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This thread has been linked to the game 'Soul Calibur 2'.
While we're all supposed to love VF4 - y'know, it's Sega - and simply adore Soul Calibur 2 - ooh, Dreamcast, now there's a machine - truth is, both of these games are relics of a bygone age.
Honestly, when was the last time you were stupidly excited about a beat-'em-up? Street Fighter 2? Tekken 3? The genre has been stuck firmly in a rut since the late '90s and needs something, anything, to resurrect some mainstream interest.
The sun is setting on arena-based scrappers - and with Japan's premier beat-'em-up developers going head-to-head - for once, we'll all be looking to the East.
Rather than warbling on about how 'brilliant' it's going to be to play slightly tweaked versions of - admittedly good - games, i've listed the five key areas that'll ultimately decide whether you stump up £40. Goh Hinogami might be the only VF4 character who can counter tech-rolls but, honestly, wouldn't you rather be whacking someone with a piano-sized hammer?
Whether you're a beat-'em-up virgin, Tekken disciple or disillusioned SF2 nostalgist, the key battles are listed here. Tenner on VF4 Evo, anyone? Hmmm?
CHARACTERS
OK, this boils down to your love of realism. VF4's cast are a physically unexceptional dojo of ninjas, kickboxers and old men, while SC2 offers grizzly behemoths, leather-clad fetishists and, er, old men - in the form of Tekken fave Heihachi Mishima. While I love VF4's acrobatic monk Lei Fei, i'd much rather be smashing heads with grumpy old Mitsurugi.
VF4 Evo is better if... You want painstakingly accurate fighting techniques.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want to whack chunky goons with an axe.
COMBAT
VF4 Evo is undeniably hardcore, with minimal concession to newbies, and probably the most balanced fighting system of all time. Quite simply, you can counter almost every attack with exquisite timing and mastery of the controls. Never have three buttons - punch, kick and guard - been combined with such subtle effect. Combos can be devastating but the skill lies in studied application and instant reflexes. On the other hand, Soul Calibur 2 is more immediate for button bashers, though no less visceral, vital or strategic. The big difference is the inclusion of weapons, which can be used to block or counter blows, reversing the flow of play. The action flows more organically than VF4 but lacks the purity. Tellingly, for every person who plays Tekken in Japanese arcades, another nine play VF4 Evo.
VF4 Evo is better if... You demand intricately balanced attacks combined with explicit timing and an unrivalled sense of mastery.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want instant results and don't mind losing games to a button-mashing loon.
DEPTH
VF4 Evo is deeper than a CIA conspiracy, with thousands of split-second attacks, reversals, counter-reversals and dodges. There's even the natty Kumite mode where you train a computer AI character from scratch to fight in your own image. When VF4 first arrived on PS2, I left my PS2 on overnight so my acrobatic protege could practise.
If the prospect of performing Akira's Soukoshou attack - Press P+K+G,B,FD,P+G then D,F or B,P - leaves you unfazed, this could be the challenge you're seeking. Soul Calibur 2 is more immediate, placing the emphasis on rapid combos and attacking play. While the basic moves are simple to perform, the timing and positioning is crucial - like early SF2 or, in a roundabout way, PES2. Impressively, your fighter responds almost exactly how you'd expect given the rhythm of your button presses - intuitive to the last.
VF4 Evo is better if... You're a voracious memory bank with time to spare and you have equally-dedicated rivals to impress.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want a game you can enjoy with booze - relying on innate skills, not a notepad full of combos.
VISUALS
The original Virtua Fighter 4 had lovely dynamic snow effects - watch those footprints shuffle - and gorgeous animation. The sequel offers more of the same, but with 50/60Hz options, faster loading and - get this - no jaggies. Equally, Soul Calibur 2 is a work of eye-caressing majesty. The close-up replays are so detailed, you almost want to pull your family and friends into the room, while cooing and pointing like a child at a tropical aquarium to share in its breathtaking beauty. The animation is fluid, the collisions exquisite and juddering - basically, it's one of the best-looking games in history. Sorry, I did promise not to get excited.
