PS2 Soul Calibur II

[London Geezer]

Also, you could really help out AmonCMB at GA by please pointing him to this forum about his inquiry on the Blaze VGA PS2 adapter. Several users in this forum who have tested it, like london-boy and Nick Laslett, could give him valuable advice on its performance.

Here's a Beyond3D link about the Blaze adapter for AmonCMB:
http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4534&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

And here's AmonCMB's GA request for help, on the third page:
http://ga.gamesquad.net/showthread.php?s=aed042fe5763875c272e378c028e90f7&threadid=27009

I WAS ACTUALLY LOOKING for that thread but couldn't find it, i wanted to update it with the latest findings.
basically what happens is that some games that support pro-scan in the us and japan, do not do so in european releases. like Burnout2 and, as i found out last week, Guilty Gear X2...
the thing is, the games can still be played PERFECTLY in Pro-scan mode if u have the blaze VGA adaptor.
it REALLY is a pretty amazing piece of hardware. the reason why they play perfectly in pro-scan mode (I THINK) is that since the games were designed to work in pro-scan to begin with, the Blaze adaptor does nothing more than *turning it on*...
again, Guilty Gear X2 looks utterly amazing on a monitor, the difference with interlaced output ON THE SAME MONITOR is just ridiculous...

 

[surfhurleydude]

Check the page again as I have added 2 720p snaps (although snaps, they are super sharp and fine).

But at 720p, the game will only use the center 4:3 portion of the screen during gameplay, this makes me wonders.

If SC2 supports 720p, then your monitor simply doesn't support a 720p native mode... Many people that have NBA 2k3 for XBox get the same sort of thing you get if they try to run that in 720p but do not have an HDTV that supports that resolution. So in a nutshell, you aren't getting a 720p image... 720p by defintion is widescreen, and you appear to be getting 4:3 images

 

[London Geezer]

Check the page again as I have added 2 720p snaps (although snaps, they are super sharp and fine).

But at 720p, the game will only use the center 4:3 portion of the screen during gameplay, this makes me wonders.

If SC2 supports 720p, then your monitor simply doesn't support a 720p native mode... Many people that have NBA 2k3 for XBox get the same sort of thing you get if they try to run that in 720p but do not have an HDTV that supports that resolution. So in a nutshell, you aren't getting a 720p image... 720p by defintion is widescreen, and you appear to be getting 4:3 images

well it does look much better than 480p.... and its weird because in the fvm's it does go widescreen.... :? :?

 

[maskrider]

Check the page again as I have added 2 720p snaps (although snaps, they are super sharp and fine).

But at 720p, the game will only use the center 4:3 portion of the screen during gameplay, this makes me wonders.

If SC2 supports 720p, then your monitor simply doesn't support a 720p native mode... Many people that have NBA 2k3 for XBox get the same sort of thing you get if they try to run that in 720p but do not have an HDTV that supports that resolution. So in a nutshell, you aren't getting a 720p image... 720p by defintion is widescreen, and you appear to be getting 4:3 images

I am getting a wide image with FMV (also at 720p), but not within gameplay. I am not alone, other people have the same problem from what I've read.

 

[maskrider]

marconelly,

I have borrowed an Advanced AV Pack for X-BOX from a friend and have taken some captures with DScaler through S-Video connection.

Check the updated page

http://www.felixmcli.org/sc2-main.html

 

[Lazy8s]

Early Indication on Soul Calibur II Japanese Sales:

01 PS2 Super Robot Taisen Alpha2 254,451 (77.4%)
02 PS2 Drum Expert 49,308 (48.4%)
03 PS2 Soul Calibur2 42,628 (37.7%)
04 GC Soul Calibur2 32,948 (74.2%)
05 PS2 Super Robot Taisen Alpha2 (Limited Edition) 22,629 (89.9%)
06 Sanyo Pachiko Paradise 15,503 (63.4%)
07 XBOX Soul Calibur2 15,503 (63.4%)
08 DC Pia Carrot3 9,826 (63.6%)
09 PS2 Pia Carrot3 8,536 (36.8%)
10
- - GC P.N.03 6,848 (36.0%)

(taken from list posted at Gaming-Age)

 

[Almasy]

Why did you highlighted the Pia Carrot game, Lazy? You are not going to go around claiming DC games sell better than PS2 games now, (just like your Shenmue syndrome) are you?

 

[maskrider]

Why did you highlighted the Pia Carrot game, Lazy? You are not going to go around claiming DC games sell better than PS2 games now, (just like your Shenmue syndrome) are you?

