Title: Soul Calibur 2
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Date Published: August 5, 2002
Platforms: Arcade (Soon to be Playstation 2, Gamecube, and Xbox)

An extremely popular sequel to the hit fighter Soul Calibur and its predecessors. Soul Calibur 2 is arguably one of the best 3d fighters on the market, its main contender being the Tekken series.

Much like Soul Calibur, Soul Calibur 2 puts a lot of importance on the fact that the game is played in three dimensions. Without using the game's 8 way run system, it is extremely hard to win against most opponents. Also, the game is generally more centered around one or two consecutive hits, as opposed to Tekken and other fighting games, where a lot of the game is focused on setting up devastating 10 hit combos. This is a big reason why a lot of players tend to like the Soul Calibur series over the Tekken, or Marvel Vs Capcom series.

There are different versions of the game available on the market, versions A through D. Version D is the most played, and most recognized version, because of major fixes implemented. In earlier versions, exploits such as infinite combos were possible. Also, version D levels the playing field very well, with the exception of a few characters being a bit worse than the rest.

Currently, there are three versions set to come out for consoles. Each version will have their own unique character. The Gamecube's character will be Link, from Zelda, the Playstation 2's character will be Heihachi, from Tekken, and the Xbox's character will be Spawn, from... Spawn.

There are four buttons and a joystick used in Soul Calibur 2. The joystick is a generic arcade-style joystick, and the four buttons are labeled "G" (Guard), "A" (Horizontal), "B" (Vertical), and "K" (Kick). Every character in the game has a weapon, and almost all A or B attacks use the weapon(s). Occasionally, an elbow will be thrown in there, and most of the time, K attacks are just kicks, although some characters do crazy shit with their feet, such as attaching nunchaku to them and spinning their feet around while doing a headstand. Another defining characteristic of the series is the guard impact system. Pressing forward and the guard button at the same time that your opponent attempts to throw you, or attack you high or Medium, your character parries the move. Pressing back and the guard button at the same time your opponent attempts a medium or a low move will deflect the attack to the side. During this time, the opponent is stunned, but can still guard impact back. This can create some truly amazing mindfuck games between skilled players. The guard impact system is probably the game's most innovative feature.


Characters

There are sixteen characters in Soul Calibur 2, some returning, some clones of old characters, and some completely new.

Mitsurugi Heishiro
A typical Japanese warrior/samurai that uses a Katana. He has a very good variety of moves, ranging from some fairly quick ones to some sudden, powerful swipes.

Hong Yunsung
A Chinese teenager with a fairly generic sword. More combo/string oriented, but generally considered one of the weaker characters in the game.

Taki
The quick female ninja of the series. She uses two smaller swords, and is extremely quick. One of the fastest characters in the game. A difficult character to learn, but very good at punishing mistakes by the opponent.

Talim
A 15 year old Filipino girl that uses two Tonfa as her weapons. Her attacks generally do not do much damage, but she is tied to be one of the fastest characters in the game.

Cassandra Alexandra
A 21 year old from Athens, who uses a short sword and a small shield. Somewhat like the female version of Mitsurugi, with some quick attacks, and some heavily damaging ones as well.

Raphael Sorel
A Frenchman who uses a rapier. His style looks a lot like fencing, generally with a lot of thrusts and evades. However, he is infamous for being an extremely linear character, not being very good against opponents that like to sidestep.

Kilik
A Chinese man who uses an extending rod as his weapon. Because of his weapon, he is best fighting at mid-range or long-range. Extremely annoying to play against for those not used to his style.

Chai Xianghua
A Chinese girl that uses a Chinese sword in almost a dancing style of fighting. Most players that use her abuse her air juggles, which makes quite a few people despise her.

Maxi
A nunchaku-wielding Japanese man. He has a very unique style of fighting, and is usually constantly moving, and on the offensive.

Nightmare A man possessed by his weapon, the extremely large two-handed Soul Edge. A fairly complex character to play, due to all of the stances at his disposal. Despite his large appearance, a lot of his moves are fairly quick, and damaging.

