Guilty Gear (PSX)

"One must acknowledge the predecessor" sayeth me. To oblige my own word, I will try first game of its series. How about the first Arc System Works’ Guilty Gear (1998), for example? 

So, we’re in humble beginning of Guilty Gear that Arc System Works famous for. There’s credit to Team Neo Blood as developer along with Arc System Works. I can only assume that Team Neo Blood is part of ArcSys, I guess? I hear Guilty Gear series is famous for fast paced fighting and ability to chain every move into long devastating combo. Told be truth, I’m not into combo stuffs. I’m more into slowly and steady method, seeking correct maneuver and gap on enemy’s defense for opportunities rather than exploiting single opportunity to the fullest with chaining attack or whatnot. Ok, sometimes I have instinct to chain some move like that time on Fightcade match of Garou – Mark of Wolves, when I picked B. Jennet and I’m able to chain multiple slaps into torpedo kick super but that’s about it. Probably worth to mention that I have already played Guilty Gear on PSP. Also, Blazblue 2! So, I’m not entirely inexperienced or reluctant to Guilty Gear. All is well in main menu, except why “Training mode” is below Option menu?

That’s some compact and ugly looking option menu. On the bright side, you don’t need to go between menu if you want to see/make change on control scheme. I have to give them credit for that music player that looks like stereo car tape player. I notice there’s button for Taunt and Respect. I assume respect is the opposite of taunt which is gesture for showing respect to your opponent. But I reckon it’s as useless as taunt except to mock your opponent or let yourself become defenseless for awhile for the sake of style.  

After some practice session…

 

Here’s the roster which has decent size. I know who I have to pick: Ky Kiske. He’s naïve idealistic person and also zoner type fighter, much like Ryu from Street Fighter. I don’t know what’s the deal with that guy’s very tight trouser. So tight that you can see his backside’s line. He’s my first opponent, by the way.   

 

I like there’s move list in versus screen in case you need quick remainder on what you character’s move.

Yep. That’s the famous “Heaven or Hell” prefight quote, except there’s small typo there.

For first opponent, Zato is pretty easy to defeat. I like this satisfying-looking heavy slash that I assume you can use to start juggling your opponent but my reflex is not fast enough to do that.

Next opponent is this old guy name Kliff with oversized meat clever but with very slim handle. I’m afraid it will be snapped after 2 or 3 big swings. Naturally, I like character with big blade like Siegfried from Soul Blade, Goat from Asura Blade/Asura Buster or Zack from Dragoon Might. I should pick Kliff but no. I choose the reliable Ky because I’m coward just like that.    

Kliff can generate explosive blast from his hand and shout rock sentence. I have no idea what he’s shouting. I hope it’s not something salty or toxic like childish citizen of internet.    

My 3rd opponent is the famous Milia who wield weaponized long hair. Perhaps she learnt the secret to weaponize hair from Kabuki artist in 90s fighting game. Anyway, I fancy this “Stun dipper’ move in which Ky does sliding kick that can passes projectile and follow it up with big slash. Not many zoner character has this underhanded move.

I can’t figure how to do super mover by myself. I try the usual method: input the motion command twice before hitting the attack button like other game of its peer but to no avail. So, I resort to guide from GameFaqs. It said that: there’s 2 types of super move. Charge and Chaos. Chaos can be executed if the super bar below is fully filled or the first life bar is empty. The input for this Chaos move is not shown in movelist so you have to resort to read guide. The Chaos super bar isn’t carried between round so you better spend it ASAP. Preserving the super bar to next round is not allowed.

As for the other one, Charge. One of the moves in movelist can be charged by replacing press the final button with hold charge button and then press either weak or strong slash. The longer you charge, the more powerful the super move but during charging you become defenseless. You may ask “What’s charge button?” I’m glad you ask that. Remember that “respect” button that I mentioned? That’s the charge button, strangely enough. Ky is unique case as the charge move is the bigger version of stun edge (the projectile move) but the motion input become dragon punch instead of the usual hadou ken motion.

 

Armed with this knowledge, I keep spamming the charged stun edge and AI barely can do anything about it. Heavy_domination17.wav

Next opponent is Chipp Zanuff who’s a ninja iirc. Together we demonstrate the Ichigeki hissatsu (One-hit certain kill) mechanic. If I press both punch and kick button, the screen turns red and both of us can execute the one-hit kill move with hadou ken motion input and pressing punch, kick, and weak slash at the same time. If it hits successfully, the victim will be instantly defeated and the victor will win 2 rounds! But as you can see none of us manage to pull the overpowered move successfully. So, we settle this fight with conventional way: beating each other until one of us has zero health for best of 3. I tried to do the broken revolutionary way. I swear.

Next match is with someone called baldhead. He’s tall chap with long-stick weapon that reminds me of Faust. Maybe they two are related? I’m not sure. I’m not here for the lore. I’m here to fight and (hopefully) win.

 

Now, here I am fighting Axl who’s parody of Axl Rose, the vocalist of Guns ‘N Roses afaik. Although I’m not sure if real Mr. Rose like kusarigama (chain and sickle). I like it to in Nioh and Toukiden 2. So, we have something in common.  Also notice that we’re fighting in the end of train stop which is very unsafe place to fight.

 

Wow. Axl means business. I think the game gets tougher when I encounter Chipp where he likes to try on the instant kill move. And now Axl like to use super move but eventually I win by bit of skill and lots of luck.

