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Soul Calibur II
by Jolex Del Pilar
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Check out the first U.S screens of this highly anticipated fighter from Namco.
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Title:
Soul Calibur II
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Platform:
Gamecube |
Publisher:
Namco
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Developer:
Namco
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#
of Players: 1 - 2
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Genre:
Fighting
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Origin:
Japan
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Expected
Release: August 26, 2003
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Grapevine:
"Each version will feature a special chracter. Link for the Gamecube, Spawn for the Xbox, and Heihachi for the PS2." |
Soul Calibur II will be arriving at retail outlets in less than a month and the anticipation is reaching a boiling point. Since the game's appearance on the PSX, and then the Dreamcast, it has gained huge popularity. Soul Caliber II fits a niche in the fighting game genre that gamers just seem to like. It's not quite the technical chess-game that Virtua Fighter 4 is, and it's not as simple as the average wrestling game. Soul Calibur II finds a nice mix between the two. The gameplay, often being fast paced and not too complex, is a nice formula that many gaming fans can enjoy.
The game was fully playable at E3, and has recently been playable (in limited form) in Gamecube Kiosk at Toys 'R Us and other video game retailers. Fundementally the game hasn't changed all that much from it's Dreamcast roots. Block, kick, punch, and combo are about the only things you'll be doing during gameplay, but then again that describes most fighting games. Some things have changed from the original Soul Calibur. It seems as if now that ring outs happen a lot less than they used to in the original. So no more "Astaroth shoving techniques". Unfortunately, Maxi aka "button mashing champion" is back in the game.
What is evident though is that Soul Calibur II will offer a large variety of gameplay modes, 7 modes to be exact.
Arcade Mode: Same as before. Battle six A.I fighters, fight one story specific one, then the battle with Inferno. Inferno has a life bar greatly larger than yours and changes forms twice during battle.
VS. Mode: Two player fighting. Pick an arena and go at it with friends. Good for hours of fun.
Time Attack: Similar to what is offered in most fighting games. Try to beat the game in the fastest time possible. Good for bragging rights.
Survival: Beat as many fighters as you can with only one lifebar.
Team Battle Mode: Pick a team of fighters and face another team of fighters. The team with the most overall victories wins.
Practice Mode: Practice against the Namco hitting dummy for a couple of minutes, practicing your best combos and moves.
Weapon Master Mode: Collect 200 different weapons in the all-new mission-complete Weapon Master mode.
Just be glad Namco decided not to "Cel-Da" the Hero of Hyrule...
These variations in gameplay should provide enough entertainment for gamers looking for more than just one on one battles. As you may already know, each console version of Soul Caliber II will be receiving a special character. In the Gamecube's case, Link will be that secret character. Yes, Link will make use of all of his weapons from the Zelda games. That includes his sword, boomerang, and his trusty bombs. From the video we've seen, Link is going to be a very powerful character in the game whose main strength is speed, but he's the Hero of Hyrule, he should be speedy and powerful. It's too bad Gannon isn't included as a character, that would have been very nice.
When Soul Calibur II hits retail this coming August, expect a glut of first day buyers, so if you're even remotely as smart as the average VGLN.com reader (which happens to be around the genius level), you'll pre-order your copy and not be left hanging when the launch date comes.
--- Jolex Del Pilar
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