Hello everyone. Game Review=Link Savii.

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A few guidelines for this Review.

- I will be scoring aspects of the game in 2 ways: "Era-Specific" [ie; considering the technological capabilities of the time] and "Modern Standard"[how well it has held up compared to today's technological standards]. This will ensure a more fair-based score, I believe.

- The aspects I will be scoring are Sound, Graphics, Playability/Gameplay, Quirks and Special Features [if any], and Overall Presentation.

- You may post any good/bad experiences with said game, if you have ever played it.

Let's begin.

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Soul Calibur II [Developer: Namco] is a Weapons-Based FIghting Game for the GameCube, PS2, and Xbox. What made this entry unique[until Soul Calibur III, IV, and V[tbr] came out,] was the introduction of "Cameo Characters". Xbox had Spawn, PS2 had someone who I forget, and GameCube had Link. Link was considered the best fighter of the three because of his long-ranged weaponry, for the most part.[Light Arrows, Boomerang, and Bombs.] But enough about the Hero of Time's bad-assedness.

Graphics

The graphics for the GameCube version are actually quite nice, particularly the character models. There is virtually no lag[hat I have experienced, anyway,] and the camera doesn't have any bugs, considering most arenas aren't very 'complex', for obvious reasons. Back to the character models, after beating Arcade Mode with any character, you will unlock a "Character Biography" of the fighter you used.[further details below] You can see your Character's model in a nice viewing position, or watch a short video clip of your character performing a bunch of moves[though I believe that you must buy these videos, I may be mistaken.] Each character has multiple costumes, Link, for example, can be dressed in either a Green or Red tunic at first. Later on, you can purchase additional costumes, such as the Blue and Purple tunics.[2 at most, for a total of 4 possible costumes per character.]

The backgrounds can be a little dated, aka; Sega Dreamcast-ish at times, but usually, they're okay. Just prepare for some late 90's textures.

Scores
Era Specific: 9.
Modern Standard: 7.5

Sound

The sound of Soul Calibur II is quite good, considering the sheer amount of voice acting for each Fighter. [sans Link, who grunts and cries like usual.] The voice acting is actually good, though the majority of it is mostly cocky pre-battle taunts and post-battle victory quotes. And of course, the "damage cries".

The sound effects are quite nice, and if I'm not mistaken, this game supports Dolby Digital II. Pretty much all of the sound is clear, ensuring not to cause any mishaps with music and SFX.

The musical score is quite nice, usually fitting each arena quite nicely. Most characters have a 'theme' with their primary stage.[Link has a rendition of the "The Legend of Zelda" Overworld/Title themes, orchestrated, as it seems.]

Scores
Era Specific: 9.5
Modern Standard: 8.5

Gameplay/Playability

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There are two "collective" modes for SCII; Weapons Master[the Single Player "Quest",] and Multiplayer.

In Weapons Master, you go through a very long story narrative, which ties in with several fights. In fact, the only thing that makes this mode really different than standard Multiplayer[which can be done Vs, CPU as well,] s the narrative, and the "Special Conditions" on most fights for that part of the story. It's essentially all text-based story, with the only cinematic parts being when you fight. You earn gold in Weapons Master, it's [obvious] uses will be explained later.

Multilayer Mode is essentially bare-bones fighting with you Vs. CPU or Player 2. You earn 1,000 Gold every time you complete Arcade Mode, which is 1P.

The controls for SCII are essentially A=Attack, B=Block, Y=Vertical Attack, and X=Kick. Each character has special "Signature Moves", which can be viewed through the pause menu in a fight. They're typically performed by a combination of the Control Stick movements and the buttons.

The C Stick gives most characters access to special combos, or in Link's case, his items. Tilting the stick either Left, Down, or Right will cause these combos to be used.

The Z Button can be pressed to do a "Soul Charge". A Soul Charge will temporarily boost your strength, and depending on your weapon, Defense/HP. However, the Soul CHarge makes you pretty vulnerable while your character is charging, so it's best to make sure your opponent is stuck for approximately 2-3 seconds. Tilting up on the C Stick will also perform a Soul Charge.

The "8-Way Movement System" seems to be what Namco was most proud of. Essentially, you can move diagonally, vertically, or horizontally. However, it should be noted that moving vertical will essentially rotate you around, and depending on what attacks you perform, you might end up on the other side of the arena. Not a bad thing, just beware.

Throws can be performed by pressing either X+B or A+B next to your opponent. Tilting the Control Stick will cause different throws, some more powerful than others. You can also do a Throw without tilting the stick.

Scores
Era Specific: 9.5
Modern Standard: 9.

Quirks/Special Features

Well, for starters, there are the aforementioned Character Bios. Within those, you get a backstory on each and every character, you can test each of their SFX, view their "Home-Stage", and see their character model.

You earn gold through fighting. With this gold, there are shops in every "Territory" of Weapons Master. You can buy new weapons for individual characters, concept/character art[very nice, for the record,] and additional costumes for fighters.

Score: 9. There's a fair amount of content to keep you drooling.
[this aspect hasn't changed much, so one score for it]

Overall Presentation

Very nice, overall. The game has aged nicely, though it pales in certain areas[graphically, for example] when compared to its latest installments.

Overall Scores
Era Specific: 9.5
Modern Standard: 8.

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That is all for this Review, leave your opinions down below. I may do more n this formula.

Hopefully, this will start a Game Review phase and end this stupid Religion Blog phase. It's just going to cause drama, you know.
[done via TextEdit for Mac OSX 10.2.]