Gaming Target - GameCube: Soul Calibur II

Written by Matt Swider on July 16, 2003

Final Glimpse: This is one burning desire that can't be healed by Preparation-H.

Namco fought with its fists to become a champion of fighting games when the Tekken series was introduced, but now it's time to take on the genre with some serious weaponry again as the sequel to Soul Calibur releases next month. Though Soul Calibur II has been available in Japan since March and has been selling out in import shops everywhere else since April, you won't find the full game on store shelves in North America until August 27. This means that the only way to even preview the American version of the game is to pick up a GameCube demo disc from Nintendo or to have stopped by the Namco booth at E3. After experiencing the game both ways, there's no doubt that the end result will be worth the wait no matter how strong your burning desire for it may be.

Since the series first appeared on PlayStation as Soul Edge and was followed-up with Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast, it was split from the start and unavailable to certain consumers. Now that the 90s have came and gone, Namco is releasing Soul Calibur II for GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, just to make sure it's within the reach of every modern game player. Though a multi-platform game is usually just an added convenience for consumers, each edition includes a special character that is unique to the specific system. So, in addition to the familiar faces and freshman fighters from Namco, The Legend of Zelda lets adult Link cut loose on GameCube, the Tekken series hands over Heihachi to PS2, and comic-famed Spawn can be selected for the Xbox.

Besides the three special characters fighting on their respected systems, all other Soul Calibur II fighters are present in each version. Each comes with unique fighting styles and ways of mastering your weapon as well. Link, for example, can execute over one-hundred moves using his sword, bow-and-arrow, bombs, and, let's not forget, his boomerang. His adult incarnation makes this game worth pre-ordering for Nintendo fans, especially those looking to control Link in that form with all of GameCube's graphical glory. Some have said that the GameCube controller is unable to handle a fighting game of any caliber, but it's both reassuring and funny that Soul Calibur II challenges that claim and proves it wrong.