Guilty Gear XX

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Guilty Gear XX
Japanese version of Guilty Gear XX for the PS2.
Developer(s)	Arc System Works
Publisher(s)	Sammy Studios
Series	Guilty Gear
Latest version	Guilty Gear Λ Core
Release date(s)	Arcade: ^JPN 2002 ^NA 2002 PlayStation 2: ^NA December 12, 2002 ^NA February 3, 2003 ^EUR March 28, 2003
Genre(s)	Versus fighting
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (13+) CERO Ages 12 and up (GGXX & GGXX #Reload) Ages 15 and up (GGXX /)
Platform(s)	Arcade, PlayStation 2, PC

Guilty Gear XX (ギルティギアイグゼクス, Girutei Gia Igusekusu^?), sometimes known in some localized releases as Guilty Gear X2, is the third full installment in the Guilty Gear series of fighting games. First released as Guilty Gear XX: The Midnight Carnival in 2002, it has since received three updated versions. GGXX furthered the plot of the series and introduced new characters and gameplay mechanics. The graphics also appeared to be notably improved. It was much more commercially successful even than its predecessor, Guilty Gear X, and is widely cited as one of the most carefully balanced fighting games out there.

1 Mechanics
2 Characters
3 Plot
4 Revisions
5 Notes and references
6 External links

[edit] Mechanics

A notable change to the mechanics of the previous games is the "False Roman Cancel", which is similar to the "Roman Cancel" available in previous games, but generally requires much more precise timing, and is only possible with certain moves. False Roman Cancels require only 25% tension, can be performed even if the move does not hit (including projectiles), and generally are used for offensive pressure or mixup.

Air Throws now are possible, and one can grab Recovering characters and even Burst Attacks. Also, Aerial Dust is available now.

[edit] Characters

Testament and Dizzy make their first appearances as non-boss characters (and are therefore legal in competitive play). In addition there are five entirely new characters, four of which are available to start with.

I-No is a strange, guitar-playing woman who apparently works for That Man, the creator of the gears. She is the boss of the arcade version of the game, but is also a playable character from the start, albeit less powerful. She is the first boss character thusly playable in a Guilty Gear game so far.
Bridget is a young, androgynous bounty hunter, who has set out to prove his masculinity.
Zappa is an Australian man, who has been possessed by ghosts, and seeks a cure for his mysterious ailment, despite being oblivious of its true nature.
Slayer is the previously unmentioned founder of the assassin's guild, and is also the first and only vampire featured in the series.
Robo-Ky is a robotic version of Ky Kiske, and apparently was built by and works for the Post-War Administration Bureau, generally appearing to enforce their will.

[edit] Plot

GGXX picks up the story approximately two weeks after the events of GGX. The plot threads are character-driven, but most of the conflict is sparked by either I-No and her quest to destroy all perceived threats to her master, or Robo-Ky, and the Post-War Admnistration Bureau's agenda. Most characters encounter That Man at some point in their story paths. Some sort of conflict appears to be mounting between various organizations.

[edit] Revisions

[edit] #Reload

Guilty Gear XX #Reload: The Midnight Carnival, pronounced Guilty Gear XX Sharp Reload, was released in 2003. #Reload was intended to further balance high-level play. Many moves were altered, from slight tweaks in speed and damage to almost complete reworkings in some cases, False Roman Cancel points were added, and notably, Robo-Ky was changed entirely, made playable from the beginning, and considered tournament-legal from then on. In actuality, two versions were released, the first being referred to as "Red Reload." Red Reload contained many errors and was quickly revised and redistributed, this time widely called "Blue Reload."

The soundtrack for the Korean version of the game was composed by Korean musician Shin Hae Chul, and features a slightly darker tone to the music, with some techno influences. However, the rock/thrash/metal theme of the series' music remains in this soundtrack, as well.

[edit] Slash

Guilty Gear XX /: The Midnight Carnival, usually referred to as Guilty Gear XX Slash, is the second GGXX revision and was released in 2005 in Japan, this time with much more significant changes. Once again, the game's balance was reworked by changing properties of certain moves. This time, however, the changes were more pronounced, including entirely new moves for some characters and a complete reworking of the tiers of the game. Two new tournament-legal characters were introduced, these being A.B.A, who debuted in Guilty Gear Isuka, and Holy Order Sol, who was a version of Sol Badguy with an entirely different costume, moveset, stage, and theme music. Two new stages were added for these characters, and all of the existing stages were changed similarly to the difference between them in GGX and GGXX. A stage/music selection system was added to the console version's Versus mode.

[edit] Accent Core

Guilty Gear XX Λ Core, usually referred to as Guilty Gear XX Accent Core, is the most recent version of Guilty Gear XX released to Japanese arcades on December 20, 2006. It has also been scheduled for a release on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 31, 2007 ^[1]. Unlike the rest of the GGXX games, it does not have "The Midnight Carnival" for a subtitle.

In addition to balance changes along the lines of those in #Reload and Slash, Λ Core features a new type of special move, the "Force Break," which consumes 25% of the Tension bar when used. Most characters have gained new special moves, and some have had existing specials (or powered-up versions of existing specials) converted into Force Break attacks. It also introduces moves that make opponents stick briefly to walls or slide across the floor of a stage.

In addition to its gameplay changes Λ Core features the first major aesthetic change for the series since the original release of Guilty Gear XX. All voices, including that of the announcer, have been re-recorded (or replaced with previously unused samples), sometimes by different actors. The playable characters artwork was also redone.

The PS2 version of the game features a three gameplay modes per character, based on the Guilty Gear, Guilty Gear X, and Λ Core fighting systems. ^[2]