I think
that I like Guilty Gear X2 a bit more than any sane person should. Any
game that combines anime and heavy metal music along with an extremely
fast weapon based 2-D fighting engine is everything I ever wanted from a
fighter. The fact that the game underneath the seamless animation and
blaring guitar riffs is exceptionally well put together is just icing on
the cake. If you like 2-D fighting games, then Guilty Gear X2 is
definitely worth checking out.
I think
the reason why the fighting engine in GGX2 is so great is because it
takes a lot of the best ideas from other fighting games and slams them
all into one package. It combines the weapon based combat of Samurai
Shodown with the flashy special moves of Marvel vs. Capcom, adds a level
of depth I havent seen in a fighter since Virtua Fighter 4, and turns
the game speed up to 11. This combination of different styles really
works well and creates an experience that is unlike any other fighter
out there.
The
comparison to Virtua Fighter 4 is a valid one because Guilty Gear X2 is
hands down the deepest 2-D fighter youll find, just as VF4 is the
deepest 3-D fighter out there. Of course, GGX2 is easier to get into and
you dont have to invest quite as much time into it as you do with VF4
in order to learn the more advanced techniques. In addition to all of
the standard moves, there are reversals, reverse-reversals, fake out
moves, overdrive attacks, psych bursts, and instant kill attacks. You
have to learn how and when to use all of these tactics if you want to
have any success on a difficulty level other than easy.
All
of these moves are performed by surprisingly long command inputs. A
common input for an overdrive attack- a special move much like the hyper
combos in Marvel vs. Capcom- is two half circles on the D-pad followed
by an attack button. Most of the more advanced moves require long
command strings like this, so for people who dont really have 2-D
fighter skillz, the game can seem overly complex and a bit intimidating.
For fighting game veterans or for people who like a challenge, Guilty
Gear X2 is a welcome change from the boring (there, I said it) matches
in Street Fighter or the hyperactive insanity of Marvel vs. Capcom.
Button mashing is still rewarded with some impressive results, but just
like MvC2, experienced players will always dominate a button masher.
Learning how to play GGX2 is fun and is well worth the time it takes.
There
are several single player modes available in GGX2 along with the
standard multiplayer mode. There is an arcade mode where you fight
through all of the other characters in two round matches. The M.O.M.
mode is a series of one round fights where you win medals and items
based on your performance. There is a VS CPU mode that allows you to
pick a character and an opponent and just have one match. Training mode
is exactly like every other training mode in every other fighting game.
Survival mode pits you against a limitless number of opponents in one
round matches. Mission mode presents dozens of scenarios with variables
such as enemy difficulty, clear conditions (you dont always have to
drain an opponents live gauge to zero), and combo damage (how many hits
you have to land in a combo before it does any damage) that present
dozens of unique challenges that are much more difficult than the other
modes. Story mode is a series of one round fights where you can learn
the story behind each of the characters. Of all of these modes, the most
rewarding to play through are Survival, Mission, and Story. There is
also a Gallery mode where you can view artwork that you earn by playing
through the game. Overall, GGX2 offers a lot of replay value for solo
gamers that other fighting games simply do not have.
There
are twenty characters in GGX2 and they are fairly well balanced. Each
character has a specific weapon, such as a sword or an electric guitar
and even a yoyo. Since this game wasnt made by Capcom or SNK, the
characters arent going to be recognizable, but they are extremely
detailed and offer interesting and unique enough stories that youll
learn to love them. Notable in the cast are characters such as Bridget,
a boy whose parents raised him as a girl so he fights to show them how
manly he is, and Axl Low, a character based off of Guns N Roses singer
Axl Rose. The rest of the cast has equally interesting stories and all
of the characters are a joy to play with. Ryu, Ken, and Cammy had better
move aside because Axl, I-No, and Jam are coming to get them.
Graphically,
Guilty Gear X2 is phenomenal looking. The game starts off with an
amazing anime intro movie that shows where a lot of the visual
inspiration came from. The character designs are all extremely detailed
and look like they were taken straight from your favorite anime series.
The silky smooth animation makes these beautifully drawn characters come
to life with no sign of slowdown or the typical jittery animation that
is often seen in 2-D fighters. Everything in this game is smooth and
seamless. GGX2 has the best graphics and animation you are going to find
in a 2-D fighter.
Likewise,
the sound in Guilty Gear X2 is excellent. The voices for the characters
in story mode are in Japanese and sound great. The typical sound effects
of fighting, as well as the moans, groans, and screams of the
combatants, are also very well done. The music is an area where youll
either hate it or love it. I happen to enjoy the heavy metal guitar
riffs and I think that they add a different sort of feel to the game
that make it stand out as more than just a Street Fighter clone. There
are dozens of tracks and each one sounds very different from the one
before it. If you dont like hard rock and/or heavy metal music, then
GGX2 might drive you crazy. If you do dig that sort of music, then it
just adds another item to the long list of things to like about Guilty
Gear X2.
Overall,
Guilty Gear X2 is an excellent fighting game that fans of the genre
should definitely check out. I love everything about this game- from the
music to the characters to the artwork to the fighting engine itself.
The only way the game could appeal to me any more would be if there were
zombies in it, but that is just a personal preference. GGX2, much like
Marvel vs. Capcom 2, is a much
deeper fighter than its button masher first impressions might show.
Anyone who is the least bit interested in 2-D fighters should give
Guilty Gear X2 a rental at the very least. It is a fantastic game that
deserves a place in almost any PS2 owners collection.