Guilty Gear Isuka

"Why am I the only one giving this a 10? Seriously, why the hell am I the only one giving this a 10? And why can't I give it an 11?"

I hear a lot of low scores, and a lot of hate. But this is pretty much my favorite game of all time. Some say it's poorly implemented, but one gamer certainly didn't think so...one man's trash is another man's treasure, as they say...

Let's start off with presentation. I never really was all too obsessed with a game's graphics or sound...and I'm DEFINITELY not going to judge this game on that alone, but I gotta say...this game has pretty much the greatest presentation that a 2D fighting game can render. The graphics are great, the sprites and backgrounds are done exceptionally well. As for the sound for the game...hold up...this deserves it's own paragraph...

Anyway, the sound in this game is SO FREAKIN' AWESOME THAT I HAD TO MAKE ANOTHER PARAGRAPH JUST FOR IT. The voiceovers are rather skillfully done...although how does the same guy who does the voice for Faust (Takashi Kondou) also double as the voice actor for Potemkin? The announcer saying 'let's rock' every time you level up in Arcade Mode may come off as annoying for some, but I'm usually too crunk to give a damn...too busy ensuring my enemies' dooms...and on top of that, in the later levels, when he replaces 'let's rock' with 'dark side!', that's where I start laughing my ass off. And the MUSIC!!!! It freaking r0x0rz. Back when my mom and pop worked the same shift, giving me complete solitude...I CRANKED THE VOLUME OF THIS GAME TO MAXIMUM...turning my TV up to max, turning the music to max in the options menu...so loud that the neighbors could probably hear it crystal-clear, although I didn't care...it's a damn shame I can't do that anymore. That was fun though, especially when Robo-Ky's theme (which is twice as loud as the other themes) comes on, and I can probably be heard from miles away, but once again...I wouldn't care, way too busy having fun.

OK...now I'm going to tell you about how responsively this game plays. My only gripe is that I can't do EX A.B.A's "Decapitate" right...I wind up doing her qcf...other than that, the game handles rather well. The turn button may seem annoying to some at first...but you'll get so used to it, that even when you switch to another fighting game, you'll still instinctively press R1 every time someone crosses you up (i.e. jumps over you, walks under you while you're jumping, etc.)

As for the gameplay in general, you can choose from a variety of modes, and there are many ways to play it. This game has a ton of freedom, and yet it's still balanced. The only 2D fighter that has more freedom is Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, and guess how that wound up. (for those who can't, it wound up broken as hell) Isuka is hella balanced, no infinites or anything like that. Isuka is the only Guilty Gear game I've played, but having the ability to do line changes (roll in/out, a bit like Fatal Fury) and play three- or (gasp!) four-player games are rather positive features for this diverse fighter. Each character plays almost completely different, so how you survive against the other guy, or other two guys, or other three guys, is up to you. There's a TON of unlockables, including the generic thugs from the Boost Mode, the boss, and EX versions for each character (which increase the diversity even more), and it's all stretched out so it'll take you a while to unlock everything.

The Arcade mode is fused with a survival-style mode to bring one hell of an interesting new way to play a fighting game. As you fight, your "survival level" increases. As your level increases, your opponents become gradually tougher, and you eventually wind up in situations that pit you against 2 opponents at once. At levels 99, 149, and 199, Leopaldon appears. Beat him on level 199 and you unlock him. As I said, I've never played XX or whatnot, so I don't know how kick-ass Justice or Kliff were. However, while Leopaldon IS sort of cheap...bosses are kind of supposed to be. This boss isn't as cheap as KOF 2002's Rugal though...and will not subtract from your fun while playing this game; and on top of that, you're rewarded with the option to set the 'Survival Level' option higher in the 'Game Options' menu to face more challenging opponents, which is GREAT. When you get good, it wants you to become even better. Also, when you kick enemy ass, you get a certain amount of points. When you start out, just a noob at level 1, playing for the first time...you'll face off against 1-point opponents. But when you become accustomed to whoopin' hind parts, and you get to level 200, you get to scoring 10 points per ass kicked. And you deserve those points, since they become more challenging and more demanding of skill as you progress. Every 100 points, you face 2 EX-Version characters. Beat them, and you unlock them.

The GG Boost mode is like Streets of Rage or Final Fight...a side-scrolling beat-'em-up, which is one hell of a minigame. It's seriously hard though, unless you set the game difficulty to 'Beginner' (don't feel ashamed, noobs...I did the same thing) But making a big leap from it's ancestor counterparts in which you could only use 3-4 characters who weren't that different from each other...you have the entire cast of the game to choose from, and if you've played the main game, you know how diverse the cast is. Therefore, fun all day when you get tired of playing a fighting game.

The RKII Factory is...interesting, to say the least. You put Robo-Ky Mark II through GG Boost mode, getting points along the way. With these points, you can buy Robo'd up versions of other character's moves, among other things, to pimp Robo-KyII out with. Aside from the movelist pimping, feel free to get some attribute kits and Roman Cancel chips as well. Have fun with that. The mode is also where you set your nickname (8 characters max).

There is a Training mode to explore new combos and setups...but Vs. Mode is what's really good. Here, it's your call. one-on-one, handicap matches, three- or four-player free-for-alls...it's all up to you and your friends. If you're like me in the way that you don't have any closeby friends, it's entirely up to you then. I don't think you'll get bored with a Level 999 computer opponent though. Or two Level 999 computer opponents...or three...on Maniac difficulty...

The game's options let you change the game difficulty, set the timer, all the basic stuff...even change the in-game font. (I like the default though...) However, there are only two other real reasons to use the options. First is to save, since Isuka doesn't have an auto-save function (thank goodness). Second is to listen to the music...good stuff.

To hell with Marvel...to hell with DarkStalkers...maybe even to hell with Rival Schools...THIS GAME OWNS ABOVE ALL. And that's only playing it without a can of BooKoo Energy. After a BooKoo, or 2 of them for that matter, playing Isuka is an experience beyond any other. For those fighting game enthusiasts who double as energy drink enthusiasts...I dare you all to try playing a few BooKoo-induced rounds of Isuka, and tell me if it doesn't blow your freakin' mind.

Rent or Buy? WHY THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN ASKING YOURSELF SUCH A STUPID, POINTLESS QUESTION! IF YOU SEE IT FOR SALE, THEN BUY THE DAMN THING IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!1one111!!!!

I mean it. This game is top-tier. Sammy should make an Isuka 2.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/14/06