Soul Calibur was debatably the best 3d fighting game ever released. And considering I'm a compulsive 2d fighter, that's quite an admission. So how does the sequal stack up to the excellent original?
Pretty well.
Graphics - 9/10
Gorgeous. I had the disadvantage of playing this on a substandard television, so it wasn't as clean as I would have liked. But, as with the original Soul Calibur, the rendering was silk-smooth and the movements perfect. Even today, on aging Dreamcast hardware, SC looked great. And SC2 is one of the best-looking fighting games I've ever seen.
Sound - 8/10
There's a lot of it, and it provides excellent feedback. Clashing swords, shouts, and the always-welcome 'thud' keep the action immersive. Very clean audio, as well.
Music - 9/10
I always liked the Soul Calibur OST, and it's only gotten better. All of the songs make excellent background music, none of them annoy me, and there are several I hunted down to add to my playlist. That's quite an accomplishment for a fighting game.
Plot - 6/10
Does anyone really play a fighting game for the plot? Seriously now. Come on.
That aside, and ignoring the fact that I could not read the Japanese (imported is fun, kids!), the plot is more of the same. Evil sword, people going nuts, fighting, etc. Nothing special here, but it doesn't matter.
Gameplay - 7/10
I like the Gamecube controller a lot. I'll say that right now. But it makes a piss-poor fighting game controller.
You will enjoy this game 300% more with a decent arcade stick. The GC controller is adaquate, but just barely. The button placement is non-optimal for a fighting game, and is overkill anyway, especially since SC2 is, like SC, only a 4-button fighter.
Controller issues aside, SC2 plays well. I am a 6-button fighter fan, and will be until I die, but SC2's 4-button layout is adaquate. It's usually fairly easy to get your character to do the move you want them to do, a problem other 3d fighters have suffered from. But to really get the most out of your character will take hours of practice.
Replay Value - 8/10
Leave aside the party value. Because, let's face it, this game works almost too well as a group game.
So, single-player replay value. For many fighters (including that most sublimely excellent work, Capcom vs. SNK 2), if you're not truly obsessed, the replay value is limited. There are only so many hours that most of us (and by us, I mean you) can put into master the timing on, for example, the three-frame window for a kara-roll cancel.
SC2, however, features a lot of unlockables. A boatload. Perhaps, dare I say, a metric boatload. Combine these with the Weapon Master mode, which is fairly similar to SC's excellent Mission Mode, and you've got a fighting game that lasts.
Overall (not an average) - 9/10
Character design is above average, and several of the new characters are excellent. Since this was the Game Cube version, I spent some time playing Link. Link, as befitting his status, plays very differently from other characters, adding a unique experience.
I would, however, like to ask for a moment of silence in the memory of poor, lost Seung Mina. She and her zanbatou will be missed. Overall, an excellent game.
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