Soulcalibur II

If you find yourself hating the SoulCalibur series from the get-go, you just simply need to be more patient. Underneath the simple exterior lies a game that is so strategically deep and rewarding that I cannot stop playing it for more than a few days at the most.

At its core, it's a 3-Dimensional fighting game. Easy as that.

Scratch the surface and you find cool moves. Dig deeper and you find ways to get around those moves (Hands down, 8-Way Run is the best innovation in fighting games since the addition of a 3rd dimension, period). Then you learn how to properly evade and defend against these moves, and launch appropriate counterattacks. This may seem very daunting at first, but trust me on this, this game is far more satisfying than the Tekken or Dead Or Alive series.

Once you familiarize yourself, you'll begin to see the small nuances of each character. Their speed, their attacks, their range...it all adds up eventually, and I found myself playing less of a fighting game and more like playing virtual chess moving at dozens of maneuvers at once. Feints, fakes, deception: these all play a part in the vast mechanics of SoulCalibur 2. It helps to have a friend (or friends, preferably) to learn with however, seeing as the computer opponents have no real gray-area - it's either easy as pie or tough as nails.

Once you discover the exquisite, artful fighting game that lies underneath, you'll be thanking yourself for the best $20 you ever spent. I guarantee it.

Soul Calibur 2 was a much better game than people said it was. The graphics are beautiful, the combos and techniques are great, and there's a huge variety of characters to choose from. Including the 3 exclusive characters available depending on the system you have. I, personally, was lucky because I own a GC which means I got Link form LOZ as a playable character!

The game has many modes and un-lockables to choose from and gain which will keep you busy plenty. The new Weapon Master mode has some significance, but not much. I would recommend renting this game because its a very unique fighter game with cool characters and weapons. I would only recommend this game for buying if you don't mind some corny stuff and play games that have lots to do. 7/10.

Does any other game have a better tutorial than this if you want to learn how to be good at fighting games? Going through the Weapon Master mode you learn every possible type of move stage by stage, so many other modes things to unlock as well its pretty amazing.

It is relief to finally play a classic fighter for the Gamecube (besides "Godzilla: Destroy all Monster"). This is a well deserved sequel to the wonderful first Dreamcast/Arcade game. Soul Caliber II is a fighter with just about everything:

Pretty girls, Lizardmen, neat diverse weapons, shapeshifters, and special guest stars for each system (I prefer Link the most ^_~).

The only flaw was is that some of the character endings did not make that much sense. Makes you think more though, huh.

However, SCII is a classic like it's first game!

RATINGS: 9.9 out of 10!

I never had the privilege of playing the first Soul Calibur game so I can't compare that and Soul Calibur II. It sort of has a Tekken III feel but the control is better and you have more to do in your environment. However, fighting games are very limited as far as their gameplay goes and have been for a while up until now. Soul Calibur II changed some of that, it gives players more to do than just sitting there mashing buttons and hoping you can beat the computer which can duck and block your every move, there is some strategy in it, most of it (as mentioned previously) has to do with the environment, also the variety of weapons and characters, and most importantly, the gameplay itself.

Aside from having beautiful graphics and some of the most detailed areas I've ever seen, the environment also has a lot of hidden dangers in some cases, which makes the strategy more intense. At times you will play special missions in which the only way to defeat the enemy is by knocking him against the wall, throwing him out of the ring, and things like that.

What would a game be without characters and their kick-tail weapons? The answer of course is nothing. And this game is far from nothing with the variety of characters and weapons at your command. With secret characters and dozens of battle gear to unlock, there is a lot of replay value because you'll always be sitting there thinking "just 100 more gold and I can buy the Razor Sword for Link, just 100 more."

And finally the gameplay itself. The controls are tight which makes it easy to swing that two-ton battle axe out there giving great pain to the reciever. The game is sometimes repetitive as far as the actual fighting goes, especially in the dungeons where you have to navigate and take paths that are usually the wrong ones. But one thing that can fix all of that in an instant is multiplayer mode! You'll have to take turns with all of your friends because it's only two player but it's well worth it. You can unlock different kinds of multiplayer modes which is a plus. One cool multiplayer option I like is team battle. In team battle you can choose up to six characters and you battle another player who has there six people. If one in your team is defeated then next character in line enters the ring. It's great fun, especially when your friend is losing all his guys trying to beat Raphael who is the first person in your team.

Good areas, characters and weapons, and gameplay itself, make an awesome game, and that is exactly what this is. If you love fighting games then this is the one!