SoulCalibur II HD Online

 Xbox 360
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. NowGamer
    Nov 22, 2013
    90
    Sure, the series may have taken a few missteps in the past few years, but this does show that somewhere, away from the Star Wars character cameos, unbalanced, ludicrous custom fighters and overblown story modes written by the writers of some children’s cartoon - the soul still burns.
  2. GamesRadar+
    Nov 20, 2013
    90
    SoulCalibur 2 HD Online is everything the original was and more. Stunning full-screen, 1080p visuals and the inclusion of the full-fat single-player mission mode make this an essential download at $19.99/£15.99
  3. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Jan 22, 2014
    80
    Still a great fighter even without all the bells and whistles that have been bolted on in recent years - it’s more accessible and balanced than later ones, too.
  5. Destructoid
    Nov 26, 2013
    80
    A nearly flawless update of a decade old title. While it’s unfortunate that the online mode isn't nearly as polished as the rest of the game, the true soul of the game has never looked so beautiful.
  6. D+PAD Magazine
    Nov 24, 2013
    80
    Soul Calibur II HD Online illustrates this perfectly: with the core game given nothing but a face lift, it remains a great fun experience, even if it’s the exact same experience that it provided ten years ago. The new features add very little, but then there’s very little that needed to be added even ten years ago, and therefore it remains to be seen whether similar tales of swords and souls will continue to be eternally retold.
  7. Eurogamer
    Nov 22, 2013
    80
    But a few missteps and one notable absence can't derail what is otherwise a timeless fighting game in high definition.
  8. Vandal
    Nov 19, 2013
    77
    As an HD update, it's pretty good. The new resolution feels great, and even the interface has been updated, which is something worth appreciating. Also, the online addition is something unmissable these days, but there's a problem. A game called SoulCalibur III, better almost in every single aspect, should have been the title Namco Bandai remade. If you're OK with SoulCalibur II, though, please, go ahead.
  9. ZTGD
    Nov 20, 2013
    75
    If you would call yourself a SoulCalibur purist and long for the days where you could show off how good you were in SoulCalibur II to everyone in the world, this might be for you, otherwise it’s just another cash grab HD re-release with very little new substance.
  10. Official Xbox Magazine
    Nov 19, 2013
    75
    Hardcore fighting fans looking to dive back into a franchise classic should take note: this probably isn't the exact version of the game you remember. The core gameplay, for reasons unknown, is based around the European PAL release, which had a few distinct elements that were changed for the North American version. Casual players won't care, but diehard competitive players will find some attacks are much nastier than they remember.

Awards & Rankings

57
#57 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2013
66
#66 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2013

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 23
  3. Negative: 3 out of 23
  1. pumpcheeze
    Nov 20, 2013
    3
    only got this game so I could play others online, but the lag is horrible its not worth it. such a huge let down for the best SC to getonly got this game so I could play others online, but the lag is horrible its not worth it. such a huge let down for the best SC to get released in its sad state.… Full Review »
  2. Fencer
    Nov 20, 2013
    5
    As an avid SC fan I was looking forward to get my hands on SCII and play it online, unfortunately this version is sadly disappointing.As an avid SC fan I was looking forward to get my hands on SCII and play it online, unfortunately this version is sadly disappointing.

    First the good points:,
    This is the original game just as it was, while it certainly feels dated (its 10 years old) and not quite comparable to newer instalments all the old 1 player modes as well as vs modes are there, the quest mode (Weapon Master) which pitches you up against computer controlled characters in all sort of situations is especially fun. The HD remastering also feels good enough.

    That being said, there are serious problems with this re-release:

    First, for some unfathomable reason Namco has decided to remove the option of using the Japanese voice overs instead of the English ones. This is not just a problem for purists and nerds because the English voice "acting" is so horrid that it more or less ruins the game, literally all the characters sound ridicules or annoying at best.

    Another big problem most players are complaining about is the online mode, it has very few options, and de facto consist of endless random matches, if that wasn’t bad enough the lag is so terrible that it makes the game almost unplayable online, even the best matches have worse lag than the worst matches in Soul Calibut V, what the hell is Namco thinking!!!? They obviously have the technology so why dont they use it? Why do they dump a half finished product on us and charge 20USD for it?

    If you really really miss SCII go out and get a used PS2/Xbox/GC version of it for the fraction of the cost Namco is charging for this, unless they fix the terrible online mode and add the Japanese language track it is simply impossible to recommend spending 20USD on this.    … Full Review »
  3. SKSK
    Jul 24, 2018
    10
    Another classic. Great gameplay. Probably the best fighting game ever made.
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