Isabella Ivy Valentine
A British woman that uses an extending whip/sword. She has the best range in the game, due to the fact that her sword can extend very far. She can be devastating in the right hands, and against those that are not skilled at getting in close to her.

Astaroth
I'm not exactly sure what this guy is. He's just extremely big, and has a HUGE axe. His moves are extremely damaging, with single hits taking away as much as one third of an opponents life bar. A very difficult character to play, because most of his moves are very slow, and he generally requires a lot of spacing to execute his moves and not be interrupted by an opponent.

Cervantes de Leon
An undead Spanish pirate. Also called the "Ass Pirate" (all he wants is some booty....) he uses two swords, one a normal long sword, and the other a gun sword. He's a fairly defensive character, with damaging counters, and some very unique moves, such as teleporting to the top of the screen and swiping down on his opponents.

Voldo
Still going strong, the Voldo that has stayed throughout the entire series makes another appearance in the game. A crazy 50 year old blind man who has Katars attached to his hands. Extremely annoying to play if you don't know what's going on because of his strange stances and moves.

Yoshimitsu
The same weird ninja made out of wood that's in the Tekken series. He uses a Katana and has memorable quotes such as "Namuu.....!" He plays a lot like Mitsurugi, but with added stances.

Charade
The generic strange creature in every Namco fighter, who changes his weapons and style to a different fighter every round.

Soul Calibur 2 is one of the most difficult and most enjoyable fighters I have had the opportunity to play. For anyone that has not had the opportunity, I would strongly recommend going out to your local arcade and playing, or buying the home version.

On August 26, 2003, Namco released Soul Calibur II for home gaming consoles in the United States and Canada. Versions for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube were released on the same day for the same price of US$49.99 (MSRP excluding tax). All three versions are excellent; I own the PS2 version and have played the two others on friends' consoles.

This game is one of the best fighting games you can get for a home console. It follows the original Soul Calibur, which was released for the ill-fated Sega Dreamcast, in providing excellent replay value and good qualities all around.

First off...

The Special Characters

People expect a laundry list of unlockable characters in a console fighting game. Soul Calibur II provides a few: Lizardman, Assassin, Berzerker, Sophitia, and Seung Mina can all be unlocked after enough play. However, what sets the different versions of Soul Calibur II apart are the console-specific characters.

Every console gets Necrid, a Todd McFarlane character who can use several other characters' weapons to do special moves. One additional character is provided in each version, and cannot be accessed on any other console:

1. The PlayStation 2 version adds Heihachi. Heihachi joins Yoshimitsu as the second character to make the jump from Namco's other fighting franchise Tekken. His weapon, "iron fists," manifests itself in some severely overpowered punch combos that make him chiefly a close-range fighter. For those players who prefer to play cheap, Heihachi is blessed with the ability to juggle like few other characters.
2. The Xbox version adds Spawn. Spawn, from the comic book of the same name, is in my opinion the coolest special character. He has an axe that, while not quite as large as Astaroth's, can be used for some punishing moves. Spawn is also very nimble for an axe-wielding character; some of his special moves even involve him throwing the axe and having it return boomerang-style. Spawn also has projectile attacks, rare in the Soul Calibur franchise.
3. The GameCube version adds Link. Possibly the most bizarre of the three special characters, Link has learned a few more tricks since Super Smash Bros. Melee. He still has not one, but three projectile attacks: bombs, a boomerang, and arrows. Link has some really quick sword combos and his throws have become far more elaborate. The GameCube version includes a background tune based on the famous The Legend of Zelda overworld theme.

While Necrid frequently appears in Weapon Master and arcade mode, the console-specific character is mainly for the benefit of human players. Seasoned players now need to learn how to guard against three new characters, which may be tough for those who only have one game console at home.

The console-specific characters are not present in the Japanese version of Soul Calibur II, oddly enough. They are only present in the North American version, and should be in the European release as well.

