Since
the debut of Capcom’s groundbreaking Street
Fighter II: The World Warrior in the early 1990’s, the modern
fighting game has worn the mask of The Good (the aforementioned Street
Fighter II and its sequels), The Bad (Primal
Rage), and The Ugly (Wargods).
Over the course of the past decade many a fighting game has arrived, with
each, if they were fortunate, adding a positive mark to the history and
evolution of the genre. Now seeking to contribute to the legacy is
Sammy/ARC SYSTEM WORKS’ Guilty
Gear X2. Upon booting the disc, one will be immediately floored by the
visuals of GGX2. While other
developers are content with their use of standard resolution when crafting
graphics, Sammy/ARC SYSTEM WORKS have brought the future of gaming to the
present by utilizing high-res sprites, which rids the graphics of visibly
discernable individual color pixels. As such, the twenty playable
characters (four new) and lush backgrounds bounce with superbly smooth
color schemes which, when factored with the brilliant animation and
heavily Japanese art style, transforms GGX2
into an interactive anime.
Fortunately,
Guilty Gear X2 handles as well
as it looks. Chains, cancels, counters, juggles, standard, special, super,
and Instant Death moves are simple to execute and easy to assemble into
deadly attacks. Gameplay wise, the title contains more flash than the
serious Street Fighter III, but
falls nowhere near the chaotic insanity of the Marvel
vs. Capcom series. Combos
are frequent and sometimes a bit over the top, but there aren’t any
instant 30+ hit moves to be found. Combining these slick controls with the
awe-inspiring visuals, GGX2 is
one of the few fighting games that creates the aura of players becoming
one with their onscreen counterparts.
Sonically, Guilty Gear X2 continues the series’ tradition of providing pulsating metal chords as the backdrop of the fighting experience. The soundtrack consists of guitars that scream and wail as well as plenty of Japanese dialogue from the characters whom chatter throughout the many bouts. Happily, there are subtitles in Story mode to allow non-Japanese speakers to follow the intertwining plots.
Fighting
games as a whole offer great replay value as each match differs vastly
from the one before it, however, Guilty
Gear X2 takes it to the next level. Beating the game’s various modes
(Mission, Medal, Arcade) will unlock items to be viewed in the Gallery,
but it’s the unique Story mode that will keep players coming back for
more. Consisting of one round matches, the tales of the fighters are told
via static cut scenes which offer up to three endings per combatant; the
ending received depends on whether or not certain criteria was met (i.e.,
finishing a rival with a super or Instant Death move).
Although Guilty Gear X 2 doesn’t do anything spectacular in terms of fighting game innovations, it’s an incredibly fun game that’s a joy to watch as it is to play. The disc’s sheer beauty blazes as a testament to how 2D, sprite based graphics should appear on modern hardware in order to wow the “if it isn’t 3D, it’s crap” audience. Both fans of previous Guilty Gear titles and newcomers alike should definitely give GGX2 playtime in their Playstation 2 systems.
