Soul Calibur II - Review

Added October 2nd, 2003 by Final Sniper

Introduction:

The golden age of one-on-one fighting games has long since past. No longer are arcades filled with hordes of prepubescent teens looking for a small taste of fame and glory with classic games like Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Mortal Kombat and Killer Instinct. Heated arguments over character superiority, cheapness and sex appeal (you ex-Chun Li worshipers know who you are) do not clutter forums across the internet like they once did, and the once steady flow of fighters released on the market has slowed to a mere trickle. Despite all this, the fine folks over at Namco are determined to keep the fighting genre alive and kicking, most notably with their recent release of Soul Calibur II on all next generation systems. A stellar mixture of both single and multiplayer depth, responsive gameplay and gorgeous visuals, the third game in Namco’s Soul series is an absolute must-own title for anyone even remotely interested in the fighting genre.

Just as with its predecessors, Soul Blade on the PlayStation and Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast, Soul Calibur II shows its impressive polish right from the start. As has become the norm with Namco fighting games, the opening cinema is completely stunning. Combining beautifully rendered computer graphics with an intense, majestic score, the intro movie simultaneously familiarizes you with the large cast of fighters and gets you pumped up for some seriously electrifying weapons based combat. And that is only the beginning. Nearly every single aspect of the game exudes the same meticulous attention to detail that is present in the opening movie.

Gameplay:

The gameply in Soul Calibur II is very similar to the original Soul Calibur. Sadly, this means that while Soul Calibur II is an excellent fighting game, no truly innovative fighting game mechanics were added. The developer, Namco, did add walled arenas, and thankfully, they did a decent job (unlike they did with their other fighting game, Tekken 4). Unfortunately, the walls and the stage environments don’t really make a huge impact on the gameplay. Knocking an enemy into the wall simply bounces the opponent to side, making ground based wall-specific combos literally impossible. In fact, it seems that the only way to use the walls effective in a combo is to hit the opponent with a powerful launcher and pins them to the wall, albeit a bit off the ground. While it was disappointing to see that walls don’t weave as seamlessly into the gameplay as they do in say the other big Xbox fighter, Tecmo’s Dead or Alive 3, Soul Calibur II’s wall mechanics certainly don’t detract from the game in any way. The engine is as deep as ever, and learning the intricacies of each character should keep fighting game fans happy for a long time. The character balance seems to be well done, with none of the characters seemingly too powerful to too weak.

For the sequel, Soul Calibur's roster of characters has been improved... well, sort of. Joining the original cast are newcomers Yunsung, Cassandra, Necrid, Raphael, Talim, Charade and, of course, Spawn. The only problem with these new characters are that some of them aren't new at all- Yunsung is a variant of Soul Calibur's Hwang, Cassandra is the same as Sophitia (who's also in the game, incidentally) and Charade uses every character's weapon like Edge Master in Soul Calibur II. On the other hand, Talim and Raphael offer radically different styles from the other fighters and make a welcome addition to the line-up. Necrid is the exception to the rule- he's a bit crap, really. Spawn is the Xbox version's exclusive character. Wielding a one-handed axe, he strikes a balance between the brute force of the moronic Astaroth and the finesse of the dainty Xianghua. Spawn is a nice addition to the game, as he fits in reasonably well to the atmosphere of Soul Calibur and plays differently from everyone else. However- and this is more a flaw on Namco's part- Spawn's full potential hasn't been utilized. There are no moves using his other powers, specifically his chain. Spawn lacks in long-range attacks, which stops him from dominating everyone else. Soul Calibur II's gameplay isn't a massive overhaul of the original- It keeps a number of the features that made Soul Calibur so enjoyable and adds new ones to boot. The 8-way run allows you to manoeuvre around the stages with pinpoint precision and dodge incoming attacks. The Soul Charge powers up your moves, providing you don't get attacked while charging up. (Believe me, it happens.) The Guard Impact system separates button-mashing idiots from people who know what the buttons do- more experienced Soul Calibur players can play opponents moves against them, setting them up for a counterattack. Soul Calibur II has a large selection of modes for you to kick the crap out of your opponents in- you can relive the action of the Arcade game, play Survival and see how long you can last, or create a team of characters and square off against the computer or a friend. One of the best features of Soul Calibur has always been its multiplayer- Soul Calibur II doesn't disappoint in this area. As you're continually unlocking new levels, characters and weapons in Weapon Master mode, the VS play stays fresh long after the rest of the game has grown stale. The gameplay overall is awesome but there was not that much new things to see or play.

