Soul Calibur 2 [PS2] - play as Inferno

This is a play-through using Inferno in the PS2 version of Soul Calibur 2. Read on below for more information...

Inferno is the final boss of the game. He is an unplayable character.

===== ABOUT INFERNO =====

Despite being the final boss in this game, Inferno is a typical Namco 3D fighting game "random character", meaning that he doesn't actually have a fighting style of his own. Instead, he "copies" or "mimics" the fighting styles of the other characters (one per session), thus having their moveset for that session.

In SC2, he is programmed in a way where he can switch to different movesets twice per round. These switches are activated when he loses certain amounts of life, probably around each 33% portion loss on his lifebar.

Under human control in Arcade mode, Inferno operates like the CPU version, but has a game-breaking fault where if you lose the first portion of life and he goes to switch the moveset, it'll show his opponent going into Inferno's pose and Inferno himself in a "Time Over" losing pose. It'll just keep repeating, meaning that you cannot progress. In Versus mode the fault is slightly different, instead he just lays on the floor with the camera circling the fighters infinitely. Therefore when playing as Inferno, you have to make sure to not lose your first portion of life.

===== ADDITIONAL INFORMATION =====

---- Despite being a "mimic character", he actually has some moves of his own. These include: 1) The floating spinning slashes; 2) The throw where he throws the opponent up high and impales them; and 3) the rising catch where if he hits the opponent, he takes them up high into air and spins before slamming them back down onto the ground. All 3 are shown in the video. There is a 4th unique move where he just goes into the floating spin, but I cannot work that one out.

---- When playing as him in the Arcade modes, you can only get up to Stage 6. After you complete this stage, the game will freeze. This is because he has no Destined Battle storyline/opponent programmed in.

---- When playing as him in the Arcade modes, it automatically makes each match a single-round match.

---- When playing as him, the VS screen will always be the special Inferno image (the one used when you fight him as the final boss).

---- On the character select screen, if Inferno is highlighted and there is a second player/character on the other side, the light from Inferno's flames lights up the other character.

---- On the character select screen, if Inferno is highlighted and you leave the cursor alone, Inferno will float off the screen.

---- It is interesting on how Inferno can appear on the character select screen and zoom in when you confirm him. It's almost as if he was intended to be a playable character.

---- Whenever you start a match with him, he seems to always mimic his opponent's moveset first (if it's an opponent he can mimic).

---- He cannot mimic the movesets of Lizardman, Assassin, Berseker, Charade, Heihachi, Necrid, and Inferno.

---- His character model remains the same regardless of which alternative "costume" you select with him.

---- In Extra Mode, no matter which weapon you select with him, he'll always use the 1st default weapon of the character he mimics.

---- When Inferno is hit, his fire scatters all over the stage's ground.

---- Apparently, he is the same character as SoulEdge from the first game Soul Edge / Soul Blade.

---- In the Character Ending mode, selecting Inferno will lock up the game.

===== ABOUT SOUL CALIBUR II =====

Soul Calibur 2 is one of the best weapon-based 3D fighters of all time. The graphics are of course nowhere near as good as SC4 or SC5, but what makes SC2 great is that it's probably got the most "balanced" and "simple-but-deep" gameplay out of the series. It also caters to single players as there are a healthy amount of unlockables to discover in the console ports.