Soul Calibur 2
Ben gets to grips with Namco's long-awaited hit sequel.
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This is a title that has obviously been a few years in the making, which is certainly no bad thing. We tend to live in a world where a successful game has a sequel pumped out in a matter of months, to quell the public desire for more of the same. It tends to only be the 'insightful' developer who questions this; only they could come to the conclusion that maybe the public can wait and that maybe, just maybe, it might be better to ensure that the sequel is everything they want it to be, rather than just a rushed attempt to grab some more cash. This appears to be the direction that Namco went with the Soul Calibur sequel, God bless 'em.
As you may know, the original Soul Calibur appeared on the ill-fated Dreamcast. I still get all dewy eyed just thinking about it; at a time when Tekken appeared to be the pinnacle of fighting games and Virtua Fighter had become slightly stagnant, SC came along and wiped the floor with the pair of them. Literally. As I have said, it's taken quite a while for a sequel to emerge, so I would hope that what we have here is more of the same but with tweaks and tucks; more options, better graphics and yet the same classically thrilling game play. Let's take a look and see....
The first thing that struck me about SC2 was when I got to the title screen. Title screens are normally just a brief flashing picture before I slap start and begin getting into the game play, but here, I was dumbstruck. There are so many options present that I thought something terrible had happened, I had actually been given a copy of an RTS or something, however, I was wrong, there is just a huge amount of options available to the player from the start. Alongside the standard arcade mode we have time attack, weapons master, versus, etc. This is when it truly struck me that I may be onto a fantastic title, this game has everything you could ever want from a fighting game and I mean everything!
Still reeling from the sheer amount of options, I settled to play the basic arcade mode to better settle myself into the game before I attempted the incredibly tempting sounding 'Weapons Master' mode. After selecting your character from the large selection available (not including the various 'secret' characters that have to be unlocked) you are launched straight into the old style fighting game scenario, one on one, fight to the death... err... knock out. As soon as the camera panned around the backdrop, I knew that the boys at Namco had been very busy indeed. This game is beautiful. That's not an exaggeration it is simply stunning. The backgrounds look wonderful and the characters all look crisp and clear, with minimal clipping and no slowdown, this game looks like it was bathed in baby oil before it left the developers. I was so amazed in fact, that I had my 'ass' handed to me by my opponent before I even realised the round had begun. Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it....
'So', I hear you ask, 'how does it play?'. Thankfully, I can tell you that SC2 plays much the same as its predecessor, which of course, is brilliantly. You only need to know what the basic buttons do to have some fun, yet need to learn the complex moves behind each character if you want to progress any real distance. This is no simple button basher, this game takes skill and patience to master, yet is accessible to all. No wonder all us fighting freaks love it so much! It's important to learn where you are fighting too, the backgrounds have walls and 'ring out' areas, so it's all too easy to forget where you are and get smacked over the edge of the arena. Concentration is the key here. Learn to corner your opponent, ensuring they have no escape and then, as my American friends keep telling me, 'open a can of whoopass on them'. Yes, 'whoopass' indeed.
Although, to be truthful, I would have liked to have seen more interactive backgrounds, along the lines of DOA3, as the ones in SC2, although pretty and effective, can become little more than a fighting mat. Multi-level fighting would not be that difficult to implement in a game such as this and given the swords and bladed weapons aspect of this title, I would of seen it as even easier to portray. Oh well. Perhaps an idea for SC3?
The music in SC2 is a pretty standard fighting affair, plenty of jingly jangly tunes and a few brooding pieces, but in all honesty, you won't be listening to the music, you'll be too busy trying to juggle Voldo into the air using a samurai sword. The effects are rather good, with sampled speech (go on, taunt your opponent on the vs. screen!) and the right amount of 'Oofs', 'Oohs' and of course, 'Arrrgghhs'. And I was rather disturbed by the incredibly realistic stabbing sound. Reminded me of my stint at a butchers. Imagine ten pounds of raw beef thumped with a cleaver... Nice...
All of this goodness so far all stems from the Arcade mode, and I would recommend the game for purchase on that merit alone... but wait! We also have Weapons Master mode, a similar mode to the original game's, but once again, much improved. It is still the same premise; you fight around the world earning gold and weapons, getting stronger and stronger and gaining those all-important shiny blades. Obviously it's not much of a game on it's own, but considering it's an addition to an already impressive title, I'm not complaining!
So, all in all what do I think to SC2? Well, I don't really need to say anything else do I? If you've read the review, you'll know what I mean already. It's awesome. Truly awesome. Go and buy it now, it's fighting at it's best, there surely is no topping this for the next few months, at least, I can't see it being topped.
Go and open a packet of smack-bottom.
Sorry...
93%
Comments
All that praise and only 93%?
You know me Jason, there is no such thing as a 'perfect' game... 93% is a bloody good score, but at the end of the day it's still a beat 'em up...
