I remember the first time I popped in Soul Calibur for the Dreamcast way back in 1999. Suffice it to say that, at the time, it not only boasted by far the most striking visuals ever seen in a console fighting game, but quite possibly the most striking visuals ever seen in ANY console game, period. Gone were the jagged edges, polygon joints, and slowdown of fighters yore...in were characters whose movements were so fluid and lifelike and simply breathtaking to watch that they made all other fighting games look downright primitive and silly by comparison...Virtua Fighter 3tb and all the rest suddenly looked like some ancient relic holdovers from the 32-bit days! And the gameplay actually matched the graphic splendor! Although newbies could jump right in and button-mash their way to some degree of success, only with time and practice (a LOT of practice) could the Soul Caliber fighting engine truly be mastered and appreciated. Even almost 4 years after its release it remains, in many minds, the pinnacle of all fighting games... Fast forward to 2003 and Soul Calibur 2. If I was limited to one word to describe the difference between Soul Calibur 2 and its predecessor, it would be this: flashier. Everything obviously looks a bit better than it did back in 99...although not by much. The intro, menus, and backgrounds in SC2 seem to have gotten the biggest facelifts over any other elements found in SC, and while the characters have some new outfits and an increased polygon count, these improvements hardly represent a quantum leap. First-time reactions don't lie...the "WOW!" feeling I got from SC the first time I saw it was a much more muted "looks pretty good" this time around. Even many of the characters' animations seem to be recycled from the original...not necessarily a bad thing, but considering that this is supposed to be superior hardware and that almost FOUR years has gone by since SC's debut...I was a little disappointed. Gameplay is pretty much the same as it was in SC for the Dreamcast, with some minor tweaks here and there (and some new characters)...back for this go-around are the arcade mode, vs mode, practice mode (and maybe it's just me but I thought this particular mode was much better in SC), survival mode, and weapon master mode, which is sort of like a training mode where you can acquire different weapons and costumes...although the weapon master mode attempts to filter in some kind of a story with the battles, I quickly found myself blowing past the text to get to the fighting. While the addition of different weapons makes for an interesting diversion, it doesn't really add THAT much to the game other than some variety. Over time you'll also open up galleries and character profiles...cool enough, but not exactly earth-shattering. Unfortunately, the two most disappointing elements in Soul Calibur have found their way into Soul Calibur 2: first and foremost, the character endings! Remember those lame black-and-white stills you were treated to after beating Inferno in SC? You guessed it...they're baaaaaaaaaaaaack, in all their unimpressive glory! With everything else in this game shwing some degree of improvement and polish, would it be too much to ask to provide each character with some kind of CGI ending that matches the graphical quality of the intro as opposed to some lame stills and subtitles? GEEEZ! My second main complaint concerns the voice-over work...especially the English voice-overs. Can someone please for the love of GOD TELL ME IN THIS ERA OF STARVING ACTORS AND ACTRESSES WHY IT IS SO DIFFICULT TO FIND DECENT VOICE-OVER ACTORS WHO DON'T SOUND LIKE THEY'RE READING OFF A %^#*$& TELEPROMPTER?! This aspect, unfortunately, is far too often overlooked in today's games...and there's no worse feeling than to whup some serious ass on your opponent...only to hear your fighter utter something completely stupid and worthless. Definitely a buzzkill! Despite some flaws and a general more-of-the-same fresh-coat-of-paint feel, Soul Calibur 2 definitely worth picking up for both newbies and veterans. With a killer fighting engine that remains more-or-less intact from its predecessor, the soul still burns!
ok i love this game it is bye far the best fighting game i have ever played. o and all the guys to chose all of them all good but of course knightmare is the best. there are alot of maches to play very fun some of them a... Read Full Review
holy crap, this game is one of the better one's I've played. The game is a fighting game in which two swords, one of the side of good, and the other of the side of evil, duke it out through a series of characters. One... Read Full Review
