Guilty Gear Xrd returns to continue to wear the virtues that make it one of the best fighting games of the current generation. Revelator brings us new characters, a new story, new mechanics and a visual excellence unique in its genre. Heaven or hell? Let's dance!
Capcom continues to apologize for the Street Fighter V disaster; SNK tries to regain the glory of yesteryear with a King of Fighters XIV which must erase many unknowns; Namco is still in his thirteen years to keep Tekken 7 in exclusive Japanese lounges, while Western fans are languishing for a national release that seems to never happen ... Of course, times are complicated for the fight against. Fortunately, the guys from Arc System Works are here to show what makes the genre awesome, with headlines anchored in the fight against the old school, which in the 90's became the owner and mistress of the gaming industry video.
So, after the arrival of the revolutionary Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign- in 2014, here we have the first extension / revision / update of the mentioned title. And although we are faced with a game that fails to escape the evil of DLCs (a character can be achieved only by download -free at the beginning), another must already be unlocked, while a third is not not even finished the moment), at least it's a title that offers lots of offline modalities, as well as an online one that's functional from the minute (at least what has been proven so far we already know that these things must be taken with tweezers)
Scenarios already observed in Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign- have several changes in Revelator. For example, Slayer Manor reflects the chaos experienced in recent battles.
In addition, and we hope this will serve as a precedent, the European launch of Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator-It did not prove to be a complete disaster as it did with its predecessor, arrived with six months of delay, only in digital format and also with several updates and DLC that were left en route. So, Revelator comes to us only a day after its long time in the United States and is offered in physical format (without instruction manual, unfortunately) as well as digital. Of course, the physical edition was close to not appearing on Spanish soil, since the European distributor of Guilty Gear Xrd-Revolution-PQube, completely ignores the Spanish market in its launches. But there were guys from BadLand Games to take over and offer this great game also in Hispanic lands. Without further ado, it's time to fight.
Sol Badguy counterattack
Guilty Gear has always been the pampered child, the right eye of Arc System Works. As a company specializing in the kind of cakes since the launch of the first Guilty Gear, made in the year 1998, their forays into the fight have been many over the years, but still have Guilty Gear as their main focus in their plans . Of course, in the middle of the last decade, Arc System lost franchise rights, having no choice but to launch a
successor (and also masterful) which was none other than BlazBlue. But fortunately, the Guilty Gear brand rights were coming back to the company a little later, so Daisuke Ishiwatari, visible chief of Arc System and many projects on which the studio embarks, did not hesitate a second to launch the development of a new generation. Gear, a project that was born in 2014 with the launch of the revolutionary Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign -.
Johnny is one of the novelties of this episode.
He is still as dangerous in medium distances as in Guilty Gear X. And yes, he also brings his little pieces here.
By observing some data on the role of game development, things did not invite optimism. Guilty Gear Xrd would be an intergenerational title, released for both PS3 and PS4, and would make use of the graphic engine more than sobado Unreal Engine 3
But it turns out that the Ishiwatari boys used this graphic engine as it had not been seen before (it was not reviewed). The visual processing that was given to the polygonal models of the fighters was unique and revolutionary, since their animations were mounted as if they were the frames of a 2D sprite, offering an incredible finish that unified the best of the graphic aspects in two. and three dimensions, while omitting the things that had always weighed them (in the case of 2D sprites, the huge amount of RAM they occupied), also featuring the largest, most detailed and best animated characters ever seen in a part of any kind. The whole title looked like a Japanese anime with big budget, fully interactive.
The rest of the sections of this first Guilty Gear Xrd (gameplay, variety of modes, music - of course in charge of the versatile Daisuke Ishiwatari, available wrestlers ...) also achieved excellence, which resulted in a title unanimously applauded by the public and critics. Of course, it was not there. We all know that Arc System is exploiting its titles with the ultimate consequences, so the company immediately started working on an update of the game, which debuted in the Japanese arcades in May 2015 under the name of Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator.
Close-ups and camera changes are wonderful. The transition is quite natural, while the game looks in all its splendor this aspect "anime high budget" that feels so good.
