Transcending history and the world, a tale of souls and swords eternally retold. Countless legends surround a sword known as Soul Edge. Some claim it was the ultimate weapon. Others refer to it as the "Sword of Heroes." …A phantom sword with immeasurable power of the spirits…the key to eternal youth…treasure without equal…a panacea to cure all illness… There are even those who consider it the "Sword of Salvation." Although no one could ever be certain of the sword's whereabouts or true identity, various rumors and folklore spread across the world. In reality, Soul Edge was comprised of twin blades that fed on human souls. Four years before, a spirit sword named Soul Calibur appeared from the East, as if to answer the call of the raging Soul Edge. No one witnessed the final battle to the death where Soul Edge was shattered. No one knew that the spirit sword was left behind in the vortex of evil to stop the demon sword's powers.

The best graphics I’ve seen in a fighting game since the original Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast. Every character has a very high polygon count, with facial expressions and detailed clothing. Their hair sways in the wind, as well as their clothes. The backgrounds look just as good, featuring rich textures and complex architectures. Some stages let you see far into the distance, and even the smallest details can be seen and appreciated. Some characters, like Yoshimitsu and Voldo, have patterns on their clothes that shine when light hits them. Every sword and armor shine, characters cast realistic shadows, when two weapons collide sparks start flying everywhere, illuminating the fighters. It looks very impressive.

You won’t find rock, heavy metal or techno music here. The orchestrated scores fit the game perfectly, making every battle feel epic and grand. The sound effects are particularly good. Swords sound great when they clash, just like old samurai films. Every stab, slash, punch and kick will rock your speakers and maybe leave you deaf if the volume is high enough. Character voices are cool, well, at least in Japanese. The English voice-overs sound too silly for me to enjoy.

This is where most fighting games fall, but not Soul Calibur, thanks to its tight and responsive controls. Just like Sould Edge and Soul Calibur, Soul Calibur II is all about weapon-based combat. There’s a vertical slash button, horizontal slash, a kick button, and the almighty guard button. You can throw your opponents by pressing guard plus any slash button. There are some special throws that require different button presses. By repeatedly pressing slash buttons you can perform simple combos, so newbies and button-mashers can get lucky from time to time.

People who like to turtle out will have to change their strategy because you can walk in any direction you desire, so walking behind your opponent and smacking him/her upside the head won’t be a problem. More experienced players will appreciate Soul Calibur II’s parry system. By pressing forward (or back) and guard, you can parry your opponent’s attack and throw in one of your own, catching them by surprise. You’ll need to master this technique if you wish to complete all the Weapon Master challenges. I’ll tell you more about that below.

Like most fighting games, Soul Calibur II has a practice mode, where you can learn the basics of fighting at your own pace. There’s an arcade mode where you battle 8 foes and unlock endings for the characters. VS mode lets you fight with a friend. Battle mode lets you choose up to 8 characters and fight the CPU or a friend. There are also survival and time attack modes, where you fight a series of opponents in a row with one life bar or beat enemies as fast as possible, respectively. But by far the best mode is Weapon Master, where you face many tough challenges to earn money and experience points as a reward. With the money won you can purchase new weapons for your characters, as well as image galleries, new stages to fight on, new costumes, and hidden playable characters.

As a big fan of fighting games I can say that Soul Calibur II is one of the best fighters, and possibly the best 3D fighter I’ve ever played. With so many characters and fighting styles, Weapon Master challenges, and VS modes you’ll be fighting the good fight for a very long time.

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