dubbing is horrendous. The soundtrack isn’t as fast paced as other fighting games, and it doesn’t use electronic sounds or beats. The fully orchestrated songs makes the battles seem epic and each song fits well with stage. Even though it is low and the sound effects somewhat drown it out, the music helps set a mood for each stage.

Replayability - 10/10: This is a game you can play over and over again, whether it is by yourself or with friends. It's a game you can always come back to so you can play a new mode you just unlocked or school your friends in some multiplayer action. With so many options Soul Calibur II is a game that will never get old.

Overall - 9/10: This game is a must have for any Fighting game fan. It's one of, if not the best Fighting game for the Gamecube. A multitude of characters and the addition of link form the Legend of Zelda series make this game even more appealing. With simple controls and tons of playing options Soul Calibur II is easy to pick up and play, but it's very hard to put down.