Soul Calibur II Review

By Rob Fahey Published 26 September, 2003

Rob's soul still burns!

Version tested:

The original Soul Calibur is, for the majority of the gaming public, probably the best beat 'em up they've never played. The sequel to the well-regarded PSone title Soul Edge, it remains to this day one of the most graphically stunning, finely balanced, accessible and engrossing fighting games ever created - but as fate would have it, Namco decided to release it exclusively on the Dreamcast, thus consigning it to being deservedly adored and championed by hardcore gamers, and almost entirely ignored by Joe Public.

Hoping that the same fate will not befall its sequel, Namco has decided to bring Soul Calibur II to every platform it could find - so if you go down to your friendly local retailer today, he'll be happy to furnish you with a version of the game for the GameCube, Xbox or PlayStation 2, whichever your poison may be. The differences between the versions are minor - but the real question is whether or not it can recapture the magic of the original? Is this worth developing a bad case of bleeding thumbs over? Does the soul still burn?

A Hero Seeks a Sword...

'Soul Calibur II' Screenshot 1

In case you've never played Soul Calibur, a brief run-down of how the game works is in order. This is a traditional enough 3D beat 'em up, complete with combos, throws, air juggles and all that guff - but everyone in it carries a bloody great sword (or other bladed or bludgeoning weapon of choice). It's not realistic in the slightest - those seeking Bushido Blade-style sword combat or breaking limbs and sprays of arterial blood will want to look elsewhere (like their local friendly psychiatrist, perhaps) - so as you chop away at your enemy, rather than filleting them up like a carcass in a butchershop, you're just knocking lumps off their health gauge. All very civilised, really.

So then, what set Soul Calibur apart from countless other beat 'em ups? On one level, it was the graphics; the visuals of the original Dreamcast game still look absolutely stunning, even now, and more impressive than the artwork was the animation, which gave every character a measure of graceful, flowing motion that you don't generally find outside the very best martial arts movies. On another level, it was the gameplay - which was not only supremely fast and dramatic, as you'd expect bladed combat between two people who really know their kung fu to be, but was also incredibly accessible for new players, while still containing enough subtlety to keep hardcore beat 'em up enthusiasts engrossed for months.

The sequel to the game, on first viewing, looks very similar to the Dreamcast original. Many of the characters from Soul Calibur return, and in some cases their moves are very similar - even down to using the same motion capture data for the animation, we suspect. Certainly, the game feels very familiar, and anyone who spent any time with Soul Calibur will have no difficulty getting to grips with their favourite characters in SCII. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; Namco has clearly realised that the basic gameplay of Soul Calibur wasn't broken, and opted not to fix it. What they have done, however, is added new layers to that gameplay in order to keep fans of the original engrossed without alienating new players.

A Tale of Souls and Swords

'Soul Calibur II' Screenshot 2

One new element, for example, is the weapon system in the game, with "Extra" modes that allow you to pick between different weapons for your character as well as choosing different costumes. Costumes just look pretty - weapons, however, actually make a slight difference to how the game plays, and while the default weapon for each character is arguably their most "balanced", unlocking new weapons does allow you to fine-tune the character to your favoured style of play. Of course, if you don't fancy having to learn playing styles for different weapons, you can just select Classic play modes which don't feature this functionality.

Another addition to the game is vastly overhauled quest mode, called Weapon Master, which forms the main single player element of the game. Compared with the wafer thin arcade modes on offer in other beat 'em ups (and also here, but only as one element of the game), this is practically an in-depth RPG - complete with a money system, an experience system, a branching path through the quest and a lengthy narrated plot. At each point in the plot you have to fight a battle under special circumstances - early examples being one where the wind pushes you off the edge of the arena, or where you have to land twenty hits on an opponent within twenty seconds.

These get gradually more difficult (and this is a beat 'em up that really does get tricky in places - even on Normal difficulty level there are few easy battles in SCII, and button bashing won't get you very far at all), but the difficulty curve is extremely well balanced and you'll find this mode to be a useful introduction to the subtleties of the game if nothing else. Plus, it's an extremely rewarding mode to play - not only does winning battles advance the story, but it unlocks new features in the main game, including new characters, costumes, weapons and "Museum" features (things like character martial arts exhibitions, production artwork, information about the various weapons and so on).

More Souls, Sir?

'Soul Calibur II' Screenshot 3

One element of Soul Calibur II, which has been the subject of significant discussion is the graphics, and we've seen quite a few people dismissively comment that they're no better than the Dreamcast version. There's a certain degree of rose tinted spectacles at work here - the Dreamcast version does still look fantastic, but placed side by side, the improvements of the new game are very obvious indeed. Background detail which was painted on in the original title is now fully rendered 3D, while the stages themselves are now incredibly detailed - witness some of the cobbled arenas where each cobble is an individual block rather than being drawn onto a texture, for example.

