Product ReviewsSoul Calibur II (Sony PlayStation 2, 2003)

Just like the arcade game

THE BASICS:

Its a sequel (II) fighting game with weapon effects specific to characters selected. Pretty much exactly the same thing as what was in the arcades, but without the need to continually feed it quarters or tokens and with extra options for single player entertainment besides pounding on your friends. If you liked that, you'll like this as well.

It doesn't have the create-your-own fighter features that were available in SCIII but it has great graphics (2d) and weapons. Plus a story mode for unlocking more custom weapon options to take your favorite character to the peak of their power. It was challenging and fun (and hard enough to be frustrating at times, too) and provided many hours of entertainment before we unlocked everything and still fun to play even afterwards.

I don't know how it compared to Street Fighter as it was never one of my favorites to play, but I do like it much more than the early MORTAL KOMBAT titles and it's much more fun to watch visually speaking than either of the other two. I used to stand and watch others battle at the arcade just because it was like watching a cool interactive kung-fu cartoon. It's not as...gross...as MK titles - no animated "fatality" type blood and guts or ripping people's arms off - feels more like the Japanese Anime that is more advanced than "Pokemon" but not as graphic as "Overfiend" - TEEN violence as opposed to MATURE or KIDS level, I'd say. There is lots of eye candy and some of the female characters are scantily clad.

As far as gameplay itself, Soul Calibur is midrange: i.e. it is not as hard to master as Virtua Fighter, but not quite as easy to learn as Tekken titles (which has always mapped the four buttons to the four extremities of the fighter and the game I have always found most intuitive to play). Soul Calibur titles are somewhere in the middle as the buttons map to a certain range of motions (horizontal attack, vertical attack, kick)and if you don't like the way the buttons are set up there are alternate layouts to choose from that may fit your style better. The combos are also a little less complex to execute than in the later generations, but you can think of it like a stock base model Honda Civic that's good and solid at what it does as is - and only got better from there.

As with any fighting game, I recommend the purchase of a large arcade style joystick with large buttons for the best experience. I bought the Original Playstation (PSX) and an asciiware stick that was about $100 just by itself, just so I could buy TEKKEN II and play at home. Fortunately that stick works great with the SCII game also and it's sooo much better than using a controller.

Highly recommended in general, though, as it is still among my favorites to play. Especially for a cheap used one in the $5.00 bin or something. Totally worth it even at $10.Read full review...

Cover art and manual both in great condition. Popped both the game disc and the demo disc into my PlayStation 2 and they worked flawlessly. Only real

Cover art and manual both in great condition. Popped both the game disc and the demo disc into my PlayStation 2 and they worked flawlessly. Only real complaint I have is that the case was not clean with a small but noticeable amount of dirt both inside and outside the case. It was easy to clean and none of the parts seemed damaged but it was still strange to see. Overall a good purchase but I would suggest giving your inventory a quick once over. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: spychocyco

Baddest Fighting Game Ever!

The best part about this game is that I no longer have to plug endless amounts of money into an arcade machine to perfect my playing skills! For me, until I score "Soul Calibur 3" anyway, this is the baddest fighting game I've yet played.

This game represents a watershed for fighting games on all levels; incredible graphics and animation, thrilling music, challenging scenarios aside from straight ahead fighting, *lots* of options to unlock as you go on playing, and colorful characters with their own particular strengths and weaknesses for you to discover as you gleefully try each and every one of them. Each character has their own personality and background story that is rich and interesting, and there is no shortage of witty dialogue (my favorite being French fencer Raphael Sorel's starting line of "Well, then! Let us dance!", delivered in wonderfully sarcastic fashion).

There are, of course, difficulties to overcome, not the least of which is the computer characters' tendency to utterly whoop your butt before you know what's happening. After a good amount of screaming, spitting, and cursing at the screen, though, it only inspires you to improve your game! And improve my game it has, funnily enough.

Weapon Master mode consists of a series of vignettes strung together into an overarching storyline that features some rather tough conditions one must win the bouts under, making you be creative when you're fighting your way through them. You can't just beat and batter your way through them, making it challenging and exciting. It also enables you to buy new weapons for the characters that may be chosen in either this mode or in the "Extra" mode, making for variety and extra color.

Overall, "Soul Calibur 2" is a game I cannot recommend enough to fighting game enthusiasts. Other than "Soul Calibur 3", which I've yet to play as of now. This game holds your attention with its compelling story, exciting characters and action, relatively easy game play (there are numerous combinations you can access with the controller), and eye candy, and its replay value is high to say the least. And that is only in one-player mode--two player mode is a whole 'nother world of thrills, spills, and chills. Get this and get your adrenaline pumping and whoop it up as you whoop butt!Read full review...

1 of my favorite 1-on-1 fighting games! I love options!

