Impressions: Soul Calibur 2

[Metal Mario]

*Source: Gamespot

Following our initial look at the three versions of Soul Calibur II, we've continued putting the game through its paces. In short, Namco appears to have continued its track record of high-quality home conversions of its fighting games with Soul Calibur II. Generally speaking, each version looks comparable to the arcade game. Each version of the game also plays to the strengths of its respective platform, and all feature a smooth frame rate and detailed character models. In terms of its content, Soul Calibur II has a wide array of unlockable features ranging from hidden characters and modes to alternate weapons and costumes for the various fighters.

As noted in our previous story, Soul Calibur II is a great looking fighter on any of the systems. There are a few minor differences between versions, mostly in the color usage and textures. At first glance, the GameCube and Xbox are the crisper looking versions of the game, with the Xbox having a slight edge in resolution and color. However, the PlayStation 2 version of the game is no slouch, offering some of the best visuals seen in any fighting game for console to date.

Soul Calibur II's presentation is complemented by Namco's use of the technical features offered by each platform. The GameCube game features support for 480p progressive scan, the Playstation 2 offers 525p progressive scan support, and the Xbox supports 480p and 720p progressive scan. The GameCube and PlayStation 2 look solid via progressive scan, although the enhanced resolution makes some of the jagged edges in the game a bit more noticeable. The Xbox version, on the other hand, looks stellar at 720p. The audio in each of the games follows a similar pattern, with the GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions making good use of Dolby Pro Logic II--but the Xbox edges them out thanks to its support of Dolby 5.1.

As far as content goes, Soul Calibur II has quite a bit to offer on all three platforms, including standard arcade, versus, and team play modes, a museum mode for viewing character endings and profiles, and numerous extra modes. The weapon master mode is similar to the mission and edgemaster modes seen in the home versions of Soul Calibur and its predecessor Soul Blade, and consists of story-driven series of progressively difficult battles. Playing through the weapon master mode will also unlock the game's hidden characters and plenty of other extras, including costumes and additional weapons. So far we've managed to unlock the shapeshifter Charade, the cutesy polearm fighter Seung Mina, blonde-haired Sophitia, the pirate Cervantes, and Tekken's space ninja Yoshimitsu. The character select screen in Soul Calibur II initially has five blank spaces, and all those blanks are filled once those hidden characters are uncovered. We also unlocked a sexy alternate outfit for Ivy and an alternate outfit for Nightmare where he looks normal, rather than infested by his evil sword.

The arcade game's original roster of fighters has been fleshed out on each of the consoles by the addition of Link, Heihachi, Spawn, and Necrid and the five unlockable characters previously mentioned. We've spent quite a bit of time with all of them now and are generally impressed with them, especially the console specific characters. For the most part, each of the characters has its own unique feel. Link is a versatile fighter whose array of moves draws on the actions seen in the various Legend of Zelda games. You'll be able to use a variety of special moves such as shooting arrows, and throwing bombs and Link's boomerang, and also do a charge attack with the Master Sword. It's strange to see Nintendo's well known character in Soul Calibur II, but he seems like he can hold his own.

Necrid, the Todd McFarlane character, doesn't handle that uniquely due to his ability to perform many of the moves used by the other fighters--his character-specific moves aren't quite as effective. His monstrous form makes him look somewhat out of place among Soul Calibur II's cast.

Charade replaces the Edge Master character found in the Dreamcast version of Soul Calibur. This particular character also bears a passing resemblance to the game's final boss, Inferno, and randomly takes the form of one of the game's other characters at the beginning of each round. Seung Mina, Sophitia, Cervantes, and Yoshimitsu all should be familiar to fans of the series. While there have been some tweaks to their overall balance and move sets, they all handle pretty close to the way they did in the previous games.

The weapon master mode gives Soul Calibur II some added replay value. Essentially, you can select any character and go through a series of fights, some of which require you to fulfill certain objectives as opposed to just defeating the other character. By winning and even just participating in fights, you'll earn money that you can use to purchase additional weapons for characters in the game that they can use in other modes.

Overall, it appears that Namco has devoted an equal amount of time to all three console versions of Soul Calibur II, so a player's personal preference for any version of the game will boil down to which of the exclusive characters most appeals to them. Of course, there are some visual differences between the three versions of the game, but they're largely negligible.