Graphics:

When the original Soul Calibur was released on the Dreamcast, its unprecedented visual quality completely blew everyone away. There was nothing else that even came close to challenging its stellar graphics, and to this day it is prettier than a significant portion of PlayStation 2 titles available. Soul Calibur II isn’t as shockingly gorgeous as its predecessor was due to increased competition from titles like Halo and Metroid Prime, nevertheless, it still stands as one of the preeminent graphical masterpieces on the current generation of consoles. The amazingly rendered polygonal character models represent the core of the game’s visual appeal. Skin flexes realistically with movement, hair blows convincingly in the wind and cloth ripples and bends dynamically. What’s really amazing are the great pains Namco took to get all the details right. Look closely and you’ll notice how the characters blink naturally throughout the fight, lips perfectly sync to speech (for both Japanese and English dialogue) and fingers grip weapons with nary a sign of polygonal clipping. Namco even added some Dead or Alive-like physics for the ladies, though (thankfully) it’s not nearly as over-the-top as in Tecmo’s famous fighter. And whether it is a character’s taunt, death throws or simple attack maneuver, the silky smooth, glitch free animations makes the game look just as stunning in motion as it does in screen shots. The visual splendor doesn’t stop with the character models either. The fighting environments all feature excellent texture work, plenty of detail and dynamic elements like falling cherry blossoms, flickering torches, prowling sharks and roaring waterfalls. Though only hi resolution paintings, most of the backdrops are so stunningly drawn and believable, you constantly find yourself wanting to stop the fight to go out exploring. You would think that with all the polygons, particle effects, background elements, etc that must be processed during the hectic matches the framerate would suffer, but, amazingly, it doesn’t. Even in Inferno’s graphically intensive, flame covered stage the game never skips a beat. And to think, this is actually a multiplatform game! The only negative I could possibly bring up is the incredibly weak looking splash that results from a ring out into water. It looks so bad, in fact, Namco would have been better off just removing that particular effect entirely from the game.

Audio:

The sound department for Soul Calibur II is truly on the next level. 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. It never gets old, every song is truly an epic composition. Indoor levels have echoes, you can hear streams of water flowing around you if the level has water - and the list goes on and on. Definitely the best sounding fighting game I’ve ever heard. The in game music has an epic feel to it that wouldn't be out of place in most Hollywood productions. It captures the mood of the backdrops very well and inspires the player on to face the next challenge. Namco should be congratulated for their efforts here, rarely do BGM tracks suit the atmosphere of the game this well but custom soundtrack support would have been a welcome addition.

Controls:

Soul Calibur II features the absolutely dead-on solid controls that I've loved from Namco since the original Tekken. The button response time is lightning quick. There are several preset customizations, with the option to fully customize them as well, which is a welcome feature in any fighting game. As always you character has a horizontal slash, vertical slash, kick, and can guard. The only slight problem in this version is that crouching and jumping are a bit more difficult to do than in earlier games. This is quickly overlooked since I hardly do either and it was done so the 8-way run feature could be improved, which it has.

Replay:

Play time 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 replayability really shines. This game is a blast to play with a lot of people, and never gets repetitive. The sheer number of unlockable goodies is what truly makes the Weapons Master mode so insanely addictive. You can’t help but keep playing into the wee hours of the morning trying to purchase or uncover that extra outfit, stage, art gallery or weapons demonstration (where a fighter displays their weapons skills in a choreographed performance). And then there are the actual weapons themselves - all 200+ of them. Every individual fighter has a hefty eleven different weapons they can collect, with each one having a different shape and size, along with varying offensive and defensive capabilities. Some even have special abilities like health regeneration, or even improved damage at the expense of energy loss to the wielder. The wide range of weapons available adds a great deal of strategy to the game, as you not only have to choose a fighter before every match, but also the unique weapon they will carry. Time Attack and Survivor modes also have their uses, as some of the stages and weapons can only be obtained by successfully completing these modes. There are also multiple time attack modes (standard, alternate, and extreme) which greatly add to the replay value of the game.

Summary:

In a time when one-on-one fighting games are few and far between, Soul Calibur II is there to breathe fresh life into the fading genre by offering an immense wealth of options, exquisite presentation and addictive gameplay. Games like Tekken 4, Dead or Alive 3 and Virtua Fighter 4 are great, but none of them offer the entire package like Namco’s stellar weapon’s based fighter does. Soul Calibur II may not single handedly revive the genre, but it will allow you to transport yourself back to the golden age of fighters, if only temporarily. I salute you Namco for keeping fighters alive, and with such style. Overall Soul Calibur II is a game I could recommend to both the Soul Calibur elite and newbies alike. Its easy to use Weapon Master mode gives everyone a chance to learn the strategies that will help them compete with their friends. It may not be the revolution that the first one was, and I doubt it will be remembered as fondly, but by all means check this one out. If you're looking for a new reason to stay up until 5am then Soul Calibur II is for you!