The fighters also look excellent, albeit rather different to how they looked in the original Soul Calibur - aside from the fact that they're all a few years older, they've also been given slightly less realistic, more anime-esque designs, which do admittedly take some getting used to. As you might expect, the animation is superb, right down to incidental detail like the hair and clothing flapping in the wind, or, in a move shamelessly copied from Dead or Alive, the supremely bouncy breasts. Yes, you heard me. It's a selling point, we suppose!

In terms of differences between the versions on the three platforms, Namco have actually done a remarkable job of keeping the graphical quality consistent without making the game feel like a lowest common denominator port. The PlayStation 2 version is certainly the weakest of the three versions graphically, but only to a trained eye, while the Xbox and GameCube versions look almost identical - and that's no bad thing, because even to an Xbox graphics whore, this is an incredibly good looking game, perhaps not quite on a par with Dead or Alive 3, but certainly in the same league.

Transcending History and the World...

'Soul Calibur II' Screenshot 4

Of course, the real difference between the three versions lies in the platform-exclusive combatants, which have been added to all three alongside the main line-up of fighters. The PS2 version features Heihachi from Tekken; the Xbox version features Todd McFarlane's creation, Spawn (McFarlane also designed another character, Necrid, which is present in all three versions, and looks a bit rubbish to be honest); and the GameCube version features Link, complete not only with sword, shield and girly tights, but also with bombs, arrows and boomerang. All three characters actually work remarkably well in the context of the game, and don't feel unbalanced or out of place when squaring up against Soul Calibur's main cast. Our personal favourite by far is Link, whose long range attacks are excellent for taking newcomers by surprise - and besides, his extra weapons include a squeaky mallet and a fishing net. Who could resist?

The fact that Namco has managed to integrate these three unusual characters into Soul Calibur II without it feeling artificial or unbalanced is a testament to the care which has gone into making this a balanced game. Certainly, the characters all have different strengths and weaknesses, but over countless hours of playing the game in Versus mode, we've yet to find any one character that we'd describe as being massively overpowered or massively underpowered. We have our personal favourites, certainly, but no battle in Soul Calibur II is decided before the first sword flashes in the arena.

For newcomers, that's a reassuring start - and this remains the absolute ideal game for casual fans of beat 'em ups, who don't want to spend hours learning combo moves in order to get the most out of their game. It's possible to do incredibly impressive things in Soul Calibur II right from the start - which isn't to say that the game rewards button bashing, but rather that it's so well animated and it flows so well that even chaining together basic attacks can be hugely rewarding. It also feels far more natural than the majority of 3D beat 'em ups, with the moves on the joypad all corresponding in a logical fashion to what's happening on screen, and excellent usage of the 3D movement rather than trying to shoehorn 2D gameplay mechanics into a 3D environment.

Burning Down The House

'Soul Calibur II' Screenshot 5

Soul Calibur II isn't without its faults, but thankfully they're quite minor. We noticed some quite annoying bugs in the PAL version of the game, such as the mislabelling of several weapons in the Weapons Gallery section of the Museum - a small problem, certainly, but one that makes it quite difficult to gauge the strengths of certain weapons. You'll also want to turn the English voice acting off as soon as possible - some characters are quite well done, but the excessively squeaky Xianghua, the incredibly fake sounding pseudo-English accent of Ivy and the downright diabolical Kilik were enough to have us giving thanks for the option to switch the voices back into Japanese, which is fundamentally a far better language for shouting death threats at people anyway.

Gaming purists will be pleased to find a 60Hz mode in the title, alongside widescreen and surround sound options (available in various flavours in all of the three versions), while CG fans might be interested to know that the stunning opening movie was nominated for a Best Of Show award at a prestigious graphics convention earlier this year. Those concerned about the longevity of a beat 'em up will be pleased to note that the Weapons Master section of the game is not only huge, but also almost infinitely replayable, while beating your best times in the arcade mode is also a surprisingly addictive pastime. Oh, and those who owned NTSC versions of the game might be interested to hear that the AI in the PAL version is significantly overhauled, and now presents far more of a challenge, even on Easy difficulty, than the pathetically easy AI opponents in the Japanese and American versions, with massively improved blocking, timing and counter-attacking skills.

The Soul Still Burns

For newcomers - people who didn't own a Dreamcast, or people who aren't massive fans of most beat 'em ups but can enjoy them on occasion - Soul Calibur II is a must-own, the absolute pinnacle of the casual fighting game. Hardcore beat 'em up gamers will have to make up their mind independently - everyone who's really into this genre has their own very personal ideas about what forms good gameplay, and Soul Calibur II might not conform to your ideas. The fact remains, however, that for the vast majority of the gaming world, this is quite easily the best 3D beat 'em up ever made.

10 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Rob.

About Rob Fahey

Rob Fahey is a former editor of GamesIndustry.biz who spent several years living in Japan and probably still has a mint condition Dreamcast Samba de Amigo set.

Read more articles from Rob by visiting the Rob Fahey archive page.

