Home

 › 

Articles

 › 

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Review for the Nintendo Wii

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Review for the Nintendo Wii

I wanna be an anime rock star… with a pool stick and a paper bag over my head!

Since its origins in 1998, Guilty Gear has been a cult classic amongst gamers. Without skipping a beat, Guilty Gear has spawned many games and though not becoming a smash hit, has kept cult gamers entertained for some time now. For those of you who aren’t cult enough to know of this classic, Guilty Gear is a heavy metal inspired anime themed 2D fighter. Notably loved for its gothic like appeal and insanely eccentric characters, GG has a unique appeal that can’t be denied.

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core screenshot

Developed by Aksys Games, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core not only follows a tradition of long titles, but also heavy, fast paced action that made 2D fighters great to begin with. With that said, Guilty Gear does not break any new age molds with this newest iteration but has rather a few add-ons to spice things up a bit. The first thing you will notice is the trademarked colorful sprites that make the characters of the Guilty Gear series. Not only are they colorful, they are some of the most insanely bizarre characters you’ll ever see. Aside from the insanely colorful characters, there are also equally flamboyant backgrounds and special attacks that light the screen in a way only true to anime.

Guilty Gear is a one on one 2D fighter with loud bright characters that unleash powerful attacks with absurd names after them. You have a healthy roster of combination methods which include kicks, punches, and two slash attacks; all of the aforementioned can be done in the air to create a juggling effect. The highlight of Guilty Gear is the fast paced action and easily long strung combos by the most preposterous characters you will ever see. From the second the fight begins it turns into a button mashing combo frenzy. Most inexperienced players will get a kick out of it and experienced Guilty gamers will be able to transcend to an entirely different level of gaming goodness. When playing with a veteran buddy, I was quickly vomited on by acid from his cursed backside, pummeled by a yo-yo, whaled by a cursed school girl, in no particular order! The action is so fast paced and filled with colorful sprites dashing throughout the screen it is easy to get lost in the game’s outdated but very appealing nostalgic graphics. With so many games focusing on polygons and hi-def graphics, it is easy to forget sprites ever existed in games. Thankfully Guilty Gear is here to remind us of that. As if the characters are not amazing enough to watch, the backgrounds are equally impressive with lots of scenery and characters acting out simple routines that we have come to love in 2D fighting backgrounds. I quickly caught an anchor to the face while watching a girl feed a kitten in the background. Situations like that can only get worse if you don’t pay attention because it doesn’t take long at all to get totally owned in this game.

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core screenshot

There have also been some additions to the series which will make veterans very happy. One particular addition is the “force break” attacks, which are enhanced versions of the character’s special attack that can enhance your offense and combo attacks. This also gives you the option of escaping those aggravating grapple attacks that we know some players over use (we know you are out there). Guilty Gear doesn’t favor the weak or cowardly either because running away or being too defensive actually makes your attacks less effective. So Guilty Gear caters to the aggressive player, and I doubt you are playing Guilty Gear to get hugs.

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core screenshot

If playing this on the Wii, it is best to save yourself some trouble and play with a regular controller via classic or GameCube. The Wii does support the Wii-mote and Nunchuk, but the traditional controller works better. Using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck makes the game improbable. Accent Core is a traditional 2D fighter, and you can not use motion controls for a game like this. The only way to get around it is to use the buttons instead, which means that you use the joystick to move, which is tragically inaccurate, especially when dashing and the Wii Remote’s directional pad for inputting attacks. Left, down, up, and right are punch, kick, slash, and heavy slash, respectively. Unfortunately, it just does not work. It’s uncomfortable and clumsy, and it makes the game abysmal.

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core screenshot

Guilty Gear isn’t shy on the “extras” either. There is an art gallery which shows some fantastic illustrations of Guilty Gears characters, a single player arcade mode, a training mode, and two different types of single player survival modes which are standard and Medal of Millionaire. Medal of Millionaire mode is like a typical fight but you are rewarded with power-ups and health items for landing successful attacks. So basically Medal of Millionaire is just an easier way though the game due to the power ups.

The audio in Guilty Gear is excellent and possesses a nice soundtrack of hardcore rock music that blends seamlessly with the characters and theme of the game. The voice overs for the characters are new, loud, and add to the game’s charm along with new backgrounds. A lot of special effects for the characters have been reused here but given how great they look it doesn’t harm the game at all.

By the end of the day Guilty Gear is a fun game that brings back some great memories of 2D fighting and considering that your options are slim to none on 2D fighters, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core may be your best, if not only, pick.

Features:

  • Over 20 deadly combatants to choose from, including two new characters! All of your favorite characters have returned with new moves and an alternate EX version of each. Accent Core also introduces two reinvented fighters, A.B.A. and Order-Sol that have never been seen outside of Japan.
  • Refined fighting game system with three new gameplay systems! Accent Core’s Force Break, Throw Escape, and Slash Back systems give all the fighters’ new defensive and offensive capabilities.
  • New sights and sounds! New backgrounds, character voices, and an introductory animation have been added for a fresh Guilty Gear experience.
  • Multiple modes of mayhem! Hone your fighting skills in five different modes: Arcade, Medal of Millionaire, Versus, Survival, and Training.

    RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.0 Graphics
    Outdated but the sprites look really good. 1.0 Control
    The Wii-mote makes it unplayable. 5.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
    The music rocks, literally, and VO’s are great! 5.0

    Play Value
    It is a good throwback to a lost genre.

    3.0 Overall Rating – Fair
    Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

  • To top