If you’re a fighting game fanatic who entered the fold with Street Fighter IV, you may have heard longtime players praise Guilty Gear XX. Arc System Works’ franchise has been around in various incarnations for a decade, and its reputation as one of the most complex, influential brawlers ever is well-earned.
Anime weirdness is another core component of GGXX’s formula.What makes Guilty Gear XX attractive is a supercharged mix of style and substance: an outlandish cast of fighters and a fantastic metal soundtrack combined with a technical fighting engine laden with flexible movement, crazy combos, and timing-heavy cancel techniques (for starters). Improvements over the last Xbox GGXX release (#Reload) abound in Accent Core Plus — you’ll find four additional characters (Kliff, Justice, A.B.A., and Order Sol), new backgrounds and music, and new combat options. The package contains numerous play modes beyond the standard Arcade and Versus, including a lengthy story mode, a robust training mode, a 3-on-3 battle, survival and mission modes, and a unique performance-based mode called M.O.M.
But it’s not all sex, dust, and rock ’n’ roll. Basic command lists are the only tutorial element for easing new players into the multi-layered combat system — no detailed explanations of gameplay, no combo trials. The super-basic matchmaking and sometimes-laggy online play are also disappointing, especially coming from the developer that brought us BlazBlue’s superb netcode. Ultimately, this game’s a good value; just be prepared to do a lot of your own research if you want to grow beyond a rudimentary level — and get local buddies to do the same if you want competition.
PUBLISHER: Arc System Works • DEVELOPER: Arc System Works • ESRB: Mature • MULTIPLAYER: 2 locally and over Xbox Live • ACHIEVEMENTS: Diverse lot • COST: 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) • RELEASE DATE: October 23, 2012
+ Fast-paced, finely tuned fighting that’s complex, challenging, and fun.
+ Awesomely crazy character designs and classic hard-rockin’ soundtrack.
– Incredibly hard for new players to jump into; online play has serious issues.
? When will they move on to Guilty Gear XXX? Er, um… nevermind.
