Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus (PS2)

[aruljothi]

Release Date: 04/07/2009
ESRB Rating: Teen
Genre: Fighting
Publisher: Aksys
Developer: Arc System Works


"AD, IAD, RC, DJ, RTSD."

Initially, I couldn't understand the weird acronyms on the Guilty Gear community forums. The community members use them liberally, embedding them in their posts about strategies and tactics without any explanation. I knew they described gameplay mechanics, but I couldn't figure out their meaning. It was like a subculture foreign language -- something indecipherable despite my background in other fighting game's obscure dialect. But breaking the code was the only way I would understand the fundamentals, and become a better Guilty Gear player.

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus demands dedication, erudition, and practice. Like in many fighting game communities, Guilty Gear players obsesses over learning their character's strengths and weaknesses, finding which moves are safe and unsafe, and exploiting any tactic that can give them an advantage. They study and critique match videos and pay close attention to character match-ups to see what works and what doesn't. It's the only way to hone their skills in a fighter known for its aggressive pacing, complicated combos, and momentum-heavy combat (not to mention its signature heavy metal influence).

Offense-focused players will definitely enjoy Accent Core Plus. The combat system leans heavily on the attack, with penalties to discourage excessive defense and slow, reactionary matches. Characters have tremendous freedom of movement, supported by double jumps (DJ), instant air dashes (IAD), and fast ground and air dashes. The exceptions to the rule are large characters, such as Pokemin, a grappler whose throws deal exceptional damage. Those characters have limited movement, confined to a single jump and slow dashes, to create character balance. Meter management, the careful balance of using the game's Tension Meter, serves an important strategic role, opening opportunities for new tactics otherwise impossible to create, like canceling Sol Badguy's fireball with a Roman Cancel (a mechanic that interrupts attacks), and following the flame for added offensive pressure. And the dominant mix-up strategy involving high and low attacks and throws creates tension and stress. In short, Accent Core Plus is tailored towards quick decision-making, deft maneuvering, and aggressive combat -- an exciting rushdown experience.

The combo engine is flexible enough to create impressive and outlandish combos, while rewarding exploration and creativity. Combos can be as simple as attacking in sequential order, from weakest to strongest attack, akin to the chain combo system in Capcom's Versus games. Or they can be flashy and stylish when combined with Roman Cancels, wall juggles, and off the ground attacks. For instance, the Dust Loop, one of Sol Badguy's combos, Guilty Gear's main character, is a series of Dust attacks (overhead attacks that launch the opponent in the air) that bounces the opponent off the wall and above the ground, juggling them indefinitely. But its execution is difficult to consistently pull-off.

Which is to say newcomers may find the steep learning curve to be a turnoff, a barrier requiring a dexterity tax that the average gamer can't afford. I had a lot of trouble learning combos, considered basic by the Guilty Gear community, partly because my fingers -- and my mind -- weren't used to the complicated sequence of events: cancel attack, move character, dash, instant air jump, chain buttons, cancel, dash, repeat. Often times, I haphazardly looked for a follow-up in the combo, pressured by the game's fast pace, and repeatedly messed up its execution. I spent hours in the game's robust training mode before pulling off a combo that I could be proud of.