You play Street Fighter? You play King of Fighters? You like 2D fighters? You should be playing this then.
True, it is a 2D fighter with online play (of which I have not used because I'm too lazy to get Xbox Live up and running), but what makes Guilty Gear special? It is simply a case of being different. Unlike modern fighting games, the characters are weird; most do not follow familiar archetypes (take Bridget, the guy who dresses up like a girl because he was raised in a village where men were considered bad omens). This lends lots of variance to the gameplay, as they all play COMPLETELY different. Rest assured, there are no real palette swap characters in this game (Ryu, Ken, Akuma...maybe). Still, the developers managed to do a great job in making every character have its own strategic movements and combos which make every match different.
Second, we have the gameplay itself. Preferring to cater to the hardcore rather than the casual, this game is deep to the extreme. The computer is not hard at all in most cases (it acts stupid all the time, and falls for repeatable tricks); however, real competition is fast paced and furious. The whole game uses a free form combo system; pretty much, anything can link to anything, but you obviously have to use good timing and spatial judgment. In addition to this, combos can be created where they cannot exist normally by using a Roman Cancel - pretty much being able to reset your movements in order to add to a combo. It's unbelievable the crazy things you can do, and the possiblities are nearly limitless. There are even False Roman Cancels which are used under stricter timing for certain moves. These both use what is called your Tension Meter - it builds up as you fight (much like the super meters of other games). However, you cannot "stock" super meter that well - as it is the Tension Gauge, you have to keep fighting in order to keep tension. This makes the game mostly offensive, discouraging turtling and making games a whole lot more fun. Your normal super moves are there (Overdrives, in this case) if you ever need them, and even Instant Kill Moves (which are self explanatory), though these are easily avoidable and nearly impossible to pull off in high level play. There are even defensive options; one can use the Tension Gauge to avoid block damage, or do a combo break move. There are lots of mobility options as well, with everyone having double jumps and air dashes to continue combos, escape and the like. Even though all the characters are different (which is where you would expect character imbalances), there is none because there are so many ways to escape your opponent and turn the tables. 3D fighting games do not have things such as this, and it is hard to turn the flow of the match once it turns against you. One good combo in GG can turn the tables, making these fights nailbiters until the end. Of course, all of this requires practice, and these characters are by no means pickup and play material - you'll spend hours practicing combos in Training Mode, then spending countless more hours finding out which combos are even practical in battle. This is not a mainstream game, nor is it intended to be. The gameplay is great, but one has to be willing to spend the time to play it (and haveinga competitive friend or two as well never hurts, or an XBL connection) and learn it intricately to get the most enjoyment. I recommend taking a good look at some tournament videos of this game to see what I mean; it'll flesh out this review on gamplay a bit better. However, there are some flaws. Apparently, every character in the game has some sort of infinite combo. This could be a destructive factor in the balance, as by now many have found these and will continue to use them. However, they can be escaped from, and smart players can see these coming. Avoiding the single hit of doom that leads to a big combo can become a big part of gameplay, but learning other characters is the key to seeing these in advance. Again, this is time consuming stuff, but it will keep you occupied trying to learn the intricacies of your opponent's characters and applying them to your playstyle. It's just plain great - a combination of the combo system and various escape methods make everything balanced and fun, though the learning curve is a bit steep for new players.
The graphics are fantastic. Rather than the common "keep low resolution sprites" philosophy enacted by most 2D games, GG is an anime series look alike. It really comes to life when you see it in action, as any good action anime does. Sometimes it is hard to see what is going on with all the flashy effects, special moves, and everything else going on at the same time, but you will get used to it eventually. Some character animations are a little jerky as well, though it does lend to the anime feel. If you are one of those 3D nut cases, I say this: steer clear if you think this game looks "outdated" (at by which point I have no respect for you). Go back to playing your GTA clone while I actually learn something. For those that can appreciate excellent hand drawn animation, feast in the madness of Guilty Gear.
If you like rock music, you'll like this soundtrack. GG is sorta a tribute to rock music in general, so it is no surprise the game has an excellent heart pumping soundtrack. Most characters are not so subtle references to rock bands, and there are some really obscure ones as well. The sound effects are what they are - good for the situations, though I do not think they are really important to the game as a whole. For this particular version, you are getting a great value - online play and a full version for $20 is a steal with the amount of replay value inherent within this game. Suffice to say if you like it, you will get your money's worth.
Overall, I'd say Guilty Gear XX#R is a great game even in comparison to many other 2D fighting games. It's nothing revolutionary, but it is balanced, which does set it apart from the big company's games. That really pushes it over the edge for me, and I give it a superb rating. Anyone up for a deep, rewarding fighting game experience should go with this iteration of Guilty Gear, continuing to support the 2D fighting game scene. The only real flaws are the big learning curve (though it may look like Capcom, it does not play like it) and maybe 2D if you are that kind of person. Everyone else should enjoy a fighting game experience that actually works.