Next match is with May, the famous small pirate. Does she ride on dolphin that ram to me while shouting “Totsugeki! (charge!)”? Naturally!     

My next opponent is the one and only grapple in Guilty Gear series: Potemkin. Or there’s another grapple? I’m not sure. I only played the PSP game which is the latest one in my experience.

Speaking grappler, I’m being grabbed right now and it’s very painful. I was distracted by line of red robots in background. They could be something from Gundam universe.

Now, we’re at the fateful moment: Ky Kiske versus Sol Badguy. I like the pre-fight cutscene in fighting game. It’s quite rare.

Sol really means business with me. I mean we’re rival so it goes without saying. I just notice fallen Lady Liberty on the back. Back then lots of video games or movie obsessed with destroyed Lady Liberty statue. Does it symbolize lost of freedom and they think it’s cool?

 

Eventually, I win with the tricky sliding move, even. I like his dumb pose when his leg got swept by my sword. Kind of like cartoon character getting slipped by banana peel.

 

My next opponent is Testament…and they freaking poison me! Poison is forbidden in fighting game, you know! #-_-

I also want to criticize their sense of interior design. Why they put armor statue in the middle of stairs? Unless those armor are living Dullahan. Testament need friends too, I see.

So, Testament can summon skulls. They’re necromancer like Alice from Asura Blade but less cute and eviler. Good. Good. [Large-sized Sarcasm]

 

Hah! The sliding trick prevails. It was grueling fight. It seems Testament can read my mind. Plus, they rely on poison and skulls that appears like from anywhere. So, I have to resort to use save state and I don’t feel bad about it.

 

When I thought Testament is tough to crack. There’s next opponent. This fight is harder than Testament’s, isn’t?

WHAT THE FREAK! How dare you shoot unibeam at me? I’ll tell Tony Stark about this!

So, you have smaller laser. Ok. What in tarnation? I get hit even though you can see Ky’s blocking animation back there and later I get dizzy. Do I have to block low this laser?? The fight is pretty unfair, which is ironic because their name is Justice.

I really don’t expect this final boss has grab super move. There goes my health. In my whole gaming experience, I never meet final boss in fighting game that possess grab super move. Ok, wait. Jedah Dohma (from Vampire Savior) has two unblockable super move and both of them are ranged. While Justice must dash a bit to grab me. However, Jedah Dohma doesn’t fill the screen with beam and whip tail. Now that I think about it. Justice’s laser reminds me of Curfue which is penultimate boss from Asura Blade. While Justice’s tail reminds me of S. Geist who is final boss from Asura Blade. Despite the fact I love Asura Blade, I hate Curfue and S. Geist wholeheartedly. So thanks to reminds me of bad part of my favorite game, Justice.

 

I finally won. You can see that I win 2 rounds without lose any round, that’s because I use save state a lot. But I don’t care. Justice is cheating and unfair. They are on same level as infamous SNK Final boss.

Then we’re treated with debate between Justice and Ky. Also, lore on Justice in the mix.

Well, Justice. Whether you want or refuse to kill. You will end up destroyed anyway, you know? The real problem what is your purpose to kill humans? Is it only to fulfill your task? You can reject that idea and become someone better than killing machine.

Well said, Ky. After hearing those words, Justice argue whether Ky still idealistic after meeting with the creator of Justice.

Later Justice peace outs, leaving Ky confused. Cliffhanger ending.

Arc System Works’ Guilty Gear (1998) is decent first game in the series. The gameplay feels ok if compared to my experience played other Guilty Gear. Is it worthy to play this game over many sequels? Maybe yes because of Kliff. I don’t think I saw him anywhere else. The basic mechanism is well and easy to understand. The game offers you two kind of super moves which is unique and brilliant. Regarding Ichigeki hissatsu (One-hit certain kill) it’s too overpowered but the execution is convoluting, so it’s balanced in weird way. I think it’s just my feeling that the game speed is slower than other Guilty Gear. Also, the color tone is pale. Despite the slow pace and 2 health bars, the combat feels fast enough and you can barely feel the time limit. I said before that the game emphasizes on combo chain yet I late to realize that there’s some kind of normal attack chain. But the thing is I’m not sure the order. In Vampire Savior, Marvel vs. Capcom, or Asura Blade, the combo order is from weak to strong normal attack. While in this game, there’s 4 normal attacks: punch, kick, weak slash, and strong slash. Is it punch to be the first in order or is it the kick? I’m quite sure that the strong slash is in the last order. Should you want to bypass blocking enemy, there’s grab performed by holding forward or back and press heavy slash. During the playthrough, I don’t remember use the grab probably because the AI seldom block and they’re more eager to counter my attack rather than block it. The music probably not as strong as in later installment. Same goes to visual effect and the announcer voice. Although I like the background design.

 

Probably there’s next to no reason to go back playing Guilty Gear (1998) because it’s pretty outdated. Although I’m not sure why. It can’t be because of engine limitation. PSX usually handle 3D games with no problem. So, I assume Guilty Gear’s lack of graphic and sound quality are down to Arc System’s incapability to work on PSX engine at that time. And maybe Guilty Gear also rushed to shipment. But from that point, Guilty Gear games are getting better looking and sound in future. However, the gameplay is pretty good. Although Asura Blade (which released in the same year) has punchier feeling than Guilty Gear. But that’s just my personal preference.