(LAST UPDATE: 7/13/09)
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Publisher(s): Namco
Developer(s): Namco
Designer(s): Hiroaki Yotoriyama
Platform(s): Arcade,
Playstation 2, Gamecube, Xbox
Release: July 30th 2002 (Arcade), March 27th 2003 (JP PS2/GC/XB),
August 27th 2003 (NA PS2/GC/XB)
Characters:
Mitsurugi,
Hong,
Cassandra,
Taki,
Voldo,
Maxi,
Yoshimitsu,
Ivy,
Kilik,
Xianghua,
Nightmare,
Astaroth,
Lizard
Man, Rafael,
Talim,
Charade,
Heihachi,
Spawn,
Link,
Necrid,
Seung
Mina, Sophitia, Cervantes,
Berserker,
Assassin
Related Games:
Soul
Edge, Soul Calibur, Soul
Calibur 3, Soul Calibur 3: Arcade
Edition, Soul Calibur 4, Soul
Calibur: Broken Destiny
Review: Soul
Calibur 2 built upon the solid foundation of the epic Soul
Calibur, and in many ways managed to liveup to the original smash
hit. Several new characters have joined the ranks, each proudly showing off
their own unique weapon style in unprecedented detail, and make the
overall experience even
more diverse and well-rounded. The new battlegrounds are full of detail,
and are much more "open" (and realistic) this time around, unlike the classic
"water surrounded rings" of the past. The home versions contain the "Weapon
Master" mode from PS1's Soul Blade,
which is an entertaining play-through for single players.
Soul
Calibur 2 stands out visually due to the expertly done "motion
capture" animation. The authentic and innovative weapon styles
are dead-on, and really make the characters stand out...
The samurai, Mitsurugi, can look like
a true Japanese swordsman in the hands of a skilled player; while the giant axe-wielding
Astaroth, moves slowly but unleashes devastatingly gruesome attacks that
always make you cringe. 
SC2's animation was no doubt at the top of it's class at the time of it's debut
(and still is pretty damn good to this day). On a fun side note, if you
ever get the chance to watch SC2 in "slow motion", you can actually appreciate the animation
in greater detail... Seriously, if you haven't watched a good
tournament-style match in slow motion, you're missing out on some ouch
factor!!! 
Namco did an amazing job with the collision detection, and added those extra
animations to make sure those attacks and throws look painful (in a beautiful
way)!
Like it's predecessor, Soul Calibur
2 presents some of the most dynamic and solid 3D fighting gameplay of all
time. The "8-way-run," which allows players to quickly move in all directions,
is now faster and more fluid then in SC1.
"Guard Impacting" (parrying) is still one of the game's most crucial elements,
and feels noticeably smoother than in the prequel. With the exception
of only a few moves, almost every offensive technique can be parried if
the defending player can "see the move coming" and taps "Guard + Forward"
or "Guard + Back" at the correct time. Whether you want to shift your opponents weight backward
or forward is an intense strategic element that is unique to the Soul
series, and really makes SC2's gameplay. The parrying feature not only balances the game
out, but it drastically separates the good players from the beginners (and the
button mashers)... And that's what makes a "great" fighting
game!!! Destroying noobs with style... 
There's nothing better.
The characters
of Soul Calibur 2 aren't only cool by looks alone, they're actually
some of the deepest fighters to date... Unlike some fighting game
characters, SC2's characters have incredibly complex movelists, and take a lot
of time and skill to master. It's not all about
blocking and attacking in Soul Calibur 2, it's really about "mix
up" and faking out your opponent. You can "cancel" most standard attacks,
by tapping "block" right after the attack, and you can even mix up the timing of
the cancel... Some special moves can even be canceled, and every character has a
good variety of cancels.
Like in the first Soul Calibur, characters have the ability
to change their "stance", which alter their move-set for the moment.
This allows for a variety of move transitions, and gives characters the potential
to be used exactly how the player wants. For example, no two Ivy players
are alike... No two Mitsurugi players are alike... SC2 gives you the creativity
to create your own style of fighting, using your chosen character as your
base! If you truly "learn" how to use a character in SC2 (their moves/combos,
range, strengths, weaknesses, etc) you will feel completely "in control"
and confident with your character at all times, and will feel free do play in a variety
of styles. For example: Ryu from Street Fighter will always do the same
Hadokens, Shoryukens, and Hurricane kicks; on top of his priority moves... I'd
say a Soul Calibur character has about 25 times the abilities of a
classic Street Fighter character. Yeah, SC2's characters are that dynamic...
But you have to PRACTICE to get to that point. Becoming skilled at a game like Soul
Calibur 2 demands practice, and unlike in some fighting games, spamming will
not work! GI that shit.
(Guard Impact)"
Along with
sleek menus, a handful of different modes, and the entertaining "Weapon
Master" mode, the home version(s) of SC2 is an awesome package, and even includes three bonus characters not
seen in the arcade version (Necrid,
Assassin,
and Berserker). Console
exclusives: Heihachi (PS2),
Spawn (Xbox), and Link
(Gamecube) were also appreciated additions to the home versions (I personally love
using Heihachi, Tekken style FTW)!!! 
Museum mode is back from the prequel and includes all that you'd expect: High
quality artwork, Endings, Exhibition Theater (where you can view awesome character's
katas); and Character Profiles, where you can read each
characters full bio and even listen to every single phrase that
they say in the game (upwards of 100 different phrases, and in both languages).
SC2 also has some
excellent options, including the ability to toggle between English
and Japanese voices (which wasn't a 'staple' option at the time)! At the end of
the day, Soul Calibur 2 is a must have
for any fighting gamer; and is still one of the best fighting games of
all time.
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- Review is for PS2 version of Soul Calibur II - |
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10 / 10 |
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Closing Comment: Soul Calibur 2 is a superb game in both casual and high level play... Every character can be used effectively, and besides some cheap guaranteed combos, the game is balanced for the most part. Anyway, enough of the "pro gamer" talk... Let's talk about the small details shall we? When SC2 first came out, I was hoping for a few more new styles / characters. However, Namco did re-define a lot of the returning characters styles, almost making them seem completely new, so it's excusable. In my opinion, the stages could have also been designed a tad better... Some more "environmental interaction" wouldn't have hurt, for instance.
Other nitpicks
I have: While the characters in SC2 speak a lot more than characters in
any other fighting game, the silly one-liners get kinda old...
Especially in English. (which is why I prefer Japanese dialogue). What pisses me
off is that characters tend to repeat themselves during their intros / win poses
in the VS mode, but if you play through the 1-player Arcade mode with
someone, they will have different win quote AND introduction pretty much after
EVERY battle... So why don't they do that in VS mode??? 
That small detail would have made the VS mode so much less repetitive, but I
sure played the hell out of it anyway.
Seriously, my friends and I played
the hell out of this game... Even after Soul Calibur 3 was released
(which didn't quite live up to SC2). For your information, I'm a Mitsurugi,
Astaroth, and Ivy player. Mitsurugi & Astaroth translated well to future
installments, but what in the hell did they do to Ivy? 
I will always have a special place in my heart for Soul Calibur 2 Ivy. ~F.Yagami,
Webmaster
of TFG
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