Guilty Gear 2 -OVERTURE- is a unique entry into the world of the Guilty Gear fighting franchise. Originally released in 2007 on the Xbox 360, the game was neither popular with fans, critics, or newcomers to the series. The game itself combines elements of hack n' slash with real time strategy (RTS), all the while portraying an underlying multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) influence. Needless to say, the move from 2D side scrolling fighting to 3D RTS/MOBA was a massive shock for audiences.
I personally did not play GG2 -OVERTURE- when it was first released, so I was excited when I saw it come to Steam; I've been excited about every Guilty Gear release on Steam thus far, as I thought it would never happen. The thing is, I never really researched the game, which I will admit is partially my fault. However, the trailer on the store page is one of the most useless trailers in gaming history, and the screenshots led me to believe that the game was going to be similar to Dragon Quest Heroes or Dynasty Warriors. Sadly, this is not the case, and I am personally not a fan of RTS/MOBA genres.
Despite that, there is still the lingering, burning question; is the title any good for an RTS/MOBA game? Unfortunately, absolutely not, the gameplay is downright boring and you will have pretty well experienced everything it has to offer within the first hour of playing. As is typical with MOBAs, you have a Master Ghost (home base) that you need to defend with your units, which you can capture and make more of by taking control of normal Ghosts (spawn points). You continue down a linear path to the enemy Master Ghost and wipe it out. Also, as what is typical for RTS games, you control units to battle other units, all the while hack n' slashing your way to the enemy base. Rinse and repeat for every level, and there you have Guilty Gear 2 -OVERTURE-.
On top of it all, the story is majorly confusing... even for seasoned Guilty Gear veterans such as myself, much less someone who is new or casual to the franchise. The visuals are decent enough, given the fact that they're nearly a decade old; although I do have a hard time understanding why portions of the game have a hazy blur to them. As well, it's a prime time to note that Guilty Gear 2 -OVERTURE- does not go fullscreen, nor does it have any resolution or graphic options at all. You also cannot just simply resize the window that the game plays in.
In truth, the only things that Guilty Gear 2 -OVERTURE- have going for it are the abundance of modes to play in, however boring they may become, and an outstanding soundtrack that the franchise has come to be known for. If you go in expecting something like Dynasty Warriors or Dragon Quest Heroes, you're going to be sorely disappointed, so make sure to research further than the store page. If you're a fan of RTS/MOBA games, you may enjoy this game more, but beware of its repetitive nature, and massively linear gameplay. All in all, even for hardcore fans of the Guilty Gear series, I would have to give this one a pass. At least it runs at a solid 60 FPS.
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