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Comments (98) Latest comment 8 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • TipTop #1 9 years ago

    \o/

    First for the umpteenth time today. Like the review.

  • brutal #2 9 years ago

    xbox version for me then, just for the 5.1 support - can't think of any other decent reasons :)

  • Celeborn #3 9 years ago

    With the quite varying controllers for the consoles, I'd be interested to know which one felt better/more responsive/more natural for a beat-em-up like this?

  • Killerbee #4 9 years ago

    Gosh, 10/10!?

    or people who aren't massive fans of most beat 'em ups but can enjoy them on occasion - Soul Calibur II is a must-own

    Well, that's me... and that's sort of why I haven't rushed out to get this asap... maybe I should get it... Cube version naturally...

    /checks wallet/

    Ah. Nooooooooo!

    I will be putting this on my wish list for Xmas though. :)

  • Hicksy #5 9 years ago

    10/10?!?!? erm... ok...

    er..

    n..

    *speechless*

  • Load_2.0 #6 9 years ago

    Wow a 10... With that sort of a recommendation I guess I better try it out.
    Bzz

  • Zero Beat #7 9 years ago

    The PS2 has the best DPad and face buttons for the game by far. Not tried any of those pad converters myself so donno if it's worth mixing a PS2 pad with the other two versions of the game.

  • Blerk #8 9 years ago

    I hate fighting games! 0/10! \o/

  • malloc #9 9 years ago

    "in a move shamelessly copied from Dead or Alive, the supremely bouncy breasts."

    Yeah baby, I spose it's pretty much a standard for beat-em-ups nowadays, thank goodness. :)

    BTW how come Nintendo are publishing the Cube version whereas EA are publishing the PS2 and xbox versions?

  • Hicksy #10 9 years ago

    all i can see is that it is a 10/10 purely within the context of fighting games because i cannot for the life of me see how this can be a 'as near as dammit perfect' game within the contexts of all game genres

    *still in shock*

  • Zero Beat #11 9 years ago

    BTW how come Nintendo are publishing the Cube version whereas EA are publishing the PS2 and xbox versions?

    With Link in the 'Cube version they couldn't have it any other way.

  • Tiitiz #12 9 years ago

    Head to Head on IGN btw. IGN Insider though :/

    Controls are a tie (odd), features tie, Sound Xbox , graphics Xbox, presentation GC, overall Xbox and GC runner-up

    It really comes down to control and the extra character though I reckon. I know I didn't really like the Xbox Demo. How does the full game compare to what was offered on the demo?

  • mOth #13 9 years ago

    I hate beat 'em ups but Soul Calibur on the DC was a classic...

    *sigh*
    Poor the DreamCast...

    I think I'll get this!


  • Alastair #14 9 years ago

    /Adds SCII to list alongside Ikaruga

    Played the Cube demo and actually quite enjoyed it. :o)

  • Nemesis #15 9 years ago

    SC was the killer app for the DC and well worth every penny. Spent WAY too long playing SC, so I can't wait to get home tonight.

    Purchased : Xbox version.

    Have they retained the snazzy Kata unlockables for all the characters? Used to love watching these, just to realise just how poor a player I was.

  • BradlayLaw #16 9 years ago

    I've had this for about a month now, and I still can't be arsed to play it. I don't know why, as I loved SC. I think the practice mode is horrible and find myself drifting back to VF4:Evo most of the time.
    Edited by 1 at 26/09/03 @ 15:55

  • Nemesis #17 9 years ago

    ..oh and nice review Shijisan!

    10/10, my word.

  • Shinji #18 9 years ago

    "all i can see is that it is a 10/10 purely within the context of fighting games"

    Of course. That's the only sensible context to place this in - you can't really directly compare a fighting game with an RPG or an FPS game...

  • Shinji #19 9 years ago

    Nem - yep, the Kata are still in there. Which is nice :)

    "Not only is it not a perfect game, but it's not even the best fighter out there"

    See, I say it *is* the best fighter out there. You say it isn't. This is called "opinion".

    (But I'm still right and you're wrong, obviously ;) )

  • Nemesis #20 9 years ago

    Yie Ar Kung-Fu

    Have a word with yourself man. We've moved on a bit since then.

  • Nemesis #21 9 years ago

    Nem - yep, the Kata are still in there. Which is nice :)

    Nice one. Cheers bud.

  • Load_2.0 #22 9 years ago

    Wow a 10 for Yie Ar Kung-Fu and Panza Kickboxing... With that sort of a recommendation I guess I better try it out.
    Bzz

  • Khab #23 9 years ago

    Oh buzz off, this is clearly the most enjoyable fighter for the current generation that manages to stay accessible to newcomers.

    I should know, I've been playing it since march.

    Oh, and t34 GC p4d R0XXXXXXXXXX0r5555! No, really, it works.

