This isn't the new 2D fighting game, this is THE 2D fighting game.
The point is, yes, that's a very nice achievement, but it's in the past. These days? Sorry to say, but these days Street Fighter is nothing more than a horrible experience, filled with frustratingly overpowered characters and even more frustratingly cheap players. If there's a Street Fighter machine in an arcade, chances are it'll be on high volume due to its popularity. Unfortunately, that also means the arcade will probably be flooded with a very limited vocabulary, from 'Hadouken' to 'Sonic Boom' to 'Yoga Flame'. The game is practically nothing but cheap, spammable ranged attacks.
You may have noticed however, that Guilty Gear is the first, and possibly one of the last games I will ever give a Perfect 10. I'm not generous with those things. So just why have I given a non-innovative fighting game, something that's nothing more than a honing of old ideas, a perfect score?
Because it is hands down the best. Nothing can compare with this fighting game, so let's hear why.
Gameplay: 10.
Picking up Guilty Gear XX, and any of its 'updates' (#Reload, Isuka, Slash), the first thing you will notice about the gameplay is that it's fast. This is the fundamental point of the whole game. When you first pick up the game, it's very fast. You may even lose track of where you are if you pick a faster character like Chipp, the first few times. Then it grows on you.
Then you begin to learn the character's special moves. By now you can fairly well keep up with the game.
Then you begin to learn some better combos, linking normal moves into specials, and into each other.
Next you'll probably realize the value of aerial combos. Split second timing is needed with most characters to use a normal move to launch the enemy and then continue it into an adequate aerial combo.
Now you'll learn how to link up all of the above, causing up to 50-60% damage with a well-executed combo. You'll feel pretty proud of yourself.
Then you get into the really technical stuff. Roman Cancelling, Fake Roman Cancelling, Perfect Guard or even, for that matter, regular old Guard. The timing for guarding is rediculous, especially when you have about half a second to realize whether your opponent is using a high or low attack.
By now, the originally frustratingly cheap boss is a pushover. Hopefully you have some friends to compete with, because even a Maniac CPU won't last long against a skilled player.
And that's the point of this game, and what I love so much about it. I've played this game for years now, since it was first released in arcades, and I love how I can look back at the boss, and remember how badly she'd own me every time. Now, I can score a Perfect against her without blinking. And that's the point. The difference between when you start, and when you become good, is just... Rewarding. This isn't like Street Fighter where you can easily lose to a Hadouken spammer if you get slack, or Soul Calibur (A good game to be sure) where button mashing often prooves more effective than actually knowing what you're doing.
This is quite possibly the most technical, difficult to play fighting game on the market, or at least that I know of, and I enjoy that, a lot.
Graphics: 10.
2D has never seen this stuff before. The special effects are perfect, the animations are beautifully fluid, absolutely everything about the visuals here are gorgeous. (Except for maybe Potemkin and Bridget. -Shudder-)
The special effects are just fancy enough to really make the battle look chaotic and artful, but not enough to ever get in the way. Even the Hitboxing (which is kind of a part of graphics...) is good, and that's a NOTORIOUS horror in fighting games.
... And Capcom games in general. Monster Hunter, anyone?
There's barely anything more they can do to this game visually. As it stands it's one of the prettiest games ever made, and looks better than a large margin of 3D games.
Sound: 10.
One of the major foundations of Guilty Gear is its assortment of Heavy Rock and Metal influences. Many of the players, and their moveslists especially, are tributes to these things, from artists to songs; more noticable ones such as Millia's move 'Iron Maiden' and Ky's 'Ride the Lightning', to more unknown groups such as Sol's 'Napalm Death' and Dizzy's 'Gamma Ray' (I didn't even think anyone but me had heard of them before this.)
I know not everyone likes Power Metal, but frankly I can't see why you don't. It's a genre based on energy, a high level of skill, and, well, 'power', as the name implies. Nothing could suit a fighting game more than powermetal. Of course I have a bias since it's my favourite genre by a long shot, but... Oh well. This is my opinion, after all, and I say the power metal kicks it.
Value: 10.
I was tempted to give the game less for this, then I realized I've played it for well over 100 hours. It'll take you hours upon hours just to master the fundamentals of the game, not to mention beating the rediculously hard Mission Mode, which has you in near impossible conditions with characters that you almost certainly don't like. Add in the challenge of mastering multiple characters for variety and facing off against your friends, this game has lasted me as long as any RPG. It doesn't feel like I've played it for more than 30 hours but when I look back it's really been more like 130. For evidence sake, I've so far 'mastered' 3 characters and can think of at least two more I'd like to add to the lineup...
That's pretty much value, I'd say.
Special Mention: Characters: 10.
Again, I was a little tempted to give it a 9 because I hate a lot of the characters in this game. But that's the point. No one wants a fighting game where you like all the characters; who would you beat up in Training mode? No, Guilty Gear has a perfect assortment of characters so you'll love and hate just the right amount. And what an absolutely insane lineup...
We have the much-talked-about crazed doctor with a huge scalpel, Faust.
An Aussie (Yay! A local boy!) who is clearly possessed by Sadako of Ring fame.
A Swiss goth who is clearly a ripoff of The Crow.
A pimpish descendant of Nosferatu, complete with a pipe and randomly generated haiku.
And, of course, an androgynous guy who was brought up as a girl...
...
... And wears a nurse outfit.
Let's not forget American Ninja, anime-style mecha, people who can stab people with their hair, and someone who uses a pool cue for a weapon... This game's character lineup is no holds barred insane.
Overall: 10/10.
Well, there you have it. Quite possibly the only Perfect 10 I'll ever give, mostly due to how badly Dante himself sucked up DMC3, and Oblivion's pre-release downgrade, and of course makes it onto the same list as the above in the 'Please play it, even if only once' category. Unfortunately, there are the rumours that Guilty Gear X3 will be 3D. I pray to all the powers that are that this is only a rumour, and after King of Fighters' assimilation by Capcom (XI is so horrible...), Sammy will realize that Guilty Gear is the only remaining decent 2D fighter. Not only that, but it's a freaking brilliant game regardless of how little competition it has. Street Fighter nothing, this game is THE 2D fighter, probably THE fighter in general.
Oh yeah, like I'd play Tekken and die of old age instead of this...