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Guilty Gear X2
By Jeremy Dunham
To borrow a rather popular sales hook: there is no greater power than X.
I've never understood why Arc System Works' 2D fighting extravaganza Guilty Gear has never taken off in the States. It has everything a great two-dimensional fighting game is supposed to have, after all, and what business is it of America to deny such a great series the spotlight? It's sad really, as 3D fighters now completely dominate the market with waning genre efforts from Playmore (who holds the SNK license) and reigning world champion Capcom. We, as Americans, need some kind of savior damn it! And if you don't believe me people, take a look around -- 2D gaming is about as rare as Sturge Weber Syndrome.
Already given a chance to try something different a few years back when Sammy Studios released the arcade turned Dreamcast turned PS2 port Guilty Gear X, our domestic PlayStation gamers have certainly been exposed to this before. Slicker than Street Fighter and faster than King of Fighters, Guilty Gear X should have been lighting up arcades at every corner. Yet despite a limited success among the hardcore fighting community (myself included), and critical acclaim from practically every videogame publication, GGX continued down the road of obscurity with nary a sale to show for it.
Apparently fate believes in second chances, however, as Arc System Works and Sammy Studios have teamed up once again for its second try at the American market with the aptly-named Guilty Gear X2. And while it won't revolutionize this particular series with its new moves, characters, or strategies, it has enough of the good stuff to stand head and shoulders above the competition as the best 2D fighter on the PlayStation 2 so far.
Features
Guilty Gear X2 reads like the bible of fighting game options. Taking a page from every other title out there, there doesn't seem to be a single feature on the horizon that's been left out of GGX2 for fear of the Completists.
Arcade Mode should serve as the stomping grounds for the majority of you solo players out there, though making it through to the end of the challenge is rarely an easy task. Next up is something called M.O.M. (The initials for I know not what). This option is a lighthearted take on survival mode that earns you medals and points instead of kills (and yes, there's a regular Survival Mode too). Of course, you can enjoy the classic two-player head to head or exhibition match, or spend your precious time learning attacks in Training.
Believe it or not, there's still more to do. Story mode is a much deeper supplement to arcade (where you can get new endings and learn even more about the various characters), while the Mission option gives the player certain scenarios that they have to beat in order to advance. Finally, we come to the super-cool Gallery section. A terrific area that allows you to watch character endings, cut scenes, enjoy various artworks, it's here in the gallery that players can enjoy the benefits of all their hard work.
Oh and one more thing before I forget. For all those readers who have been emailing me asking whether or not the American version of Guilty Gear X2 will retain the blood found in the Japanese disc, the answer is a resounding yes. There. Aren't you happy I waited to tell you?
Gameplay
Generally considered the series' weak point, its fighting engine has often come under fire for a tendency to be too advanced for the casual fighting fan. And to tell you the truth it probably is (which may or may not be an explanation as to why it hasn't caught on as successfully on our side of the Pacific). For gamers looking to jump right in and get their feet wet with an advanced combat engine and plenty of diversity among its characters, however, this is the game for them.
Similar to the finger-polite efforts from SNK, Guilty Gear X2 works on the face-button attack system: Square works as the punch button, Triangle slashes, X kicks, and Circle chimes in as the heavy slash. On the surface the control scheme seems pretty harmless, and seems to have a penchant for fooling button mashers into thinking it's nothing more than a spaz title. For those of us who give the game time, however, we start to discover how deep this sucker really is. Pitt a guy who knows what he's doing against a smash-tastic button thumping newbie, and you'll have a mismatch each and every time.
That result is thanks to the incredibly deep array of moves and abilities that each of the game's 23 characters possesses (yeah, I know the box says there's only 20, but trust me -- there's 23). From the lower tier of moves, you have the Dust command. Formerly relegated to a simultaneous push of the triangle and circle buttons, Dust is now its own gig with the R1 trigger all to itself. Admittedly not as intuitive or chain-friendly as the old system, the Dust button is still a very important segue into air combinations and juggles. As most of the time it's the only possible way to launch an opponent in the air with few exceptions.
Other classic 2D staples, like the fireball motions, hurricane kicks, and other maneuvers based upon half-circle and charge movements are in the mix too, but are not as effective here as they are in most of this type. Rather than automatically destroying a huge chunk of your life bar the way Supers do in Street Fighter, Guilty Gear X2's fighting system encourages you to chain it into bigger more powerful moves and combinations. And let me tell you something; it works.