[Metal Mario]

*Source: Planet Gamecube

I never really got hardcore into fighting games until I played Soul Calibur on Dreamcast. I played a few Street Fighters, Killer Instinct, and the Virtua Fighter series, but most fighting games just didn’t interest me. Then Soul Calibur (the sequel to Soul Edge) arrived on the Dreamcast and I was a changed man. With slick graphics, cool characters, fun weaponry, and an easier to digest, yet very deep control scheme, I was hooked. Just recently I finally got to play the arcade version at a new GameWorks here in Minneapolis, and was just blown away. After a four year absence, Soul Calibur 2 is finally released on all consoles, and if it weren’t for having to write up these impressions, I’d still be playing it.

Each console version of Soul Calibur 2 got a console-specific character. Xbox got Spawn, PS2 got Heihachi from Tekken, and GameCube owners are blessed with Link from the Zelda series. There are more than 20 total characters: 15 available off the bat, and 5 are unlockable. Contrary to other reports, you’ll also get to play with other characters like Lizardman in the Weapon Master mode, but they’re not selectable for single or multiplayer.

Namco really beefed up the console version to contain a plethora of different game modes. These include Arcade, Vs. Battle, Time Attack, Survival, Team Battle, Practice, and the Weapon Master mode. After unlocking the other modes by playing through the Weapon Master mode, you can also open up things in the Museum – Art Gallery, Character Profiles, The Weapon Gallery, and the Demo Theater. Also unlockable are the “Extra” versions of the gameplay modes where you can use weapons you earned in the Weapon Master Mode and earn more gold.

Many people were worried that Soul Calibur 2 wouldn’t play well with the GameCube controller, but I think it works great. At least, I have no problem using the analog stick for my main player control. There are basically five main buttons for controlling your attacks. Default settings: A – horizontal attack, B – block, X – kick, and Y – vertical attack, L – grab, R - grab. There are other set settings, or you can program the buttons to your liking. Combinations of these buttons give you a ridiculous amount of different attacks, super moves, and combos. Namco also adapted the EO type controller scheme where you can map moves to your C-stick. With one flick of the C-stick, newbies can easily perform super moves. If you want to play Soul Calibur with a fighting stick, there’s a Hori stick available which I’ve heard great things about. I’m partial to playing with my X-Arcade Solo, and Soul Calibur 2 absolutely plays like a dream with it. X-Arcade owners are going to absolutely love this game.

One- and two-player battles play just like they would in the arcade. I think the reason I like this 3D fighter more than Tekken or Virtua Fighter is that the moves feel a lot quicker and more fluid. Also, the weaponry each of the fighters has is a lot of fun to beat down your opponents with, at least much more fun than the weapons in Mortal Kombat. The combo system feels really tight and is very deep. I’m always finding new combos to better my attack strategy.

The basic arcade game is fun, but since Namco packed so many other additions to the game, there’s plenty more to offer than just the basic arcade game. Since I’ve been playing Soul Calibur 2 alone most of the time, I’ve been occupied with the Weapon Master mode. It's exclusive to the console versions and is an excellent addition for a single player. It’s basically a series of battles that you play through and earn experience points and gold to purchase weapons, arenas, characters, modes, game art, and more. You travel across the land in different chapters, fighting your way across the landscape. There are 10 chapters in this mode, and many different types of battles to fight through. Elements in these fights are sometimes changed; for instance, the walls will be explosive, or there will be quicksand or lava rocks, or you’ll only be able to fight with specific attacks. This mode is an absolute blast, and I’ve already taken a day and played through the mode once, and I’m about a quarter of the way through a second time. Each character has 12 weapons that can be purchased, and I’m definitely going to play through enough so I can unlock all of them. Once obtained, you can take these weapons into the Extra modes and use them there. Very cool indeed.

The characters are varied and well balanced. Obviously, since Link is the added character for GameCube, most of you just want to know how he plays. To put it lightly, Link is a bad ass. He’s a very agile and quick fighter, and has additional weapons like the boomerang, bombs, and bow that take over most of his super moves. I mostly rely on him for quick sword and kick combos to dismantle opponents. Even though Link is a solid fighter, I’ve been using Taki a lot for her wicked combos. But there’s more than enough variation with all the characters, so finding your own favorites will be fun.

