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Guilty Gear X2 #Reload Review - Xbox

2D fighters are easy to understand. Pick a character and stick them in an enclosed arena with another fighter and see who remains conscious. With Guilty Gear, the cast of characters to choose from is absolutely insane. From a sexually confused young boy with a deadly yo-yo to a guy possessed by ghosts, who bends over backwards (literally) to defeat his opponents, you are sure to meet some interesting characters in your time with the game.

The story of Guilty Gear is also original. In the near future, a new, clean and limitless energy source has been (re)discovered: magic. The combination of science and magic proved too powerful to resist, and they were fused together to create a new race of beings called Gears. The Gears went crazy and, using their incredible powers, went to war with the mankind that created them. Thus a new era of Crusades was unleashed upon the world, which ended when the Sacred Order of the Holy Knights finally defeated the Gears leader, Justice.

It is certainly a refreshing storyline for a fighter and it's great to see one that doesn't rely on a tournament to justify it's existence. Further justification is found in the absolutely intense gameplay. Lightning fast fighting combined with pyrotechnic displays of action makes for a wonderful gaming experience.

Gameplay

The controls are tight, allowing for flawless execution of even the most difficult and convoluted combos. There are also plenty of technical moves to keep the hardcore fans happy, from counters, faultless defence and dead angle attacks to aerial combos, launchers and burst attacks.

What's more, each character has a varied and unique array of moves. While some characters are similar, there is plenty of diversification within GG. If you can't find a character you like, you must have very specific tastes. If you have peculiar tastes, you'll probably going to find someone that tickles you just right. There are several versions of each character available, though latter forms have to be unlocked through the single player game.

GG's single player game is very strong. There is the standard Arcade Mode, which is a straight fight through ten randomly selected opponents. Story Mode explores the relationships between the characters, with multiple paths to work through. Survival Mode is a never ending battle against an endless supply of opponents. You can level up by performing damaging combos and, when enough levels are gained, you face a boss character. Defeat the boss and your defeated opponent becomes selectable. There is also the Mission Mode, which gives you a series of set scenarios to overcome.

GG is scaled to suit a wide variety of audiences. The AI can give anyone a fair go, be they beginner or expert, but everyone knows the real challenge in a fighting game comes from real world opponents, and this is where Guilty Gear falls shorts.

Guilty Gear's multiplayer modes are lacking to say the least. The only option available is (continued next page)