In this first arcade version, two new fighters joined the team already seen in Sign: Johnny Sfondi (an old acquaintance of the franchise) and Jack-O, fighting with one of those special designs that Arc System has accustomed us to. Stylish mode has also been introduced, a control mode for casual gamers in which combos, techniques and special attacks are executed in a much simpler way than normal. Stylish mode also has an auto-lock, though, to keep things moving, a fighter with active Stylish mode gets a lot more damage than usual on every attack, and does not have all the normal moves available. .
The characters seen in Arc System games have always had a unique look and strong personality, which is also achieved in this GG Revelator.
While Arc System leveled the gameplay of the Revelator game, a third character was added: Jam Kuradoberi
another veteran from previous episodes of the Guilty Gear saga. For the fourth character, Arc System decided to lead a curious initiative. A list was drawn up with all the veteran fighters in the franchise who had not yet made their debut in Guilty Gear Xrd, and the players were allowed to participate in a vote to decide which character would be the next to make the jump to Revelator. Only players who have gone beyond the arcade mode of leisure could access the list and leave your vote. In total, 177,681 votes were recorded, and the one who was chosen to become the new character of GG Xrd Revelator was none other than Dizzy. Bridget was second, and Baiken third. Mention as curiosity that the least voted were Justice and Kliff, so we do not think to see them appear again for the franchise for a long time.
Two of the new Revelator characters.
The first seems a mix between Jinpachi Mishima (Tekken saga) and Gouken (Street Fighter saga), while the second
we seem to be coming out of the Skullgirls video game.
However, do not get carried away by this first impression.
In Guilty Gear, nothing is as it seems.
[CREDIT] (google.com)
Of course, as we see, Arc System calmly takes Dizzy's inclusion into the game because it did not come to appear in the hobby and is also absent in the national versions. Even so, it has a reserved character selection box, so it will surely arrive later (yes, you guessed it) DLC. And since we talked about the domestic version of Revelator, it was announced in September 2015, for PS3 and PS4, finally arriving in Japan on May 26, and the United States and Europe on 7/8 of this month. June.
The game has a button for a powerful attack which, if it succeeds in hitting, will raise the opponent in the air so that we can easily start an air combo.
While Arc System was preparing the domestic versions, two new fighters were announced: Kum Haehyun and Raven (the latter had already appeared in this strange experience that is Guilty Gear 2: Oberture). Both are already available, but in principle they can only be unlocked via DLC. Raven is free in the first batch of Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator units, since stores that sell the game provide a download code to get the character, but you can also access it after a good number of hours of play. in Hehyon, his situation is more delicate. For now, the only way to unlock it is to go through the box. Hopefully the Arc system is reconsidering and also offers a way to integrate it into the game itself, without having to pay more and not less than seven extra euros. The definitive model (including Dizzy
although we have already mentioned that it has not yet appeared) remains in 23 characters, six of them new compared to those available in Guilty Gear Xrd Sign. Of course, the increase of the selectable personalities model is not the unique novelty of Revelator. It also offers a new story mode that is the direct continuation of the one offered in Sign, new scenarios, missions, new features in the control system (like the Stylish mode already mentioned), in addition to some changes and additions to the mechanisms playable title. Tell me a story A notice for browsers: Story mode is not interactive
You can not make decisions, choose between one path or another, or even fight. There are about two hours of animation sequences made with the game's own graphics engine, with Japanese voices and subtitles, unfortunately, only in English . Everything is narrated in the purest style of a Japanese visual novel, although luckily the animated sequences give much more dynamism to the development that the one that usually is seen in this class of products, which normally are constructed to blow of static image. In addition, we must bear in mind that the history of the Guilty Gear franchise has always been much more elaborate and worked than in, for example, a Street Fighter, so it is essential to have a thorough knowledge of the facts told in previous games if we want to find out something.
The story mode does not offer player interaction, functioning more like a visual novel.
Of course, both at the level of script and staging, the work is more than remarkable.