Visually, Soul Calibur looks just like, if not better than the arcade version. The GameCube version does support progressive scan and widescreen display if you have the technology. But even on my analog TV, the characters and environments are stunning. The game runs in 60 frames per second, and it just looks absolutely brilliant. I have seen some minor clipping issues when backed in weird tight corners, but overall Soul Calibur 2 is one of the best looking fighters on any console.

Soul Calibur 2 isn’t available until late August in North America, and it’s no surprise that it’s one of the hottest import games this year, with the advent of the Freeloader. It’s very import friendly, and for people wary of importing, only the menus are in English. The move list, weapon descriptions, Weapon Master mode descriptions, and main story text are all in Japanese. Ultimately, everything can easily be figured out.

Namco should be commended for packing so much in the console version of Soul Calibur 2. It’s really a complete package. The multitude of different modes and unlockables will keep you busy alone and with friends. It’s easy for anyone to pick up and start kicking butt, but meaty enough for any hardcore fighting fan. Soul Calibur 2 is one of the most polished third-party games to ever be released for the GameCube, and it's hands-down my favorite fighter. If you’re into fighting games, don’t even think twice – import this game today!

[Metal Mario]

*Source: XenGamers

The original Soul Calibur represented a huge step forward in video game graphics. As the best looking game of the Dreamcast’s North American launch, it was the first time many of us had seen a 3D game that took the graphics and put them to good use, instead of being limited by blocky low-poly models and pixilated texture maps. Even now it sets a visual standard that 3D titles on today’s most powerful systems fall short of.

At first glance, Soul Calibur 2 doesn’t look that much better than its predecessor. The character models and environments are more intricate and certainly beautiful, but the improvements don’t even approach the chasm-like divide in graphics quality between the first Soul Calibur’s arcade version and its Dreamcast port.

Just as the graphics have undergone an evolutionary change, so too has the gameplay been subtly changed. While longtime veterans will quickly notice the changes in their favorite characters and attack patterns after a couple matches, much of the returning roster keeps the bulk of its most useful or popular attacks so casual players could very easily fall short of understanding exactly how much has been changed.

Of course, those familiar characters are joined by a handful of new faces, most notably The Legend of Zelda’s Link. Despite initial concerns about how well Link would fit into the Soul Calibur setting, it was clear after a few minutes in the practice mode that he could mix it up with Mitsurugi just fine. The most impressive aspect of Link is how faithful the developers were to the character’s source material. He brings not only a master sword and tri-force engraved shield into battle with him, but also his arsenal of bombs, arrows and even his trusty old boomerang. The other new characters are not quite as entertaining (especially the Todd McFarlane designed Necrid), but add some welcome new wrinkles to an already incredibly deep game with their unusual fighting styles.

You’ll have plenty of reasons and opportunity to familiarize yourself with those wrinkles as there is a metric ton of things to do. The Edge Master mode allows you to play though a series of challenges with varying criteria for victory. The specifics of what you need to do to win these matches are in Japanese so there’s some trial and error involved, but it’s worth it to fight in the middle of a quicksand pit or in a ring that explodes every time you knock your opponent down.

The Edge Master Mode will likely take a few days of steady play to finish, but playing through it earns gold to buy more weapons for the fighters and modes to play through. And when you’re done with the Edge Master Mode, there’s always Time Attack, Arcade, Survival, Team Battle and extra, alternate and extreme versions of some of them too. Add it up and you’ll see that’s a whole lotta game right there.

Given the game’s top notch presentation, tight and accessible gameplay with considerable depth and veritable endless buffet of modes and secrets to unlock, Soul Calibur 2 is a no-brainer purchase for fighting fans. The only question is which system-exclusive character you’d prefer fighting with.

Importer’s Outlook

With the exception of the Edge Master mode and the character endings, Soul Calibur 2 is almost exclusively in English. Given what must be the laziest localization staff in the industry, Soul Calibur 2 isn’t scheduled for release in North American until late August. If you can’t wait, you’re not going to be missing out on much by importing it now.

