Soul Calibur 2 (Soul Calibur (DC))

Member Name: Dringostarr

Product:	Soul Calibur (DC)
Date:	06/05/04 (126 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gorgeous graphics, Has the dude from Zelda in it, Fantastically fun to play, like the original.

Disadvantages: Easy? Sorta

Despite being a proud owner of a Dreamcast I never really saw the attraction to the Soul Calibur brand. After all, Soul Calibur is just Tekken with swords... isn't it?

Well that's like saying Bloody Roar is Tekken with the ability to turn into a monster mid-way through the battle. The use of swordplay is the single biggest edition to this brand of fighting game and sets it way apart from the rest. The storyline is the quest for a sword, you buy various weapons for your character, each with their own strengths and weaknesses and the majority of your moves, from throws to kicks, involves your sword in someway.

Being a Soul Calibur virgin means that I have yet to really witness one of the most addictive 3D fighters to ever grace the earth and so I am truly blown away. The graphics have a special arcade quality; the detail is so high that every Woman wants to know why their man can?t show them the same level of attention. It moves so smoothly that your game pad literally melts in your hands and seeps through the floor onto your unsuspecting parents. And it is all coupled with hundreds of game modes and perfectly tuned characters, this is truly the greatest beat 'em up ever.

The characters are tuned to perfection and all rival titles refuse to leave the shop out of embarrassment. If you are an expert at strong attacks and blocking then Astaroth is your character of choice; on the other hand if it's fast swordplay you're after then opting for the Assassin is probably your safest bet. Each with their own music, sounds, moves and weapons that you can change prior to battle. But you can put your student loan on the fact that 9 out of 10 Nintendo fans will choose Link as their character. Each version of Soul Calibur has a specific character for that console and Gamecube gets the best deal with the console's homegrown hero Link. Complete with his own music, story, weaponry (including the bow, bombs and Master sword) and speci
fic abilities.

Another massive thumbs up to the Soul Calibur team comes with the inclusion of the Weapons Master mode. You transgress across a huge map in a quest for a legendary sword, that opens up even more after you finish, fighting to gain gold and experience, allowing you to unlock or buy new game modes, costumes, weaponry and the such like. Despite the mass of fights Namco have still managed to keep it fresh, some fights take place on ice, whilst others are against invisible opponents and that?s not to mention the booby trapped games including rings of fire and land mines.

The single player is brilliant, Weapons Master aside you get the arcade mode, various survival modes, time attacks and hundreds of unlockable extras. It will keep you coming back for months. And that's not to mention the frankly superb Multiplayer. It is the multiplayer where it really starts up, the game will provoke hours and hours of play during simple arcade missions and there are many other modes to sink your teeth into. Battles are tough and closely fought and nothing beats the feeling of watching your mate charge towards you only to side step him and watch him career off the edge.

It has its problems, the music won't have you tapping your feet or humming the tune for days and it is all a bit easy. But it's superb, and that is a good enough reason to whip out your credit card and order it now.

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