The story in GGX Advance is the same as the Dreamcast version: after the destruction of the Gear known as Justice, all operational Gears ceased to function. Years later, there are reports of a Gear still in operation, but no one knows where it is. A bounty is placed on its head and myriad hunters join in the fray. All of the characters from the Dreamcast version make an appearance here, such as Sol, May, Jam, and secret characters Dizzy and Testament. There aren’t a lot of differences between this version and the original when it comes to the standard game system, either.

Standard features such as super combos (called Overdrive attacks) and the accompanying meter (Tension Gauge) made it over, as did Instant Kills, which will kill your enemy outright if they aren’t blocked. In the GBA version, you must switch to the three-button layout in order to activate it with the L trigger, otherwise you won’t be able to use them. In addition to Instant Kills, the game also incorporates Alpha Counters (called Dead Angle Attacks), Tech Hits, and Faultless Defense, which prevents you from taking any guard damage at all at the expense of draining your Tension Gauge or life meter. Faultless Defense is also the only way you can block in the air, which forces you to be smart when playing against an opponent. Do you use Faultless Defense to block an incoming attack and attempt a counterattack accordingly, or do you risk trading hits (or getting ed out completely) to land a counter-hit move into a big damage combo?

Speaking of combos, GGX Advance also introduces one of the most innovative moves in a 2D game: Roman Cancels. To perform a Roman Cancel, you need to press any 3 buttons during any move (some special moves do not allow for Roman Cancelling), and you will cancel all of your recovery from that move. Roman Cancels have some great applications, primarily for use in combos as well as avoiding counterattacks if one of your moves have been blocked or whiffed completely.

In addition to the standard Arcade, Vs, and Training modes, there is also a boatload of other fun things to do in GGX Advance. There’s Survival mode, where you’ll find a constant wave of enemies until you reach Level 100; Color Edit mode, where you can change the appearance of every character; Training Mode; Tag Mode; and 3-on-3 Mode. The last two are new to the game, but don’t add too much.

Tag Mode isn’t like other “Vs” games you’ve played before. You start off with two characters, but there’s no way to tag in a partner in the middle of a match unless you have enough meter in your Tension gauge. On top of that, there are a couple of restrictions to tagging. If you execute a super combo that involves a fireball and then tag out, the fireball magically disappears. However, you can do some pretty neat combos with the tagging system, as characters don’t actually come from the sides to “tag” like in other games. Instead your current character is instantly replaced with your partner, so you can continue your assault without hesitation. 3-on-3 mode is similar to the King of Fighters format, where each team will fight until one team does not have any more characters to continue the battle with.

Despite being shrunken down to size, the graphics don’t lose too much. All of the backgrounds have made the transition over to the GBA, and the animation for each character is still very good considering the limitations of the platform. While you’ll still get some of the crazy special effects with some of the super moves, there does seem to be a lot of slowdown with certain moves in the game, such as Sol’s Dragon Installation super combo and Jam’s Instant Kill move. The characters are also a tad on the small side - so small, in fact, that you’ll probably have to squint to see them at times. Other than these small flaws, the graphics are superb.

The only place where GGX Advance really falters is in the sound, and that’s more the GBA’s fault than the game itself. The background music comes off as tinny and very annoying, and the sound effects aren’t very special either. Then again, one shouldn’t expect a soundtrack that’s heavy on the rock like Guilty Gear’s is to translate well onto the GBA.

Overall this is a very impressive title, and is the best fighting game on the GBA, second only to Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper. To its credit, GGX Advance was finished long before SFA3 Upper, which only makes it more impressive that it’s able to stand up against the newer titles on the system. Any fighting game fan needs to do himself a favor and pick this title up immediately.

· · · Reno