The untimely decline of the arcade brought with it the demise of one of the most popular genres in gaming history, the one-on-one tournament fighting game. The two-dimensional variety of these games may have disappeared from the mainstream gaming landscape, but their 3D counterparts still enjoy moderate success on home consoles. Of course, someone forgot to inform Arc Systems of this little fact. While the rest of the game-making universe is busily sculpting 3D graphics for the next Soul Calibur or Dead or Alive, Arc Systems has completely bucked all sensibility to bring us Guilty Gear. An old-school throwback at heart, Guilty Gear refines the best tenets of fixed-plane fighting gameplay and mixes them with mind-blowing sprite graphics and an outrageous anime-inspired presentation. The result is an awesome game and one hell of a fun ride.

The latest entry in the fledgling series is Guilty Gear XX, available now for the PlayStation2. It's more of a re-working of the last game than a true sequel, but the leap up to PS2 hardware makes it feel brand new. Fans of fighting games will feel right at home with its controls and battle system, though newcomers will likely struggle with its myriad offensive and defensive techniques. Guilty Gear XX offers an experience unlike any other, as it is essentially an over-the-top anime reincarnated in controllable pixel form. The large roster of fighters sports some very bizarre characters, like Bridget, a cross-dressing nun who attacks with a yo-yo and I-No, a super-sexy witch clad in thigh-high leather boots who kicks ass with a guitar. Then there's Faust, a big something who attacks by doing some things; I can't really describe it, you just have to see it.

The primary battle system in Guilty Gear XX will be very familiar to most game players. Two characters square off against each other and, over the course of several rounds pummel each other with punches, kicks, guitars, dolphins and giant hentai tentacles. A number of different play modes are available from the start, including the standard Arcade Mode and Versus Mode. Arc Systems has implemented a fairly robust Survival Mode that pits you against a series of standard opponents that are interspersed with "boss battles" against the stronger Shadow and EX characters at regular intervals. There's even a fairly extensive Story Mode that features a fair bit of exposition for your chosen character. Branch points allow you to see different endings, unlock stronger versions of each character and even open up a trio of hidden characters (Justice, Kliff and Robo-Ky).

There are a number of fighting techniques that set Guilty Gear apart from the crowd. Most of these make use of a secondary meter called the Tension Gauge which fills up as you make offensive moves. Nearly every character has an Instant Kill move that, when activated, will drain your opponents' life bar completely. These moves are often accompanied by some super-cool visual effects that make performing them that much more rewarding. The potential cheapness of the IK move is offset by the fact that it drains your Tension Gauge, and then when that runs out your character starts to lose health. Many moves can be "cancelled" into other moves by using special Tension techniques called Roman Cancel and False Roman Cancel. With these, the normal recovery time can be drastically reduced, allowing you to extend combos to spectacular lengths. Unlike most other fighting games, Guilty Gear XX penalizes if you "turtle" for too long by decreasing your Tension.

Every character has the requisite "super" moves (called Overdrives) that deal out heavy damage along with some cool visual effects. These moves also require Tension and can even be linked into combos if your timing is good enough. In addition to your standard hold-back-to-block defense (called Basic Guard), GGXX enables you to employ techniques like Instant Block and Faultless Defense that provide additional benefits. For instance, Faultless Defense negates blocking damange and pushes your opponent away, giving you space to counterattack. There are still more moves available to you, including Burst, which is basically used as a combo breaker, and Dead Angle Attack, a tough-to-use counter move. The gameplay is very deep and surprisingly well-balanced. Learning how and when to use these myriad techniques is key to succeeding, as well as just having fun in Guilty Gear XX.

Probably the most notable feature of Guilty Gear XX is its high-resolution sprite graphics, which even in this era of 3D games still manage to impress. Very few video games have ever made use of hi-res sprites (Street Fighter III comes to mind), which is a damn shame considering how sexy the results can be. This arcade-perfect version of GGXX runs at a robust 640x480 resolution with absolutely gigantic characters (Potemkin takes up the whole damn screen!). The increased resolution allows for some incredible detail on the fighters, and the backgrounds are chock full of cool animated touches. Animation is generally very fluid (though it can be a bit stiff during certain moves), and some of the visual effects that accompany Instant Kills or Overdrives are truly spectacular. Overall GGXX is a beautiful game that puts nearly every other 2D fighter to shame.

Unlike the vast majority of fighting games, GGXX features an excellent soundtrack comprised principally of heavy metal and hard rock tracks. The songs are original works, but it's striking how closely the band performing them emulates various rock acts, from Van Halen to Iron Maiden to Metallica. If you're not a metalhead then the score might be a bit much to take, but it fits well with the themes of the game regardless of personal preferences. I happen to think the soundtrack is incredibly well-done, and I listen to it quite often outside of the game. Sound effects are similarly excellent, with as a wide variety of loud damange effects are complimented by some suitably quirky voice acting. Some characters can become a bit grating, especially if you're not into yippy little Japanese girls (shut the fuck up, May!).

Guilty Gear XX is an excellent game, but it's still a niche product that will only appeal to a small segment of game players. Its anime-inspired feel and bizarre characters may be a bit of a turn off for mainstream players or those accustomed to more traditional games like Street Fighter. If you're a fan of fighting games however, you should definitely check out all that GGXX has to offer. Its beautiful graphics, racous soundtrack, outrageous themes and deep gameplay will provide many hours of entertainment, both alone or with a friend. The only feature that would make the game better is online play, but I can hardly fault Sammy for its absence considering how low-profile this game is. If you fit this games' target audience, then I guarantee you'll find a lot to like in Guilty Gear XX.