SoulCalibur II (PS2)

So after being a fan of beat-‘em-ups for quite a while, when I heard about the most hyped beat-‘em-up of all time; Soul Calibur 2; I simply had to get myself a copy. So I pre-ordered it. And I am not in the slightest disappointed with the game.

The game has an array of characters, each with their own personality and feel to the fighting. Some are easier for newbie’s to master, whilst some are increasingly difficult to master but are doubly rewarding. For instance, Voldo has lots of stances and different moves that HAVE to be learnt. If you were to choose him and press any button then you would get hammered. This variety between characters increases the game’s shelf life. For instance, you may opt to master one character one week and a different one the next.

The gameplay and graphics are solid. I haven’t seen prettier graphics anywhere on the PS2, they are simply gorgeous. The gameplay is very very fluid, and could be mistaken for real-life fighting. Where Tekken is like a phrase, in that it ends once the combo ends; Soul Calibur is like a descriptive sentence with commas that flows on and on, maybe with a pause here and there. The gameplay is adrenaline-filled and fun to play.

There is also the “Weapon Master” mode that gives you a goal when playing on your own. You can work through it to get better weapons and costumes etc. Sure Arcade mode is fun, but the “Weapon Master” gives it a little bit of purpose, a little bit of finesse.

Overall it’s a lovely game and one which I would encourage you to buy. If I could only keep one game for the PS2 this would be it!!!

If you have not played any of the previous games in the SoulBlade and SoulCalibur series then you will probably need a little while to make sense of the story line, but that is not really a problem, after all the game is about action after all. Oh, and what action! When you first approach the game it appears to be really fast paced, and you can continue to play it that way if you wish. After a while though you find that you can take a bit longer in battles to set up moves and dodge and weave through your opponent's guard before delivering your swift and sweet strikes.

The graphics are truly beautiful for a game of this type. The characters are all excellently modeled and the backgrounds look gorgeous. The effects when you strike a blow are bright and eye catching, but the 'sparks' that you raise when your blade clashes with that of your opponent are the what really makes this stand out visually as the most classy beat 'em up on the PS2. When you add to this the impressive effort that has obviously been put into the sound effects and voices in the game and the neat little touches like taunting your opponent between matches the whole package just shines with quality.

This is a game that you will enjoy for a long time. You can come back to it time and again and it draws you in, comfortably letting you progress at your own pace through the Weapon master mode, and giving instant thrills and delights in the arcade and extra arcade modes. In all then, this is excellent value and maximum fun, bringing a big smile to your face right from the start. It looks and sounds lovely, and you can play at whatever pace you like. Total beat 'em up class!

This game completely changed my opinion

After completing it for the second time, the sheer greatness of the game has not lessened its hold, i have had it for 11 months and am still not bored with it! - Now that's what i want from a game

The learning curve of the game is just right, using story mode to bring you in to the game fairly gently as you begin to build up your moves repertoire with your favourite characters, then it begins to get harder and the real challenge sets in. You begin to have to be tactical with character choice, weapon choice and even the type of attacks/defences to use during battles.

The amount of things to unlock is incredible, and the way to do it changes all the time. Sometimes you have to win a certain fight, or play a game mode a certain amount of times, or simply buy the unlockables with the money you get from fighting in the various modes.

The range of unlockables is very varied also: weapons, characters, levels, videos, conceptual art and game modes. This is a key feature in the lifespan of the game and i still haven't unlocked everything!

Seeing as this is only one of the few fighting games i have ever played i may have a biased opinion, but it uses the 8-way run (moving not just towards and away from the enemy, but to the side as well) extremely well, certain attacks stop others doing it, whilst others miss completely allowing a real increase in depth to the game, once you pass the amateur stage.

These are the best bits, not to mention the amazing graphics, superb fluidity of gameplay, excellent sound and immense attention to detail.

If you want a good game, buy this!

And what a game. This is what Fighting games should be like. I own Mortal Kombat 5, which isn't terrible, but it pales in comparison to Soul Calibur 2. The graphics are near perfect, looking as good as Final Fantasy X at the obviously faster rate that a fighting game requires. As expected the need to unlock extra features and characters becomes more important than eating and sleeping, but doesn't become the only reason you can be bothered to play the game.

What makes Soul Calibur the best fighting game for the PS2 in a long line of sucess and failure is the different styles of game incorporated into a standard idea. Beyond the simple round 1-3 kill you opponent matches, there are technical matches too. Though this can be irritating... for instance it took me an age to get past a mission where you could only kill your oponent by using moves that bounced them off the floor or walls, it means the game isn't a monotony of 50 second rounds.

I can only finish by saying "Get this game". Now if you don't mind I need to go and finish Arcade mode for all the characters.. after all there are at least 7 weapons and 1 character I haven't unlocked yet.. they must be in here somewhere.

There are 2-3 costumes per character possible (maybe more if I haven't unlocked them yet)- adding some variety. As is often the case the best costumes are the defaults (an exception is the Ronin Mitsurugi- his third costume is great). The garb follows the usual themes: big breasted women in small outfits, big muscular men in ornate outfits. There are exceptions to this, of course: Ivy's heavily brocaded coat and britches is a marvellously ornate costume, and the folds on the tiger-head emrboidery on Heihachi's gi jacket are superb.

The animation is fast, fluid and intuitive. The only slip-ups seem to be the occasionaly break in sequences when attacks are placed, and characters getting up from the ground often do so in what appears to be four or five frames. The moves range from simple slashes and hacks to all-out screen busting specials- all executable from the simple three button combo of horizontal attack, vertical attack and kick (and block). No matter how new a player you are you will always look good playing the game- even if you get flattened in ten seconds. As you get into the game the enormous depth of strategies becomes clear, and the style of the inidividual characters becomes more and more apparent: Ivy is awesome at range, with some incredibly damaging close in moves; Mitsurugi is very very fast, but is poor close in; Raphael is very fast and very maneuverable but doesn't react well to being hit; Voldo, as well as being disgusting, attacks in bizarre ways from bizarre angles- often not at a disadvantage when you might think he was. The list goes on.

The arenas, whilst being visually stunning, are not overly interactive: although most can have a ring-out performed as a quick win.

A worthwhile and enjoyable addition to the game is that of `Weapon Master' mode: a one player quest to unlock new weapons, costumes, play modes, concept art, exhibition theatres and so forth- its enjoyable enough (and predictably cheesy) and is great fighting practice. What this prompts is the hope that someone, somewhere will produce a fighting game with this depth and detail that can have true interaction and travel- this sort of combat potential combined into an adventure game can not be too far away now...

The downsides to the game are it will make you swear a lot when playing against the PS2; you will get annihilated by button-mashing friends until you have a lot of skill; and it will give you eyestrain due to the `just one more go' syndrome.

Overall an absolutely brilliant game, but it will only appeal to fans of the beat-em-up genre in all likelihood. If, however, you've never played a fighting game before and are thinking of doing so, try this one- it's the best by far.

The graphics are superb and the gameplay is easy to get the grips with. But ofcourse it takes practice to master some of the really good moves. One of the best things about this game is the Weapon master mode which is basically a story mode. Through this you earn gold which can be spent on purchasing new costumes, weapons and levels..as well as character weapon exhibitions.

I love this game, but if I had to make one complaint, it would be that a few of the Weapon master missions can get really frustrating..but those are few and far between. All in all, this game is worth every penny and I strongly recommend it!!