VF4 Evo is better if... You want distinctive animation, fluidity and dazzling environmental effects.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want a game you'd marry for passion and sod the consequences.
OPTIONS
Virtua Fighter 4 is stacked with options, including a new Virtual Arcade mode where you undertake RPG-style quests, plus an enhanced Kumite Create-A-Fighter mode, revamped user-friendly Training options and Versus battles. The game might be deep, but the tutorial options are unrivalled - a big improvement on MK: Deadly Alliance's slooow-loading Konquest mode.
Soul Calibur 2 includes Arcade, Versus, Time Attack and Survival modes, plus the ever-popular Team Battle mode, where two players pit themselves against up to eight fighters in a last-man-standing tag battle. There's also an enhanced Edge Master mode, where you travel about a map earning weapons from your defeated opponents. Rather than straight bouts, some of the fights only let you score hits with counter blows, or poison you so your energy slowly seeps away.
VF4 Evo is better if... You're both a teacher and a student inside, aching for the ultimate challenge.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You just want to play on your own and bang through a varied Story mode.
WHAT'S NEW: VIRTUA FIGHTER EVOLUTION
(1) Two new fighters - Italian kickboxer and Del Piero lookalike Brad Burns, plus menacing pseudo-vamp and Judo master Goh Hinogami.
(2) Enhanced Kumite mode.
(3) Virtual arcade with RPG-style quests, allowing players to enrich the Virtua Fighter 4 Evo experience by linking up to VF.NET.
(4) Battle against CPU player data from actual Japanese VF4 arcade gamers. Plus there's replay data of many of those famous Virtua Fighter players.
(5) Improved character balance plus revised stages.
(6) No 'jaggies' like VF4, with progressive mode and faster loading.
(7) Extra movies and intros due to larger capacity DVD.
(8) Full screen 50hz/60hz mode.
WHAT'S NEW: SOUL CALIBUR 2
(1) 22 characters, including returning favourites Misurugi, Cassandra, Raphael, Talim and Yun Sung, with up to four costume changes each.
(2) PS2 exclusive character, Tekken's nappy-wearing pensioner Heihachi Mishima, plus nasty green giant Necrid, designed by Todd 'Spawn' McFarlane.
(3) Over 200 weapons, including axes, swords, whips and hammers.
(4) Revised blocking system - use timed taps of the Guard button to parry and counter incoming blows until your weapon breaks under the strain.
(5) Tekken 4-style arena walls allowing complex juggle combos, plus traditional ring outs.
(6) New aerial counter moves plus dodges.
(7) Revised Edge Master mode - you can roam the map picking fights and earning weapons.
I'll let you decide who wins.
Honestly, when was the last time you were stupidly excited about a beat-'em-up? Street Fighter 2? Tekken 3? The genre has been stuck firmly in a rut since the late '90s and needs something, anything, to resurrect some mainstream interest.
The sun is setting on arena-based scrappers - and with Japan's premier beat-'em-up developers going head-to-head - for once, we'll all be looking to the East.
Rather than warbling on about how 'brilliant' it's going to be to play slightly tweaked versions of - admittedly good - games, i've listed the five key areas that'll ultimately decide whether you stump up £40. Goh Hinogami might be the only VF4 character who can counter tech-rolls but, honestly, wouldn't you rather be whacking someone with a piano-sized hammer?
Whether you're a beat-'em-up virgin, Tekken disciple or disillusioned SF2 nostalgist, the key battles are listed here. Tenner on VF4 Evo, anyone? Hmmm?
CHARACTERS
OK, this boils down to your love of realism. VF4's cast are a physically unexceptional dojo of ninjas, kickboxers and old men, while SC2 offers grizzly behemoths, leather-clad fetishists and, er, old men - in the form of Tekken fave Heihachi Mishima. While I love VF4's acrobatic monk Lei Fei, i'd much rather be smashing heads with grumpy old Mitsurugi.