  • Rizo #24 9 years ago

    I still rate DOA3 over this the flow of the combos and the throws just push it ahead

  • jaa #25 9 years ago

    Not even with a 11/10 score I'd buy a beat 'em up. And bouncy breast are everywhere these days!



    /looks surreptitiously to work colleague from Lisbon in Oporto's office just for the day...

  • speedjack #26 9 years ago

    Got mine - picked the Cube version - can't wait to get home !

  • Shinji #27 9 years ago

    Actually yeah, it's worth mentioning that I really like the GC pad for this. Loads of thought went into how to make it work best with the weird button config, and it just plain works - it's really easy to cover the right buttons for all the main attacks, and I found it more comfortable than the Xbox pad by far. Some people seem a bit worried about the D-Pad, but I have to say that I played the whole way through using the analogue stick, because that's what the game seems to have been calibrated for. Even on the PS2, which has a decent D-Pad, I reverted to the analogue stick quickly enough. Makes sense really - it's a 3D beat 'em up, and analogue controllers are better for 3D games...

  • Load_2.0 #28 9 years ago

    Wow a 11/10 for Bouncy Lisbon Breasts... With that sort of a recommendation I guess I better try it out.
    Bzz

  • Hicksy #29 9 years ago

    despite my shock, i still like the review and think i will give the game a spin once it drops from full price :)

    i think this type of game always spins off a lot of contrasting opinions as it's a love/hate genre...

  • malloc #30 9 years ago

    "Got mine - picked the Cube version - can't wait to get home !"

    How did you manage to make that comment then? A man using a laptop and a wireless net connection whilst driving your car home from the shop comes to mind?

  • jaa #31 9 years ago

    AKA Rhythm - with that kind of logic, no game would ever get a 10.

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #32 9 years ago

    AKA Rhythm - surely 10/10 means 'best so far' not 'best ever' otherwise every game should be reviewed as a 1 in case a game comes along in years to come that is almost immeasurably better....

  • Blerk #33 9 years ago

    10/10 doesn't necessarily mean that it's 'perfect, can never be bettered', it just means it's 'exceptional'.

    What jaa said...

  • Nemesis #34 9 years ago

    At the MOMENT it's a 10/10.

    Things move on.

  • mechamonkey #35 9 years ago

    10 / 10 for a rehash with no new or original features whatsoever. Tripe.

    Its good , it's pretty but its so been there seen it sone that several years ago already.

    Ive had this for a week and found the AI to be bugger all different from my JPN version and the game in gereral to be no different from the DC.


    *goes off to read the Evo review again in disbelief*

  • Shinji #36 9 years ago

    "Jaa: That's kind of my point."

    It's our editorial policy here that 10/10 means an absolutely exceptional game which is at the pinnacle of its genre, rather than implying some kind of pie-in-the-sky notion of "perfection" - which, of course, no game will ever achieve. Obviously if you have a different idea of what 10/10 means to ours, then it's pretty pointless arguing about scores, since we're working on different scales....

  • ST.. #37 9 years ago

    Is it true they don't have proper CGI ending sequences in this? seems a tad lazy....

  • spuncken #38 9 years ago

    "It's our editorial policy here that 10/10 means an absolutely exceptional game which is at the pinnacle of its genre"

    So how come HALO got an 8 then ;)

    Anyway might pick this up to see if it deserves the perfect score though beat-em-ups aint exactly my thang.

  • FWB #39 9 years ago

    I've ordered this. It had better be good.

  • tiddles #40 9 years ago

    Does as much "agonising" and "soul-searching" go into a Eurogamer 10/10 as goes into an Edge 10? ;)

  • Shinji #41 9 years ago

    "Does as much "agonising" and "soul-searching" go into a Eurogamer 10/10 as goes into an Edge 10? ;)"

    Well, I can't really comment on how much goes into an EDGE 10, although I know they like to talk about it a bit! However I can say that we don't give 10s lightly, and it's a score that I thought long and hard about and consulted with other members of the team over before the review went live. If it hadn't been for the fact that this was going to be such a high scoring review, it would have been finished a lot earlier - so yeah, we did take very special care with this game. Eurogamer hasn't given a lot of 10/10 scores in its history - I've been writing for the site for several years now (first freelance, then fulltime) and the only games that I ever recall scoring 10 were this, Wind Waker and Deus Ex...

  • ReGuRgIt8oR #42 9 years ago

    Nice review, brave score.

    It's the score I'd like to give it but doubt I'd have been brave enough to if I were Shinji (just look at the flak).

    All I can say is that it - IN MY OPINION -

    it is without doubt the best fighting game out there and the best incarnation of the series.

    I have owned many a beat em up but the three most played/most enjoyed were the 3 of the Soul Calibur series (by a long way).

    I agree with Shinji in that you will already know if the "style" of fighting is not to your taste, if so, stay away, otherwise buy it. It's that simple.

