GUILTY GEAR 2: OVERTURE, A 505 GAME

Guest Wed Oct 14, 2009 6:23 pm

GSA OFFICIAL REVIEW OF GUILTY GEAR 2: OVERTURE

GUILTY GEAR 2: OVERTURE, A 505 GAME 107887-guilty-gear-2

Since Microsoft's initial foray into the game console market with the original XBOX it has always been an ambition of the big M to crack the Japanese market. Thus far this has seen us lucky European gamers get the best Eastern themed titles coming to our 360's, more often than not these games have been favourably received and in some cases quite rightly lauded as being up there with the best the 360 has to offer.

The latest title from the Orient to be released over here is Guilty Gear 2: Overture, its been almost two years since this game initially debuted in Japan and even America has had this game since October 2008. Its understandable that GG 2 has had a delayed release in this region as its fair to say that it is quite a niche title and may well not appeal to the majority of European gamers.

Upon tackling the tutorial it quickly becomes apparent that GG 2 contains all the stereotypical idiosyncrasies we've come to expect from titles of this ilk. The main protagonists Sol ( the heroic lead ) and Sin ( his wisecracking sidekick ) irritate almost from the off with their peculiar blend of deep, meaningful soliloquies and up and at em' battle speeches. The plot is at first indecipherable with various allusions to all manner of mysterious forces although as is so often the case things do become more transparent as you progress through the game. Basically it appears that the titular Gears, which are beings that can be summoned in the manner of many a character from numerous RPG games, are being destroyed and its up to you to figure out who's committing such a heinous act and put a stop to it. To be honest the story is overly convoluted and complex but even having a basic grasp of it is enough to see you through.

GUILTY GEAR 2: OVERTURE, A 505 GAME Guiltygear2overture_3

With regards to gameplay its fair to say that I have never encountered a title like this. Many developers have attempted to blend gameplay styles over the years with varying results but GG 2 combines two genres that would never have been considered likely bedfellows. It melds hack and slash action based combat in the style of Dynasty Warriors, Onimusha etc, with RTS elements in the form of whats best described as a troop management system. Each level has two main bases or 'Masterghosts' one being yours and the other being the one you must destroy, in addition to this there are numerous other stations dotted around the map which must be captured to enable you to maintain a stranglehold and eventually take down the opposition Masterghost. So far so RTS right? Wrong, once you have commandeered your troops which come in various forms such as light infantry, heavy infantry and magical, you can then influence the outcome of battle by dashing around the map using Sol's sprint ability, which even allows you to drift around corners almost rendering this title a mixture of three genres!! Unfortunately this sprint ability is incredibly difficult to control and more often than not you will find yourself careering into corner after corner until you abandon it altogether. Upon arriving at your destination of choice you can help your ailing troops by delving into the action based element of the game, this means button mashing until it hurts with combos aplenty and all manner of flashing lights and bizarre voice overs adding to the mayhem.

The fact that GG 2 tries to incorporate so many ideas into its gameplay ends up being its downfall in the end. The RTS elements end up being not quite deep enough whilst the combat is far too rudimentary to engage for any serious length of time, you find yourself dashing around the maps unsure of what to do and more often than not you end up wishing you could just concentrate on one aspect of the gameplay instead of constantly multi-tasking. There is some levels which dispense with the RTS gameplay altogether and they are easily the most enjoyable in the game. Graphically GG 2 fails to excel with dull environments and character models being the order of the day save for a couple of prettier levels. Presentation wise GG 2 is reminiscent of an old coin op game with its scrolling title menu screen and overly fussy options whilst in gameplay, some may find this charming but within time it begins to grate and adds to the overall tacky feel of the game.

When venturing online with GG 2 it quickly becomes apparent that if you are to in any way hold your own you are going to have to match the obvious dedication and skill of the few people who play it. Unfortunately there is no real preparation for this jump in class and its advisable to try and complete the campaign on the hardest difficulty before even considering going online, its clear that this game has got a hardcore fanbase who absolutely adore the game and they will be all too willing to gobble up any fresh meat that they are lucky enough to encounter. As the game has been available in other parts of the world for so long any European gamer wanting to match up against our foreign counterparts is going to need to be a massive fan of this game, if you do manage to reach this high level of skill then the multiplayer could end up being quite enjoyable aswell as having a certain amount of longevity also.

The biggest problem that Guilty Gear 2 seems to have is a lack of cohesion and focus with too many ambitious aims not quite being fulfilled. Playing it is a somewhat disheartening experience as you struggle to come to terms with the constant array of information being thrown at you, there's never really a time where you feel comfortable with the game as its too slapdash in its approach and ends up leaving you feeling like the developers have overstretched themselves somewhat. Maybe in years to come this game genre will have become hugely popular and build upon the rather shaky foundations provided by GG 2, personally I hope it does because any innovation in the gaming industry is to be applauded, however that cannot detract from the fact that GG 2 is a game that reached for the stars and ended up falling somewhat short.

RATINGS

GRAPHICS 6

SOUND 5

GAMEPLAY 5

LONGEVITY 6

MULTIPLAYER 6

OVERALL 5.5

**KENT HAMMER** Wed Oct 14, 2009 6:37 pm

Well done mate, good review.

I can't wait to play this game tbh, as I love dynasty warriors and love hack and slash button bashing! Very Happy

GUILTY GEAR 2: OVERTURE, A 505 GAME

GUILTY GEAR 2: OVERTURE, A 505 GAME

Re: GUILTY GEAR 2: OVERTURE, A 505 GAME