VF4 Evo is better if... You want painstakingly accurate fighting techniques.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want to whack chunky goons with an axe.
COMBAT
VF4 Evo is undeniably hardcore, with minimal concession to newbies, and probably the most balanced fighting system of all time. Quite simply, you can counter almost every attack with exquisite timing and mastery of the controls. Never have three buttons - punch, kick and guard - been combined with such subtle effect. Combos can be devastating but the skill lies in studied application and instant reflexes. On the other hand, Soul Calibur 2 is more immediate for button bashers, though no less visceral, vital or strategic. The big difference is the inclusion of weapons, which can be used to block or counter blows, reversing the flow of play. The action flows more organically than VF4 but lacks the purity. Tellingly, for every person who plays Tekken in Japanese arcades, another nine play VF4 Evo.
VF4 Evo is better if... You demand intricately balanced attacks combined with explicit timing and an unrivalled sense of mastery.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want instant results and don't mind losing games to a button-mashing loon.
DEPTH
VF4 Evo is deeper than a CIA conspiracy, with thousands of split-second attacks, reversals, counter-reversals and dodges. There's even the natty Kumite mode where you train a computer AI character from scratch to fight in your own image. When VF4 first arrived on PS2, I left my PS2 on overnight so my acrobatic protege could practise.
If the prospect of performing Akira's Soukoshou attack - Press P+K+G,B,FD,P+G then D,F or B,P - leaves you unfazed, this could be the challenge you're seeking. Soul Calibur 2 is more immediate, placing the emphasis on rapid combos and attacking play. While the basic moves are simple to perform, the timing and positioning is crucial - like early SF2 or, in a roundabout way, PES2. Impressively, your fighter responds almost exactly how you'd expect given the rhythm of your button presses - intuitive to the last.
VF4 Evo is better if... You're a voracious memory bank with time to spare and you have equally-dedicated rivals to impress.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want a game you can enjoy with booze - relying on innate skills, not a notepad full of combos.
VISUALS
The original Virtua Fighter 4 had lovely dynamic snow effects - watch those footprints shuffle - and gorgeous animation. The sequel offers more of the same, but with 50/60Hz options, faster loading and - get this - no jaggies. Equally, Soul Calibur 2 is a work of eye-caressing majesty. The close-up replays are so detailed, you almost want to pull your family and friends into the room, while cooing and pointing like a child at a tropical aquarium to share in its breathtaking beauty. The animation is fluid, the collisions exquisite and juddering - basically, it's one of the best-looking games in history. Sorry, I did promise not to get excited.
VF4 Evo is better if... You want distinctive animation, fluidity and dazzling environmental effects.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want a game you'd marry for passion and sod the consequences.
OPTIONS
Virtua Fighter 4 is stacked with options, including a new Virtual Arcade mode where you undertake RPG-style quests, plus an enhanced Kumite Create-A-Fighter mode, revamped user-friendly Training options and Versus battles. The game might be deep, but the tutorial options are unrivalled - a big improvement on MK: Deadly Alliance's slooow-loading Konquest mode.
Soul Calibur 2 includes Arcade, Versus, Time Attack and Survival modes, plus the ever-popular Team Battle mode, where two players pit themselves against up to eight fighters in a last-man-standing tag battle. There's also an enhanced Edge Master mode, where you travel about a map earning weapons from your defeated opponents. Rather than straight bouts, some of the fights only let you score hits with counter blows, or poison you so your energy slowly seeps away.
VF4 Evo is better if... You're both a teacher and a student inside, aching for the ultimate challenge.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You just want to play on your own and bang through a varied Story mode.
WHAT'S NEW: VIRTUA FIGHTER EVOLUTION
(1) Two new fighters - Italian kickboxer and Del Piero lookalike Brad Burns, plus menacing pseudo-vamp and Judo master Goh Hinogami.