Arc System, fortunately, is fully aware of this fact, so it offers us a complete encyclopedia
in which we can consult any data referring to the history of Guilty Gear. Characters, locations, chronologies ... Even the slightest doubt we can have in relation to the narrative thread both Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator and everything told in previous installments of the saga is answered after consulting this encyclopedia (accessible at all times while develops the story mode). Unfortunately, the encyclopedia is in Englishlike the rest of the game, and we will also need to have a high knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon language in order to adequately translate not a few terms of it. As for the argument itself, obviously we will not disclose anything to avoid dismay of both what will be seen in Revelator and what was already seen in Sign, if you have not come to play the latter. What we will say is that we will see several spectacular sequences, we will have encounters and revelations that will release a sonic wow! to those who have been following the history of the Guilty Gear saga for years, and that the narration will end in style , leaving of course the doors open for a future continuation. Less talk and more cakes
Do not worry if what you want are combats, since in the rest of game modes of the title you will fight until you leave your fingertips raw. In fact, it is advisable to play arcade mode (yes, Capcom, fighting games usually have arcade mode, what things, huh?) Before starting to see the story mode, since throughout the combats of each character we will be offered touches of information that will serve as a prologue to the events that will take place in the aforementioned visual novel. We also have versus mode, both local against another player and against AI (yes, Capcom, fighting games tend to have mode versus AI, what things, huh?), And several more options to enjoy alone.
The training mode offers diverse and original tests of skill that make it much more enjoyable than in other games of the genre.
Even the Training Mode is exceptionally worked. With it we not only learn to master all the parameters that the game handles (and there are many since the Guilty Gear have always possessed more than many layers of depth), but we will also have fun in the process. And is that Arc System has managed to make everything simple, both for the expert in the franchise and for the neophyte, which will end up having the feeling that techniques that at first seem too complex to run in the heat of battle , actually they are not so much. Jack-O, that new character that seems taken from the video gameSkullgirls (by the way, if you have not yet tried this title, you are already taking), will be responsible for guiding us through this game with the help of its charming mini minions. There will even be tests of jump and plataformeo, and is that Guilty Gear has always been a title very focused on air combat, almost as much as it is usually the Marvel saga Vs. Capcom . In fact, the fifth action button is reserved to execute an upward blow with which we can start an air combo with total ease. MOM mode
,the already classic twist of the survival mode that we usually see in the Guilty Gear, is also present in Revelator, of course improved and enlarged for the occasion. This is where we can get the largest amount of dollars in the world, the motto of the Guilty Gear universe, with which we can unlock alternative colors for characters, images for the art gallery, additional voices for the game's menu the sound of previous deliveries from Guilty Gear or the Raven fighter. We can also get items for this curious survival mode, like bombs to use in full combat. The most important thing: it is not possible to buy anything with real money in the game. At least, Arc System was not tempted to monetize the title as they did for many other companies with their productions.
In the PlayStation Network, there is a lot of Guilty Gear Revelator gear for sale, although they are not completely secondary items such as extra colors or new voices.
All this we can unlock in the game without having to pay anything.
Too bad for Hehyon, since we will have to pay yes or yes to unlock it.
And what about the online mode? Well, as far as we've been able to prove it works, which is not bad considering the last disgusts we have taken in this regard in other titles of the genre. Keep in mind that Guilty Gear does not attract as many players as other sagas with much more popularity, so servers are not in danger of becoming saturated every other time. The delay, which feared the harm that can turn the online experience of a fighting game into something unbearable, appeared from time to time, but nothing more disturbing than ruining a game in progress. Of course, other factors come into play here, such as the quality of the connection, both ours and the rival that we face. The title also has a cross game, so no matter which version of Revelator the player has (PS3 or PS4), since everyone can compete without problems.
The online Guilty Gear Revelator rooms are quite original and interactive.
Special mention to the curious waiting room, in which we will take control of a small customizable avatar with which we can walk on stage and dedicate ourselves to various tasks while waiting for the arrival of a rival. There are many ways to kill time, like a fishing game
in which we will use dollars from the world to unlock different game materials (something that is also available offline), or recreational that will give us direct access to the training mode to refine our technique or review these concepts in which we walk more lame.
Another capture of the game drive mode.
When we overcome it, various additional tests are unlocked, which requires a lot of skills to overcome.