Pros/Cons

Graphics:

+ Almost as impressive now as the first Soul Calibur was then
+ Great visual effects
- Very minor clipping issues keep it from perfection

Sound:

+ Gorgeously epic music
+/- Sound effects haven’t changed much since Soul Calibur

Gameplay:

+ Fantastic depth
+ Loads of characters
+ Each character has a unique learning curve
+ Tons of different modes to play
- Changes from Soul Calibur are meaningful, but subtle

Replay Value:

+ Weapon Master mode will keep you busy for a long time
+ Unlockable characters, weapons, art, gameplay modes and more
+/- People to play against are a must once you’ve unlocked everything

Final Score

Graphics: A
Sound: B+
Gameplay: A
Replay Value: B+
Overall: A

[Metal Mario]

*Source: IGN

The GameCube version of Soul Calibur II hasn't been dumbed down in any way, shape or form, a fact clearly evident from the moment the game's intro full motion video begins to play. It's beautiful. It runs in full screen without so much as a single artifact. It looks totally uncompressed, which is something of an accomplishment given that so many other third-party developers deal out sloppy GCN ports scarred all the more by sub par video sequences. And, of course, it's so stylishly presented that one can't help but tingle at the fights to come.

The fight system is as deep, intuitive and challenging as ever. The GameCube's control setup works well whether players prefer the D-Pad or analog stick. IGNcube has been able to use both to great success. The majority of the moves in the game require enthusiasts learn a series of button and control combinations. It's here that players can master the fundamentals of linking together damaging moves for massively satisfying combos. Interestingly, gamers actually have the choice to use button combinations or the C-stick to execute certain moves. For instance, Link can draw his bow and arrow if one presses A+Y at the same time. Press Y again and the character will shoot an arrow. However, he can be made to do exactly the same maneuver simply by tapping left twice on the C-stick. Old schoolers will no doubt prefer the traditional setup.

Link has a surprising number of moves at his disposal. He can be made to execute variations on his spin attack depending upon how long players hold down the A button. He can jump and dive downward onto foes with his sword. He can perform several different throws, each more fantastic than the next -- one in particular sees Link jump onto the back of an enemy and ride him or her around, all the while whipping his sword on their backside as someone might do to make a horse speed up. Down, Up and Y will make the character use his master sword in a Ryu-inspired uppercut, which knocks enemies into the air, and then players can pull out Link's bow and shoot arrows at the still airborne foe for an impressive combo. Another move, left, left, and then Y+X, will cause Zelda's savior to charge his master sword and then run at full speed with it plunged in front of him. It's all brilliantly implemented and colored with calls and cries from the classic hero himself. Nintendo fans are sure to find the experience approaching orgasmic.

While there are pre-set control schemes, if gamers don't like the sets it's possible to fully customize the control setup so that different functions can be assigned to different buttons -- a very welcomed option.

What's probably bound to impress Nintendo fans just as much as the inclusion of Link, though, is the Weapon Master mode in Soul Calibur II. Here gamers pick a character and travel across a world map to fight in various matches, some of which are as simple as executing a series of moves and others down and dirty brawls.

Each bout won awards fighters gold, which can then be used to buy various weapons. Between the fighters, there are some 200 different weapons that can be picked up, each fully modeled in 3D. Each character in the game features 12 exclusive weapons modeled specifically for him or her. Those exclusive to Link, of course, are downright awesome, and are sure to ring of nostalgia to Zelda fans. He can buy the Gilded Sword from Majora's Mask, the Hammer, the Cane of Byrna from a Link to the Past (in the classic it created a force field around Link), the Armos Sword and Shield, and so much more. The weapons don't offer different functions in battle, but they look oh-so-cool all the same.

Meanwhile, both the visual and audio elements of the game are superbly well done. As stated in our previous write-up, everything runs at 60 frames, in progressive scan, and there is a 16x9 widescreen mode option, along with Dolby Pro Logic II support. But from the detailed character models to the excellent animation, flawless collision detection and atmospheric lighting, shadow and particle effects, Soul Calibur II for GameCube is a real stunner.

Importer's Outlook

There is a good degree of Japanese text in the game, but the menus are usually in English and when they're not the interface is still uncomplicated. Learning the moves, for instance, is easy because Namco has used button and control stick symbols as well as Japanese text to explain how each maneuver is executed. August is a long time to wait for such an amazing game, and with that importers would probably be wise to pick up this version if they have the hardware means to do it.

Dang, I think I might actually play this game. I really don't like Fighters, but I'm always willing to give something a shot...