Guilty Gear maybe one of those games that flew under your radar. However, Game Spotlight has you covered as we'll explore how Guilty Gear broke the mold. Guilty Gear has made an incredible impact on the Fighting Game Genre.
HEAVEN OR HELL?! LETS ROCK
HEAVEN OR HELL?! LETS ROCK
Let us begin with the simple Overview. Guilty Gear by Arc System Works was created by Daisuke Ishiwatari. Would you believe there are 11 games total for this franchise? Not bad at all, and that is not including the constant reboots. Guilty Gear has loads of content, but to keep things simple we'll cover Guilty Gear, Guilty Gear X, Guilty Gear X2, and a short preview to the upcoming game Guilty Gear Xrd-Sign-. What defines Guilty Gear is fast paced action, a story that feels like an anime, mixed in with a post-apocalyptic vibe, and characters that are truly one of a kind.
- Guilty Gear
First released for the PlayStation in Japan on May 14, 1998 Guilty Gear was highly favored. Guilty Gear is considered to be one of the greatest 2-D fighters of all time. The story begins with a world destroyed due to a war between humans and bio-organic weapons known as Gears. Ten fighters all arrive to compete in a tournament and the ultimate goal was to prevent the resurrection of the Gears leader, Justice. When the game arrived in North America on Halloween, 1998 it was clear that Guilty Gear was going to shake up the Fighting Game Genre. The game appealed to both fighting game fans and fans of anime. The challenging, yet fast pace game known as Guilty Gear created a loyal fan base. Players started with only ten characters and had to unlock three more. But, the Guilty Gear franchise features the most diverse characters imaginable, and a unique storyline that separates it from other fighting games. In addition, the game's legendary soundtrack is composed of heavy metal and rock music that makes Guilty Gear very popular. The music over the years became one of the most anticipated features of any Guilty Gear game.
The Original 13
Axl Low
Chipp Zanuff
Dr. Baldhead
Kliff Undersn
Ky Kiske
May
Millia Rage
Potemkin
Sol Badguy
Zato-1
Baiken
Justice
Testament
The Original 13
Axl Low
Chipp Zanuff
Dr. Baldhead
Kliff Undersn
Ky Kiske
May
Millia Rage
Potemkin
Sol Badguy
Zato-1
Baiken
Justice
Testament
Sol Badguy is our main character and besides being a rebel, his flames are devoted to destruction. A man on a mission to destroy all Gears, Sol Badguy lets actions speak for him.
The video features the final battle in the game's story mode as Sol Badguy achieves a hollow victory over Justice.
Credit Video to PyramidWalkthrough.
Credit Video to PyramidWalkthrough.
- Guilty Gear X
The Anime Promotional Trailer for Guilty Gear X brought even more excitement that was generated by the first game. Credit Video to huitetes.
Guilty Gear X follows shortly after the events of Guilty Gear and features the debut of several new characters. The new threating Gear known as Dizzy has been discovered and another tournament was held in order to kill her. The person who captured and killed Dizzy would have received a handsome reward. Guilty Gear X made its console debut on December 14, 2000 in Japan via the Dreamcast, and it was not until a year later it was brought over to North America for the PlayStation 2. Fans got their hands on the epic sequel and instantly the game received praise. However, there were several revisions.
This is Dizzy, a powerful gear with a good heart. Innocently, she only wants to live in peace. She was one of the newcomers that added deeper layers to an already compelling storyline.
Total Characters: 17
Returning Characters
Axl Low
Chipp Zanuff
Faust (Formerly Known as Dr. Baldhead)
Ky Kiske
May
Millia Rage
Potemkin
Sol Badguy
Zato-1
Baiken
Testament
New Characters
Jam Kuradoberi
Johnny
Anji Mito
Venom
Dizzy
Robo-Ky
Total Characters: 17
Returning Characters
Axl Low
Chipp Zanuff
Faust (Formerly Known as Dr. Baldhead)
Ky Kiske
May
Millia Rage
Potemkin
Sol Badguy
Zato-1
Baiken
Testament
New Characters
Jam Kuradoberi
Johnny
Anji Mito
Venom
Dizzy
Robo-Ky
- Guilty Gear X2 (Yes, there are many upgraded versions to this game, but its considered the best one in the franchise)
Guilty Gear X2 was first released on May 23, 2002 for Japanese Arcades. The third installment in the Guilty Gear franchise made the plot grow and with new characters and gameplay mechanics it was regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. Over 140 thousand copies were sold in Japan between 2002 and 2004. IGN praised it and claimed it as the best game of 2002. It ranked fifth on GameSpy's 2003 PlayStation 2 Games of The Year. When the game arrived in North America March 3, 2003 the popularity skyrocketed. Every subsequent upgrade only improved Guilty Gear X2. Gameplay was enhanced around four main attack buttons punch, kick, slash, heavy slash. Taunts, and throws were included with the use of other buttons. In addition the tension gauge fills by moving forward or damaging opponents, but on the contrary it reduces when a character moves backward or uses defensive moves too often. If you press all four buttons at the same time when you gauge is full you enter a superpower mode. Unleashing destroy attacks, and other techniques often makes Guilty Gear all the more exciting. The burst system allowed players to break out of combos and if they successfully landed their burst on their opponent the reward was a full tension gauge.
