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simply great

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

it was a great product. it had incredible features, great graphics, and it shipped quickly! overall great buy!

Best Fighting game... EVER!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast was awesome, and so is this one! I can't wait for Soul Calibur 4 on Xbox 360 in 2008!

One of the Most Engaging Fighting Games I've Ever Played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I could go on and on about how much I love this game but I'm not going to. It's so engaging, you can unlock loads of stuff, there's so many things to be found, the story is wonderful. All in all it's pretty much a flawless game. I love it.

Definitely recommended and a must have for fighting game fans.

The Soul series continues to redefine the fighting game genre

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Now in its third incarnation, Namco's Soul series of fighting games continues to set new standards for the genre. Soul Calibur II, while not making as dramatic a leap in visuals and technology as seen between the first two games, is still holding its place as the definitive 3D fighter. Sega's Virtua Fighter 4 offers some solid competition, but Calibur's implementation of weapons combat and plethora of gameplay modes gives it the edge.

Each of the Soul games has originated in the arcades, and every time they're ported to home consoles, Namco includes enough new features to justify a purchase even by someone who has already spent $50 in quarters. In Soul Calibur II, we see the return of the sorely missed Weapon Master Mode. For those newly introduced to the series, the weapon master mode sends the player through a lengthy series of challenges, testing not only their ability to best their opponent in combat, but to do so while overcoming adverse conditions. For example, the enemy may be given a boost in speed, or you may be able to win the fight only by knocking them out of the ring. While this may seem frivolous, it truly gauges the player's mastery of the many different aspects of gameplay.

Another key addition to the home versions of SC2 is multiple bonus characters. Returning from the first two games are Sophitia, Seung Mina, Lizardman, and end boss Inferno, joined by Necrid, Berserker, and Assassin. Also, exclusive to each version of the game is a cameo character from another franchise. Tekken's Heihachi joins the PS2 cast, Todd McFarlane's Spawn appears in on Xbox, and the legendary Link of Zelda fame completes the Gamecube roster.

In this respect, the Gamecube received the better deal, as Link is easily one of the best (and cheapest) characters in the game. Meanwhile, PS2 wins in the controls department, beating both the awkward Gamecube and oversized Xbox pads. Lastly, Xbox has a slight advantage in terms of graphics. Whatever version you choose, however, you're in for a spectacular experience, as Namco again proves to be the master of 3D fighter design.

Great fighting game with lots of character

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've loved this series since it's release on the PS1. It's a great fighter that doesn't get so hard that it becomes stupid. I love the character and weapon designs. Theres plenty of bonus features, and it works on the Xbox 360. My only gripe is that it doesnt work on wide screen.

Weapon Based Fighter

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 15, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is my fourth game in the Soul series of weapon-based fighting games. I own Soulblade, for the Playstation, Soul Caliburs II and III for the PS2. And now, this game. Soul Calibur II was released for all three of the previous generation consoles: PS2, Gamecube, and XBox. All three versions have the same basic game mechanics, with the the players having the same moves. However, each version has a different bonus character. Now, for the average player, it would not be worthwhile to acquire all three versions of the game, just to be able to play all three of the bonus characters. But, if you are a big fan like me, even minor differences between each version will prompt you to play and collect them all.

I have also played Tekken 5. However, I much prefer the Soul Calibur series due to the greater variety of moves possible with each unique weapon. Basically, you can spend many months playing this game without getting bored. There are so many unique moves to master for each of your characters. And there are so many modes that you can play. Now, to get the most out of the game, you will need to play Weapon Master Mode. Playing throught this mode will unlock some of the game's best features. You earn not only gold, but additional costumes, weapons, and gallery items. You can also unlock additional modes for purchase, like the famous Battle Theatre.

Battle Theatre is a CPU/AI vs. CPU/AI battle. You're basically a spectator on this one. Personally, Battle Theatre is very entertaining for me. I love it.

But it's not all sunny skies here. You see, each chapter in Weapon Master Mode presents a unique challenge. Which is all well and good, and adds a lot of strategy in addition to just fighting well. The conditions for victory will be outlined prior to the start of the challenge. At that point, you will have the chance to select your character and his/her weapon. There's more needed to winning these battles than quick reflexes. You need to use your head and plan out an effective strategy. However, the AI that you fight against will cheat you out of your victory from time to time. This is what some reviewers are referring to when they say the AI is "cheap". I was fighting Taki, using Ivy. The condition was that my fighter will enter the fight with full health, which will slowly diminish regardless of whether Taki hits me or not. Meaning, my character's HP meter will automatically decrease during the match. Which means, I would have to win quickly before my HP runs out. Ofcourse, Taki will be attacking and doing her damage to further decrease my HP. Well, I cornered Taki where she couldn't move. I had Ivy kicking and hitting her repeatedly. But guess what! Taki's health meter refused to decrease! I had her in a corner. And then she lands one blow and my character lost. Now, my fellow players, that is the AI cheating. Basically, sometimes you get the feeling that no matter how well you play, the AI will not let you win. Especially if it is your first attempt.

One of my favorite modes is Team Battle. In this mode, you choose a team of three players and take them through stages fighting a team created by the AI. The last "boss" on the final stage will be a creature called Inferno. Basically, Inferno will stop the battle twice. It will then change weapons and discipline to throw you off.

Are the characters level? Meaning are they equally capable in combat. My guess, during high level play, is that they probably are. However, for the average player, some of the characters will be more advantageous to play. From my experience, characters with solid, horizontal, sweeping moves have a large advantage. They can keep the enemy from getting close, for one thing. That's why during Weapon Master Mode, you will end up fighting against Berserker more than any other enemy. Berserker uses a large axe, and he has a rare move that allows him to perform a very low, 360-degree horizontal sweep that can keep fighters like Talim and Taki away. Basically, Berserker is a "cheap" character. You will get sick of Berserker after a while. But, with enough skill, you can take any character and get close to do your damage.

