High Calibur (Soul Calibur II (PS2))

Member Name: tom1clare

Product:	Soul Calibur II (PS2)
Date:	30/05/08 (81 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent visuals, top-class multiplayer, lots of characters and unlockables

Disadvantages: Not as refined as its predecessor, slightly safe in that it lacks new features

Upon release, Soul Calibur was by quite a comfortable distance the best beat 'em up in existence, though fate dictated that it would be missed by a great majority of gamers. Part of the reason for this was the timing of its release; emerging in the shadow of the more-recognisable beat 'em up classic Tekken 3 in 1999, it also didn't help that it was a release limited only to the Dreamcast, as no other consoles around at the time were powerful enough to run it. Nevertheless, it sported a graphics engine so far ahead of its time that it took most developers half a decade to catch up on arguably superior hardware, and gameplay so fast, fluid and perfect to control that it's hard to see it ever being bettered.

And so the beat 'em up genres Concorde moment came and went, and in the aftermath, Namco were left the unenviable task of coming up with a worthy successor, this time for release across all major formats of its generation (except, ironically, the Dreamcast).

Soul Calibur II, released in 2003, is a 3D weapons-based beat 'em up set in a variety of fictitious locations in the late 16th Century as the protagonist's concerned quest once again for Soul Edge, the legendary evil sword, each with their own motives for doing so. Those expecting a significant progression for the series will be left disappointed, though there's certainly enough quality content here to keep fans happy.

The first point of note upon playing is the change of personnel. Interestingly, Namco have decided to put nearly all of the new characters up for selection from the outset, whilst series mainstays have to be unlocked. Amongst the new contenders is the impressive flame-haired Yunsung, a talented and easy-to-grasp young brawler; there's also the token freaky mimic, this time in the shape of the giant-floating-eye-with-a-body known simply as Charade; and Cassandra, the beguiling sister of series core figure Sophitia, though as both appear in the game, it becomes clear they're a touch too similar for comfort.

The new fighters are as fluid and stylistically diverse as one would expect from Soul Calibur, but the old-guard remains superior, and it won't be long before series veterans revert back into using the likes of Taki, the super-speedy ninja, and Cervantes the evil, bloodthirsty (even by a fighting games standards) pirate. Worth a mention is the appearance of Tekken kingpin Heihachi Mishima, who is exclusive to the PS2 iteration - it says a lot for SCII that the character feels so at home here despite his lack of weapons.

The gameplay is action-packed and eminently playable, even if it perhaps lacks that final ounce of pace and responsiveness that made its predecessor so fantastic. The moves list retains the unique combination of vertical, horizontal and kick-based attacks and there's a broad range of attacks to fit all bands of ability - a player who doesn't want to learn the show-stopping combos can still be dangerous as long as they combine simpler moves with astute timing, and use features such as the 'side-step' and 'ring-out' to their advantage, though the latter is sadly trickier to perform than previously as many of the arenas now sport walls.

The Weapon Master modes plays an even more significant role in this instalment, as additional characters must be unlocked via progression this story setup, rather than the usual means of an Arcade mode. It once again sees you tackling over 50 missions featuring a number of circumstances; you'll be challenged to win battles with various handicaps such as limited time, low health and having to cause damage to enemies in specific ways - smashing them against walls, air combos and so on. The storyline that unfolds in Weapon Master is largely forgettable, though rewards for progression are excellent; winning battles sees the player rewarded in gold, which in turn can be used to buy a plethora of nifty extras, such as new costumes; artwork; exhibition demos and around 200 or so weapons - every single one of which has its own unique appearance, battle attributes and write-up.

Namco's "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" policy follows through to the selection of game modes, which includes the usual Survival and Time Attack setups and 'Extra' variants whereby you can play through with unlocked weapons, with Team Battle remaining the best secondary mode long-term due to its great multiplayer potential.

Brilliant as it is, there are some shortfalls that need to be pointed out. The difficulty can fluctuate wildly depending on how aggressive the A.I. wants to be, making success at certain tasks feel frustratingly random - you may get battered several times running, and then win three or four bouts with barely a scratch - though this is an affliction suffered by many most beat 'em ups to be fair. The block function (using 'X' or a shoulder button) remains a little unconvincing, protecting in the short term but leaving the player vulnerable to throws, and because of the side-step function, performing crouches and (the largely useless) jump moves is a bit hit and miss.

Visually, SCII may not make your jaw drop in quite the way the original did, but it is nevertheless a superb looking game. The fighters look great; from the range of facial expressions to the incredible nuances and attention to detail that characterise their fighting styles, most evident in the most unorthodox of fighters such as Voldo and Ivy (who has a weapon that morphs been a whip and a sword). Their secondary and tertiary outfits look every bit as impressive as their main garbs and, rather than opting for the Streetfighter method of simply changing the colour of the clothing, some characters look completely different, which is cool and makes unlocking them worthwhile. The environments are lovely - the mountain top Shrine of Eurydice is a particularly memorable setting, as is the giant Library and the booby-trapped Money Pit. The only real disappointment is the lack of FMV endings - they may have pushed the game over budget but it certainly would have put the icing on the cake presentation-wise.

The music is rich and bold, playing to the grand settings and theme in an effective manner. The characters have quite a lot of dialogue this time around and unlike the first Soul Calibur, it has been dubbed into English. The end result is hardly Oscar winning as little of what is said makes coherent sense, but in a genre not known for brilliant dialogue, it doesn't fair too badly.

Soul Calibur II can ultimately be viewed as a fine entry in an outstanding beat 'em up lineage, keeping much of what made part one great, adding more of the same though and offering levels of depth and design quality virtually unrivalled on the PS2. On a more critical note, it's hard to escape the feeling that Namco have erred on a little on the safe side; understandably not wanting to jeopardise the series popularity by throwing in radical new ideas, though because of its relative lack of invention it's tricky to distinguish SCII as a true sequel. What you are left with is still one of the best fighting games of its time, and enough content to keep newcomers and veterans alike playing for weeks - longer, if you've got friends willing to make the most of the multiplayer options.

Summary: A good follow up to the best beat 'em up ever