    Despite owning the Gamecube Jap version I'm struggling to resist buying this again :(

  • Merefield #43 9 years ago

    "It's our editorial policy here that 10/10 means an absolutely exceptional game which is at the pinnacle of its genre"

    So how come HALO got an 8 then ;) "

    READER REVIEW

    Halo, XBox, Microsoft


    Best FPS ever. Fabulous, 10/10


    /END READER REVIEW


    There!

    Record Straight.

  • Cyhwuhx #44 9 years ago

    .::: For those still shaking their heads in disbelief; the GC pad works wonders. Because of the position of X,Y and A you can easily perform de dual-button combo's without having to hold the pad differently.

    Just be sure to 'empty' the C-stick in the options; it can have shortcut's mapped to them.

  • WoodenSpoon #45 9 years ago

    Grr, was gonna get this today, but, for reasons out of my control i must go tomorrow :(

  • mOth #46 9 years ago

    ...and the moral of the story?

    Read the review and make your own mind up.

    oh and post "bUt!!!11!! hAl0 onli get eght!!111!!" under *every* positive review.

  • Alastair #47 9 years ago

    /pedant
    Super Smash Brothers Melee got 10/10

    EDIT: So did Advance Wars
    EDIT: So did Zelda:LttP
    Edited by 2 at 26/09/03 @ 17:26

  • Shinji #48 9 years ago

    Alastair - yes, but I didn't review any of those :)

  • Scientist #49 9 years ago

    10/10- we're glad you liked it. The cheque's in the post guys;-)

  • Shinji #50 9 years ago

    "The cheque's in the post guys;-)"

    Oh good! Try and get the address right this time though, eh? Old Mrs McGinty next door has been looking incredibly smug ever since you mis-addressed the cheque for the Zelda: Wind Waker 10/10, and I swear to god, if I see one more delivery van for expensive electronics arrive at her house....

  • Alastair #51 9 years ago

    OK Shinji. I couldn't think of any others anyway.
    :o)

  • malloc #52 9 years ago

    Yes, but then Edge gave Halo a 10, along with GT3, OOT, and SM64, which I really don't agree with at all.

    Eurogamer weren't the only ones to give Halo a lowish score, Gamespy gave it about 85%. I kinda have to agree with them really. Gamespy also featured Halo in there top 25 most overrated games in history. Not saying it was a bad game, but seriously....

  • tiddles #53 9 years ago

    The Cube's face buttons are actually designed so that more than one button can be pressed at once (as opposed to various adhoc solutions on PS2 such as the Tekken Claw, and involuntary pressing of all the buttons at once on the original Xbox controller...).

    The other thing to mention is that the way the Cube analogue stick sits in an octagonal "frame", cleverly facilitating a sort of d-pad-like behaviour from the off.

    Regards, Dr Pad Pedant

  • TipTop #54 9 years ago

    ... Look Im the only one allowed to accuse EG of wallowing in cash and freebies!

  • tiddles #55 9 years ago

    SSBM 10/10??? PUHRLEEEZE!!!

    ;)

  • Zee-Zed-Zipster #56 9 years ago

    Hey Shinji, could you possibly write a 2 or 3 thousand word article on 'the perfect 10' please. And, perhaps a nice long article on how Eurogamer is put together? :p

  • Westy #57 9 years ago

    18 months after its release and people are still bleating on about Halo. For heavens sake, move on. Better games have come out since then!

  • Tiitiz #58 9 years ago

    Halo is still my bestest game evuurrrr!!

  • Pirotic #59 9 years ago

    Fact: KotoR is miles better than Halo :p

  • Thamuhacha #60 9 years ago

    This is ridiculous. I want a review to be an opinion from someone on what a game is like. Over a period of time I will evaluate a site / mag / journo's reviews against my own opinion. Thus coming up with a system of deciding what to buy based upon their reviews.

    Some people here seem to come along with a potential review score in their head and then slag off the reviewer for disagreeing. Ludicrous.

    If you already think you know what the game is like - why are you reading this article? Just buy / don't buy the game and shut up. (yes, it's friday and I am still at work).
    Edited by 1 at 26/09/03 @ 19:23

  • Beano #61 9 years ago

    10/10 !?!?!?... COOL !!!

    This means a lot of people will buy it, be dissapointed (since it plays like the SC1) , sell it fast and I will be able to pick up a 2. hand copy cheap :)

  • Feanor #62 9 years ago

    I use the shoulder buttons on the PS2 pad for A and B and face buttons for G and K and that works fine.
    Edited by 1 at 26/09/03 @ 20:03

  • David_W #63 9 years ago

    I'm with BotoxSonOf on this one.

    SC2 is a sweet game that I'd recommend to anyone, but to give it a lower rating than Virtua Fighter 4:Evo is just plain stupid.

