Guilty Gear X Advance Edition

"CHANCE 2: A rather decent portable fighter for Game Boy Advance!"

Let me save you some reading and tell you right now; if you're looking for a decent fighting game to get for cheap, you'll get the best bang for your buck with this game. If you're looking for a blockbuster hit that can go up against GBA fighting titles like Street Fighter Alpha 3, stay clear. This game is really pretty good, but it's disappointingly easy, the audio is poor, and the character sprites leave a lot to be desired. The game retails for $10 - 15, so you won't lose much if you give it a shot, which it is definitely worth.

Well, if you're still reading, have a seat and make yourself comfortable. Now, I've played Guilty Gear X for the Dreamcast, and I thought it was incredible. It had an awesome fighting engine, incredible graphics, superb soundtrack and the most kick ass characters. When I first heard it was coming out for Game Boy Advance, I thought ''Sweet!'' Well, I popped it in my GBA and from the moment I started playing I was pretty disappointed, but after playing for a few days, the game really didn't seem so bad. It's not as good as Street Fighter, but in its own way, it rocks.

The major bummer is the soundtrack, and for that matter, audio in general. The announcer sounds like he's talking with a sock stuffed in his mouth. The once kick ass soundtrack is reduced to tinny sounding beeps. They're the same songs as on other platforms, but the audio quality took a major plummet. It's not the worst I've ever heard, but could have been a lot better.

The graphics are overall good, but not great. The character sprites are blurry and very under-detailed. While fighting, the characters just look too small. You can't see their faces, and the colors also tend to blend in together. Personally, I think the problem is the placement of the fighters on the screen. Had the background been placed maybe 10 - 15 pixels higher along with the fighters, and everything else stays where it is, maybe the characters wouldn't look as small as they do. Also, graphics have a major slowdown on some of the special moves. The rest of the graphics, such as the title and vs. screens look pretty good.

Challenge? What challenge? I've beaten it on very hard mode without breaking a sweat. Remember how frustrating it was fighting Dizzy at the end? Now you'll KO her in a matter of seconds. If you're a button masher, you'll make short work of the computer opponents. If you're a technician, then you'll be god. Hell, even Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo Revival was more challenging than this game. The balance between characters seems pretty even, except Dizzy, who is significantly faster and more powerful than any of the other characters.

You might be disappointed with this game at first, but the more you play it, the more you'll like it. The action is pretty fast and it's great for venting some rage by laying the smack in any of the games several modes, such as Arcade, Tag-Team, 3 vs. 3 and Survival Modes. You can also edit character colors and change options like most fighters. The extras, though scarce, make up for any of the game's misgivings.

So to sum up, if you want a cheap thrill of a fighting game, get it. If you want a challenging blockbuster hit, look elsewhere.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/16/03, Updated 04/20/03