Soul Calibur II (Hands On) (GameCube) Preview

In a recent play test with the title we got to enjoy some of the best fighting action our eyes, ears, and thumbs had ever had the pleasure of interacting with. The controls are superb, fluid fighting is so simple to pick up and you can pull off some truly spectacular moves with remarkable ease. However, as is the case with all great games SCII is easy to play, but a bugger to master. Whilst some moves can be accessed with ease it is implementing them into the buzzing action of the battle that is the real trick. You have to switch from offensive to defensive and back again very quickly, especially when the game starts to crank up the difficulty level. Opponents will get wise to you using the same attack over and over again so you must mix up your moves all the time. Jumping over enemies and getting them in the back is wonderfully satisfying and then there is the ultimate victory, getting your opponent to fall the edge.

Graphics wise we could ask for nothing more, everything is stunning. Character animation is unparalleled on the GameCube and the arenas are so vibrant and alive. There is a great contrast from evil underground layers to lavish palaces and floating gardens, and graphical flair doesn't show signs of holding back at any point during the fast paced fighting. Another aspect of the games visuals that forced our collective jaws to the floor were the lighting effects, blocking some attacks will release a plethora of sparks and flashes and attacks are combined with a number of pixitaled fireworks.

Sound wise it is all here, along with the obligatory grunts and screams you are treated to various different clanks and other sounds that all add to the effect. One thing that perhaps lets the game down a tad is the more than corny introduction movies to each fight. Here you will be 'treated' to some of the most awful in game voicing you will ever find 'Her beauty is only matched by the flowing of the river, but her strength is above all' is an example of what you can expect before fights as the camera gives you a wonderful overview of the arena.

Whilst we were only able to play about with SCII for a short while we can see that there will be no problems with the length of this title. There is tonnes to do with various different game modes and challenges to be completed. You also have a mass of characters to master and then of course there is good old multiplayer which we can only see providing some of the best 'with your mates' gaming fun ever. Whilst many multiplayer fighting games are based on luck you will only succeed in this game through pure skill and it is this that makes beating your mate to Timbuktu all the more satisfying.

Soul Calibur II is not just visually outstanding, the gameplay is also balanced to perfection. Some games nowadays look great and play like face rot, but here we have a game that offers the best of both worlds. If we had to write a list of how a fighter should play we would simply have to wedge a copy of this title. The way in which the character moves about and the balance between the moves the different characters can pull off is where this game really excels. Whilst some games suffer by having a character that is stupidly better than the rest, be faster, more powerful or with stronger attacks many fighters suffer from an imbalance in character ability. Even a 'weedy' looking female character can take on a ten foot ogre and kick its evil ass. This is how a fighter should be. No matter how mismatched the characters might look it is your ability to use the characters perfectly honed skills and abilities that will take you through. Flipping past attacks and being able to go straight back into the offensive got us loads of success.

Whilst some characters are huge, some are petit and some are just plan odd. Voldo is perhaps the prime example of oddness. If you can imagine a very camp version of Michael Flattley then you are getting there. Whilst we were fighting him he suddenly started to walk about on his hands with no apparent aim at all, or so we thought, whilst sitting there laughing at him the git flipped up into the air and knocked us into the abyss, needless to say the laughing soon stopped.

We have left one major thing to the end, the inclusion of Link in the games character list. This is going to make the game very appealing to a number of people that might not normally give it a look. The elf-ish one is present with all his trademark moves and he too looks absolutely wonderful. Firing arrows, thrashing about his sword Link is perhaps the character in this game, and that is really saying something.