Soulcalibur II
Soulcalibur II | ||
---|---|---|
Composer(s) Junichi Nakatsuru | Yoshihito Yano Asuka Sakai Rio Hamamoto | |
Series | Soulcalibur | |
Platform(s) | Arcade, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | |
Release | ||
Arcade system | Namco System 246[8] |
Soulcalibur II
The game's plot revolves around the legendary weapon Soul Edge having been shattered into pieces, with different characters seeking to collect all the pieces to gain possession of the complete weapon or to destroy it once and for all. Compared to Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur II had improvements in graphics and the game system and introduced several new and guest characters.
The game was a critical and commercial success, with the introduction of guest characters to the series, particularly Link on the GameCube version, being acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. A high-definition port, titled SoulCalibur II HD Online, based on the PlayStation 2 version, was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2013.
Gameplay
Key game system improvements include an easier "step" and "avoid" systems, arena walls (rather than ring out ability on all sides) and wall-specific moves, a three-step Soul Charge system, a clash system that is used when two attacks hit each other simultaneously resulting in a white flash, Guard Break attacks which put a blocking player into a post guard-impact state, just frame moves awarding additional hits to players who can time their command inputs well and a revised Guard Impact system that removes height-based Impact moves and instead uses a more unified system (high and mid attacks are countered using Repels, mid and low attacks are countered using Parries).
Soulcalibur II includes the same modes of play as most fighting games: Arcade, Versus Battle, Team Battle (similar to Arcade, but with teams of up to 3 characters and without cutscenes or endings), Versus Team Battle (with teams of up to 8 characters), Time Attack (where the player has to race against the clock to set records), Survival and Practice. There are also "Extra" versions of these modes, intended to allow the use of Extra Weapons and unlockable stages. A point worth mentioning is that the 7th battle in Arcade Mode is called a "Destined Battle", which is a predefined battle that never changes. Each character has one according to their story, and all Destined Battles are shared by groups of two characters (for example, Mitsurugi→Taki and Taki→Mitsurugi) with the exceptions of the home console-exclusive characters. As in Soulcalibur, there is a "Museum" containing character artwork and various videos (like the Arcade Mode's intro or the Weapon Master Mode's intro and Ending) and an "Exhibition Theater" (where "katas" can be viewed). There is also a "Profile Viewer" (to read about character's stories) and a "Battle Theater" (to watch CPU vs CPU battles).
A returning feature from
The Arcade version has a unique mode called "Conquest Mode" that allows the player to pick an army, fight enemies and gain experience points, increasing the level of the selected player. "Weapon Master Mode", made in a similar fashion to Soul Edge's "Edge Master Mode" and Soulcalibur's "Mission Mode", takes the core system from "Conquest Mode" and expands upon it. It introduces a story set in an alternate world, in which the player moves in a map divided into "regions" (named after stars) and fights enemies to gain experience points (which raise the "rank" of the character) and money (which can be used to buy weapons, art, costumes and videos). The mode has 10 normal chapters, four sub-chapters and two extra-chapters as well as Extra-Missions (alternate versions of normal missions). The player endorses the role of a swordsman searching for Soul Edge, who is confronted by a powerful, mad knight named Veral, seeking Soul Edge for his own desires.
Characters
Four new playable characters are introduced in Soulcalibur II:
A new unlockable character,
Fully returning as playable characters are
Plot
The game is set in the year 1590 AD, four years after the events of
Release
A soundtrack for the game was released as
Soulcalibur II HD Online
A
Reception
Aggregator | Score | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
GC | PS2 | Xbox | Xbox 360 | |
GameRankings | 92%[18] | 91%[19] | 92%[17] | 78.75%[39] |
Metacritic | 93/100[34] | 92/100[36] | 92/100[37] | 77/100[38] |
Publication | Score | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
GC | PS2 | Xbox | Xbox 360 | |
Edge | 9/10[34] | 9/10[36] | 9/10[37] | |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 9.66/10[18] | 9.66/10[19] | 9.66/10[17] | |
Eurogamer | 10/10[20] | 10/10[20] | 10/10[20] | 8/10[21] |
Game Informer | 8.75/10[18] | 8.5/10[19] | 8.5/10[17] | |
GamePro | 5/5[33] | 5/5[32] | 5/5[31] | |
GameSpot | 8.5/10[23] | 8.5/10[24] | 8.5/10[22] | |
GameSpy | 5/5[26] | 4.5/5[27] | 5/5[25] | |
IGN | 9.2/10[29] | 9.2/10[30] | 9.2/10[28] | |
Nintendo Power | 5/5[18] | |||
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | 5/5[19] | |||
Official Xbox Magazine (US) | 9.2/10[17] | 7.5/10[35] | ||
Play | 9.1/10[34] | A−[19] | A−[17] |
Publication | Award |
---|---|
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (2004) | Console Fighting Game of the Year |
Spike Video Game Awards | Most Addictive Game |
The original version of SoulCalibur II received critical acclaim, earning it the average scores of 91.3% for the PlayStation 2,[19] 92.3% for the GameCube,[18] and 91.6% for the Xbox.[17] Greg Kasavin of GameSpot praised the game "It's certainly one of the most refined, most accessible, and best-looking 3D fighting games to date, and it's squarely the best game in its class for the Xbox and GameCube."[40] IGN writer Kaiser Hwang gave the game a positive review, but commented on its similarity to the first game "And so, while evolution is not always mandatory, sometimes pushing the boundaries can lead to bigger and better things. In the case of Soul Calibur II, contentment will do just fine."[41]
In the first ever
By July 2006, the GameCube version of Soulcalibur II had sold 850,000 copies and earned $32 million in the United States.