There are other more complicated moves too, like new Psych Burst technique that allows you to break combinations or super moves mid-stride should your burst gauge permit it. Or the always-useful two-level jump that can move fighters twice as high as they would normally go before transferring into an air dash that can catch your opponent by surprise. Dead Angles (similar to the Psych Burst), Gatling Combos, and negative health penalties for turtle play add a lot to the typical match and a lot of customizability to a genre that usually finds its combinations canned somewhere in the number system.
And yet, there's even more types of attacks and defensive moves. Overdrives, Roman Cancels, Counter Hits, Staggers, and One-Hit Kills can all play pivotal roles during showdowns and in the case of the One-Hit kills; turn out to be more balanced than ever before (though it should be noted that fans of the last Guilty Gear X have to adjust their timing. As despite several characters returning with 90% similar move sets, the speed of those maneuvers is noticeably different than it was before and the higher characters are some of the toughest, cheapest bastards in all of fighting games. But don't worry, that's a good thing.
It all comes together for one hell of a playable fighter. One of those rare breeds of two-player game that is just as much fun during the solo experience as it against a buddy. In fact, the depth of Guilty Gear X2 is comparable to that of a small ocean (or at least the Gulf of Mexico).
Graphics
Visually Guilty Gear X2 is bordering on phenomenal. While it can't compete with the cel-shaded goodness of today's Jet Set market in terms of closeness to popular Japanese animation, its ocular muscle is still pretty hefty. Probably impressing me most because of its high-definition progressive scan monitor display (420p), GGX2 is a beautiful thing on my 42" Widescreen HDTV, but can still look amazing on even the most technologically stunted of televisions.
This is due in part to the excellent drafting ability of the renowned character designer and Guilty Gear X2 producer Daisuke Ishiwatari. The brains behind the outfit of the two previous GG installments (Atlus brought the original stateside years ago on PS One), Ishiwatari has set a new standard for wonderfully bizarre personalities. Take for instance, his kooky cross-dressing yoyo-wielding nun character Bridget. Or how about the S&M-themed leather-wearing dark witch I-No who not only plays the guitar as a hobby, she also uses it as a weapon. Each and every one of these new and returning characters is every bit as interesting as the hero of the majority of today's top action and adventure titles.
What really brings these characters to life, though, is the silky-smooth animation. Hand-manipulated and almost as fluid as the classic Dreamcast fighter, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, these warriors move around the screen like nobody's business, and when used in conjunction with the high-resolution 2D and 3D backgrounds really helps to put together some amazing looking scenery. I'd love to see what these guys could so if they took over an existing franchise from another publisher -- Particularly King of Fighters or Samurai Shodown.
My only complaint in this department is that we've seen a lot these stages before in past Guilty Gear games. Rehashing the same backdrops from the previous version, the majority of these stages could seem like old hat to returning veterans. Granted, some of these stages have seen some slight modifications (day has turned to night and vice versa, weather effects), but still; it would have been nice to see something new.
Sound
One of the best soundtracks to come along in a videogame for quite some time, GGX2 follows a theme similar to that of its graphics: things we've experienced before with minor tweaks. Remixed into faster, more instrumental versions of their former selves, the new character anthems are even hard than they were (or at least, some of them are. Others remain completely unchanged down to the note). Designed specifically to fit this particular mold, Guilty Gear X's score won't emotional move you, but it sure as hell will make you want to hit something.
Vocally things are just as strong with Sammy Studios retaining all the original Japanese actors from the import version. For once a company has spared us the absurd over-acting and childish heir that most translated games of this type are plagued with. Publishers are finally learning folks, they really are.
One odd bit to take note of, however, is the sound during dialogue and cinematic endings; or should I say, the lack of it. Strangely silent during any character interaction before and after confrontations, sudden dive into the realm of the sound proof booth certainly took me by surprise now and again. A minor nitpick at best, it isn't the end of the world, I just found it intriguing.
Closing Comments
I still don't understand how a game like this has eluded the public eye for so long. Challenging, slick, and all around marvelous, Guilty Gear X2 deserves to appear in every fighting fan's library. They just have to forgive the fact that it doesn't say Capcom on it and give it the chance it's been screaming for. A glowing recommendation.
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Presentation: (8.5)
Graphics: (9.0)
Sound: (8.0)
Gameplay: (8.5)
Lasting Appeal: (9.0)
OVERALL SCORE: (9.0)
سلاموف:-)