  • savant #64 9 years ago

    I've been playing the US version for the past few weeks on my Xbox and I would vehemently disagree with the 10/10 score here. There are some serious issues with SC 2:

    - No ending movies. I'm sorry but a few lines of stupid text and some black and white pictures will not do any longer. After the amazing intro sequence this is unforgiveable.
    - Lack of balance. Some of the characters (notably Ivy, Voldo and Cervantes) are overpowered.
    - Weapon Master Mode. This is a step back from the Soul Calibur system. There is very little branching, and you'll find yourself frustrated because on occasion you have to complete a particularly difficult mission to get to the next Chapter. It's very linear.
    - Unfair high score entry. If you use a continue, you can't input your name in the high score table.
    - Time attack mode unfair. Die once on the Inferno stage in Time Attack and it's game over. No continues. Both this and the above point mean that this is significantly less accessible and rewarding a game than the original for n00bs. Fancy spending 10 hours on a game and still have no entries on the high score table?!
    - Recycled content. Kata's for the returning characters are the same as for Soul Calibur. This is just lazy (I was looking forward to the Katas most of all in the sequel). Likewise, a great deal of the moves have been replicated exactly from the original.
    - Necrid looks awful.
    - Move queueing is dodgy sometimes. This never happened in the original. It seems pretty flaky.

    Graphically, DOA3 pisses all over this, but it's still nice to look at. That's the price you pay when you use Renderware to produce three versions at once I suppose. Grrr.

    Sonically, the music is as grating as the original, but the Japanese voices are good. As with the moves and kata's many of the sound effects come from the original Soul Calibur.

    Although this was really disappointing for me, I'd still give it an 8/10. Versus is still great if you've got a bunch of friends around and it's got longevity. But it still could have been so...much...better! :(

  • WoodenSpoon #65 9 years ago

    Hmm..after carefuly looking over the demo of SC2, SC, and Soul Edge i ve decided that i like both the SC and VF series equally, basically because with SC you can have a buncha friends round, and they can all play and have fun, whereas with virtua fighter you have to be good at it to enjoy it.
    And in my case i only have 1 friend that i could compete with (he was always better then me anyway) at VF

  • krudster #66 9 years ago

    Just wanted to add that I tried SC2 on my Xbox debug on HDTV, and i can safely say I've never seen graphics so sharp on a console in my life. I also tried out DOA3, and it can't compare to SC2 on this front, although is in wide screen wheras SC2 isn't. DOA3 looks beautiful too, mind you.
    Seeing is believing.

  • savant #67 9 years ago

    Hi Ahab,

    Regarding the overpowered characters, I'm sorry but I meant when the AI was in charge. Ivy, Voldo and Siegfried seem to be far more aggressive than others and have a greater propensity to unleash chains of special moves on yo' ass.

    As for the endings, it's lazy. Nothing more or less. Nobody's going to argue that they prefer the existing system to a decent bit of CG or an in-engine movie.

    The lack of a high score when using a continue isn't just 'hard'. It punishes the player, who may have taken a character all the way to the Inferno stage only to face...Ivy, Voldo and Siegfried in turn! ;) Why change the way it's always been done just to make it harder for non-expert players?

    I forgot another annoyance when I wrote my last post - the Weapon Master mode text is too verbose and convoluted (even more so than the original). Does anyone pay attention to the back story in fighting games anyway?

    I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on some points, but thanks for airing your views, too :)

  • Tricky #68 9 years ago

    Damn you Kristan and your shit-hot-TV-owning-type-antics! Mind you, glad I haven't got to pay for the thing...

  • mcmonkeyplc #69 9 years ago

    ah crap i wasent gonna get this ....

    /wallet self destructs

  • The Button #70 9 years ago

    "It's our editorial policy here that 10/10 means an absolutely exceptional game which is at the pinnacle of its genre"

    So how come HALO got an 8 then ;) "

    Because Metroid Prime has been released for a while now.

  • dirk douglas #71 9 years ago

    i'm a casual beat 'em up fan. Tekken being my all-time favourite, and i have DOA3 now on my xbox.
    As i say - casual fan of the genre.
    According to the eurogamer review, i should go out and buy this. Well call me suspicious - but i'm going to rent it first.
    I will give it a good going over for 3 days before i decide if it is worth £40.
    Eurogamer, you have a very good site - my favourite gaming site,
    Your reputation is on the line here...

  • beep #72 9 years ago

    Take away the graphics and the stupidly high number of moves that most will never really use, and you are essentially left with a style of game which resembles the intro to the Itchy & Scratchy show.

  • quantumsheep #73 9 years ago

    At the recent Game Developers conference at Earls Court, Peter Molyneax mentioned something that I found very interesting (and it wasn't even an idea of his own!).

    He said that a well known game developer (name witheld, but I reckon it was Hideo Kojima) told him that his biggest problems come when he's thinking 'how am I going to help the player get through this level?'.

    It's a point that I've long believed in. Rather than make things more difficult, how can I entertain the player by allowing him to progress while giving the illusion that he worked hard to achieve that?

    Soul Calibur 2 entertains admirably - it's a joy to beat an opponent that's held up your progress for a while - and you're even enjoying it when you're getting beat - mainly due to the fantastic moves and the overall balance of the game.

