The fast pacing and sharp detailing of the Guilty Gear franchise reaches the PSP intact. Controls are solid with the D-pad preferable for executing precise moves but the analog pad may be used by experts who are looking for a challenging slippery control mechanism with which to pull off special attacks and combos. Graphics are crisp with sharp clean lines and smooth animation as fighters hit, counter-hit, guard, and perform multi-hit combos in fluid motion. While the game steams along, the fighters wil remark, scream, and utter various grunts throughout the swordplay. Potemkin is a huge fighter but the bruiser animates well despite his girth. While every other fighter can perform a dash by double tapping left or right, Potemkin has no such briskness. In addition to the ground dash, fighters may also perform an air dash once they're aloft. Jump and simply double tap to close the distance. A Tension Gauge sits beneath each fighter and increases gradually as attacks, blocks, and actions are performed during the course of battle. The amount of tension allows the performance of special Overdrive attacks, cancels, and other tricks.

Characters are a varied lot with the shapeshifter Eddie constantly changing from seeming normal human to shadowy wraith to winged goblin, Venom who wears a mask with the Eye of Osiris on top and battles with a blue / white pool cue, and the otherworldly Zappa who fights with a team of ectoplasmic warriors and vomits projectile matter from his back.

Start the game and the default option is ARCADE but the following are also available:

M.O.M. - Master of Millionaires combo attack frenzy mode
NETWORK - Link up for 2-player Wi-Fi action
VS CPU - Attack the CPU in a 2-round per fighter matchup
TRAINING - The opponent stands there while you practice your moves and combo tricks
SURVIVAL - Select a fighter and fight through progressive survival levels without using a continue
MISSION - Try 100 missions with specific objectives and time limits
STORY - Select a character and go through his/her trials and tribs
GALLERY - View the opening movie, an extra movie, and unlockable media
OPTIONS - Set key configs, display settings, sound test, ranking, save/load
QUIT - Vamoose

DEFAULT CONTROLS
PUNCH - "SQUARE"
KICK - "X"
SLASH - "TRIANGLE"
H-SLASH "O"
DUST - "R-TRIGGER"
RESPECT - "L-TRIGGER"
MEMORY - "SELECT"

The Analog thumb pad is toggled off as default but one may activate it for use in play.

FIGHTERS
Choose a fighter from the following:
Sol Badguy
Ky-Kiske
May
Millia Rage
Eddie
Potemkin
Chipp Zanuff
Faust
Baiken
Jam Kuradoberi
Johnny
Axl Low
Anji Mito
Venom
Testament
Dizzy
Slayer
I-No
Zappa
Bridget

Only Robo-Ky is missing from the Story Mode but he's available in every other mode.

Everyone has a story to tell and the Story Mode introduces the chosen character and then takes him/her through ranks of fighters. Meet and fight various characters where a little situation is presented along with banter between the two fighters before each fight which is fully voiced by actors.

NCS Game Notes:
* Every blow from Sol Badguy and other sword handlers that connect unleashes a torrent of blood from the opponent.

* There are nice transparency effects in some of the levels.

* Sol Badguy's red headband has a phrase on it. The viewable parts that aren't blocked by his hair are "__CK _OU"

* To check which moves are available to a fighter, press START and scroll down to "COMMAND LIST'

* Background animations are a varied lot. In the raining level, the passerbys in the background would mesh well in a funeral procession with a lumbering guy who walks around like a zombie. In the night bar level, a waitress in a china dress dallies in front of a customer's table while a busboy runs with a plate of steaming buns. Pork. There's a temple level where spirits walk forlornly in a procession up a light of stairs.

* The game cinema quotes scripture from Revelations 10.

* The game menus and options are entirely in English. The voices and in-game subtitles are only in Japanese.

View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCS site.

This document is ©NCSX 2005. All rights reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of this document may be made without express written consent of National Console Support, Inc.