Controls

The game looks and sounds the same on any console, but the different control pads control the game in a slightly different manner. Personally, I recommend the use of an arcade stick no matter what console you use. Electronics Boutique sells the Gamester Reflex arcade stick for PlayStation 2 and Xbox for about US$25. Hori makes a stick specifically designed for Soul Calibur II (complete with character art as decoration) for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube, but it's a Japanese item and costs $60-70 from your average import shop. The X-Arcade joystick, at about $100 for one player or $150 for two, provides a real arcade feel and can connect to any system with extra adapters (one included; extras cost $20-30 each).

If you're not willing to take the plunge for an arcade stick, the PS2 Dual Shock 2 controller feels most like the old Dreamcast setup. The Xbox's buttons are also set up in a diamond shape and mapped as on the Dreamcast and PS2. The GameCube controller's buttons are shaped differently, and from my experience require the most learning curve and/or reconfiguration before they become comfortable. Mapping a shoulder button to 'guard' helps with throws and some special moves.

Graphics

The game is a quantum leap above the original, with graphics on par with any current-generation fighter (Virtua Fighter 4, Tekken 4, and Dead or Alive 3, to name a few). I haven't noticed a difference among the three systems using standard RCA outputs, but reviews suggest that the PS2's graphics look slightly jaggy when using component video for high definition output. The fighters are impeccably detailed and shaded, complete with obligatory T&A for the ladies, and the environments have fully 3-D backgrounds. Unlike DoA, there's no way to knock people into other sections of a stage. Some environments have ring outs on all sides; others are fully enclosed; and others still are partially enclosed.

Playing the Weapon Master mode lets you unlock extra artwork, both hand-drawn and computer animated.

Sound

Like the original, Soul Calibur II features a rousing orchestral score. In Japan, an OST sells for ¥3500 (about US$30) and includes a companion book. Soul Calibur II supports 5.1 channel surround sound on all platforms, although I haven't been able to test it. It sounds awesome on a good two-speaker setup.

The voice acting, expectedly, is atrocious. You have the option of hearing the tiresome pre-fight taunts in English or Japanese, but it would have been nice to just skip them altogether. Listen to the announcer's overblown intros ("A tale of souls and swords, eternally retold...") for comic relief only.

Weapon Master

Weapon Master mode replaces the Conquest mode that gave the arcade game such a lasting appeal. In Weapon Master, as in the original's "Mission Mode," you must defeat enemies using a certain technique. For example, some missions require you to use guard impacts or unblockable moves; other moves have zero effect. Some missions are incredibly frustrating, and must be reloaded from scratch when failed. The lack of a "Retry" button is frustrating, although "Give Up" is conveniently provided in case you can't wait 20 seconds to lose the mission.

As you go through the levels of Weapon Master mode, including dungeon levels and extra levels the second time through, you earn gold and experience. Experience points let you increase in level, although this doesn't improve your character any; and Gold lets you buy extra weapons and features. The strength of Weapon Master mode is in the ability to use up to ten weapons for each character. Each has its pros and cons. For example, Kilik's Kunlun Bamboo slowly heals Kilik but does less damage than Kilik's other weapons. Choosing the right character and the right weapon makes a big difference in many missions.

Weapon Master mode compels you to play with the lure of unlocking hidden features, but at the same time teaches you the proper techniques of fighting. Among the features unlocked are "Extra" modes like "Extra Arcade" that let players use acquired weapons in otherwise normal one-player and two-player games.

Overall

Buy this game.

Learn Soul Calibur II. Learn to guard impact. Learn how stances and well-thought-out soul charges are Namco's answer to Super Turbo Level 3 Ultra X Tag Combos popularized by Capcom and SNK alike. Play the game, fail a Weapon Master mission 13 times in a row, then come back so you can unlock Sophitia's third costume.

Soul Calibur II is one of the few games that costs fifty dollars and is worth every penny.