Guilty Gear Xrd: The 2nd
It was too easy to find cynics saying “eh, I’ll wait for the next version” whenever news about Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- was posted anywhere online, but whether their reaction was justified remained to be seen. The iteration represented a departure from the typical Arc System Works title, thanks to its newfound approach to presentation (which can now be watched online), and because Guilty Gear had returned after years of dormancy. The frequent releases of Blazblue updates (now on the second revision of its third version — with the console version coming this summer in America) made many understandably wary, but hey, they could always change their business structure.
But ArcSys just had to go and make everyone who wanted to believe otherwise look foolish this week, announcing that a new installment is indeed on the way. That’s Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- for arcades, an update in enough of a finished state that location testing sessions for it will first be held between June 5-7 — that’s next weekend. This is great for their Japanese base, who still visits arcades with frequency, though their participation has been steadily declining in the last few years. This isn’t great for their western fanbase, which ArcSys did a fantastic job giving a gigantic middle finger to with this announcement. Sure, I’ll list why:
- The Evolution 2K15 tournament will be using the old version, meaning every player will be looking at how Japan already has tweaked versions of the same characters, intriguing new characters, and stages, while they’re competing amongst themselves. They’ll be especially envious if a character they enjoy has been buffed, or some top tier characters like Zato-1 and Ramlethal have been nerfed. This previously occurred with some Blazblue installments, so perhaps most expected this.
- -SIGN- still hasn’t released in Europe, where it will hit six months after Japan and America received it next Wednesday — digital-only via PlayStation Network and for full-price. The European fans that didn’t import the overseas versions already felt neglected enough to skip it, but now that they’re aware of -REVELATOR-, they’re really skipping it. Golf claps all around!
- Guilty Gear XX Accent Core +R just released on PC Tuesday. But hey, after receiving so many late releases of ArcSys games (they’re also only on Continuum Shift Extend for Blazblue — two versions behind), maybe they’ve come to expect this. Hell, -SIGN- will probably release on PC around this time next year at the earliest.
You can see why some are understandably upset regarding this latest announcement, unless you were already in that category. I won’t be too negative here, though. For anyone not in the camps affected by the aforementioned issues and was looking forward to the next version, this is good news — especially if this means some fan-favorites will be added.
Given his appearance in the previous game’s story mode, it would have been a surprise if Johnny didn’t make it to this version. He’s the first, and currently only, character confirmed for -REVELATOR- thus far, but expect a bunch of returning characters conspicuously absent from -SIGN- to appear this time around.
Also coming with Johnny is…a mystery character teased in a silhouette, whose identity is anyone’s guess. She doesn’t resemble any returning character as they were in previous titles, so she’s either a retooled existing face, or brand new. Or Bridget.
Additionally, this version will come with plenty of character balancing, though more tweaks will inevitably be made after the planned location test sessions conclude. It’s also adding the “Stylish Mode” from Blazblue, a mode for beginners allowing for easier combos. A number of Xrd players have already said its system is a little too masher friendly, and this won’t help. But attracting more newcomers is good for the longevity of a franchise.
If the location tests are similar to what they were for -SIGN-, ArcSys won’t want people recording matches. Don’t expect footage to last on Youtube for long after videos are uploaded, so keep an eye on fighting game boards like Shoryuken and Dustloop to see matches as they’re posted. The final release for -REVELATOR- should happen sometime this fall, with the console version coming later in 2016; and yes, it will very likely be a disc release, and not a DLC upgrade. Their timing wasn’t the best here, but it won’t be coming soon enough for the general player base to feel too screwed.
P.S. Speaking of Blazblue: designer Toshimichi Mori is currently mulling over ideas for the next installment, due for release sometime next year. The roster could boast over 30 characters for the next game, enough for the developers to potentially implement team battles. That will be a good and necessary way for mixing up the formula, even though it would be hell to balance efficiently. In any case, anyone expecting the series to adopt Xrd’s presentation style will be disappointed. Perhaps another ArcSys-developed franchise can put that to use — an “Arena,” to be specific.
About The Author
Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
