SoulCalibur II (PS2)

The graphics are superb and the gameplay is easy to get the grips with. But ofcourse it takes practice to master some of the really good moves. One of the best things about this game is the Weapon master mode which is basically a story mode. Through this you earn gold which can be spent on purchasing new costumes, weapons and levels..as well as character weapon exhibitions.

I love this game, but if I had to make one complaint, it would be that a few of the Weapon master missions can get really frustrating..but those are few and far between. All in all, this game is worth every penny and I strongly recommend it!!

If you have not played any of the previous games in the SoulBlade and SoulCalibur series then you will probably need a little while to make sense of the story line, but that is not really a problem, after all the game is about action after all. Oh, and what action! When you first approach the game it appears to be really fast paced, and you can continue to play it that way if you wish. After a while though you find that you can take a bit longer in battles to set up moves and dodge and weave through your opponent's guard before delivering your swift and sweet strikes.

The graphics are truly beautiful for a game of this type. The characters are all excellently modeled and the backgrounds look gorgeous. The effects when you strike a blow are bright and eye catching, but the 'sparks' that you raise when your blade clashes with that of your opponent are the what really makes this stand out visually as the most classy beat 'em up on the PS2. When you add to this the impressive effort that has obviously been put into the sound effects and voices in the game and the neat little touches like taunting your opponent between matches the whole package just shines with quality.

This is a game that you will enjoy for a long time. You can come back to it time and again and it draws you in, comfortably letting you progress at your own pace through the Weapon master mode, and giving instant thrills and delights in the arcade and extra arcade modes. In all then, this is excellent value and maximum fun, bringing a big smile to your face right from the start. It looks and sounds lovely, and you can play at whatever pace you like. Total beat 'em up class!

Unfortuatley for PlayStation owners, Soul Calibur was only released on the Dreamcast. But now, Soul Calibur 2 has come to the PlayStation 2.

Unfortunatley, i'm not known for my patience. So when I heard that the english version of Soul Calibur 2 wasn't going to be released until September, I went out and bought myself a Japaneese import of the game. I can honestly say that I do not regret buying it for one moment.

Fans of Soul Calibur will be pleased to know that most of the characters are present in this game. I've only noticed Rock, Lizardman, Hwang and Siegfried missing from Soul Calibur 2. Also, all the characters seem to of retained their moves from Soul Calibur, which is nice as it allows you to just jump straight into the game and start playing with your favourite character.

Soul Calibur allowed you to unlock special characters and stages by completing the Arcade mode several times. Soul Blade had the story mode where you played one character who went across the world, picking up special weapons as they went. Soul Calibur 2 adopts this story mode. You play one character that you can change at any point during play. Completing the missions earns you gold and exp. The more exp you get, the better your character is. The gold allows you to buy new weapons, new stages, new costumes for your characters and even unlock the exhibition theatre. Completing the missions can also unlock stages and new characters for play.

The graphics are definatley improved from Soul Calibur and the music is just as good. However, I have noticed some slow-down in graphically complicated levels. Thankfully, this doesn't last long and it isn't enough to affect gameplay either. The amount of new features that can be unlocked in this game will keep you playing for hours. I've had the Jap version for around 2 weeks and I know i'm only about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through the story mode, which I believe is called Weapon Master mode.

If you enjoyed Soul Blade and Soul Calibur, you will love this game.