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Arc System Works |
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Sammy |
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Fighting, 1v1 |
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Playstation 2 |
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| Release Date |
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Japan - 12.12.02
USA - 02.04.03 |
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Guilty Gear XX/X2: The Midnight Carnival (PS2)
Review by: Ben Cureton (01.29.03)
<< PREVIOUS - Intro // Sound & Graphics
Gameplay:
Graphics covered, Sound covered, now it's time for the most important question - "how does it play?".
The simple answer - "fantastic". There are 20 completely different characters to choose from (16 old, 4 new),
each with their own unique fighting style. Perhaps "unique" isn't the word. Seeing as some of the more outlandish
characters fight with anything from a pool cue, a giant anchor, yo-yo's, and even their own shadow. Maybe I should
say "bizarre". However, in the case of X2, it's really not a bad thing. In the last few years there seemingly has
been a large void in regards to character design creativity. This changed with GGX and it has carried over to X2.
While the old characters are even stranger than before, the new additions to the roster prove to be wilder than
most people could imagine.
At first, the official 5-button control scheme can be a bit daunting, especially to those who aren't familiar with
the KOF style layout. The buttons are supposed to be arranged from "lightest" to "heaviest". The catch is, the Dust
button (a new addition to X2 that takes the place of the old S+H commands) is directly below the Heavy Slash button.
When set to arcade standards, the buttons form an upside down "u" shape which is usually received as well... strange
to most people. However, once you get the feel of it, it becomes second nature. Of course, you can always reconfigure
your controller to your liking. In fact, PS2 version button scheme already comes in a more Street Fighter-ish style,
but arcade purists will most likely end up changing to the official setup.
There are a bunch of gameplay elements that are similar to other 2D fighting games which makes learning the basics a
breeze. Overall, special and super moves are performed in the manner as most games in the same genre. Quarter Circle,
Half Circle, or "Dragon Punch" motions are used for the majority of attacks, while "Charge" moves are also used. The
Tension Gauge is generally the same as a "Super" meter from the Street Fighter & KOF series but it has a slight twist:
the majority of your meter is built when on offense. This can be anything from attacking the opponent to simply
advancing towards them with a walk, dash, hop, or run. While you still gain meter on defense, it's a ridiculously
small amount compared to how much is gained from advancing and attacking. The way the Tension meter works in GGX2 is
one of the many features designed to keep opponents from "turtling" (running away, playing overly defensive etc).
Other features from similar fighting games include Dead Angle Attacks (which is basically what most people would call
an "Alpha Counter"), Air Throws, and Teching (allowing you to recover in the air after certain attacks and combos).
Returning from GGX are many of the features that GG buffs have come to know and love. Roman Cancels (RC) are back. The
Roman Cancel technique allows you to sacrifice Tension meter to cancel the recovery off any striking move, thus giving
you the opportunity to create stylish and damaging combos, or just keep your blocked moves safe. A new twist on the Roman
Cancel feature is what is now called False Roman Cancels (FRC). False Roman Cancels generally act the same as the
traditional RC's, except they require precise timing and can only be done on very specific attacks. However, the benefit
is that it only costs 25% Tension and can be done even if the attack doesn't touch the opponent, as opposed to RC's which
cost 50% Tension and must first strike the opponent (hit or blocked).
The 3 (yes count them, 3!) different types of guarding options have all made their return as well. Aside from the obvious
Basic Guard, where you simply hold back or down+back to block incoming attacks, there are 2 more advanced options at your
disposal. Faultless Defense (FD) is performed by holding back or down+back while also holding down two buttons. This creates
a green shield around your character which prevents them from taking any "chip" damage. It also causes your opponent to be
pushed back every time they strike your shield. The drawback of Faultless Defense is that it gradually drains your Tension
meter and your character is in guard-stun a tiny bit longer than normal. The other option, Instant Block, is perhaps the
most advanced variation on guarding. It's performed by tapping back or down+back the moment your opponents attack impacts.
If done successfully, your character will flash white and will recover much sooner than if either of the other two options
were used. All 3 guarding options can be used in the air.
