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SOUL CALIBUR II (Playstation 2 Review)
Well, the widely anticipated sequel to Soul Calibur is here..and it is a pretty slick game. If you played Soul Calibur for the Dreamcast, then you are not in for a great deal of surprises with the game. If you are new to Soul Calibur, then you are in for an impressive array of 3D fighting. This sequel does not stray far from the original in terms of game play, characters, weapons and fighting modes. However, there has been some overhauling of the look of the characters and the fighting arenas.
The visual appeal of this game is outstanding. The opening FMV sequence is very well done, and has the feel of a long movie trailer. Some nice tunes thrown in to overlay the animation is a nice finishing touch. The animation of the fighters is nearly flawless at 60fps, with very few noticeable glitches. The majority of the fighting animations are not very different from the original game and it plays very similar, but this one does have a feel of its own. Maybe it is the fact that it has been several years since the last game was out, or the fact that Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance has been the game of choice around here for a while. Whichever the case, Soul Calibur II delivers on some fighting fury.
The game play is the same as the original, with a four button system signifying different attacks (horizontal slash, vertical slash, kick, and guard). There are lots of moves you can do buy using combinations of the buttons or certain buttons and the directional pad. Players unfamiliar with the fighting system will find the learning curve on this game is small. You can get in there and be a button banging maniac and do fairly well..and even pull off some impressive moves. The hardcore fighters will fair just as well. After a few matches, you will find the moves can be pulled off with ease, no matter the character of your choice. Along with the attack moves, there is the ability to sidestep in and out in 3D, as well as use guard impact moves which are used to deflect attacks.
All of the original fighters from Soul Calibur are present for the sequel and there are a few new characters such as Talim, Raphael, Heihachi Mishima from Tekken and Necrid. Raphael is a young fencer who is a smooth mover, Talim is a young girl who is fast as lightning and Necrid is a McFarlane creation who is fast and powerful. The other console versions supposedly have specific new characters that are not present here. However, we are PS2 people...so these are our fighters.
Soul Calibur II does not really deliver with many new modes or features. There is a new Weapon Master Mode that is the new mission mode. You travel across the globe in search of the Soul Edge, completing tasks and facing fighters along the way. This is a fairly in-depth mode, with many different obstacles to overcome along the way, all playing out in a "story mode" style fashion. In between missions, you are given the plot of the story line in text form, which can be a little daunting to read. Most players will probably skip right through them and get right to the missions. I would have preferred to see these parts of the game played out in animations with voiceovers...that would have given this mode a much better playing value. Don't get me wrong though, there are plenty of good reasons to play the Weapon Master Mode. While defeating the ever more increasingly difficult opponents, you gain experience points and gold coins which are used to unlock new features, characters and even weapons. Some are unlocked when your experience points reach a certain level and others can be purchased with your gold coins. This reward system is ample reason to travel on and defeat this mode.
The AI is pretty tough in SCII. You can change the difficulty of the computer fighters, but they are still pretty tough on all levels. They have a good ability to react to the situation and turn it to their favor, although the patterns can be picked up on after a few times. You will find with a little practice, you can work your way through the arcade mode with all of the characters. The endings are kind of disappointing, as they consist of some still art and a few frames of text as your reward. Sharper ending sequences would go a long way in making the single player modes more enjoyable. As with most fighting games, the best play comes when you invite your friends over and ride into town, a whompin and a whoopin up every living thing in sight. (apologies to Mel Brooks)
All in all, this is a great game. Not much of a departure from the original, but enough changes and features to hold its own. Visit the Official Soul Calibur II site for more info.
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