GUILTY GEAR XRD REV 2
Loving a revelator
Don’t be fooled. Despite the fact that the logo features an enormous number two, 1 this is not a sequel. Instead, it’s a “definitive” version of the first game, hence the option for owners of Revelator to purchase this as a digital upgrade. The title screen is now green, after all! Okay, the changes go further than that. It remains a 2D beat-’em-up, but surely the most gorgeous one the industry has seen so far. From the Story mode (where you do literally nothing but watch) to the character intros and the fights themselves, everything looks like a high-budget anime. Being an Arc System Works game, each and every character is also designed with remarkable care and skill. Basically, it all looks tastier than a bacon sandwich wrapped in bacon.
Rev 2 adds two new playable characters, some new stages, a (disappointingly brief) extra story, and lots of other little bits and bobs. This includes some character balance fiddling, which you can undo in the options if you want. Whichever balances you go for it’s a flippin’ dream to play, each character as unique to control as they are to look at. Plus, there’s a brilliant soundtrack2 wailing away in the background as an awesome bonus.
Annoyingly, a few of the cast can be spamtastic. Although a skilled Gearhead can counter this, be wary when venturing online. My only other criticism is that this struggles to differentiate itself from the developer’s other series such as BlazBlue. As Revelator has more coherent storytelling and several shedloads of offline content and unlockables, this is still well worth a purchase for diehard fight fans. Luke Kemp