System: PS3
Dev: Arc System Works
Pub: Arc System Works
Release: December 4, 2012
Players: 1-2, Online Multiplayer
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Violence, Blood, Partial Nudity, Language, Sexual Themes

Frankly, the only real reason to buy this re-release of Accent Core Plus rather than to dust off your PS2 version is to make use of the newly integrated netplay. However, the game’s Internet features are barebones at best. You can play in ranked or unranked battles, and that’s pretty much it. All the bells and whistles that you would normally expect from a fully fleshed out online suite are absent. It doesn’t do much to build the online community for the game, which is a huge disappointment considering how difficult it will be to tear fighting gamers away from their game of choice. As of the time of review, the PSN servers were completely barren, and if you can judge its eventual success by the success of the Xbox version that came out earlier this year, things won’t get much better in the future.

The netcode also leaves something to be desired. The game uses variable button delay netcode, which, in layman’s terms, introduces a short delay between pressing a button and having your character execute a move in order to keep games synched up. Unfortunately, this makes combos exceedingly hard to do, and since this game is so combo-centric, you aren’t getting even a near facsimile of offline play when you are playing online. Arc System Works has always been known for using variable button delay netcode, even though vastly superior rollback netcode is available. However, Accent Core Plus’s netcode isn’t even as good as Persona 4 Arena’s, and they were made by the same company. While P4A generally gives you a smooth performance even at decently high latency’s, Accent Core Plus slows to a chug and even drops matches sometimes. It’s a huge disappointment, especially since it could have been the game’s defining feature.

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Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus is a decent game, but that’s not because of anything new. It stands on the same merits it did when it was released for the PS2 and Wii so many years ago. It’s a solid fighting game with a great roster, a killer rock soundtrack, and a gameplay system that defined the term “anime game” for years to come. It’s an important part of our history, but if you already have a copy, it’s not particularly worth purchasing again, even at fifteen dollars. You’d be much better off waiting to see if we get the Plus R revision.

By Angelo M. D’Argenio Lead Contributor Date: December 6, 2012