I recommend Soul Calibur to just about any video game player. At least give it a try. If you're the type who like to learn and master techniques, as opposed to just mindless bashing, then this is the game for you. However, please remember what I said earlier: The AI cheats. Yes, the AI is very cheap and will cheat you out of a victory time and time again. But only those who have reached a very competent level of play will notice the AI cheating. For example, under the situation that I mentioned above, most neophyte players will not be able to back Taki into a corner and chain their attacks continuously. However, an experienced Soul player like me can do so. But like I said, the AI refused to allow Taki's HP to go down, regardless of what I was doing. Her health meter held steady after over ten seconds of continuous punishment. Was it a game flaw? I don't believe so. I think it's just that it was only my second attempt at the challenge, and it was one of the last challenges in Weapon Master, supposedly one of the hardest. And the AI simply would not allow me a victory, no matter how well I was playing. Yes, that takes away from the game's scoring. Where it not for the cheap AI, this game would have gotten a five-star rating from me.

This game is easy to pick and play. However, it will take a very long time to master the techniques. I have spent many months learning how to use Ivy, Raphael, and Nightmare in combat. It took me a long time just to be able to "buffer" Ivy's command throw, Summon Suffering, in the heat of a fight. In Soul Calibur III, I hardly ever lose with either of those three characters. It requires commitment to learn and master some of these techniques. I suspect that is probably why none of my middle school students play this game. There is a lot of strategy involved if you want to play any other mode besides Arcade. I suspect that most gamers at that age simply do not want to plan out strategies.

Less gore than Mortal Kombat, but better than Tekken, balance

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is the best fighting game on any console.Period. Although some parents will say that it's too gory and will cause youths to go crazy and massacre people, and that TV will start wars, and if you read Harry Potter you are going against God, and that we should just listen to the government and do what other people say. Well,(most) of that is not true. But TV can start wars, if you watch Videodrome:)Anyway, this game is great. While i can't find a storyline, who cares? This game is about schooling your friends, beating random strangers on Xbox Live, and taking names. It's also got a treasure trove of unlockables, including weapons, alternate skins, two hidden characters, Spawn, (yes, that Spawn) new arenas, special multiplayer modes, and a partridge in a pear tree:)The fighting is weapon-based, making it less brutal then mortal kombat, but more so than tekken, so i guess balance is a good thing. Plus, it is pretty cheap, about 20.00 bucks on amazon, and a platinum hit edition you can find at target. My friend says that there is an unrated edition on ebay, but he also thinks he's General Macarthur re-incarnated, so i don't know.Anyway, it's a very fun game, go buy it. Now.

Best Fighting Game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is the best fighting game EVER! there is a great variety of characters, and it is really cool the way you unlock the arenas and characters. The only bad thing about it is that the character's lines/taunts are REALLY CHEEZY

Namco makes fighting game gold

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 25, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I'm a fighting game fan from way back, starting with "Kung Fu" and "Karate Champ" on the old NES. That being said, I've seen some really bad fighting games, such as the Mortal Kombat franchise starting with MK3. However, I've also seen some really goood games, such as the Dead or Alive series starting with DoA2 on the Dreamcast, and the Soul Blade/Soul Calibur series from Namco.

In Soul Calibur 2, Namco takes us back "to the stage of history", in another addition to their weapon based fighter. Controls are excellent, and there are few changes to the cast since Soul Calibur made its appearance on the Dreamcast. Conspicuous in her absense is Sophitia, but Cassandra is a decent replacement, adding a bit more speed to what was already a great character.

Namco did one thing with this release that was fun. There were 3 special characters added to the game, 1 character for each console Soul Calibur 2 appeared on. The PS2 got Heihachi Mishima from the Tekken franchise. The Gamecube got Link from "The Legend of Zelda", and the Xbox got comic powerhouse Spawn.

All in all, Soul Calibur 2 is an excellent fighter, on any console. Definately one I'd recommend to anyone who loves fighting games.

Dose the soul still burn... You decide

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 17, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Soul Caliber 2 - Circa 2004

GOOD:
- Good/Tight controls
- Really balanced gameplay
- Lots of different and unique fighters
- Minutes to learn years to master gameplay
- Lots of Fighters, costumes, stages, and extras to unlock
- A 3D fighting game that really uses the 3D space (with eight way run)
- A total upgrade over the original Soul Caliber, which to many gamers is considered classic
- Considered an Instant classic to many fans and many hardcore fighting fanatics

BAD:
- Not much has changed (gameplay wise) since original
- Have to unlock most of the game through the story/quest mode

IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- Has medieval theme, both European and Chinese/Japanese
- Not traditional fighting game in the sense that there is no real combos and supers, or even projectile moves
- Game has built in quest mode, where you pick a fighter and complete a number of challenges, the end result is you unlock more content and are a better player
- Fight with weapons, like a 3D Samurai Showdown

GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- Soul Caliber
- Tekken 5
- Samurai Showdown

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- This game is not only for Microsoft's Xbox, it's also for Sony's Playstation 2, and Nintendo's Game Cube
- All three versions of this game on (different systems, see above) have one unique character Microsoft's Xbox has Spawn from the popular 90's comic book of the same name, Sony's Playstation 2 has Heihachi from Namco's popular Tekken series, and Nintendo's Game Cube has Link from Nintendo's popular Legend of Zelda Franchise.

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