An adult (CERO 18 - 18 or above) game as shown on the cover, DC has quite some of them but not on PS2, anybody know if the version on PS2 is also CERO 18 ?

If not, may be that's why it sold more.

edit: Just checked it, PS2 version is for all ages, while DC is for 18 or above.

http://www.neic.co.jp/game/pia3/index.html

 

[PC-Engine]

I was really surprised at the SC2 sales numbers for PS2 compared to GCN. I expected it to be alot better considering the installed base. Zelda as a playable character certainly helped GCN SC2 8) I can't wait to get the US version for my GCN. Also I'm so happy Namco brought back the weapon meter and multiple weapons for each character.

 

[marconelly!]

PC-Engine, Soul Calibur is not popular in Japan. Only the most hardcore fighting games fans seem to be buying it, just like the first game. For such a high profile game, those sales are terrible all over the board...

 

[PC-Engine]

Yep, for such a high profile game, those numbers are pretty sad

Anybody know why the GCN version is squashed vertically? It makes everything look out of proportion. Anyway I wonder how the 480p compares to the DC version on my VGA monitor with regards to clarity. Some 480p GCN games seem really soft in VGA and I'm hoping this game is sharp like ED.

 

[maskrider]

Yep, for such a high profile game, those numbers are pretty sad

Anybody know why the GCN version is squashed vertically? It makes everything look out of proportion. Anyway I wonder how the 480p compares to the DC version on my VGA monitor with regards to clarity. Some 480p GCN games seem really soft in VGA and I'm hoping this game is sharp like ED.

I also have SC on DC, with VGA, it is sharp, the characters look pretty good, but the background is full of blurred textures (or low resolution textures) and bland.

I don't know how sharp is ED, but I think SC2 on GCN is not quite sharp comparing to the other versions.

 

[Almasy]

An adult (CERO 18 - 18 or above) game as shown on the cover, DC has quite some of them but not on PS2, anybody know if the version on PS2 is also CERO 18 ?

If not, may be that's why it sold more.

edit: Just checked it, PS2 version is for all ages, while DC is for 18 or above.

http://www.neic.co.jp/game/pia3/index.html

I guess that´s the power of porn Aren´t the girls shown in the cover a bit too young, though?

PC-Engine, Soul Calibur is not popular in Japan. Only the most hardcore fighting games fans seem to be buying it, just like the first game. For such a high profile game, those sales are terrible all over the board...

Really? I thought SC was a popular game in Japan... Does anyone know how the first one sold on DC?

 

[LogisticX]

Well, one game released on three consoles at the same time....you've got a division of sales. Although maybe not extremely high, if you add them all up you get about 90,000 units sold, not that bad. Maybe it'll have staying power

 

[theafu]

I don't post much but here I go. I constantly hear about this 720p with a 4:3 ration on xbox during in game play. Has anyone here gone to display settings and changed it to widescreen????

 

[maskrider]

I don't post much but here I go. I constantly hear about this 720p with a 4:3 ration on xbox during in game play. Has anyone here gone to display settings and changed it to widescreen????

It is the case, it will be widescreen for 480p or lower, once you are in 720p, FMV will be widescreen, but gameplay will remain within the center 4:3 portion of the screen.

 

[Supasso]

So, basically 720p mode in SC is widescreen with two black side borders?

If that's the case, my 4:3 HTDV might display it with top-bottom borders (From letter-box mode. If not, I'll get strech picture in the middle of the screen, right?)and left-right side borders.

 

[maskrider]

So, basically 720p mode in SC is widescreen with two black side borders?

If that's the case, my 4:3 HTDV might display it with top-bottom borders (From letter-box mode. If not, I'll get strech picture in the middle of the screen, right?)and left-right side borders.

Yes, black side borders, many wide screen HDTVs have zoom mode for letter boxed sources, but no zoom mode video with left and right black border, ha ha !

 

[PC-Engine]

I also have SC on DC, with VGA, it is sharp, the characters look pretty good, but the background is full of blurred textures (or low resolution textures) and bland.

Are we even talking about the same game here? The textures are in no way blurry at least not on my VGA monitor. My favorite stage in terms of detail is Harbor of Souls. The only stage that I can think of that has somewhat blurry textures is Yoshimitsu's water cave. Of course if you're referring to the ground mip maps then yeah.

 

[archie4oz]

Really? I thought SC was a popular game in Japan

Nope... Virtua Fighter rules the roost in Japan... In fact the Tekken series has been more popular in Japan than Soul Calibur as well...