The video features the competitive aspect of Guilty Gear as The Rebel Up! Tournament features some of the best Guilty Gear Players in the California area. Guilty Gear X2 Accent Core Plus R is the latest version of Guilty Gear for the PlayStation 3. The competitive balance is what should be noted as most characters matchup well, and often matches are decided by the players imposing their style onto their opponent. Credit Video to Jyosua.
Guilty Gear X2 plot picks up with Dizzy going into hiding with a band of pirates known as The Jellyfish Pirates. Captain Johnny and May develop a good friendship with the peaceful Dizzy and as she has fallen off the radar for the moment, a new organization arises. The Post-War Organization Bureau hunt down Gears, descendants from Japan, and Qi Energy users. Robo-Ky's are everywhere, and the powerful new threat I-No wreaks havoc in the name of her master, "That Man" the Gears Creator. Every Character has their own ending and every ending feels plausible.
Total Characters: 25
Returning Characters
Axl Low
Chipp Zanuff
Faust
Ky Kiske
May
Millia Rage
Potemkin
Sol Badguy
Zato-1
Baiken
Testament
Jam Kuradoberi
Johnny
Anji Mito
Venom
Dizzy
Robo-Ky
Kliff Undersn
Justice
New Characters
Order Sol
Bridget
Zappa
Slayer
A.B.A (From Guilty Gear Isuka and added to the main roster in Guilty Gear X2 Slash)
I-No
Total Characters: 25
Returning Characters
Axl Low
Chipp Zanuff
Faust
Ky Kiske
May
Millia Rage
Potemkin
Sol Badguy
Zato-1
Baiken
Testament
Jam Kuradoberi
Johnny
Anji Mito
Venom
Dizzy
Robo-Ky
Kliff Undersn
Justice
New Characters
Order Sol
Bridget
Zappa
Slayer
A.B.A (From Guilty Gear Isuka and added to the main roster in Guilty Gear X2 Slash)
I-No
- Guilty Gear Xrd-Sign-
Sol and Ky: A forced alliance? The two stand on guard for whatever Guilty Gear Xrd-Sign- has in stored.
Guilty Gear Xrd-Sign- picks up one year later where Guilty Gear 2 Overture left off. Unlike Overture, which is melee style, Guilty Gear Xrd-Sign- returns to their roots with straight 2D one-on-one combat. Unreal Engine 3 developed the game, and cel shaded graphics, replaces the hand drawn sprites. The graphics are stunning, but there will be a few who will miss the classic anime feel. Japan Arcades received this latest Guilty Gear Game on February 20th, 2014, on the Sega RingEdge 2 arcade board. Japan fully anticipates the console version of the game later this year, and guess what? It will be released not only on the PS3, but on the PS4 too! Question is, how long will the folks in North America and Europe have to wait? Nevertheless, "Team Red" and Daisuke Ishiwatari has not let fans down, yet and with brand new camera rotations, and cinematic cut-inns the fights feels like a live action movie. In addition, check out the website, http://ggxrd.com/ as so far, we're given a total of thirteen playable characters, but returning characters look totally redefined as Sol Badguy, Ki-Kiske, Millia Rage, May, Chipp Zanuff, Potemkin, Venom, Axl Low, I-No, Faust, Slayer, and Zato-1, join rookie fighter Bedman. Also, the updated version of the game is on deck featuring the boss character Ramlethal Valentine being playable.
First Trailer For the upcoming game Guilty Gear Xrd-Sign- and credit for the video goes to ArcSystemWorks.
The Second Trailer for the Upcoming Game Guilty Gear Xrd-Sign- and Credit for the video goes to ArcSystemWorks.
The Third Trailer featuring the Arcade Story that encompasses the game and Credit Video to ArcSystemWorks.
From these three trailers there is only one question left. Are you ready to Rock?! Guilty Gear looks like it never left the Fighting Game Scene and the energy this game brings to the table follows the example set by its predecessors. Please enjoy listening to Heavy Day Composed by Daisuke Ishiwatari and Vocals by Naoki Hashimoto.