Perhaps the most interesting addition to the series is the "Burst" feature. Directly below your character's health is the
Burst meter. When full (lit up and pulsing), you can press D+another button to perform the Burst. It's basically used to
knock the opponent away and it can actually be used during your opponents combos. Yep, thats right, similar to what some
may call a "combo breaker", the Burst gives you one shot to escape heavy damage, then the meter must be built up again.
There are both benefits and drawbacks of the Burst. If performed when being hit or pressured by the opponent, the Burst
will be blue and your character will be vunlerable to attacks if the Burst misses. However, if you just perform the Burst
when your character is not being attacked or pressured, it will be yellow instead. If it strikes the opponent as a solo
attack, your character will be rewarded with full Tension! Also, if you miss a yellow burst, your character will be
invulnerable to attacks (aside from air throws) and be able to land safely. The Burst feature has added an entirely new
strategic element to the Guilty Gear series. You have to decide on the fly if you should save the Burst and eat the combo
damage, attempt to break out of your opponents combo, or risk it and try to hit them with the yellow variation and score
full super. Smart opponents will be able to read your Burst attempts and end up forcing a whiff, or simply air throwing
you out of the execution!
Any review of a Guilty Gear game needs to mention the infamous Instant Kill (IK) moves. The problem is, the majority of
reviewers don't seem to understand how they work and tend to give people the wrong idea. As the name suggests, the Instant
Kill moves do, in fact, kill the opponent in one hit, but it's not as instant as you might think. First of all, to even
prepare for an IK you must press P+K+S+H down. This turns your Tension meter into a timer. The amount of meter you had
becomes the amount of "time" you have. Once it depletes, your health meter begins to drain until it reaches 1 pixel of
health. The preperation time differs between each character and ranges between one and two seconds. During this time,
your character is completely vulnerable to opponents attacks. Once in IK mode, you have to actually connect with the
attack. Since all of them are blockable (except May and Zappas, which are short range command grabs), this can be a lot
harder than it sounds. Most of them have very little invulnerability and are very easy to punish when blocked. As yet
another drawback, if you miss the IK, or if you are hit out of the execution, your character loses their Tension meter
for the rest of the round! This means they will not have access to Overdrive (Supers), Dead Angle Attacks (Alpha Counters),
Faultless Defense (to negate guard damage), or Roman and False Roman Cancels.
Quite honestly, Instant Kills are almost never used at an above-intermediate level. They are too risky and definitely harder
to connect than most people would lead you to believe. In my opinion, they are more of a novelty than anything else. That's
not to say they are completely useless, but in high level play, you are probably not going to see more than one or two
instant kills every 50 or so matches.
Now, for the more complex answer regarding the gameplay... but first, it requires a bit of GG history. Back in Guilty Gear X,
there were a few glaring weaknesses in the high-end level of gameplay. The now-infamous "Faultless Defense Cancel" glitch
allowed characters to cancel the recovery of almost any move and continue attacking. This led to ground-based infinite combos
and totally shifted the balance of the game around. Some of the good characters improved, some of the bad characters improved,
and some characters were left with nothing to compete. Though the technique was complex and only seen at very high levels of
play, the fact of the matter was that it was indeed a deciding factor in the overall balance of the game. Fear no more, this
was one of the first things removed from GGX2.
The second major change in X2 is the way "off the ground" attacks work. In GGX, if you knocked a character down then followed
up by hitting them before they stood up, many times they would be unable to tech. This allowed for additional pressure to be
administered while keeping the opponent "out" of the game for an extended period of time. In X2, after the opponent is struck
while in a downed state, they can generally tech out once the hit or sequence of hit finishes. This keeps the tempo up while
also adding additional strategies to the mix.
Basically the fighting engine has been tuned to near-perfection. Overall gameplay speed (or tempo) is brisk and more rewarding
due to the new features designed to keep both players in the game. The "super powered" characters from GGX have been tweaked so
that they are more "fair" when compared against the rest of the cast, yet still strong enough to be played at any level. The new
characters manage to show original character design without being either too overpowered or too underpowered. Unlike most fighting
games these days that boast huge rosters, every character in GGX2 is effective.
NEXT >> Extras & Summary
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