Year released: 2002 (Arcade), 2003 (GCN, PS2, X-Box)

Number of Players: 1-2 simultaneously

Soul Calibur II is a downright excellent weapon based fighter. It is the sequel to Soul Calibur, released to arcades and ported to the Dreamcast. Each version of SC II has an exclusive fighter: Link (GCN), Heihachi (PS2), and Spawn (X-Box).

Graphics: (98%)
Just gorgeous. Environments are extremely detailed. Characters were modeled painstaking details; characters are well animated and things such as clothes or long hair will sway in the wind. Movements during fights are fluid and don’t look sloppy at all. This is almost as good as it gets.

Control: (96%)
The GCN controller may take some time to get used to, as the awkward button placement may be unusual to some. Out of the three controllers, the PS2 controller will be easier to get used to for the average gamer. The X-Box controller isn’t far behind the PS2 controller either.
Your fighter’s standard attacks are a horizontal swing of your weapon, a vertical swing, and a kick. You also have a block button. You can customize the controls to your liking in the Options menu.

Sounds: (100%)
Truly excellent. The soundtrack of SC II is just amazing. Each track is well put together and is suitable for the stage that it is heard in. The soundtrack is perfect. Voices for each character sound great as well. Each character talks before, during, and after a match. The voices were well done, and you can tell that each voice was picked carefully so that it fits the character well.

Gameplay: (98%)
Use your character’s weapon and special attacks to beat down your opponent. It’s simple, but very fun, and doesn’t get repetitive despite how it sounds. Each character has a unique weapon, whether it is a sword, staff, etc. There are a lot of one player modes, and a few two player modes. It’s fun to play the 1P mode, but playing against a friend is a fun experience.

Replayability: (97%)
There are a lot of things to unlock, mostly from the Weapon Master mode. In it, you go through several stages and defeat your opponent(s) under various terms. Sometimes the stage will be really easy, and sometimes the stage will take several tries to beat. You’ll unlock new characters, stages, weapons, modes, and a lot more. There are a bunch of different modes to choose from, so if you get tired of one mode, you can play a different mode.

Bottom Line:
An excellent fighter for every system it’s on. It’s probably one of the deepest fighters out there today. With a bunch of modes and a load of things to unlock, this is one game that you shouldn’t pass up. Highly recommended.
If you’re deciding which console to get this on, consider these points: The X-Box version has the best graphics and fastest loading times. The PS2 version has the worst graphics of the three, suffers from some slowdown, and is definitely the slowest in terms of loading times. The GCN version is almost as fast as the X-Box version and doesn’t really have any cons, except maybe the controller. Of the three characters, Link will probably appeal to Zelda fans and Nintendo fans in general. Comic book fans will have a field day using Spawn, and, well, those who like Tekken will like Heihachi. Buy it for any of the three systems; it plays excellent on any of the three.

Final Score: (98%) A

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