SoulCalibur II HD - Online

chopperbyrne

From the SCV thread:

Daishi Odashima has been replaced; Masaaki Hoshino is now the official series producer. Previously, he was a programmer on Soulcalibur II, lead programmer on Soulcalibur IV, and Technical Programming Director on Soulcalibur V.

His Twitter (@hoshino_calibur) is now the official Twitter for the Soulcalibur series, and he's been tweeting like a madman ever since the announcement.

The following has been confirmed:

• It's being released digitally in the fall for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
• It is based on the Playstation 2 version of the game, and will feature Heihachi Mishima from TEKKEN as the guest character (this is the natural choice for a cross-platform release, as he is the only one of the guest characters that is owned by Namco-Bandai).
• Necrid will be playable, as he was in all three original versions.
• All game modes from the original version, including Weapon Master, will be included.
• In-game content is unlockable, as in the original.
• As the name suggests, the game has been remastered in HD, and Online VS mode will be included.
• PC and Wii U versions are still being 'considered', meaning that it may yet be possible for Link to make a return (but only the Wii U, obviously).

Two significant differences that will have an impact on gameplay:

1. Inferno will be playable
   Inferno uses a random character's style that changes every round, like Edgemaster or Charade. However, Inferno has access to a couple of unique moves that are usable with any style, like Elysium's Critical Edge in SCV.
2. Inferno's stage will be selectable
   This is very significant, as it means that for the first time, an infinite stage will be selectable in SCII's VS Mode, with no walls or ring-outs (SCV is the only other game in the series to include this type of stage).

TheMikenyan

TheMikenyan wrote: »

Daishi Odashima has been replaced; Masaaki Hoshino is now the official series producer. Previously, he was a programmer on Soulcalibur II, lead programmer on Soulcalibur IV, and Technical Programming Director on Soulcalibur V.

His Twitter (@hoshino_calibur) is now the official Twitter for the Soulcalibur series, and he's been tweeting like a madman ever since the announcement.

The following has been confirmed:

• It's being released digitally in the fall for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
• It is based on the Playstation 2 version of the game, and will feature Heihachi Mishima from TEKKEN as the guest character (this is the natural choice for a cross-platform release, as he is the only one of the guest characters that is owned by Namco-Bandai).
• Necrid will be playable, as he was in all three original versions.
• All game modes from the original version, including Weapon Master, will be included.
• In-game content is unlockable, as in the original.
• As the name suggests, the game has been remastered in HD, and Online VS mode will be included.
• PC and Wii U versions are still being 'considered', meaning that it may yet be possible for Link to make a return (but only the Wii U, obviously).

Two significant differences that will have an impact on gameplay:

1. Inferno will be playable
   Inferno uses a random character's style that changes every round, like Edgemaster or Charade. However, Inferno has access to a couple of unique moves that are usable with any style, like Elysium's Critical Edge in SCV.
2. Inferno's stage will be selectable
   This is very significant, as it means that for the first time, an infinite stage will be selectable in SCII's VS Mode, with no walls or ring-outs (SCV is the only other game in the series to include this type of stage).

Because formatting. :pac:

chopperbyrne

Updated.

BigStupidGuy

So when is this game readily available for everyone in Europe? And who is actually gonna show up for casuals playing it?

Bento Sento

Judging from other re-releases and arcade titles that were played at casuals I predict that this one will last about a week.

Sairus

Bento Sento wrote: »

Judging from other re-releases and arcade titles that were played at casuals I predict that this one will last about a week.

That's a pretty generous prediction.

Bento Sento

Good news everyone. It just got announced that Spawn & Heihachi are both gonna be playable on the 360 and PS3 versions.

http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2013/aug/29/soul-calibur-2-hd-onlines-spawn-and-heihachi-be-available-both-xbox-360-and-playstation-3/

TheMikenyan

Inb4 Lee whinges about Link :P

J0hnick

How dumb are the Nintendo fanboys who still keep repeating the mantra "no Link no buy" ?. The Game isn't coming out on the Wii U, Link is a Nintendo licensed character who has about as much chance of appearing in the PS3 or 360 ports of this game as Kratos or Master Chief have of appearing in Smash Bros, as in none. One of 2 things have to happen


1. Namco release a Wii U port
2. Nintendo go bankrupt, pull a Sega and let their IP's appear on other systems


Until then, its not gonna happen.

TheMikenyan

I know what you mean. What really bothers me about it more than anything else is that all these self-entitled little bastards clearly have no interest in Soul Calibur - they just want to beat people up with Link (and good luck to them - he's garbage). I'm as much a fan of Zelda as the next person, rabid fanboyism not withstanding, but there has to be a line - it takes a special breed of obsessiveness to defy logic like that.

Still, actually giving them a Wii U port wouldn't be so bad, because even though it would be pandering to fanboys on a weak platform for fighting games, it probably would sell, which ultimately help the franchise in the long run.

Murderous Neil

yo, the release date has just been announced; November 20th. I'm actually pretty hyped for SC II.