(2) Enhanced Kumite mode.
(3) Virtual arcade with RPG-style quests, allowing players to enrich the Virtua Fighter 4 Evo experience by linking up to VF.NET.
(4) Battle against CPU player data from actual Japanese VF4 arcade gamers. Plus there's replay data of many of those famous Virtua Fighter players.
(5) Improved character balance plus revised stages.
(6) No 'jaggies' like VF4, with progressive mode and faster loading.
(7) Extra movies and intros due to larger capacity DVD.
(8) Full screen 50hz/60hz mode.
WHAT'S NEW: SOUL CALIBUR 2
(1) 22 characters, including returning favourites Misurugi, Cassandra, Raphael, Talim and Yun Sung, with up to four costume changes each.
(2) PS2 exclusive character, Tekken's nappy-wearing pensioner Heihachi Mishima, plus nasty green giant Necrid, designed by Todd 'Spawn' McFarlane.
(3) Over 200 weapons, including axes, swords, whips and hammers.
(4) Revised blocking system - use timed taps of the Guard button to parry and counter incoming blows until your weapon breaks under the strain.
(5) Tekken 4-style arena walls allowing complex juggle combos, plus traditional ring outs.
(6) New aerial counter moves plus dodges.
(7) Revised Edge Master mode - you can roam the map picking fights and earning weapons.
I'll let you decide who wins.
There is no Jap version of SC2 yet anyway. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH you suck ya copying bastid.
You lying, cheating so and so.
Oh well, at least you've been caught.
:P
Oh well, at least you've been caught.
:P
And there we go ...
http://gamesradar.msn.co.uk/features/ default.asp?subsectionid=201&articleid=65080&pagetype=2
http://gamesradar.msn.co.uk/features/
El Blokey wrote:
> Where?
Japanese versions, My friends house.
> Where?
Japanese versions, My friends house.
Where?
El Blokey wrote:
> Have you played either?
>
> If not, how can you compare them?
I played them both.
> Have you played either?
>
> If not, how can you compare them?
I played them both.
Straight off games radar by the looks of things.
I saw an article by the same name, go figure.
I saw an article by the same name, go figure.
Have you played either?
If not, how can you compare them?
If not, how can you compare them?
Matthew feels this may have been copied.
Matthew also feels dirty.
so dirty.
clean me.
Matthew also feels dirty.
so dirty.
clean me.
While we're all supposed to love VF4 - y'know, it's Sega - and simply adore Soul Calibur 2 - ooh, Dreamcast, now there's a machine - truth is, both of these games are relics of a bygone age.
Honestly, when was the last time you were stupidly excited about a beat-'em-up? Street Fighter 2? Tekken 3? The genre has been stuck firmly in a rut since the late '90s and needs something, anything, to resurrect some mainstream interest.
The sun is setting on arena-based scrappers - and with Japan's premier beat-'em-up developers going head-to-head - for once, we'll all be looking to the East.
Rather than warbling on about how 'brilliant' it's going to be to play slightly tweaked versions of - admittedly good - games, i've listed the five key areas that'll ultimately decide whether you stump up £40. Goh Hinogami might be the only VF4 character who can counter tech-rolls but, honestly, wouldn't you rather be whacking someone with a piano-sized hammer?
Whether you're a beat-'em-up virgin, Tekken disciple or disillusioned SF2 nostalgist, the key battles are listed here. Tenner on VF4 Evo, anyone? Hmmm?
CHARACTERS
OK, this boils down to your love of realism. VF4's cast are a physically unexceptional dojo of ninjas, kickboxers and old men, while SC2 offers grizzly behemoths, leather-clad fetishists and, er, old men - in the form of Tekken fave Heihachi Mishima. While I love VF4's acrobatic monk Lei Fei, i'd much rather be smashing heads with grumpy old Mitsurugi.
