Soul Calibur II
System: PS2   Publisher: Namco   Developer: Namco   Genre: Action   Release Date: 08/27/03

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