Fighting games are usually not my forte, but out of all the fighting games that I have played Soul Calibur 2 is the one that I most enjoy.  I am not proficient in most of the fighting games; in fact, all that I really do is just hit buttons and hope for the best.  This is why Soul Calibur 2 works for me; a player does not need to know any of the combo attacks in order to hold their own with the best players.  I play against people that are far more skilled than I at this game and still manage to win a great deal of the time.

Soul Calibur 2 has not been changed much from its predecessors; a few characters have been added and some of the graphics have been changed along with all new stages, but other than that I guess they figured why change something that’s working.  The cool moves that a fan of previous games enjoyed have continued on in this game along with their favorite fighters.  The characters may be a little different in either looks or moves, but it is all for the better and not so drastic as to annoy even the most hardcore fans of the first games. 

The new characters that accompany all of the console versions are Raphael who is a fencer with a long reach on his sword, Talim who holds two blades in either hand, and Necrid who uses the other fighter’s stances and attacks.  These characters flow well with the feel of the original characters and bring more energy to the game.  However each console was given their own character that acts as a mascot for the system.  The PS2 has Heihachi Mishima which comes from Tekken, the Xbox has Spawn who comes from image comics, and the GameCube has Link from the notorious Legend of Zelda games.  Each fighter has special moves that are indicative to their origination.

Soul Calibur 2, unlike the Mortal Kombat games, is more appropriate for children because it is not gory.  However, I would advise parental discretion before purchasing this game for anyone under the age of eighteen due to the violence that it involves.  The basis of this game is just to fight one another; there are characters that fight for the good side and characters that fight for the bad side.  When the player tries to unlock items by playing against the computer a story line begins about each of the characters’ lives.  The player can unlock articles of clothing, weapons, etc.

Favorites:  Xianghua and Raphael

Fun:  Maxi

Sexy:  Ivy and Kilik

Creepy: Voldo

The reason that Xianghua and Raphael are my favorites is that they both have long reach with their swords and are quick to move.  Xianghua is the one that I fight the best with; I still haven’t bothered to learn any of her combos, but I can kick %&#!!! with her anyway.  Maxi is fun to use even if you lose with him every time.  He bounces all over the stage almost out of control (at least for me).  Ivy and Kilik are sexy for the same reason; they look bad.  Of course I don’t mean bad as in ugly; I mean bad as in sinful.  These two have got it going on.  As for the creep factor I have yet to see anything as bad as Voldo.  I wouldn’t want to run into him down a dark alley; or anywhere else for that matter!  My nightmares can’t even conjure up something this strange.

The mascot characters are actually my least favorite part of the game; they are a bit campy and very difficult to fight against.  Zelda is the worst of all three of them for being almost unbeatable.  He can throw bombs, boomerangs, arrows, or use his sword.  If you’re up against a player that uses him well it is virtually impossible to get close to him.  There is really not much else that I can say badly about the game; except for maybe the limited amount of change from the original versions.

Soul Calibur 2 deserves all of the praise that it has received from the critics.  This game is fun and it is a keeper unlike other games which you beat and return to the store.  Soul Calibur 2 deserves a place for life in your video game library because it never gets boring and it is fun to play with a group of friends.

Miranda Stites, HeroesOfGaming.com, 07/19/05