Techtite's X-Box Game Reviews

"Not much else to say in a review that is, admittedly, about a month slow. You know it's a great game by now, you've probably bought it, so who am I to tell you what you already know? However, for those of you who don't already know about this game --both of you-- go out and get it now."

---from the review

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You may Also Wish to Buy:

Soul Calibur 2: The Official Fighter's Guide

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Sidebar :

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One cool game, with one COOL special edition Fighter's Guide! Sure, you expected the official Fighter's Guide (game manual) to be a must-buy, if just to have a record of every secret maneuver for every character, in a safe place. However; how totally cool was the special edition of this game manual?!? A "hard cover" slipcover (thicker cardboard, anyway), a poster of all the characters, and best of all, a music CD of all the game's music. The only downside: this went fast. I couldn't even find the order link for it as of the posting of this review, which actually wasn't that late! Let's hope everyone who thinks this special edition guide sounds cool, was able to get one!

The Best "Special Character"...? Playstation gamers have Heihachi; GameCubists have Link; X-Boxers have Spawn...so; what's the best special character? Well, that's a tough call, really. Heihachi is cool if only because he fights without any weaponry; a cool added challenge that no other character offers. Link has not only a sword, but also a bow and arrow, leading to some cool long-distance attacks if you can keep an opponent at bay long enough. As for Spawn, well, he's Spawn! I'm sure people will write me with their favorite character but I'm just glad to be a game critic, with the chance to play them all! 

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Feel free to contribute. As always, review submissions are accepted!

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Soul Calibur 2

Click picture to order this game (X-Box)

A Techtite Review

Okay, so Techtite.com finally gets around to reviewing Soul Calibur 2. Should we even bother? I mean, this was the definitive game, for every current game system, in late summer. I doubt few people don't know the game I'm talking about, and fewer still haven't bought it already. However, for the interests of offering a link to this review, every time we mention this game for the next 5 years; this review is still important to post. Well, sort of. Just humor us.

I think the opening intro is the first sign of a good fighting game. Did the game design team opt for a simple "demo mode" of a standard fight, did they have the characters walk down a street and chat, or better still, do they offer us a full motion video of these characters with classical music blaring in the background and showcasing why these characters are intended to be more than just polygons with three or more "special moves"...? The point I'm making is: this opening is everything you'd expect from a Namco fighting game. It's perfect!

The first thing you'll notice upon the "choose character" screen, is the wide variety of characters: 23 in all, ranging from human to half-human to monstrous imaginations. Among the newest is "Charade"; a sort of giant eye with mystical limbs which mimics the fighting styles of all human fighters. In addition is a monster as imagined by "Spawn" comic creator Todd Macfarlane, which is sort of like a reptilian creature with a jewel in its chest, which it can use to have mystical weaponry pop in and out of his hands at will, during a fight. As for human opponents: Sophitia is not joined by her kid sister, Cassandra. This is in addition to all the Soul Blade and Soul Calibur favorites, like the numchuck-wielding Maxi, the samurai Mitsurugi, the half-dead pirate Cervantes, and his daughter Ivy.

As for the game itself; I think what's really cool about Soul Calibur fighting games (this includes the original Blade, and the Dreamcast's Calibur 2) is how realistic the environments are. If you happen to be on any cliffside, a throw maneuver can lead to one or both of you falling right off the cliff! Fighting on a pier can lead to your opponent being thrown right in the brink. It's little pieces of reality in a fighting arena's environment that shows how accurate of a fighting sim the game designers intended to provide...so you can only imagine how intricate the "special maneuvers" of each character are. However, at no time did I consider such special maneuvers outright impossible to perform; many of them, in fact, are very impressive pieces of animation, yet only require a simple three or four key combination.

Now, call it an attempt at more money, or an attempt at individuality, but as you're already aware: Soul Calibur 2 is sold with one "unique" character on each system; a character most appropriate for that system's gaming style. For X-Box, that character is Spawn. Why Spawn...? Well, aside from a simple "because he's cool" retort, let's confess the truth: Microsoft hasn't been in the game system long enough for a "unique" character to the system. At least; there isn't a character exclusive to the Box that would be appropriate for a fighting game. So, thanks to Spawn's comic book creator Todd Macfarlane being on board to design a new game character or two (like Necrid), Spawn climbs on board for the X-Box version of the game. Not much else to say except that, with his battleaxe and long-distance chain attack, this is one of the best added characters for any game system. At the very least; he's the special character most appropriate of the three (Link and Heihachi being the other two), to be in this game at all.

The intriguing part of Soul Calibur is how it actually attempts to tell a story within its "arcade" mode. Each character has an adversary among the other possible characters; this being the second-last battle. They then proceed to the inevitable battle with the Soul Blade; a sword so powerful it's able to manifest itself in humanoid form and fight you for the right to wield it! After that there is a slide-show of sorts with classical score "victory music" in the background, completing the story for that character. I like any fighting game that attempts to make its characters into more than just fighting dolls; a fate that is hard to avoid in games. This is the sort of minor detail that makes the best fighting games shine.

Much like prior Soul Blade/Calibur games, there is also an "Edge Master" mode for bonus weapons, characters, arenas and modes of play. This is basically a "map" of linked fights and arenas, telling the story of an ongoing quest. No, you don't have to play as each character and replay these quests over and over, and in fact, you can change your chosen character for this quest at any time. In short, harder fights in Edge Master mode earn you surprise bonuses like extra modes of play, while every fight won earns you gold to use in the "weapon shops," for new weapons for all characters. You can even make additional purchases, like biographies of each character, or the option to see all the movie cinematics you've unlocked. Yes; it seems you'll be playing this game for a long time...presuming you haven't already.

Not much else to say in a review that is, admittedly, about a month slow. You know it's a great game by now, you've probably bought it, so who am I to tell you what you already know? However, for those of you who don't already know about this game --both of you-- go out and get it now. It's one of the best fighting games ever made. 'nuf said!

---Techtite