Soulcalibur II

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.

Soul Caliber 2 is the sequel to the Arcade game called "Soul Caliber." It's a really fun fighting game with more stuff than you actually need.

The game has a lot of characters to choose from. There are at least fifteen, if not more. Each one has their own combos to use. There are a lot of combos. If you want to use you character well in battle, it's best to use only the simplest combos until you're ready.

You can also buy weapons for your character. Each character has about ten unlock-able weapons (I don't know the exact number.) and each has different abilities and powers. For example, some might be more powerful, but have a short range.

The graphics are stunning and detailed. The sound system is superb. Each character has their own voices that they say if they get hit, hit the opponent, or whatever else there is.

If you are a hard-core fan of fighting games, this is one that should not be missed.

First there was Soul Edge (inexplicably re-titled Soul Blade for PS1) who had a number of unique concepts to fighting games, but ultimately came at a time when all 3D fighting games (and most 3D games) sucked and featured lousy control. Then came the game widely considered a flawless entry in the fighting game genre: Soul Edge's sequel under the name `Soul Calibur.'

So now we have Soul Edge part 3 or Soul Calibur II. Funky naming schemes aside, Soul Calibur looks better than Soul Calibur and feels about the same. I would probably bash Soul Calibur II for its extreme timidness to explore new areas; however, Soul Calibur found its way to one console: the DreamCast and I never got to enjoy the first Calibur game at home. So, I'm feeling a little forgiving.

The jump from Soul Edge to Soul Calibur was like going from one world to another--from crappy blocky 3D with piss poor control to an awesome and all around solid game. Calibur 1 to Calibur 2 is a babystep. Few all original characters (Raphael and Talim), a few Tekken 3-ish new characters (new characters who play like old characters: Cassandra, Cherade, Yansung), and the home version features an array of characters not in the arcade . . . most of which are throw-aways (Berzerker, Assassin, Necrid), but what the hay. Sueng Mina's back! Though PS2 got the short end of the stick as far as exclusive characters go. Xbox gets Spawn. GameCube gets Link. We get to play as Heihachi for the sixth time in a Namco fighting game.

Soul Calibur II (home) pushes the envelope for special features even though it does absolutely nothing for me. After exploring Weapon Master Mode you get an array of variations to the now typical Survival, Team Battle, and Practice modes. Typical things to unlock--more characters, artwork, character endings/profiles, etc, etc, etc. And, of course, there's Weapon Master Mode, itself, which for Soul Blade fans it's the same concept as Edge Master mode. It tells a story and explains the circumstance surrounding each battle, and even gives you annoying circumstances to attain victory (your enemy is vulnerable only for air combos, their life regenerates, beat all 7 on one life bar, you get the idea.) And as you progress, you gradually unlock more characters, stages, weapons, bonuses, etc.

And Namco gave us dungeons to explore . . . which was a shot in the arm. The dungeons sound cool and intriguing, but are really rather redundant not to mention monotonous (especially the all Berzerker/Lizardman dungeons) once you start playing them. I'd of liked to have seen more of a (can't believe I'm saying this) Tomb Raider / Tekken mode (a la Tekken 3) / Mortal Kombat: Mythologies approach to the dungeons than what we get: room by room, click the next room and fight, click and fight, click and fight.

I love Soul Calibur II as a fighting game. I really do like the fighting game aspect, but I'm disturbed by the trend in fighting games and the cheap tricks Namco is leading other fighting game makers into doing to increase replay value - making you play the game X amount of times in X different variations to acquire all the 'hidden' features of the game. It was cute and it was fun with Tekken 2, but in the madness to one up previous games it's starting to get ridiculous the amount of crap available and the things you have to do to get it. Were this any other game but Soul Calibur II, I'd jump ship and forget about the items that I've not yet acquired. But fortunately, SCII is an extremel solid game that is fun to play multiple times . . . but even for SCII Namco is pushing their luck and this fan's patience.

I used to be against codes and looked down upon them as cheater's tactics once upon a time, but I'm starting to miss them in this age of `beat my fighting games 300 times to get the cool features.' I don't have much of a life, but my time is a little more valuable than that.

Final comments: mediocre upgrade from SC1, but SC1 was an awesome game so SC2 is still good . . . just not a great 'sequel'. The fighting side of it is wonderful. The `extras' go a little overboard and come across as more annoying than imaginitive. But SC2 is probably the best fighting game available on all three consoles.

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!

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.