VF4 Evo is better if... You want painstakingly accurate fighting techniques.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want to whack chunky goons with an axe.
COMBAT
VF4 Evo is undeniably hardcore, with minimal concession to newbies, and probably the most balanced fighting system of all time. Quite simply, you can counter almost every attack with exquisite timing and mastery of the controls. Never have three buttons - punch, kick and guard - been combined with such subtle effect. Combos can be devastating but the skill lies in studied application and instant reflexes. On the other hand, Soul Calibur 2 is more immediate for button bashers, though no less visceral, vital or strategic. The big difference is the inclusion of weapons, which can be used to block or counter blows, reversing the flow of play. The action flows more organically than VF4 but lacks the purity. Tellingly, for every person who plays Tekken in Japanese arcades, another nine play VF4 Evo.
VF4 Evo is better if... You demand intricately balanced attacks combined with explicit timing and an unrivalled sense of mastery.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want instant results and don't mind losing games to a button-mashing loon.
DEPTH
VF4 Evo is deeper than a CIA conspiracy, with thousands of split-second attacks, reversals, counter-reversals and dodges. There's even the natty Kumite mode where you train a computer AI character from scratch to fight in your own image. When VF4 first arrived on PS2, I left my PS2 on overnight so my acrobatic protege could practise.
If the prospect of performing Akira's Soukoshou attack - Press P+K+G,B,FD,P+G then D,F or B,P - leaves you unfazed, this could be the challenge you're seeking. Soul Calibur 2 is more immediate, placing the emphasis on rapid combos and attacking play. While the basic moves are simple to perform, the timing and positioning is crucial - like early SF2 or, in a roundabout way, PES2. Impressively, your fighter responds almost exactly how you'd expect given the rhythm of your button presses - intuitive to the last.
VF4 Evo is better if... You're a voracious memory bank with time to spare and you have equally-dedicated rivals to impress.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want a game you can enjoy with booze - relying on innate skills, not a notepad full of combos.
VISUALS
The original Virtua Fighter 4 had lovely dynamic snow effects - watch those footprints shuffle - and gorgeous animation. The sequel offers more of the same, but with 50/60Hz options, faster loading and - get this - no jaggies. Equally, Soul Calibur 2 is a work of eye-caressing majesty. The close-up replays are so detailed, you almost want to pull your family and friends into the room, while cooing and pointing like a child at a tropical aquarium to share in its breathtaking beauty. The animation is fluid, the collisions exquisite and juddering - basically, it's one of the best-looking games in history. Sorry, I did promise not to get excited.
VF4 Evo is better if... You want distinctive animation, fluidity and dazzling environmental effects.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want a game you'd marry for passion and sod the consequences.
OPTIONS
Virtua Fighter 4 is stacked with options, including a new Virtual Arcade mode where you undertake RPG-style quests, plus an enhanced Kumite Create-A-Fighter mode, revamped user-friendly Training options and Versus battles. The game might be deep, but the tutorial options are unrivalled - a big improvement on MK: Deadly Alliance's slooow-loading Konquest mode.
Soul Calibur 2 includes Arcade, Versus, Time Attack and Survival modes, plus the ever-popular Team Battle mode, where two players pit themselves against up to eight fighters in a last-man-standing tag battle. There's also an enhanced Edge Master mode, where you travel about a map earning weapons from your defeated opponents. Rather than straight bouts, some of the fights only let you score hits with counter blows, or poison you so your energy slowly seeps away.
VF4 Evo is better if... You're both a teacher and a student inside, aching for the ultimate challenge.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You just want to play on your own and bang through a varied Story mode.
WHAT'S NEW: VIRTUA FIGHTER EVOLUTION
(1) Two new fighters - Italian kickboxer and Del Piero lookalike Brad Burns, plus menacing pseudo-vamp and Judo master Goh Hinogami.
(2) Enhanced Kumite mode.
