Seriously, this game was definetly all the rage back in the day. There were so much done right with this game. It had pushed the limits of what a PS2, Gamecube, and xbox could do in 2002, and generally, it was fast, buttery smooth and a blast when played with friends. Being one of the 1st few fighters ive bought on a PS2, I have very found memories of this game, having played in when i was a mere 6 year old, when button mashing was all i could learn about these games...
Now currently in my late teens, ive mastered Soul Calibur V and had hyped the release of this game (aswell as lost swords, who knows, it could be decent). Having a PSN card ready in early january, i had bought it and played it to DEATH on day 1 (seriously, i even platinumed it...dedication) and now im here to bring you my thoughts on this HD online re release.
Gameplay is just as wonderful as it was a decade ago. Its the fastest Soul Calibur in the series for sure, and there arent any armor destruction, guard breaks (Well, easy guard breaks anyways, you know, for blocking in IV and V?), critical finishers, brave edge or critical edges. Its vanilla Soul Calibur at its core, simple to pick and play, hard to master. Is there a spot that feels abit dated? Not really shockingly. The only problem i went through was that its abit harder for your attacks to stray on your opponents road. Dont understand? Well if your fighting someone who likes to dance around you, moving up or down to move from danger, then some frustrations will happen time from time. Otherwise, its all smooth sailing from then on. Also spawn is newly added next to heihichi from tekken. Spawn was a neat little treat for me as i love the particular character. Link is not here for obvious reasons, but i wont make a big deal about it, unlike people have. Link didnt make Soul Calibur 2 people.All of the original modes are here, the highlight being the very epic weapon master mode, which offers a solid challenge,although cheap at times.
The HD makeover this game got is beautiful. Soul Calibur 2 was very groundbreaking for its time, and it still stands the test of time. Hair details are kinda dated but everything else is of very high quality. Nothing is blocky or extremely low res, and animations are very well done. Heck, one particular character who used to lag up the menu's (atleast on PS2, not sure about the others) doesnt have that problem anymore.Sound wise well...The voice acting is pretty terrible, without a doubt. The music and the sound effects (most of which is re used in SC3, and SC4.) Are great though so no real complaints here.
Now heres where my a review goes into a bit of a rant. There was 2 things that was hyped in Soul Calibur 2 HD's trailers. The HD remastering and the online mode. I liked SCIV's online and i play SCV's online still to this day (Over 500+ wins and under 100 loses) However i dont think ill be using SC2's online anymore then beyond the trophies, which i already have gotten. Why? Because it feels slapped together and it barely functions. Funny because the netcode is actually WORSE the SCIV's. Inputs always are delayed, you cant interact with the loading screen, you cant skip the intro, victory or lose pose, and failed connections usually tell the opponent left...even though the match didnt even start. Heck usually it says this when your in the searching game menu. Sadly even if you do enjoy the online. Its VERY bare bones. It gives you Ranked matches and free matches, which is basically player matches WITHOUT 8 players, 6 players, heck not even 4. just 2 players. No cool 50 player lobbies or big player lobbies where you could have all your friends in it and just have a blast. Heck, even private matches suck, as no matter what mode you play, your kicked back to the title screen at the end of every online mode. Its a damn shame, as this could of been soooo much more. i blame namco as SC has always had online issues, and namco never really does anything unless its tekken related, which is bad because the new tekkens are extremely over rated. Instead of "Pfft Who needs SCV's online when i can play my childhood game with people all over the world!" its "GODDAMN IT WHY WONT MY CHARACTER MOVE!".
So in the end. If you longed for an HD version of SC2. This is as good as it gets, the core game is still amazing and playing some coach VS. mode will definetly be a road down nostalgia town. However dont buy this if your expecting a flawless online mode, because in the end, its just going to piss you off, and annoy you. Great job, but seriously namco, quit focusing on your tekken fanbase...geez...