    I've beaten it with every fighter, and only one or two did I have real trouble with.

    But, I believe, there's a real joy in the combat. In watching yourself deflect an attack and then kick a guy out of the ring in the replay. In choosing the attack that will hurt your opponent, put him on the ground and give you enough distance to ready yourself for the next onslaught. In getting the final hit in to win a match when you're both down to zero health.

    And it's even better with two players!

    It's certainly noob friendly too. I spent ages trying to defeat an opponent on the Weapon Master mode and had to go for a slash. The gf wanted a go so I gave her the pad whilst I went to answer the call of nature. When I got back, she'd defeated the guy, on her first go. Without knowing any of the moves or anything!

    As to similarities to the previous game, I have no problem with that. Are developers really going to fix something that isn't broken? Add to it sure, but the overall spirit is still there - the heart of the game if you will.

    The Terminator films are in effect a good comparison - T1 was cool in a low budget kinda way - a bit like Soul Edge. Then T2 blew you away with cool graphics (much like SC) and T3 was a continuation of that (like SC2). The central premise in both mediums is the same - give people more of what you know they love and throw in a few suprises along the way.


    This is what makes SC2 a great game - the fact that it's less of a game, more a piece of entertainment that anyone can enjoy.

    Namco has a habit of doing this - their games aren't always fantastic, but they're usually very entertaining (and stylish, I've always thought).

  • Scimarad #74 9 years ago

    The review score was a shock but the even bigger shock was that AMAZON DELIVERED THIS ON THE DAY OF RELEASE!!!!!!!!!! Huh??

    Seriously though, I think the difficulty level is much improved since the previous games - It certainly doesn't give you any time to think about what you are doing. I have lost any reservations I may still have had about the Xbox pad, though I think I might still prefer the Dual Shock...

  • Beano #75 9 years ago

    "It's certainly noob friendly too. I spent ages trying to defeat an opponent on the Weapon Master mode and had to go for a slash. The gf wanted a go so I gave her the pad whilst I went to answer the call of nature. When I got back, she'd defeated the guy, on her first go. Without knowing any of the moves or anything! "

    And that's a good thing ?

  • quantumsheep #76 9 years ago

    Very much so.
    While the game has enough depth to satisfy me as a 'hardcore' gamer, it's also accessible to noobs. So both camps can have fun with it. How can that be a bad thing? ;)

  • Shinji #77 9 years ago

    I'm glad to see we've most settled into a discussion about whether it's a 10 or a 9.999 - I'm not that far off the mark in anyone's mind then, eh?

    To the people banging on about the original DC version, I'd ask you to remember a few things. Firstly, a great many people buying SC2 will never have played SC1. Secondly, we did drag out SC1 and play it again, at length, while we were playing SC2 for this review, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that SC2 is a superior game. Not infinitely superior, not the leap forward from Soul Calibur that Soul Calibur was from Soul Edge, but still enough of an improvement that anyone who enjoyed Soul Calibur should buy the sequel - and given the tiny audience Soul Calibur had, and what a downright fantastic game it was, that's recommendation enough to my mind.

    One quick point though:

    "And the AI sucks, both in the way it works and in how it scales to higher difficulties."

    Are you talking about the AI in the NTSC versions? The PAL AI is a hell of a lot cleverer, and it scales to higher difficulties by becoming more intelligent and faster rather than simply developing the uncanny ability to block all your moves (as it did in the NTSC version).

  • Pirotic #78 9 years ago

    :p i think you stand alone Shinji, most people who've played both games agree the PAL version is has worse AI.

    I own both NTSC (JAP) and PAL (UK) version on the gamecube, the NTSC version gets difficult later on, but the AI is decent - it plays like a human, sometimes it blocks to slow and othertimes it misjudges. the AI however can perform combo and multiple button moves a hell of a lot quicker than a human could with a pad.

    the PAL version on the otherhand, is unbalanced - rather than playing better they've simply changed a couple of variables around to make it block quicker and counter more effictivly, it may make the game harder but it feels like your playing against AI instead of a human player - who has an unfair advantage of being able to perform a block the millisecond your thumb hits the button.

  • Pariko #79 9 years ago

    Rob is shite at SCII!

  • Emma Roids #80 9 years ago

    Does the cube version have wobbly tits?

  • Pariko #81 9 years ago

    Yes, much like yore ma

  • bluebird #82 8 years ago

    Check out this page.

    A guy with access to all three versions of SC2 took his digital camera and put on the shots to compare (you have to scroll down to the bottom for it). It also has a trivia so you can test if you can see which is which.

    From what I can see from that page, all versions are nigh identical, apart from the bonus characters. However, the XBox version has a HD TV mode that's a LOT sharper! (You do need the special TV to see it of course).

  • Shinji #83 8 years ago

    "However, the XBox version has a HD TV mode that's a LOT sharper! (You do need the special TV to see it of course)."