-The Good
-Graphics
-Gameplay
-Replay Value
-Weapon Variety
-Character Voices
-Storyline (Weapon Master Mode)
-Challenge
-Game-mode Variety
-Unlockables
-The Bad
-Foul Language
-Suggestive Themes
-The Summary
-This is one of my favorite One-on-One fighting games. You have many choices, ranging from Arcade Mode, a standard 8-fight brawl, to my mode of choice, Weapon Master Mode, a mode in which you travel to many different lands, acquiring weapons, defeating foes (sometimes under special condition) and making money.
Aside from the two previous modes, there is VS Battle, a mode where you can duke it out with your friends using your favorite characters, Time Attack, a mode where your battle time is recorded, Survival, a mode where you can find out how many foes you can K.O. before you are K.O.’d., Team Battle, a tag team mode where you have up to three characters on your team, VS Team Battle, a multiplayer team battle, and practice, a mode to sharpen your skills.
After buying them at the shop in weapon master mode, you obtain new weapons. You can buy many weapons for each character. How ever you can’t use them in the Original section. You must unlock the Extra Sections to use your extra weapons outside Weapon Master Mode.

-thepokesonRead full review...

The sequel to the Best DreamCast game of all time

I was very surprised when i put the disc inside the PS2. Automatically, amazing graphics filled the screen. i was sure impressed if anything. it really showed me what graphical power Soulcalibur II possessed. And it delivered a wonderful soundtrack, good storyline, amazing gameplay, and stunning graphics in one package is just too good for only $3.50. it has alot of modes to play that you might never get bored of. and lots of characters with amazing effects that kick butt. i guess this exceeded my expectations a little and when i beat it i still wanted more. so you can do it on a harder difficulty and earn hundreds of unlockables and the reply value is so immense! its great! Soulcalibur II is a must have for the second gen consoles. Go buy it today for under $10 and get more gameplay than you will with brand new games! Get what you pay for!Read full review...

Soul Calubur II (PS2)...Great Sequel to a Great Game.

This game slipped under the radar for me back in 2003. I bought it for cheap from a user (who did a great job by the way) on Ebay after I realized my PS2 collection was kind of lacking.

Put shortly, this game rocks! To put more completely, this game is a solid, faithful sequel to Soul Calibur, which got a "perfect" rating in Electronic Gaming Monthly back in the Dreamcast days. This is a competetive 3D fighting game. It starts with a selection of characters, arenas, and weapons right out of the box, but also has a game mode that allows a single player to unlock additional characters, areans, and weapons. The single-player game (entitled "Weapon Master Mode") will start out easy, but quickly progresses in difficulty. The single-player mode also teaches the player how to perform basic moves, and then goes on to teach more advanced tactics, then tests the player on the learned skills. The developers *want* people to do well in this game.

Overall, the game mechanics and technical performance are flawless. The game utilizes the Playstation 2's "Emotion Engine" and "Graphics Synthesiser" very well, as the game has terrific visual effects and proficient graphics with absolutely no slow-down. Put simply, the game just looks and performs smoothly whether you are just looking at a menu screen or are pulling a 20-hit combo in Berzerk mode...the game's frame rate doesn't even flinch. The game also contains a well-designed multiplayer mode for competitive fighting with a friend. Unlike other fighting games, the multiplayer mode is equally proficient as the single-player modes.

The game is well-built from start to finish, supports strong competitive mulitplayer features, and it's just a lot of fun to play. I thoroughly recommend this game for any Playstation 2 owner who has not played or owned this game. It is one of the best games on the console, and will impress most action game fans and casual gamers alike.Read full review...

My most favourite fighting game! :)

Soul Calibur II is indeed my most favourite fighting game!!! Here's why:

Graphics - they are simply breathtaking; the intro left me speechless, and the character animations are highly detailed and fluid. They are far superior to other games in the fighting genre.

Gameplay - it's is blindingly quick! There are a multitude of moves to be learnt, weapons to be collected, and you are presented with a host of modes to compete in. There are several extras that you can unlock as you progress through the game, including hi-res images, and movies. The difficult curve is gradually raised, and you are well compensated for winning challenges, I felt a sense of satisfaction once I had completed the game.

Characters - they all have their unique characteristics, and as you progress through the came you can collect several new weapons and costumes for your characters. The background stories for each character is well presented.

Sound - while I felt that the sound in this game was not particularly fabulous, it fitted well with the stages, and was inobtrusive. It was OK.

Replay value - the replay value for Soul Calibur II is excellent if you have a bunch of friends around. You can revisit old challenges, or try to beat your survival mode scores.

Final Thoughts - if you are a fan of fighting games, and you haven't played Soul Calibur II yes, I would highly recommend that you give it a try. I have played other games in the fighting genre, and I feel very strongly that they don't match up at all to Soul Calibur II on PS2. It gets the vote for my most favourite fighting game ever!!! :)Read full review...

A fast and fun game that can be enjoyed by beginners and pros alike and with the various types of weapons to unlock you can always try something new

I loved playing the game back when I was younger with my cousins and I have to say it still holds up. The gameplay, music, modes, and bonus features make this a game I will always keep in my collection.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: thriftedtreasur...

Looks Amazing in 480p Widescreen

A really fun game made better by the fact that after all these years, it supports 480p 16:9 widescreen, which makes it look really good on today's HD TVs.

Game definitely has a learning curve, but it's not so hard as to be frustrating. It's just hard enough to make you feel like you're earning your progress.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: d*t_eclectictre...

Good game

Lots of different things to keep busy. Not just fighting only. There's storyline upgrades and unlockable levels plus characters. It's better than soul caliber 3 in my opinion

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: goodiezcollectible