The best fighting game of it's time.
The Gamecube version, in particular, has a special character. One recognized by every Nintendo fan, and he is the second best rated Nintendo character of all time, closely following Mario. It is Link, from the Legend of Zelda series. The Xbox version has a commonly known character: Spawn.
The game has a special mode called Weapons Master. It follows a story that is the same for every character. The first "Mission", so to speak, is a training match describing how the Eight-way-run, soul charge, dashing, attacking, guarding, and countering works.
Overall, Soul Calibur II is a great game, but only buy it if you find it for under 25 dollars. Yoshimitsu is the king of cheap, so dont let your friends be him if they know how to use him.