    I could be wrong, but I believe that HDTV functions don't work on PAL Xboxen?

  • ssuellid #84 8 years ago

    I only got this yesterday but so far its all been very good. Not much has changed but it didn't need to.

    Whoever thinks this looks the same as the DC version needs to visit the opticians. I had both running up at the same time and just toggled TV inputs.

    The difficulty levels seem easier than the DC version and the challenges on the 'Weapons Master' mode are way easier than the DC equivalent. The only real difficulty increase is having to finish without using a continue to get into the high score tables.

    How well has this been selling? IIRC when SCII was released in Japan it sold less than 150k in the first week - compared to just under 500k in the first week for SC on the DC.
    Edited by 1 at 28/09/03 @ 13:54

  • DDevil #85 8 years ago

    I was bored in work today so I set up SCII Cube version up next to the DC version of SC and the graphics are a definite improvement. Anyone saying otherwise is just being silly.

    The characters look slicker, the arenas are more detailed (whooh bumpy floors ;-) and it just plain sparkles more.

    But yeah, it does play somewhat similar...

  • Shinji #86 8 years ago

    "Rob is shite at SCII!"

    Explains the sulking when I repeatedly kicked YOUR arse at it then, eh? I am your SCII GOD! ;)

  • itamae #87 8 years ago

    Ahab wrote: "character design is excellent, SC2 has the first ever fencer (Raphael)"

    /pedant mode on
    Actually, that's not exactly true.
    a) Gerelt (Star Gladiators)
    b) Foxy (King of Fighters)
    c) Eve (Dark Rift)
    /pedant mode off

    ;)

  • CyberClaw #88 8 years ago

    Lets not forget Bushido Blade, where you could pick up the rapier, and mix with any character (worked specially good with that blond zorro dude)

  • eviltobz #89 8 years ago

    ssuellid Whoever thinks this looks the same as the DC version needs to visit the opticians. I had both running up at the same time and just toggled TV inputs.

    DDevil I was bored in work today so I set up SCII Cube version up next to the DC version of SC and the graphics are a definite improvement. Anyone saying otherwise is just being silly.

    thats kinda the point tho, you had to run them side by side. yeah the graphics are certainly better, but its not "slap you in the face whilst screaming look how much better i am" better, its just a bit better.
    Edited by 1 at 29/09/03 @ 16:12

  • mal #90 8 years ago

    i'm a casual beat 'em up fan. Tekken being my all-time favourite, and i have DOA3 now on my xbox.
    As i say - casual fan of the genre.
    According to the eurogamer review, i should go out and buy this. Well call me suspicious - but i'm going to rent it first.

    If it really does play like the previous installment, the only real reason to criticise this game is that it plays too much like Tekken. So it's a lot faster and more graceful, but it'll still have you pulling off wild combos when you have no idea what you are doing. Personally, I've always preferred the VF series (even though comparitively I'm rubbish at VF) but I'm still going to pick this up. If you still like Tekken I don't see what you could dislike.

  • eviltobz #91 8 years ago

    its interesting the way people interpret different things, i'd say that sc2 feels more like vf than tekken, but thats based on the control mechanics rather than the move structures. for me, the thing that makes tekken the supreme ruler of all fightyness is the control layout, left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg, and most importantly back to block, whilst the sc series is much closer to the vf/doa controls with block on a button. why? its just not natural.

  • inpHilltr8r #92 8 years ago

    Back-2-Block vs Guard-Buton
    Street Fighter 2 vs Mortal Kombat
    Tekken vs Virtua Fighter

  • Pariko #93 8 years ago

    Yeah ooh look at me I'm Rob, I pick Link and throw stupid arrows at you like some sort of FAGOT FAIRY

  • Shinji #94 8 years ago

    I played you on random select until my eyes bled and I still beat you nine times out of ten, you lying sack of shit :)

  • lost_soul #95 8 years ago

    and most importantly back to block

    As an SC noob, I'm finding it quite difficult getting used to having block on a button.

    I also agree that Tekken has the best beat em up control system, it just works.

    I ended up having to get the Xbox version of SC2, everywhere was sold out of the Cube version!

  • APR #96 8 years ago

    Tekken has best control system? To me it's far too 'stiff', and not nearly as satisfying as virtua fighter's.

  • eviltobz #97 8 years ago

    no need to justify it ahab, i was just having a rant :) i've spent faaaaaar to many hours playing tekken and i just cant get into the habit of blocking with a button. its just the way i was brought up.

  • Thamuhacha #98 8 years ago

    Ok ... it's a bit late. But, back on the ending movie discussion.

    The reason for this is not laziness. Research shows that the number of people who complete a game compared to the number who play it is very, very low.

    Namco have no doubt taken the sensible option that many developers are doing now, and not wasting time, money and resources on stuff that only 15 to 25% of people will see. Hence the amazing intro movie (seen by 100% of players) and the shit endings.

    Not nice. Not sweet. Just sensible.