Customer reviews:

Customer Rating:
Summary: beautiful graphics, a comprehensive storyline
Comment: "Soul Caliber II", for the Gamecube, Xbox, and Playstation 2, is a weapon-based fighting game. It is the sequel to Soul Caliber for the Sega Dreamcast. It has beautiful graphics, a comprehensive storyline, and some great moves.

The basic story of the game is that there is this evil sword, called Soul Edge. Many want the sword for its great power. It is said to be, in fact, the most powerful sword in the world. However, most people don't know that it is evil, and so many pursue it. The current wielder of it is a mysterious black-armored knight named Nightmare. He was once a bandit, leader of a group called Der Schwarzwind (The Black Wind). He found Soul Edge, but gradually it took over his body. In the last game, Soul Edge was shattered by its opposite, the spirit sword Soul Caliber. However, the broken fragments of the sword have shown up in many places. Some seek to destroy the pieces to prevent the sword from regaining its evil power. Some want it to use to destroy their enemies. Some want it for the power it brings. However, everybody wants it, and most have no quarrel with destroying everyone in their way to get it.

There is a huge selection of characters, with six secret characters adding to the lineup. They vary from a Japanese swordsman to a village mystic to a female ninja demon hunter to a diabolical golem to an undead tomb guardian. There are also a great variety of stages, including a windmill in a mountainous village, an abandoned yet well-preserved Japanese castle, and a lakeside garden. Most of these places have at least one place where a fighter can be knocked out of the ring (except for the cage matches), so knocking someone out or tossing them out is a vital strategy for winning.

The modes of play that you can do include arcade mode, in which you fight several random enemies and one character-based enemy in order to accomplish your character's goal, Weapon Master Mode, in which you can earn gold to buy extra weapons, costumes, and artwork, to various time attack modes and "see how long you can survive" modes. Besides the normal modes, you can also get "Extra" modes, which allow you to use the weapons you buy in Weapon Master mode. The weapons can give that little boost needed for victory. Most weapons have a pro and a con, like a staff that has good offense and recovers health, but has poor defense. The higher the cost of the weapon, the better it is. Some weapons have no flaws, like the katana Masamune, which has good offense and defense, with no downside.

The in-combat gameplay is good. There are a number of actions, like Guard Impacts (which reverse or trip an enemy's attack), to prevent button mashing. This game is responsible for the most fulfilling fighting round in any fighting game I've ever played. My character was Mitsurugi, the Japanese swordsman, and my opponent was Raphael, the fencer. In most games, the victor would basically be whoever bashed most first. However, in this game, I actually had to think about it. There was thrusting, parrying, slashing, and basically everything that makes a game seem realistic and not just a "bash, mash, smash" game. The other moves that can be done range from ninja teleportation to awesome throws (like where Link, the GC guest, grabs the enemy by his shirt, runs up their body, and slashes them on his way down).
The main reason to buy certain console versions of this game is the "guest character" on each one: Link for the Gamecube, Spawn for the Xbox, and Tekken's Heihachi (who uses, well, gloves as his weapon). Also in the game is a character not seen in the video arcade games: Necrid, a special character designed by Spawn's owner, Todd McFarlane (which is why Spawn is the Xbox's guest character and why McFarlane toys manufactures the action figures).

As for being "kid-friendly", there is no blood, as hits make strange glowing/electrical red spots (but not cuts or slashes). There is some minor swearing (from characters that don't take losing well) and there is some "female character bounciness" and skimpy costumes, though each character has at least two costumes, and the alternate costumes on the skimpy characters are usually less bouncy and revealing.

This is a very good, fun, and attention-holding fighting game, with only a few clipping errors (objects accidentally going through other objects). It gets a 10/10.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Still my favorite soul calibur...
Comment: I'll start this review by saying I was a victim of buying a gamecube the day it came out. Even though this console has a handful of wonderful gems, I'll argue anyone teeth 2 bone that this was a great system. Yeah now that they cost under 30$ maybe consider it bit not the 250 I paid on release day. If I knew what I knew now I would have held off on this console. ANYWHOOO... I owned a dreamcast loved the original soul calibur and owned a 64 and enjoyed both zelda games -- and all the previous others except the second nes installment. During the prime of the cube the only new Zelda game that was made was windwaker...(Im not including twilight princess because that was mainly meant for wii). Windwaker blew. It was horrible! I was even exited about the cell-shaded goodness and they F***ed up. Not only is this an enhanced Soul Caliber -- I feel it is faster paced even than 4 -- but other than smash bros this is the only decent Link game that came out for gamecube.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellence
Comment: I love this game and was very excited to find it for such a low price. The condition of the game was excellent, the price fantastic. It arrived quickly after purchase with good packaging. I was not disappointed at all.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great game
Comment: My daughter wanted this game and it is just what she wanted. She is very happy and loves to play it. The mail delivery was slow, but what can you say about them. I know the seller shipped the product early, but the hold up in receiving it was the Post Office. Other than that, we have had no problems with this game and she is very happy.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: ¡Incredible fighter!
Comment: This game is truly amazing, I've been playing it non stop since i bought it, the game play is really deep but easy enough for anyone to pick it up without much trouble, the game cube version is definitely the best of all 3, it holds link as a playable character, which is truly a wonderful addition to the fighters roster not only as a fan service but also because it really has some great moves, so if you haven't played it yet but always have been intrigued by it or even if you don't know much about it but enjoy fighters, this game is for you, one of the best and more balanced fighting games on any console and on any generation, simply ¿buy it!

---