The biggest mode in the game is the single player type campaign called “Weapon Master”. The game has 16 chapters overall and you will need to complete certain missions to pass. This may include beating an enemy within a specific time limit and other unique objectives. It is in this mode too that you can customize your character by giving them new weapons and clothes. You also get a chance to unlock more characters playing through this mode too. Weapon Master is arguably the best mode in the enture game since it provides something different over the usual modes that feature in other fighting games.
On top of Weapon Master, there are of course the other standard modes such as Arcade, Time Attack, Survival, Team Battle and Practice. These modes are all here and are pretty much what you would expect from any other fighting game. My main gripe is that the character endings in Arcade mode are kind of budget because it’s just still pictures. You don’t get the cool cinematic that feature in the Tekken series…
Another minor flaw to this re-release is that the characters can only speak English. In the original game, you could switch between English and Japanese dialogue. I couldn’t help but laugh at hearing Heihachi speaking in English. In the Tekken series, he only speaks in Japanese. Apart from Spawn, the other English voices for the other character sound really bad. Why can’t voice actors from fighting games speak normally without sounding so lame?
Online is also a huge feature of the game. Of course it is, because it’s part of the title for this re-release. Online wasn’t a part of the original game so this comes as a welcome addition for hardcore fighting fans. From my experience, the online mode still needs a bit of work for it to be a smooth experience. I struggled to play due to lag and patchy connection. This could be because I live in New Zealand, although Tekken Revolution doesn’t seem to suffer too much. A simple patch to make the online mode in Soulcalibur II HD Online smoother shouldn’t be too hard to accomplish.
Soulcalibur II has always been regarded as one of the best fighting games ever made and this re-release makes sure more people get a chance to experience it. For new fans, you are getting a top quality game with great HD graphics and a ton of modes. For old fans, you get a new online mode plus have a chance to relive what is considered to be the best game in the series. Soulcalibur II HD Online is a great re-release for new and old fans alike. Even though the game came out ten years ago, it’s still fun to play even by today’s standards.
[Editor’s Note: Soulcalibur II HD Online was reviewed on the Xbox 360. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]