Audiovisual section
Regarding the graphics and sound, there are no surprises in Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator, and these were already in Sign, and we must not forget that we are more faced with an update / Expansion of a previous delivery to a new Gear with all the law. Even so, we can not stop praising the work done by Arc System. The graphic treatment that has been given to the franchise in this era Xrd is still as spectacular, fresh and revolutionary as the first day. The modeling of the characters manages to condense to perfection the best that the two and three dimensions can offer to a fighting game, the aspect of the anime superproduction permeates everything, the dynamic lights reflected in the textures are worthy of admiration, the scenes are perfectly animated and full of great details, 60 fps are constant at all times ... In short, graphically, it's still the best fighting game on the market, and it's thanks to the ingenuity and the crafts more than graphic or technical muscles, which gives even more value to the final finish. And the soundtrack, well what else can be said about it. A multi-faceted and more untied than ever Daisuke Ishiwatari
It offers another of these shows full of rock, metal and percussion that give even more intensity to the fighting. This melodic melodic desmadre can be enjoyed even more if we receive the special edition of the game (unfortunately only available in some online shops and none in Spanish), which includes, in addition to an art book, the soundtrack and an additional disc with the live Guilty Gear Sound Live 2014.
conclusion
Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator is, with Killer Instinct 3, the best fighting game that can be enjoyed today. Of course, Revelator is updating GG Xrd Sign, a game appeared in 2014, something that those who already have such a title must take into account. The main novelties of Revelator are its six new characters (currently only five are available), a story mode that continues just where Sign ended, a more accessible alternative control system (great for new players) setting the character that leaves the model more balanced. If you do not have the previous Guilty Gear Xrd, get this Developer without hesitation and you will see for yourself that there is not only life beyond Street Fighter, but it can also be much better. If you already have Sign, you yourself must be the one who makes the decision whether or not to use this Developer, also taking into account the fact that in a few years a new update Guilty Gear Xrd will surely be on sale. What we recommend is not to worry about the past or the future of the franchise. Just get this developer and enjoy, after all, we play video games for it.
The best
- The impressive finish of its graphic section makes us find ourselves before an unparalleled visual spectacle.
- The new characters are more than interesting, especially Kumu Hehyon.
- Luckily speaking, nothing is left or nothing is missing, something also applicable to the game in general.
Worst
- The evil of the DLCs has reached three of the six new characters.
- Texts only in English and voices only in Japanese.
- The story mode is still a visual novel in which the player can not interact.
A reference title in its kind, which stands out above its competitors and which you will enjoy from beginning to end, surely several times. A game destined to become classic over the years.
Gameplay 9
Do not worry about the unfortunate and worrying trend that some games of the genre are following lately. Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator- comes well equipped with game modes to enjoy both solo and multiplayer. Even the Training Mode is revealed as a great fun that invites to be overcome. Regarding the gameplay itself, Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator is still as technical, spectacular and deep as ever. An authentic delight to which no fissure can be found.
Graphics 10
The clearest proof that with ingenuity and good work you can do incredible things, without the need of a revolutionary or technologically advanced engine. Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator- has been built with the already seen Unreal Engine 3, and has nothing that can not move a system of the previous generation (not in vain, the PS3 version only differs from the PS4 in what which resolution refers). But the treatment that has been given to the modeling of the characters and the good artisan taste that permeates everything make this title a unique and surprising visual delight, which deserves a full license of honor.
Sound 9
Daisuke Ishiwatari in pure state. As regards the soundtrack, there is no more to say. Well, maybe yes. In this new Guilty Gear era that opened with Sign and continues with this Revelator we can hear an Ishiwatari more unleashed and inspired than ever. It is evident that Guilty Gear is and has always been his right eye, and that he certainly wanted to return to the franchise. In general terms, the only thing that is missing in the sound section of Xrd Revelator is, again, the option to select voices in English, so as not to have to read so much subtitle during the story mode of the game.
Multiplayer 8
This is a very difficult section to measure and regulate. Even more after the last troubles that have occurred in this respect in the genre, especially in the ill-fated (and hopefully finally fixed) Street Fighter V. In Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator-, at the moment everything about the online mode goes without complications. Some delay has been detected, but it has been very occasionally and has not ended up affecting the evolution of the fighting. We all know that this can change without notice, as it depends on many factors: servers, player connection, adversary, etc. At least, for now we can say that everything progresses properly.
1-6 IMAGECREDIT