(3) Virtual arcade with RPG-style quests, allowing players to enrich the Virtua Fighter 4 Evo experience by linking up to VF.NET.
(4) Battle against CPU player data from actual Japanese VF4 arcade gamers. Plus there's replay data of many of those famous Virtua Fighter players.
(5) Improved character balance plus revised stages.
(6) No 'jaggies' like VF4, with progressive mode and faster loading.
(7) Extra movies and intros due to larger capacity DVD.
(8) Full screen 50hz/60hz mode.
WHAT'S NEW: SOUL CALIBUR 2
(1) 22 characters, including returning favourites Misurugi, Cassandra, Raphael, Talim and Yun Sung, with up to four costume changes each.
(2) PS2 exclusive character, Tekken's nappy-wearing pensioner Heihachi Mishima, plus nasty green giant Necrid, designed by Todd 'Spawn' McFarlane.
(3) Over 200 weapons, including axes, swords, whips and hammers.
(4) Revised blocking system - use timed taps of the Guard button to parry and counter incoming blows until your weapon breaks under the strain.
(5) Tekken 4-style arena walls allowing complex juggle combos, plus traditional ring outs.
(6) New aerial counter moves plus dodges.
(7) Revised Edge Master mode - you can roam the map picking fights and earning weapons.
I'll let you decide who wins.
Honestly, when was the last time you were stupidly excited about a beat-'em-up? Street Fighter 2? Tekken 3? The genre has been stuck firmly in a rut since the late '90s and needs something, anything, to resurrect some mainstream interest.
The sun is setting on arena-based scrappers - and with Japan's premier beat-'em-up developers going head-to-head - for once, we'll all be looking to the East.
Rather than warbling on about how 'brilliant' it's going to be to play slightly tweaked versions of - admittedly good - games, i've listed the five key areas that'll ultimately decide whether you stump up £40. Goh Hinogami might be the only VF4 character who can counter tech-rolls but, honestly, wouldn't you rather be whacking someone with a piano-sized hammer?
Whether you're a beat-'em-up virgin, Tekken disciple or disillusioned SF2 nostalgist, the key battles are listed here. Tenner on VF4 Evo, anyone? Hmmm?
CHARACTERS
OK, this boils down to your love of realism. VF4's cast are a physically unexceptional dojo of ninjas, kickboxers and old men, while SC2 offers grizzly behemoths, leather-clad fetishists and, er, old men - in the form of Tekken fave Heihachi Mishima. While I love VF4's acrobatic monk Lei Fei, i'd much rather be smashing heads with grumpy old Mitsurugi.
VF4 Evo is better if... You want painstakingly accurate fighting techniques.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want to whack chunky goons with an axe.
COMBAT
VF4 Evo is undeniably hardcore, with minimal concession to newbies, and probably the most balanced fighting system of all time. Quite simply, you can counter almost every attack with exquisite timing and mastery of the controls. Never have three buttons - punch, kick and guard - been combined with such subtle effect. Combos can be devastating but the skill lies in studied application and instant reflexes. On the other hand, Soul Calibur 2 is more immediate for button bashers, though no less visceral, vital or strategic. The big difference is the inclusion of weapons, which can be used to block or counter blows, reversing the flow of play. The action flows more organically than VF4 but lacks the purity. Tellingly, for every person who plays Tekken in Japanese arcades, another nine play VF4 Evo.
VF4 Evo is better if... You demand intricately balanced attacks combined with explicit timing and an unrivalled sense of mastery.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want instant results and don't mind losing games to a button-mashing loon.
DEPTH
VF4 Evo is deeper than a CIA conspiracy, with thousands of split-second attacks, reversals, counter-reversals and dodges. There's even the natty Kumite mode where you train a computer AI character from scratch to fight in your own image. When VF4 first arrived on PS2, I left my PS2 on overnight so my acrobatic protege could practise.
