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Soul Calibur 2 Review
Chris Leyton
29/09/2003
The soul still burns on, but only just...
Although the original āSoul Caliburā found itself released on the Dreamcast to unsurpassed critical acclaim, weak sales of the format meant that few got the chance to sample itās greatness and instead opted for the next iteration of āTekkenā; thankfully everybody can now find out why with the multi-format release of āSoul Calibur 2ā.
For those that havenāt followed the progress on NAMCOās 3D fighter series, āSoul Calibur 2ā is the sequel to a 1999 classic released on the Dreamcast, which in turn was a sequel to a moderately successful arcade title āSoul Edgeā based on PSOne hardware.
The game pitches a variety of heroes against each other in a quest for the āSoul Edgeā, a sword cast with pure evil and the ability to empower its owner. Whereas most fighters try to keep some check on the reality status, āSoul Caliburā focus on weapon combat does away with this entirely resulting in an extreme fighter thatās immediate to pick up but hard to put down.
The fighting system isnāt exactly the most refined weāve ever seen and pales in comparison to the depths of Segaās āVirtua Fighterā however it is extremely enjoyable. The four face buttons correspond to your characterās horizontal attack, vertical attack, kick and block commands, whilst the actual fighting mechanic hasnāt changed at all since āSoul Caliburā. The two-tier system allows you to combat different blocks with certain moves, i.e. a low block can be countered with a high attack, whilst the difference between horizontal and vertical attacks allows you to counter opponents who are sidestepping or blocking.
In addition characters can charge up Soul Charge moves for increased damage, perform a variety of throws and guard impact moves to deflect your opponentās attacks. It' a system that works and provides a lot of enjoyment; whilst we personally prefer āVirtua Fighterā refinement and depth, itās fair to say that the immediate accessibility of āSoul Calibur 2ā fighting system will gain it more popularity.
The game includes the typical one-player and two-player modes and options that accompany any fighting game worth its punch these days, however itās the āWeapon Masterā mode that holds the most allure. Similar to the āStory Modeā from āSoul Caliburā, your player moves across the globe in search of the Soul Edge whilst fighting a variety of foes and collecting items and unlocking different modes and options. Typically youāll have a number of different criteria to perform the bouts under, such as only being able to win by a āring-outā or having to counter the effects of strong gales.
Unfortunately this mode deems it necessary to present you with reams and reams of text before each fight, itās highly unlikely that anybody will read through every page in this mode instead probably tapping the buttons to get to the fight as soon as possible ā“ why fighting games bother to do this nowadays is beyond me, give me āVF4 Evoā wandering around Japanese arcades any day.
In a nice touch and a nod back to āSoul Edgeā itās possible to use any weapon in the game in this mode, which you can unlock by purchasing with the gold you receive after every fight or unlocking with experience points. Whilst these subtleties change a few details such as having a greater reach or defensive power, in the main theyāre largely cosmetic changes that seem fitting for the context of the game.
With āSoul Caliburā notching up a number of 10/10 across the gaming board, itās fair to say that the problem NAMCO faced is how to improve upon perfection. Instead of desperately trying to change the formula and come up with any new innovations, NAMCO have stuck fervently to the rulebook, which has to come as a disappointment to āSoul Caliburā fans.
Simply put the game offers precious few new ideas or innovations since 1999, sticking to the age-old adage āif itās not broke donāt fix itā. Whilst some of us agree with this point, itās fair to say that āSoul Calibur 2ā doesnāt offer that much that the Dreamcast original didnāt ā“ the visuals have been tidied up although theyāre not a massive improvement upon the original, the character counts have been increased, and well in-keeping with classic fighting game tradition thatās about it.