You've bleedin' gone and put a downer on things now!
I have ps2 version its a brilliant game but it's not without it's flaws, There is some anoying slowdown sometimes I was wondering which version has it least? anyone know cause I heard xbox has slowdown too...does gamecube has the least?
I'd imagine that they all suffer with a tiny bit of slowdown when the rather large blokes go at it. The XB version should suffer the least, The GC is somewhere in the middle ground and the PS2 should effectively have the most slowdown, although I have to say I never really noticed it :)
I need a code to unlock all weipons and ptofiles
i owe soul calibur and its bloody goood.
end of story.
anyway should i rent chaos region?
This game was the best fighting game I have ever played!! If you don't have it go and get it ^_^ and I have an X-box and there is no slowdown
does ny 1 know ny moves 4 knockin people against walls or floors in wepons master coz i cant get past these levels
assasin x3 why do u need a code if you cant get lizard man you shouldnt even play the game true gamers dont cheat or ask for codes the game is not meant to be simple if you learn the game instead of button mashing youll get somewhere
unless tour just not good enough
does anybody here knows how can i get lizardman for the PS2 cause i already beat all the missions in weapon master and i still didnt get him
i think that nightmare is the best character up in the ps2 version it would of been cool if spawn was up in the ps2 version they messed it up by putting heihachi in the characters. hes whack. if they was gonna put a character from tekken they should of put eddy or hwoarang cause they are the best fighters in tekken
Hi there! What do I have to do to get assassin? (no cheats, just the normal way)
you get assasin by beating 88% of weapon master....and since many people don't know how to get lizard man i'll let you wonder the game*hint* lizard man is not in weapon master,they should make more games "WithOut Codes* so that wannabe true games could stop taking credit .it's really pathetic how gamers ask for help...it's great when you get the thing or characters you are looking it you play it by yourself..
you have to go through ALL the weaponmaster missions in order to unlock Lizardman. Once you do that, everything is unlocked. And make sure you have gone through EVERY mission on weaponmaster.
I agree with you whole heartedly, this game is beyond awesome. I just finished weapon master mode yesterday, and I gotta say, it was no easy feat. The graphics are awesome, and no matter what platform its on, the gameplay is spectacular.
anyone out there know how to unlock spawn? I have information in exchange...
can any one tell me the moves for assassin
Erm...I prefer the term open a can of whoopass than go and open a packet of "smack-bottom"... But otherwise, dis is a good site, unfortunately, if One is searching for cheats, hints, or tips, its not the best website, but other than that, excellent review, Cervantes and Nightmare rule!
Oh yeah, and Jokester, I think you'll find dat Heihachi kicks ass unless your just a crap gamer, Spawn is good, but Heihachi is da ultimate fighter, if your gonna have a beat em up, you should always, spare none, unless its got no characters from other games in it, it should always, have Heihachi Mishima in it, for he is the greatest character in the entire history of the world.
David, if you hav info in exchange, simply tell everyone.
If you are a true gamer, then you shouldn't require codes, askin other peeps how to do stuff is fine, as long as you actually do it yourself, but if you need cheats for a beat em up other than Battle arena Toshinden 1 to get Sho and Gaia, then there is no point in playing the game.
Rock on Mr Skill is only for the dedicated!
RebelGirl, I aggree with you, da game is awsome, No matter what, however, when you have become at least a Grand Edgemaster of the Basilisk/Gorgon etc, you and have completed weapon master mode, purchased and found all the weapons, got everycharacters profile on extra Arcade mode, and got all the secret character save 1, you begin to ask the ultimate question...
How come my mates got Lizardman on the Xbox but I cant get him on the PS2? I am a level, erm...79 I believe, but I cant figure out which level to do again, as my mate says you have to do, to find him, and its got me a tad miffed to tell the truth.
Do any of you know how to get him? If so, can you please submit it, if not, then dont submit it...
by da way, have any of you played Dynasty warriors 4? Dats a brilliant game, Zhou Tai kicks the proverbial butt! And the celestial butt! (wrong context but hey, it sounds good!)
Please answer if you have any answers Dudes...or in RebelGirl's case Dudet, C ya around, well...if i do then i wont no, cos I have no idea what you look like!
What happens if i beat Weapon Master Mode Extra??
answer in my guestbokk, at http://www.kajanaruban.tk
IF THEY MAKE SOUL CALIBUR 3 WHO DO U THINK WILL B THE NEXT SPECIAL GUEST CHARACTER ON EACH SYSTEM???
I guess SC2 is one of the best fighting games on GCN, but sometimes really piss me off when I am beating someone and then he took me out of the plataform... ¬_¬
I prefer fighting in cages...
NIGHTMARE RULES...
IT IS GREAT
I beat the whole game but i still don't have lizardman
i unlocked the lizard dude already