GGX, has a definite
Samurai Showdown feel to it. If you've played a fighting game, you know how it works. It's easy enough to pick up and play, but the difficult moves will take patience to master - if you can at all. In addition to the requisite punches, kicks and special moves,
GGX brings a few new toys to the party. The first of which is the Tension Gauge, which fills up faster the more aggressive you are to your opponent. Why should you care? Because filling up the gauge will allow you to unleash your Overdrive moves - which can quickly change the tide of battle if done correctly. In addition to these moves, you can also perform devastating one-hit kill moves - but before you yell
Cheap!, keep in mind that they take time to perform and you will see them coming.
Combos and counters are the rule in GGX, and knowing how to break your opponent's combos will mean life or death. At your disposal are dust attacks, gattling combos, Roman Cancels, and recovery moves. All of these help to add a new dimension to the combat system's depth and will take even battle-hardened fighting game veterans time to master.
In addition to normal one-on-one matches, GGX also offers a fully adjustable Training mode to help you practice moves and combos in just about any situation. It also includes a Survival mode in which you pick one character and fight through an onslaught of one-on-one battles, slowly increasing your abilities - it's tough, but it's also the best way to learn the game.
While the combat system does have a bit of depth, the rest of the game is pretty shallow. It would have been nice to have more unlockables and not just the two characters - but hey, half the fun is playing with a friend anyway, right?
