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:: Soul Calibur 2 for GCN Review |
First and foremost, I have to come clean. I have never been a fan of fighting games. In fact, I put them down there with puzzle games for lack of entertainment value. Well, why am I doing this you ask? For starters, the release of Soul Calibur 2 has been surrounded with a lot of hype since it was first announced, which seems like an eternity ago. Some of that anticipation originated around the fact that each version of the game, spanning all three platforms, would include a character unique to the console. For the GameCube, Link from Legend of Zelda fame joins an already expansive line-up of fighters.
When you start the game, a rather pointless FMV greets you, serving merely as eye-candy for first time players. The menu itself is easy to navigate, and leads to, among other things, the meat of the game.
The Weapon Master mode is what separates SC2 from most other fighting games, as they all share arcade modes and various spins on normal battles, such as Time Attack and Team Battle. Weapon Master is a story-based journey that takes you through various fighting situations as you compete to earn gold [the currency, not a medal], which can be used to purchase weapons. You also gain experience points, which are a bit sketchy in benefit. The adventure spans a landmass, which is visible from a map. Divided into squares, you must travel east, going through various establishments on the trail of the mysterious villain. The entire journey is text based, leaving only the fighting to you, and seems greatly inspired by The Lord of the Rings. Periodic descriptions help paint a picture of the surroundings, but it is unfortunate that illustrations don’t accompany them. Various events along the trek spark conflict, resulting in a battle. Such things as finding yourself in the middle of a gambling arena or being stopped by a local protector of interests are examples of these, with the latter frequently occurring and becoming redundant. Despite this, what’s written does give a sense of purpose to what otherwise is simply fighting.
Naturally, the first order of business was to select Link. As a Nintendophile, I couldn’t resist. After a set of training exercises I was off on my own, with the goal of chasing down some being, which I soon after learned is pursuing an evil sword linked somehow to Soul Caliber [another sword]. Along the way, you must deal with challengers which block progress and upon defeat, expand the linear story. In an attempt to keep the many battles fresh in nature, various handicaps and bonuses are given to the human player, AI or both. These include regaining health, or gradually losing it over time. Also, some battles call for special measures to inflict any damage whatsoever. Among these are pinning your opponent against a wall or doing air-born combos. Despite the different battle types they do repeat a lot throughout Weapon Master mode, and seem gimmicky as they enhance the AI’s abilities artificially to increase competition. Upon defeating your enemy [and even losing to them, but to a lesser extent], you receive a fixed amount of gold. Gold can be used to buy weapons for specific characters [you can swap characters during your journey]. When you defeat a boss you gain experience points, which put you through levels associated with ranks, similar to what many RPG’s employ. But, any gain is almost non-existent, as the further you go the harder your fights become, so it’s hard to pinpoint what the feature is for.
The bottom line of any fighting game must be the actual fighting. In that respect, Soul Calibur 2 shines with it’s rock solid collision detection and smooth as silk animations. In tandem with some fantastic weapons, it makes for some truly wonderful visuals. One weapon that particularly stood out was a sword, wielded by Ivy, which can break into a whip-like object. Very cool!
The graphic’s representation in SC2 is a cut above what other fighting games have been offering this generation. The fighting arenas are well designed, and feature good textures, but are by no means breathtaking. The fighters themselves are very detailed, with irregularities in their garments. Link perhaps receives most attention, as he resembles what would have been Zelda as shown at Spaceworld 2000. Where this game shines is its animations, which are complemented by a consistent frame rate. Because of this the combos flow naturally, and are spectacular to watch when performed consecutively. Those of you lucky enough to own HDTV compatible televisions have the privilege of taking in this goodness with progressive scan, which can be enabled with GameCube specific component cables, available at Nintendo’s online store. Speaking of visuals, SC2 does not feature blood. Other fighting games should follow suit; because, frankly, splattering blood becomes very annoying.
Sound? Well, surround sound is supported, but there really isn’t much to hear in fighting games anyway. One particularly funny moment is when a battle is loading up [being Link] you can press A to hear him make a cry that sounds out of context to the situation. Good Stuff!
So, how does the GCN controller fair in all of this? Well, from the beginning people have been skeptical of its usability with the fighting game genre. Rightfully so, as the D-pad come straight from the GBA and is in a less comfortable position compared with its handheld sibling. And, we all know you cannot play fighting games with a joystick, being less accurate and increase your input’s downtime. Having said that, playing with the GCN controller was not as nasty as was expected. The D-pad, despite is size, is easy to point any one of the eight desired directions, but I naturally end up back at the main control stick anyway. If you’re one of those arcade-goers consider the SC2 arcade stick, which works with every version.
I had a lot of fun fooling around with SC2, to the point where I would highly consider it as a purchase if I wasn’t flat out broke [from other game related expenditures nonetheless]. The fighting system is well balanced between combos and one-off shots, and, of course, it’s the only place you will find post master sword Link, in all his glory. If you happen to not like fighters, or just never got into them, there’s no better place to start than what must be the best fighting game of them all. Soul Calibur 2.
Final Rating: 8.3
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| Reviewed by Koren Korok ::
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