TheMikenyan

Murderous Neil wrote: »

yo, the release date has just been announced; November 20th. I'm actually pretty hyped for SC II.

It's about time.

I was worried that it was going to fall around the release of PS4 and XB1, and it looks like I was right. It'll be interesting to see how it sells. Existing SC fans will more than likely pick it up, but at this point it isn't likely to pull in too many new players.

Murderous Neil

TheMikenyan wrote: »

It's about time.

I was worried that it was going to fall around the release of PS4 and XB1, and it looks like I was right. It'll be interesting to see how it sells. Existing SC fans will more than likely pick it up, but at this point it isn't likely to pull in too many new players.

yeah it'd be probably have been better to release it earlier this spring with less market competition. The only people who purchase these HD Remakes tend to already be fans of the series. Anybody who bought 3rd strike Online was already a fan of the SF series.

What I'm interested in seeing is if any of the glitches like step guard and the 2G remain or will be taken out. I won't be able to tell, I can't do 2Gs for the life of me.

TheMikenyan

So the game was released yesterday, and I'm sorry to say that I will not be getting it in the end. It is garbage - the laziest re-release I've seen in years. I would strongly recommend looking before leaping here - it is not worth 20 quid.

EDIT: Specifically:

- It is literally the PAL console version with an Online Mode inserted on the main menu.
- Only Ranked and Free Battle is available.
- In the case of Free Battle, only 1v1 is possible - lobbies for more than 2 players do not exist, and by extension, it is impossible to spectate.
- No rematching is possible - after ever online battle, you are returned to the main menu.
- Intro scenes and win animations cannot be skipped online.
- Netcode is poor - online play quality is more similar to SCIV, and very laggy, even on strong connections.
- No additional features like Fight Request and Replays are present.

The final product is incredibly similar to a number of the online editions of SNK titles (Samurai Shodown 2, Garou, King of Fighters), which are 4-5 years old and utterly primitive compared to releases like 3rd Strike Online Edition and Darkstalkers Resurrection.

Sadly, SCII HD Online is a sloppy, rush-job mess, and isn't worth the time of day.

Bento Sento

TheMikenyan wrote: »

So the game was released yesterday, and I'm sorry to say that I will not be getting it in the end. It is garbage - the laziest re-release I've seen in years. I would strongly recommend looking before leaping here - it is not worth 20 quid.

EDIT: Specifically:

- It is literally the PAL console version with an Online Mode inserted on the main menu.
- Only Ranked and Free Battle is available.
- In the case of Free Battle, only 1v1 is possible - lobbies for more than 2 players do not exist, and by extension, it is impossible to spectate.
- No rematching is possible - after ever online battle, you are returned to the main menu.
- Intro scenes and win animations cannot be skipped online.
- Netcode is poor - online play quality is more similar to SCIV, and very laggy, even on strong connections.
- No additional features like Fight Request and Replays are present.

The final product is incredibly similar to a number of the online editions of SNK titles (Samurai Shodown 2, Garou, King of Fighters), which are 4-5 years old and utterly primitive compared to releases like 3rd Strike Online Edition and Darkstalkers Resurrection.

Sadly, SCII HD Online is a sloppy, rush-job mess, and isn't worth the time of day.

Damn I was about to buy this today but I decided to leave it till later.

I'm glad I saw this. I think I might just leave it until it is either on sale or discounted.

TheMikenyan

Bento Sento wrote: »

Damn I was about to buy this today but I decided to leave it till later.

I'm glad I saw this. I think I might just leave it until it is either on sale or discounted.

Only way I'll be touching it is if they improve it via patch, though as this is Project Soul we're talking about, that's extremely unlikely to happen.

Scavenger XIII

About the usual then, sad seeing the remains of a once great franchise dragged through the dirt yet again.

Murderous Neil

ugh, it baffles me how Project Soul messed up the online. TTT2 and SC V generally ran very smoothly. I also don't like the fact that have to grind through the Weapon Master to get Yoshi, Sophie etc, all over again. That's the 15 euro going back in my pocket. Lost Swords actually might turn out to be a better game at this rate.

Bento Sento

This is 50% off on xbl for today only. It's only a tenner for today which is far more reasonable than the original 20 quid asking price.

TheMikenyan

A good deal for a bad game is still a bad deal. I'm still not buying it, and neither should you. Namco do not deserve support for releasing this farce of an update.

Murderous Neil

http://www.avoidingthepuddle.com/news/2014/3/7/soul-calibur-ii-hdo-new-update-available.html so this got a bit of a patch, some glitches go removed, and there seems to be a solid improvement on the online. Is it convincing enough for you gentlemen?

TheMikenyan

Murderous Neil wrote: »

http://www.avoidingthepuddle.com/news/2014/3/7/soul-calibur-ii-hdo-new-update-available.html so this got a bit of a patch, some glitches go removed, and there seems to be a solid improvement on the online. Is it convincing enough for you gentlemen?

Beat me to it. I never bought the game, so I was going to ask the exact same thing.

Murderous Neil

Aris might be streaming some online SC II later on. I might watch to get some impressions.