References
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- ^ "Soul Calibur II Delayed". IGN. July 3, 2002. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
- ^ "Soul Calibur II Sales Strong". IGN. September 30, 2003. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c Romano, Sal (October 31, 2013). "Soulcalibur II HD Online release date set". Gematsu. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Soul Calibur II HD Online Gets Japanese Release Date". Avoiding The Puddle. January 27, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ Calvert, Justin (January 16, 2003). "EA to publish Soul Calibur II in Europe". GameSpot.
- ^ Calvert, Justin (July 11, 2003). "European Soul Calibur II release announced". GameSpot.
- ^ "Soul Calibur 2 Hits Arcades In June". IGN. March 21, 2002. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ^ ソウルキャリバーII, Sōrukyaribā Tsū
- ^ IGN Staff (January 12, 2000). "Soul Calibur 2 Confirmed For Naomi?".
- ^ "Cloud Strife was almost the PS2 guest character for Soulcalibur II". October 11, 2017.
- ^ "The Gamer's Guide". Kotaku. August 30, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
- ^ "New Soul Calibur II Artbook Announced: News from". 1UP. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- ^ "Soulcalibur II HD Online Out On Nov. 19 For PS3, Nov. 20 For Xbox 360". Siliconera. October 31, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 31, 2013). "SoulCalibur 2 HD Online release date announced". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
- ^ "Soulcalibur 2 HD Online coming this fall to PS3 and Xbox 360". Polygon. July 19, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f "SoulCalibur II Reviews and Articles for Xbox". GameRankings. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "SoulCalibur II Reviews and Articles for GameCube". GameRankings. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f "SoulCalibur II Reviews and Articles for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ a b c Fahay, Rob (September 26, 2003). "Soul Calibur II Review • Reviews • Eurogamer.net". Eurogamer. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ Edwards, Matt (November 22, 2013). "SoulCalibur 2 HD Online review • Reviews • Xbox 360 •". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ^ Kasavin, Greg (August 26, 2003). "Soul Calibur II Review - GameSpot.com Xbox". GameSpot. pp. 1–2. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ Kasavin, Greg (August 26, 2003). "Soul Calibur II Review - GameSpot.com Gamecube". GameSpot. pp. 1–2. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ Kasavin, Greg (August 26, 2003). "Soul Calibur II Review - GameSpot.com PS2". GameSpot. pp. 1–2. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ Nutt, Christian (August 26, 2003). "GameSpy: Soul Calibur II - Page 1 Xbox". GameSpy. pp. 1–2. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ Nutt, Christian (August 26, 2003). "GameSpy: Soul Calibur II - Page 1 Gamecube". GameSpy. pp. 1–2. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ Nutt, Christian (August 26, 2003). "GameSpy: Soul Calibur II - Page 1 PS2". GameSpy. pp. 1–2. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ Hwang, Kaiser (August 26, 2003). "IGN: Soulcalibur II Review Xbox". IGN. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on November 16, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ Hwang, Kaiser (August 26, 2003). "Soul Calibur II - IGN Gamecube". IGN. p. 1. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ Hwang, Kaiser (August 26, 2003). "IGN: Soulcalibur II Review PS2". IGN. pp. 1–3. Archived from the original on March 19, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ TOKYODRIFTER (August 26, 2003). "Review: Soul Calibur II for Xbox on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on July 6, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ TOKYODRIFTER (August 26, 2003). "Review: Soul Calibur II for PS2 on Gamepro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on May 26, 2006. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ TOKYODRIFTER (August 29, 2003). "Review: Soul Calibur II for GameCube on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on June 23, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ a b c "SoulCalibur II Critic Reviews for GameCube". Metacritic. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ "Official XBOX Magazine | Soulcalibur II HD Online review". Oxmonline.com. November 19, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ^ a b "SoulCalibur II Critic Reviews for PlayStation 2". Metacritic. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ a b "SoulCalibur II Critic Reviews for Xbox". Metacritic. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ "Soulcalibur 2 HD Online". Metacritic. November 20, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
- ^ "SoulCalibur II HD Online for Xbox 360". GameRankings. November 20, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
- ^ Kasavin, Greg (August 26, 2003). "Soul Calibur II Review". GameSpot. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
- ^ Hwang, Kaiser (August 26, 2003). "Soul Calibur II". IGN. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
- ^ "Spike TV honors digital women, Ray Liotta in video game awards", The Victoria Advocate, December 4, 2003.
- ^ "D.I.C.E. Awards by Video Game Soul Calibur II". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
- ^ East, Tom (February 23, 2009). "100 Best Nintendo Games: Part 3". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc. Archived from the original on August 31, 2009. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ Peter Rubin, The 50 Best Fighting Games of All Time, Complex.com, March 15, 2011
- ^ Campbell, Colin; Keiser, Joe (July 29, 2006). "The Top 100 Games of the 21st Century". Next Generation. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007.
- ^ "The Magic Box - US Platinum Chart Games". www.the-magicbox.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
- Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the originalon March 19, 2009.
- Gamasutra. Archived from the originalon September 18, 2017.
External links
- Official website Archived February 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese)
- Soulcalibur II at MobyGames