|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 It's here. By Chrstian "ferricide" Nutt | Aug. 26, 2003  94Outstanding
The Lowdown: An extremely polished, utterly fun, and truly gorgeous fighting game.
Discuss this Review How the review scores work
Platform: GameCube
 Game Type: Fighting Developer: Namco Publisher: Namco ESRB: Teen Full Game Information Soul Calibur was more than just a fighting game or a sequel to Soul Blade; it was one of those games that raises the bar for an entire genre and makes people reconsider what games can do. It was beautiful, fun, and tactical in a way no fighter had been before it. This is the game that taught people who'd never think of learning a combo to link together attacks meticulously. And now, it's got a sequel -- with such an act to follow, how can it stack up? The answer is obviously "well," but it may not be all you've hoped for all the same. Fighting games typically incrementally upgrade from sequel to sequel, but the original Soul Calibur absolutely destroyed the memory of its predecessor, PlayStation's Soul Blade. SCII falls back to the pattern fans of the genre are used to. You'll find a handful of new characters, a mutation of the pioneering single player game the series is known for, and the beautiful graphics and music you'd expect. But there is little that is truly innovative about Soul Calibur II. It's a honing process, and in that honing an excellent new game has been forged and finished. Creating a game like Soul Calibur II requires experienced craftspeople, and Namco has plenty of those. The fighting in Soul Calibur II is rich and rewarding. While it may lack the insanely varied complexity of Virtua Fighter 4, it's only a peg or two down and can easily glare haughtily at all of the other 3D fighting games on the market right now. The addition of weapons to the fighting game mix has put the Soul Calibur series in its own arena; the intensity of clashing blades and the strategies afforded by their behaviors makes the game feel more visceral than any of the other fighters on the market. Impeccable presentation, especially in character animation, makes you feel the impact of Soul Calibur II. The gameplay's intricacy is great and attracts gamers with refined palates. The flashiness draws in the less experienced but the robustness of the gameplay helps change mashers into masters. The secret to Soul Calibur's success is based around the fact that the gameplay is easy to get into but offers great longevity and depth to the interested player. VF4 might be a bottomless well, but you'll get bored quickly unless you throw yourself in. Dead or Alive 3 is beautiful and accessible, but you'll probably get tired of it if you're drinking too deep. The balance struck by the developers of Soul Calibur II is just about perfect, and that's what's most impressive about its gameplay.  Ivy's even feistier in part two. Next: Link! » Page: 1 2 |
Most Popular
Video Games
Powered By PriceGrabber
|
||||||||
First in technology. First in fun. Logitech®. The leader in game controllers.
