"Transcending history and the world, a tale of swords and souls, is eternally retold."

For the past year, those words have echoed out in the halls of arcades all around the world, and now can also be heard in the homes of Soul Calibur II fans in Asia and America (The European release is slated for later this month). With the release of one of the most well-made and well-known weapons-based fighting games, gamers were also introduced to the console-exclusive characters, as well as three more hidden characters (Assassin, Berserker, and Lizardman) not revealed in the arcade version. As people well know, the Nintendo GameCube (GCN) was bestowed with Link as their exclusive character, with Mishima Heihachi going to the PlayStation 2 and Todd MacFarlane's Spawn starring in the XBox version.

The basic plotline of Soul Calibur II unfolds four years after the previous installment, and is set in the medieval period (about the fifteenth - seventeenth centuries). The Soul Edge, a powerful but evil sword that has the abilty to take over its bearer's body, requires souls in order to maintain its strength, and was thought to be destroyed, still exists. Fragments of the blade have been scattered all throughout the world, beckoning the people who possess the cursed shards to come together in a tournament of skill to ultimately take the right to bear the Soul Edge for either good or evil. The game's name is derived from the Soul Edge's polar opposite, the Soul Calibur, another powerful sword that was forged in the name of justice, and can defeat the Soul Edge.

Boasting fifteen unique characters that you can choose just by starting up the game, there are an additional five unlockable characters (Cervantes, Charade, Seung Mina, Sophitia, Lizardman, and Yoshimitsu), several new modes of play including Weapons Master Mode, where you journey across the lands of ancient Europe, defeating enemies and dungeons alike to unlock additional weapons, costumes, and modes, and Extra modes (meaning that you can use any weapons you've unlocked in WM). You can even watch AI characters battle each other in the Battle Theatre, view their individual weapons demonstrations and/or profiles, and switch between the characters' English and Japanese voices in the Sound Options screen.

The positives in this game are far and away in the multiplayer modes. Battling against a friend in either Versus, Extra Versus, Team Versus, or Extra Team Versus is where it's at. The Weapons Master Mode is also a nice addition, giving you the ability to improve your skills by testing them in several different situations. Graphics are beautiful and run smoothly across the screen, with very minimal loading times - and if you're an impatient one, hitting any of the attack buttons will cause your character to let out a line of trash talk to the opposition - and no blocky polygonal edges on the characters' bodies. The settings have been done with lavish color and have their own individual stories, and the orchestrated music fits in well with their respective settings - SCII even lists the name of the song in the lower-right corner of the screen. Also, while viewing the profiles, you can listen to each character's spoken lines; while it's a silly plus, it allows for some goof-off time while cooling down from WM frustrations.

Though this is a well-done game, there are a few negatives, as there are with even the best games out there. Though solo play is quite fulfilling in itself, the Weapons Master Mode suffers from a bit of inequality; the difficulty quickly jumps from simple to tough. Also, the dungeons can get quite boring, so to alleviate boredom, I suggest playing some of your own music or inviting a friend over to keep you sane while making your way through the long pathways and tedious battles. Plus, as strange as this may sound, the console-exclusive characters are both a blessing and a curse; although it is fun to have Link beat down Astaroth, it would've been nice to be able to pit Link versus Heihachi or Spawn as well, to test the Hylian's strength against a Hellspawn and the patriarch of the Mishima clan. Last but not least, the endings are mere sketches of the characters, with the storyline written underneath the artwork - it would've been nice to see some of Namco's award-winning CGI skills put to use in more than just the intro to the game.

Now to the nitty-gritty - Link's role in this Namco-made fighter.

Several disasters have befallen Hyrule, and the black clouds over the skies ultimately shut out the sun. Throughout the atrocities, it came to light that Hyrule's bad luck is the fault of a magician. After the sun returns inexplicably, the Princess Zelda requests the aid of Link, who defeats the magician and restores peace to the land. Unfortunately, it was brought to Link's attention that the magician was being controlled by the evil Soul Edge in an alternate world; furthermore, the shards of the blade were gathering together in the other realm. Without telling anyone of his intentions, Link gathered his Master Sword, Hylian Shield, and ocarina, and left for this alternate world; he knew that unless he destroyed the Soul Edge, its power would reign over the lands and make its way to Hyrule. So, believe it or not, Link is off on his own journey, one that Zelda has no knowledge of.

Most of Link's moves are recognizable from the start, because they bear such a resemblance to his skills in previous installments of the Legend of Zelda and Super Smash Bros. Since he's in another land though, he has also been bestowed with several new moves, including the ability to wall jump, kick, the 8 Way Run, back and rolling attacks, and six different throws, as well as alternate weapons - Link also has bombs, his bow and arrow, and boomerang - though you will mostly rely on the sword in the quest to destroy the Soul Edge.

A fun yet serious fighter that finds most of its good in the multiplayer and Weapons Master modes, Soul Calibur II is a definite must-have for owners of the Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, and Microsoft XBox alike. It's fun without resorting to all-out button-mashing, and highly addictive, especially when all the little extras are opened.

One last note: keep your eyes open during the opening FMV! Each console has its exclusive character highlights, and Link is seen pulling the Master Sword from a pedestal deep in what is presumably the Lost Woods. Definitely not a sight to be missed!