Go on a quest

Soul Calibur II has enough game modes to please all but the most insane of fanatics (and fanatics of that calibur…er… can buy all three versions for ultimate satisfaction). The Weapon Master mode features a generic story about swordplay and attempts to give some meaning to the variety of novelty missions the player must endure. It’s comforting to know that if you have to knock a guy into a wall to kill him, it’s because he’s a deranged prisoner wearing heavy bandages that your sword can’t cut through (it remains unknown why the same sword can so easily pierce heavy plate armor).

Talim retaliates

Voldo wants to shred human flesh

Chick fight!

Other game modes

Through the Weapon Master mode you can unlock several weapons for each character, new levels, and new characters. The standard game modes include Arcade, VS, Time Attack, and Survival, all of which are fairly self-explanatory. Time Attack is Arcade on speed, and Survival pits you against an unending stream of enemies. Each mode can be played normally, but you also have the option of playing the “extra” versions, which let you use all the neat weapons you buy in Weapon Master. So, for instance, if you happen to buy a “SWORD – $3000” only to find out that it is a fake sword, you can use it in Extra VS battle to embarrass your novice friends. Or you could take a character’s ultimate weapon to obliterate enemies quickly for a great Time Attack score.

Defeated 6

4 on 4

Victorious!

Greater challenges

After some 30 hours spent playing Soul Calibur II, I can safely say the gameplay competes on a world-class level, and the diversity of new game modes enhances the original Soul Calibur set. The computer does fight cheaply on the harder difficulties, but learning to use the more powerful weapons will help you overcome the AI in the extra modes. Unfortunately, this won’t save you from the regular Time Attack features, which require you to fight as many as 16 unrealistically cheesy opponents in a row just to get a record.