The much anticipated Soul Calibur 2 has finally made it's debut on Microsoft's next-generation console. So did it live up to the hype? Well to answer that, I would have to say yes AND no. While most factors of the game are just top-notch, I felt like more could have been added.
All the extra stuff Namco added must be an apology letter for the barebones atrocity called 'Tekken 4' on Sony's PlayStation 2. SC2 is packed to the eyeballs with all sorts of neat stuff. There's Arcade Mode, which is your standard play-through-the-game-and-see-your-character's-ending. Then of course, there's Survival, Time Attack, and VS. modes. But the true star is Weapon Master Mode, which makes its triumphant return, after appearing in Soul Blade. In Weapon Master, you complete various missions to earn experience and gold. The gold can then be used to unlock extra goodies such as extra costumes, new characters and new weapons. Trust me, there are TONS of goodies to unlock. Expect to spend a couple of weeks unlocking everything. With well over 15 characters to study and learn, there's something for everyone.
Between a simple control setup and outstanding graphics, this game is highly addictive and easy to get into. During these modes you can use the weapons which you unlocked. These weapons do things like make Offense, Defense, Speed, or ability to break through an enemys defense stronger or weaker. About the only beef I have with this besides the Arcade mode being a bare bones version of the Weapon Mastery mode would be that in Weapon Mastery mode, unless you've played Soul Calibur before, or played the other game types you won't know what your character's name is. That wouldn't be a problem if you didn't need to buy them their new weapons at the shop. Otherwise, the Weapons Mastery mode is wonderful. It breaks up the repetitive fights with different rule sets for fights. Such as only being able to hurt an opponent if you parry his attacks, or the wind blows you towards the edges of the ring.
Just like its counter-part on Sega's now defunct Dreamcast, Soul Calibur 2 has excellent graphics. Having played all three versions (briefly), I can confirm that the Xbox version looks the best (the wide screen compatibility is nice, too), but it still only looks marginally better than the arcade version (which runs on the PS2 hardware) or even the DC version of Soul Calibur. By ''pumping up'' the graphics from the arcade to home version on the DC, Namco set a precedent that fans expect to be followed. The DC offered more power than the arcade board it was on, so Namco took the time to augment the graphics. The same could have been done here, and it's safe to say that many fans will be disappointed in the tiny leap in visuals from the arcade to the home this time around. The graphics look great, make no mistake, but a game like DOA3 looks better to me. The characters have a slightly different look to them than they did in Soul Calibur, with smaller heads and facial details leaning to the more realistic side. Unfortunately, I find myself preferring many of the designs and costumes from the former game.
Soul Calibur II returns with more great music. Everything works well and never seems to become bothersome or tiresome. Probably one of the better fighting sound tracks I have heard in recent memory. Capcom should take notes from Namco. Would you rather listen to happy, upbeat music, as found in Marvel vs. Capcom II, or the great tunes of Soul Calibur II? The sound effects are awesome too. I just love the sound of two weapons clanging and clashing together. There is also the option of either Japanese voices or English. Now if only the English voices for the characters were good than I would give sound a perfect score, but unfortunately they are lackluster in my book. Other than that the sound is great.
Playtime is very heavy, you cannot unlock everything by going through the games Weapon Master mode once. It might seem brutal and tedious, but trust me, once you play through the Weapon Master mode a few times, you will be primed for real competition against other players, and that's where the Re playability really shines. This game is a blast to play with a lot of people, and never gets repetitive.
Weapon Master mode is where all the replay value really is technically. Here you journey for the soul edge as the character you want. There is a lot and it can make for many different battles. You can also unlock pictures, costumes, characters, exhibitions and its really fun to play as a side quest to when not playing multiplayer or arcade mode. Its quite fun as there is a ''boss'' per chapter. You have to go into a boss dungeon and click on a room, every room has a character to beat and choosing the right path will lead you to the boss room (which is usually a secret char) or lead you to a secret room where u find an item like a weapon for a fighter. Yes, the ability to use other weapons as in Soulblade is back. Only instead of simply using them in standard mode now you have to select ''Extra'' and then a mode (i.e.. Arcade) to use them. This is an improvement over SC1. I could go on but the bottom line is: This game lasts.
Playing Soul Calibur II left me slightly unsatisfied. The conspicuous absence of well loved (and personal favorite) characters like Rock and a playable Lizardman and the incongruous presence of Spawn didn't do anything to endear me to this game, and extra features in general seem to have been cut down from the DC version of the original. Only around half of the characters have 3rd costumes. Only two smallish galleries are available. Competitive players will concentrate more on the vs. modes and most likely won't mind the lack of extras or repetitive storyline, but for those of us who get the bulk of our gaming dollar from enjoying the one player modes of fighting games, the game just feels like a less meaty version of the original.
I think NAMCO realizes that this game will sell oodles on all three formats whether it's a great game or merely a good one. They took the easy way out and definitely made a good one.
