Arcade - Guilty Gear Isuka

Format
Arcade
Publisher
Sammy
Developer
Sammy
Country of origin
Japan
Release date
2004, arcade
Genre
1 on 1 Fighter

Guilty Gear Isuka

By Eric
6th Jul 04

Guilty Gear Isuka is bound to be a hit when it comes to consoles. I was one of the lucky few who got to play it in the arcade after it came out. I can confidently say that it's one of the best party games ever made. As for how it is as a fighting game, that depends on how you feel about the new features.

Isuka worked hard to be new and fresh, and that's respectable. Now, rather than fighting on just one level, you can move into the background or foreground to fight. It's similar to the Fatal Fury mechanic. Also, up to four fighters can be in a match at once. Each fighter picks a team color, which can result in 2-on-2 or even 3-on-1 matches if four players are available. Of course, to account for so many people, a new button was introduced. The "turn" button. Rather than turning around to face your opponent automatically, you must push the turn button. At first I cursed this button as it led me to defeat after defeat. However, it does have a saving grace. You can push the button in the middle of an attack, jump, or hit to yourself. When your character finishes the attack/jump/damage animation, then he or she turns around automatically. If you want to win at this game, you're going to have to get used to pushing the turn button a second or two before you actually want to turn around. Even though this feature makes the turn button less of a hassle, I still don't like having to babysit it all the time.

There was one other problem I had with this game, although it only seems to apply to the single player mode. As you fight, your "survival level" goes up. When it reaches a multiple of ten, your fight is interrupted and you begin another match against two people rather than one. If you're already fighting two people, then you're taken to fight two DIFFERENT people. It's irritating to be on the verge of winning a fight, and then suddenly have to start all over without advancing forward a level. Because of this very reason I have yet to actually fight this end boss of this game. I would rather finish a fight and THEN fight two opponents than disregard the serious butt-kicking I was in the middle of to be whisked away to a fight where the odds are against me.

Other than those two flaws, I don't see anything wrong with this game. There's no story move, but that might be changed when this is ported to consoles. It's the ultimate non-online multiplayer experience. Plus, you can't help feeling like a badass when you manage to defeat not one, but TWO fighters who were coming after you at the same time. If you ever stumble upon it at the arcade, it's most definitely worth the quarter.

Score: 8/10

-- Eric 6th Jul 04

Arcade Guilty Gear Isuka Images