Guilty Gear X (0)

Overview

Justice is dead. The original rogue gear has been destroyed, but a new one has emerged to strike fear into the heart of a world. Again a contest has begun to see if anyone is worthy to strike down the gear with a diverse cast of fighters appearing to do battle for the tremendous reward. The game plays nearly identically to it's Playstation 1 counterpart, but with massively improved graphics and sound. Two fighters square off in a best out of three match with devastating Destruction moves capable of ending a match at any moment. Most of the characters from the previous game return as well as several newcomers. The game also continues and expands upon the complex story of the first game.

Combat

The game is fundamentally identical to the first Guilty Gear, with one notable exception: the DESTRUCTION moves no longer end the fight absolutely, only the round in which they connect. The game features the same frantic pacing, combos and air-combos as it's predecessor with a new mechanic of a knock-down attack that can be used to interrupt combos as long as the meter is filled as well as the Roman Guard, which prevents damage from special attacks at the cost of draining the tension gauge as long as it's active.

Story

Taking place mere weeks after Sol Badguy defeated Justice, Guilty Gear X finds another Commander-type gear emerging and, fearing yet another large-scale war, a tournament begins to see who can bring the new rogue down. The prize this time will be 500,000 World Dollars, an apparently huge sum. The Commander GEAR is named Dizzy and is wild and uncontrollable.

Characters

Sol Badguy: Having killed Justice at last, Sol returns to the tournament to ensure that this new GEAR doesn't represent a threat to humanity. Interstingly, in any of his three endings, Sol decides that she isn't and allows her to live. It is then revealed that Dizzy was Justice's daughter.

Ky Kiske: Having heard news of this new GEAR that supposedly doesn't wish to harm humans, Ky is forced to question his own strict moral code and enters the tournament to see if the rumors are true.

Robo-Ky: A robotic Ky Kiske that stalks the world, making mayhem and often ruining the good name of the real Ky. Robo-Ky was built to take those of Japanese descent into custody. There are several of them at any given time, roaming the world and sometimes breaking free of their programming.

Zato-1: Zato-1 is no more, he is merely a shell of a man completely possessed by the parasitic Eddie. No longer in control of his faculties, Eddie has gone mad with murder and gone out of control, though few know the truth that the parasite is the one in control.

Millia Rage: Wracked with guilt at what has become of her former lover, Millia enters the tournament to put his body to rest at long last and free his soul from the monster Eddie. She finds and kills him, but this merely gives Eddie even greater control over the body of Zato-1.

Venom: Another orphan raised by the Assassin Guild, Venom rose quickly through the ranks and became Zato-1's right hand man. He grew to idolize the leader of the Guild and couldn't understand it when Millia turned against him. Out of love for his master, Venom enters the tournament to try and save him from the woman as well as curry even more favor in the Guild. Venom wields a pool cue and can conjur billiard balls out of the air, which he can fire in a myriad of directions at his foes. He has declared Millia his enemy because he does not realize that Eddie has taken control of Zato's body.

Faust: Dr. Baldhead, visited by the ghost of the girl who died under his care and informed that her death was the result of outside forces rather than his own negligence, has had his sanity restored. However, he cannot rationalize the horror of his deeds during his insanity, and so dons a paper bag to hide his identity. He enters the tournament as a healer, trying to help as many people as he can, though he still fights ferociously.

Johnny: The leader of the Jellyfish Pirates and legendary ladies-man (which explains why all the other members of the Jellyfish pirates are women), Johnny enters the tournament strictly for the prize money to finance his pirates. After defeating Dizzy, he realizes she is neither a threat to humanity nor a horrible monster, and spares her life, even offerring her a place on his ship. Johnny uses a Japanese-style wooden sword and strikes quickly with it. He hits on every female opponent he comes across.

May: May enters the tournament strictly to impress Johnny and finance the Jellyfish Pirates. Upon encountering Faust, she phobia of bald people (even though Faust wears a bag disguising his identity) manifests and implies even a past interaction between the two. She is more than happy to welcome Dizzy into the Jellyfish Pirates.

Jam Kuradoberi: A lighthearted Chinese martial-arts expert, Jam's primary passion is cooking. She enters the second tournament to win the prize money and finance her own restaurant, as well as seeking mysterious ingredients that will allow her food to be completely unique. After a misunderstanding between Testament and Dizzy, she accomplishes both these goals as Sol refused to claim the bounty so it fell to her. Her ability to wield Ki has made her a target of hostile forces, though she herself does not realize that the ability is so unusual. Through the tournament, she develops a crush on Ky Kiske and flirts with him whenever the two meet. She does not wield a weapon, but uses hand-to-hand combat and ki to be the equal of the other members of the cast.

Potemkin: The giant has been freed by Gabriel, the leader of a rebellion in the city of Zepp after the events of the first game. Gabriel declared Potemkin the champion of Zepp and appoints him the guardian of the newly formed democracy. To further safeguard the city, he is sent to the tournament as a bounty hunter to try and convince the rogue GEAR to join the newly formed nation. Despite having been freed from his slavery, he still wears the collar of a slave, though it is no longer rigged to explode if he removes it. He finds Dizzy at the end of the game, but Johnny interferes and Dizzy joins the Jellyfish pirates instead.

Baiken: This mysterious samurai continues her search for That Man throughout the new tournament, gaining a follower and admirer in Anji Mito. Sadly for Anji, Baiken finds him to be incredibly irritating and an obstacle in her quest.

Anji Mito: Anji Mito is a full-blooded Japanese person, which makes him endangered due to the destruction of Japan in the Crusades. He is placed on a government sponsored colony, but detests the lifestyle as being a captive in a zoo. He rebels, stealing the GEAR killing Zessen fans and begins a quest for That Man and more GEARS. He wields the Zessen fans in a very fluid combat-style. He becomes enamoured of the only other Japanese person in the tournament and begins persuing Baiken to learn more about his lost culture.

Chipp Zanuff: Having failed to find closure at the conclusion of the first quest, Chipp Zanuff enters the second tournament to meet and protect Dizzy, believing that Justice deserved a second chance, much like he did, and not wanting to see GEARS unfairly persecuted. After Sol spares her life and she joins up with the Jellyfish Pirates, Chipp ventures into the wilderness to train his skills even further.

Testament: Having lost Justice, Testament wandered the Earth in despair until he heard news of a new Command GEAR in a secret grove. He sought out this new GEAR in order to protect her, and defends her viciously from any who would seek to harm her. After Sol defeats him, spares Dizzy, and Dizzy joins the Jellyfish Pirates, Testament is satisfied that she's safe and continues his wandering, searching for his purpose in life.

Dizzy: A half-human, half GEAR, Dizzy was extremely conflicted but deep down only wanted peace between the two races. She is possessed by two spirits: Angelic Undine and demonic Necro, one used for defensive measures, the other for offensive ones. The two forces clash within her, vying for control of her immense power. These also act as her weapons and she uses them to generate incredible bursts and beams of energy. She grew up in an isolated village, but was exiled when she matured in only three years. She was hidden in a grove after her wings (manifestations of Undine and Necro), and tail grew out by her foster parents, she dwelt there until she was discovered by Testament and the next tournament began.