Guilty Gear X

Written by Nick Schmidt  on January 11, 2001

Import Review: High-res never looked so good!

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I really didn't start getting into imports until a few months back with the Japanese release of Capcom's latest 2D fighter Capcom vs. SNK. While it is true that I didn't really buy it (I traded a friend my copy of NFL 2K1), it got me into the whole Japanese scene and opened up a whole new gaming library for my ravenous paws. In case you haven't seen my review on the "Match of the Millennium," I basically loved the game. It was everything I could want in the touted super match-up, except for the lack of air blocking - and oh yeah, no high-res graphics!

But alas, with my Japanese compatible system in tow, I scoured the web for something that had everything that CvsSNK lacked. My search was long and arduous. Many lost days and nights were spent in vein as I soon realized that nothing at the moment could quench my thirst for the "ultimate brawler." That is, until I saw Guilty Gear X.

Originally enticed by its luscious visuals, my interest was instantaneously sparked due to all the great press the game was receiving. Never having the opportunity to play the original Guilty Gear on the Playstation (grrr!), I really didn't know how the series played. But did that really matter at the moment? Hell no. The game looked so damn good, it was from a foreign country, and I had a fat wad of cash practically exploding in my pocket from my bi-weekly paycheck. It was set in stone: I had to get it.

Now the search for the best deal ensued. Many a site was checked, scanned, inspected, scrutinized, and checked some more: I was sniffing out a deal. What can I say? It's inherited cheapness from my father, God bless the man, and I wasn't about to be ripped off on a freakin' videogame. No sir. Not me. Not I. Not Nick.

Anyways, after finding the perfect site (Tronix Web) I ordered myself the Guilty Gear X Limited Edition special. I proceeded to the checkout, selected two-day shipping to ensure I would be getting it as fast as possible, and finalized the order. It was grand. Knowing that in two days, what was heralded as one of the best 2D fighters would be waiting for me. All for me! Needless to say, I was very excited. Maybe even to the point of being electrified? Who knows, the whole day was a blur, or at least those few minutes of online shopping goodness.

Two days past, and sure enough, just like the nice computer stated before, my package arrived, and on time too! Wow, just amazing. I ripped open the box and popped out the game case. It was beautiful. Top-notch anime style art greeted me on the cover and everything in the world just seemed right. I tore the plastic wrapping off and opened the jewel case to see what lay inside. Even more striking art was seen; this time on the game disc itself, and inside the instruction booklet lay a one-track music mini-CD, thus earning the game a "limited edition" title. Oh well, it's actually pretty nifty. But enough with the appearance, I wanted to see for myself how this puppy played. To be honest I didn't know what to expect. Would it be like Street Fighter? Who knows, certainly not I.

After plopping the GD into the Dreamcast and turning on my system, the intro played. I thought it was okay, but truthfully, deep down inside, I was rather disappointed. I hoped it wasn't foreshadowing anything to come - like the game being complete garbage. Fortunately though, this was a false omen, as I would soon find out.