| | Cutting-Edge Gameplay
Namco’s recent release of Soul Calibur® II has fight-title fans hitting the stores or already at home developing another set of calluses. Stunning graphics and a detailed combat system lures them to exotic locations, in pursuit of a mythic quest--one warrior vs. another. Fight!
It seems so simple, but there is a great deal of history behind this Namco success story. Soul Calibur II isn’t just a sequel title, after all. It’s the third (some say the fourth) release in one of the most celebrated fighting franchises ever. Was it worth the wait? Definitely. This is the best Soul-series fighting game yet.
Samurai Jack he ain’t.
The series first hit arcades in 1996 with the release ofSoul Edge. With its over-the-top gameplay and use of weapons--a rarity in fighting series games before then--it won immediate cult status among many fans. The compelling storyline didn’t hurt either. In Soul Edge, warriors from across 16th-century Earth meet and compete in mortal combat. They are each, for their own reasons, searching for the mysterious ‘Soul Edge’ sword. Of course, only one may succeed, and the basis for battle after battle is established. Quarters were pumped into the game at breakneck speeds.
The arcade classic received a slight upgrade in 1997 when Playstation unveiled Soul Blade. More than a straight port of the stand-up favorite, Soul Blade added several extras to the gameplay, not the least of which was the Edge Master mode where one character was chosen and followed through their quest to achieve the mystic blade. As opponents were vanquished, they gave up their weapons to the victor. This dynamic play garnered quite a bit of attention for the franchise, which Namco did not fail to notice. 
Straight out of our nightmares.
Soul Calibur, the first true sequel, was released in arcades in 1998 to much acclaim and also became one of the strongest Dreamcast hits of 1999 (or ever, some would argue). With a larger cast of warriors, more weapons, and even more detailed styles of fighting, fans of the original Soul Edge found even more of what they had loved the first time around. The game revolved around the evil pirate Cervantes, who had acquired the powerful twin swords of Soul Edge, mentioned in the first title and now the undoing of this particular character.
Once again the presence of Soul Edge drew a host of interesting and colorful warriors, some with deeper stories than most gameplay has ever allowed to be shown. There were characters who knew the swords to be evil, and others who believed it to be the savior of everything they held dear. There was also Siegfried, who became possessed by Soul Edge and turned into the Evil Seed. Obviously, Namco still had big plans for the story, and the franchise. The interlocking biographies and story lines were of great interest then, and still are now, as Namco releases Soul Calibur IIto much cheering and clashing of virtual weapons. 
This Ivy has thorns.
Namco has always found a way to deliver more with each return to the franchise, and they have succeeded again. Soul Calibur II is filled with just as much fighting as before. This time, however, they’ve taken their new Weapons Master mode and filled it with elements from the classic arcade fighting and Edge Master as well as adding new material and explorations levels. The acquisition of gold allows the purchase of new items. And along the way, you may unlock old favorites and new characters, a museum of art related to the franchise, and various ‘theaters’ with new treats for the dedicated fan.
Soul Calibur II is definitely aimed toward the players of twenty-first century consoles who’ve come to expect just a little bit more than excellent gameplay. Fortunately for Namco and the legions of warriors they’ve trained, they deliver. By Loren Coleman |
