Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- Review

Guilty Until Proven Innocent.

 Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- is the fifth installment in the long running Guilty Gear series which debuted back in 1998 for the original PlayStation.Also, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- is exclusive to PlayStation consoles, what I'm playing is the PS4 version of the game, which isn't drastically different from its PS3 counterpart.

The most refined entry in the series.

 Right off the bat, you'll notice the stunning cel-shaded visuals and shading effects thanks to the performance of Unreal Engine 3.
Character models, backgrounds, and overall design is just stunning. Not to mention the colorful character design.

Character models and backgrounds are looking great!

 Each character is interesting and great with their own distinctive fighting style, some with their own weird names like "Sol Badguy" and "Bedman", but the overall roster feels a bit limited to previous games. Also, this wouldn't be a Guilty Gear game without an excellent heavy metal soundtrack, which is certainly filled with.

 If you're new to this kind of stuff, Xrd does a great job of making the game accessible thanks to the detailed (and humorous) tutorial mode and the beginner difficulty. Speaking of gameplay, its where Xrd shines the most.

 Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- is filled with many gameplay features. The Tutorial and Training modes will help you become a pro by teaching you advanced moves and helping you to pull them off. Furthermore, Online and Challenge Modes offer plenty of replay-value if you've finished the story. Also, there are some decent extras such as character art and additional tracks to unlock by earning World Coins by winning battles.

Heaven or Hell?, Let's Rock!

 If you have been following the series for a while, you'll notice the complete re-design.The 2D sprites have been removed in favor of 3D cel-shaded animations, which are certainly  a welcome feature. Also, Xrd runs at a smooth 720p on PS3, and amazing 1080p on PS4. The soundtrack, while rather small, contains some great tracks which perfectly accompanies the game.

Presentation-wise, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-
is stunningly stylish.

 Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- continues after the events of Guilty Gear 2: Overture with Sol Badguy and company facing a new threat caused by Ramlethal Valentine. Without going much in depth, Xrd's story mode is like watching an anime with characters talking at times, and sometimes battle. Additionally, the Library section is ideal for newcomers or returning players looking for a recap of previous games and character information.

Xrd's Story Mode is basically a 3 hour or so anime.

 Fluid gameplay, sweet visuals, interesting characters, and an awesome soundtrack; that's all I want from a fighting game, and Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- delivers. Despite a limited roster and soundtrack, Arc System Works has created another great fighting game.

EXCELLENT

Note: sorry I didn't follow the reviewing system, just wanted to change things a bit with Xrd's review.