If the prospect of performing Akira's Soukoshou attack - Press P+K+G,B,FD,P+G then D,F or B,P - leaves you unfazed, this could be the challenge you're seeking. Soul Calibur 2 is more immediate, placing the emphasis on rapid combos and attacking play. While the basic moves are simple to perform, the timing and positioning is crucial - like early SF2 or, in a roundabout way, PES2. Impressively, your fighter responds almost exactly how you'd expect given the rhythm of your button presses - intuitive to the last.
VF4 Evo is better if... You're a voracious memory bank with time to spare and you have equally-dedicated rivals to impress.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want a game you can enjoy with booze - relying on innate skills, not a notepad full of combos.
VISUALS
The original Virtua Fighter 4 had lovely dynamic snow effects - watch those footprints shuffle - and gorgeous animation. The sequel offers more of the same, but with 50/60Hz options, faster loading and - get this - no jaggies. Equally, Soul Calibur 2 is a work of eye-caressing majesty. The close-up replays are so detailed, you almost want to pull your family and friends into the room, while cooing and pointing like a child at a tropical aquarium to share in its breathtaking beauty. The animation is fluid, the collisions exquisite and juddering - basically, it's one of the best-looking games in history. Sorry, I did promise not to get excited.
VF4 Evo is better if... You want distinctive animation, fluidity and dazzling environmental effects.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You want a game you'd marry for passion and sod the consequences.
OPTIONS
Virtua Fighter 4 is stacked with options, including a new Virtual Arcade mode where you undertake RPG-style quests, plus an enhanced Kumite Create-A-Fighter mode, revamped user-friendly Training options and Versus battles. The game might be deep, but the tutorial options are unrivalled - a big improvement on MK: Deadly Alliance's slooow-loading Konquest mode.
Soul Calibur 2 includes Arcade, Versus, Time Attack and Survival modes, plus the ever-popular Team Battle mode, where two players pit themselves against up to eight fighters in a last-man-standing tag battle. There's also an enhanced Edge Master mode, where you travel about a map earning weapons from your defeated opponents. Rather than straight bouts, some of the fights only let you score hits with counter blows, or poison you so your energy slowly seeps away.
VF4 Evo is better if... You're both a teacher and a student inside, aching for the ultimate challenge.
Soul Calibur 2 is better if... You just want to play on your own and bang through a varied Story mode.
WHAT'S NEW: VIRTUA FIGHTER EVOLUTION
(1) Two new fighters - Italian kickboxer and Del Piero lookalike Brad Burns, plus menacing pseudo-vamp and Judo master Goh Hinogami.
(2) Enhanced Kumite mode.
(3) Virtual arcade with RPG-style quests, allowing players to enrich the Virtua Fighter 4 Evo experience by linking up to VF.NET.
(4) Battle against CPU player data from actual Japanese VF4 arcade gamers. Plus there's replay data of many of those famous Virtua Fighter players.
(5) Improved character balance plus revised stages.
(6) No 'jaggies' like VF4, with progressive mode and faster loading.
(7) Extra movies and intros due to larger capacity DVD.
(8) Full screen 50hz/60hz mode.
WHAT'S NEW: SOUL CALIBUR 2
(1) 22 characters, including returning favourites Misurugi, Cassandra, Raphael, Talim and Yun Sung, with up to four costume changes each.
(2) PS2 exclusive character, Tekken's nappy-wearing pensioner Heihachi Mishima, plus nasty green giant Necrid, designed by Todd 'Spawn' McFarlane.
(3) Over 200 weapons, including axes, swords, whips and hammers.
(4) Revised blocking system - use timed taps of the Guard button to parry and counter incoming blows until your weapon breaks under the strain.
(5) Tekken 4-style arena walls allowing complex juggle combos, plus traditional ring outs.
(6) New aerial counter moves plus dodges.
(7) Revised Edge Master mode - you can roam the map picking fights and earning weapons.
I'll let you decide who wins.