"Well, let's begin."

Most of the significant differences fans will especially notice are actually more cosmetic than technical. Each of the original characters return in search of the phantom Soul Edge weapon, including such favorites as Mitsurugi, Ivy and Taki (whose assets seem to have grown since the last time I remember). By now you've probably heard that only two of the characters can truly be considered fundamentally new. Talim, a young girl toting dual blades is both fast and agile, making up for her small stature. Then there's Raphael, who's both elegant and swift, making him the perfect choice for gamers looking to play with precision. Cassandra, Yun Sung, and Necrid (an original character designed by Todd McFarlane) to some extent are loosely based on previous fighting schematics of existing characters. Although this is somewhat of a throwback which newcomers may not mind, purists are likely to feel a tinge disappointed at the lack of fresh new faces.

Then there's the platform exclusive characters which have been widely discussed and promoted over the past several months. The Xbox edition features Spawn, the popular comic book anti-hero, also designed by Todd McFarlane. PlayStation 2 hosts the grizzly, old warrior Heihachi and the GameCube edition offers the legendary Link, the star character from Legend of Zelda.

"You're definitely not my type."

Among the three bonus characters, I've found Link and Spawn to be the most enjoyable, despite the fact that they all seem somewhat out of place. Namco has certainly gone to great lengths to establish a unique battle design for Link, featuring all of his trademark moves including the boomerang, bombs and arrows (plus you can acquire other "Zelda" weapons in the Weapon Master Mode). It's impressive how the developers skillfully integrated these abilities to work within the Calibur design. Numerous lateral moves and links can be buffered into such moves as the Bomb and Arrow Stance respectively. And nothing beats seeing Link lay the smackdown on the muscle-bound Astaroth. Best of all, Namco even went the extra mile by remixing the main Zelda and item collection themes (Dun, dun, dun dunnnnnnn!!!!) Definitely a nice touch which every Link fan will wholly enjoy!

Spawn is more robust, slow compared to the others, but with his battle axe in hand - just as deadly. His most significant attacks include the ability to levitate and throw projectiles (no, it's nothing quite as potent like Hadoken). Because of his lack of speed, players need to set up openings, or await moments before they go in for the down and dirty strike.

I'll openly admit that I don't have much love for Heihachi (probably because I sucked at Tekken all these years). Nevertheless, he stands out more as being the unorthodox character. The key to success lies with his trademark 10-hit combos, perhaps the only formidable quality that makes him worth playing. I haven't spent too much time playing with Necrid, whose fighting style mirrors other characters such as Ivy, Cervantes, and Nightmare. Not to mention his design seems like it was ripped from the concepts of other games and tossed in here for added variety. I learned to accept Yoshimitsu's cameo, because he at least felt like he belonged in the game. Necrid does not, so he definitely looks quite foreign compared to the others.

If you're puzzled as to which version to get, it all comes down to breaking down the pros and cons of each. For starters, decide which of the three characters you want to play with the most, and then go from there. Visually, the GameCube and Xbox versions are inarguably the best looking among the trifecta, featuring native surround sound and progressive scan displays. For anyone who's fortunate to have a HDTV and an Xbox shouldn't pass up the chance to enjoy the visual excellence in 720p. (Though it should be noted there are reports surfacing that players with widescreen are forced to commit to the 4:3 setting instead of the desired 16:9, go figure). I won't get too much into the loading times, although the PS2 wins hands-down as the slowest version of all. But if a few seconds more is enough to make your soul burn, perhaps you should consider replacing the internal CD-ROM drive with one of your own?

"Don't hate me."

At any rate, Soul Calibur 2 is an enjoyable gem, regardless which version you choose. One of the universally notable features includes the all-new Weapon Master Mode, which holds the key to unlocking the troves of goodies packed within. Overall, I found the missions to be just as enjoyable like the ones featured in the original Soul Caibur. In essence, you'll encounter opponents which must be defeated under special circumstances. Some levels require you to fight while being poisoned or in a booby trap laden caged arena. Although fan fiction types and those who value text-driven adventures would be impressed, most players are likely to skip the mission summaries to jump right back into the action. After completing the third chapter, I can honestly say that I was no longer captivated and just want to pummel my next opponent. It won't take more than a few hours (if not less) to complete this mode the first time around. Fortunately, there's a more advanced version available to the fierce warriors who complete the first run, featuring tougher challenges to explore.

Speaking of which, if it wasn't for this mode spicing up solo play, I'd have to say that Soul Calibur 2 wouldn't seem as appealing. This is the type of game that begs to be played with human competition. Sure you can go against the computer, jack up the difficulty level and prepare to have your ego utterly crushed -- but it's just not the same.

When Soul Calibur was released on Dreamcast, several friends and I had the pleasure of learning the intricacies of the game together. Since we were relatively on the same level, our incentive to improve and learn more characters kept us interested in the game for months, even after other fighting games came around. The sequel is no different, thanks to the expanded cast of characters and the ability to alter the parameters of the game using weapons acquired from the aforementioned Weapon Master Mode. This is a remarkable feature which allows you to set handicaps when going against players of different skill levels - or simply to create some variety and challenge to your melees. And with over 200 weapons to choose from, that's certainly a lot of versatility at your fingertips.

"Don't...cry."

Accolades notwithstanding, Soul Calibur 2, with all its merited refinements is still far from perfect. On occasion, you'll encounter some collision or framerate issues. The Xbox edition for example, has been known to either lock up on some copies during the final stage against Inferno. Beyond that, each version runs incredibly smooth at 60 frames per second. Every character model has been masterfully motion captured, creating a stylish, impressive display of precision combat action. In fact, some may feel Namco put too much attention into the characters instead of the backgrounds -- all of which are both rich in detail and awesome in appearance. Although ring outs aren't a thing of the past, some stages include walls (none of which are destructible as featured in the Dead or Alive series). In essence, this creates an added dimension for players to unleash wall-specific attacks. You won't find them listed in the manual of course, so experiment for different results.

There's definitely a lot to take in -- and unless you've been consistently playing over the years, you'll probably need to chip off that rust. Thankfully, a few sessions with the training mode can get you back up to speed. Consider this a nitpick, but I was hoping for the traning mode to get some of that refinement attention. A game colleague of mine brought up a good point regarding the command list structure. Essentially, you have to pause the game, examine the move you want; unpause the game, then practice the move. It's an unending cycle that becomes some tedious. Technology has evolved so much that there should be a better integration which alleviates this awkward transition. I know that I am getting ahead of myself here, but could you imagine some type of interactive tutorial? The training mode has definitely come a long way since the 16/32-bit era, but there's still a lot of room for growth.

At any rate, I was pleased that there's an option to toggle between English and Japanese dubs. Although every phrase is clear and articulate, I couldn't bear to hear the English voiceovers after initially spending 10 minutes with the game. I was curious how certain characters sounded and Ivy ended up being one of the few I actually liked. Compared to the Japanese dubbing, the English counterparts pale in comparison (much like the available anime on the market).

"The legend will never die…"

Unlike newcomers to the series, it's understandable why veterans won't have the same level of enthusiasm towards this latest installment. Aside from a few recycled elements featured throughout the game, Soul Calibur 2 qualifies as one of the most universally accessible and enjoyable games available on the market. And not even Virtua Fighter fans can't dismiss that. Alhough Soul Calibur 2 doesn't achieve a new evolutionary standard, it's definitely given many of us a reason to love fighting games all over again.

· · · Bahn