OT: Soul Calibur II on Xbox -- Deja Vu All Over Again!

[pk500]

Boys:
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<BR>I finally got around to renting Soul Calibur II for the Xbox last night, as the original SC was one of my favorite Dreamcast games.
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<BR>And there lies the rub with SC II: I´ve played this game before, three years ago. Seriously, SC II feels almost the same as SC. The graphics on the Xbox version aren´t <i>that</i> much better than the Dreamcast version, more of a compliment to the late, great Dreamcast than an indictment of the Xbox because this game remains gorgeous.
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<BR>Yeah, I haven´t played all the modes yet, but the core modes feel the same -- hell, I think they are the same -- as the DC version. Sure, there are new characters, such as Spawn on the Xbox, in the versions for the various consoles, but I don´t even know what the hell Spawn is much less care about it.
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<BR>SC II is a fun, gorgeous game that will make your wrists hurt from button-mashing after a while, like all great fighting games. <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_smile.gif"> But there´s nothing there that would make me pay $50 for it since I´ve already played SC on my Dreamcast. SC II needed Xbox Live support. That would have injected more freshness into it.
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<BR>If you´ve never played Soul Calibur, then SC II is a fine purchase. If you´re into Spawn (who?), then it might be a good purchase. But if you owned a Dreamcast and SC like I did and don´t want to pay $50 for a trip down memory lane, I would skip SC II or wait until you can get it cheap in the bargain bin or online.
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<BR>Just my 9 cents.
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<BR>Take care,
<BR>PK

[Spooky]

I was actually very surprised at how much I liked this game after not being at all wow´ed by the presentation.
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<BR>The smooth gameplay and fun I am having playing it with my girlfriend and her 12 year old son make this a definite keeper for a while. I forgot just how smooth and fluid a fighting game can be until this was released.

[dbdynsty25]

Agreed PK,
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<BR>I thought it was a minor upgrade at best. It is still the badass fighting game I remember on the DC but it did nothing that much better to justify me buying it. If I need to play a fighting game, I just pop SC into my DC and go at it.

[matthewk]

"I don´t even know what the hell Spawn is much less care about it."
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<BR>WHAT?!? Spawn kick some serious ass. Of course, I´ve always been a comics nut, so I know who he is. Personally I´d love to see another game like the SPawn one that was on the Dreamcast.
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<BR>In case you´re interested, here´s the deal on Spawn. It´s a character that originated in a COMics book that began in 1991. It´s not a book for small kids, since it has LOTS of violence and blood. That said, the story of Spawn and his universe is very deep and involved. It´s not mindless violence.
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<BR>I have the first 100 comics (yes, even at 33 I´m still a geek), as well as the movie, which was pretty good as far as superhero movies go.
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<BR>I´m sure this is more than you wanted to know, but I couldn´t resist the opportunity to share my geekish comics knowledge <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_wink.gif">
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<BR>-Matt

[matthewk]

Not to stray too far off-topic, but does anyone else enjoy X-men: Next Dimension? It´s a fighter that never got much pub, and I´ve seen it discounted everywhere, meaning it didn´t sell big.
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<BR>I´m not much of a fighting gamer, but these two (SC on the DC, and X-men) were both addictive IMO.
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<BR>One thing I really like about the X-men game is the wide-open fighting areas. SC seemed too restrictive.
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<BR>-Matt

[pk500]

MattK:
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<BR>Thanks for the info. on Spawn. I´m not a comics guy at all and honestly knew Spawn was some kind of superhero and that´s it. Oh, and didn´t that McFarlane guy who bought McGwire´s 70th HR ball and also does the NASCAR collectibles create Spawn?
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<BR>I always like to stay briefed on various aspects of pop culture! <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_smile.gif">
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<BR>Take care,
<BR>PK