Guilty Gear Judgment review

The latest chapter in the ever-expanding Guilty Gear fighting series, Guilty Gear Judgment is a stark reminder that the PSP needs more 2D games. Not because old-school fanboys need the love, necessarily, but because Judgment's fluid pixels look better than most of the handheld's 3D efforts.

It's no surprise how good the game looks, given that beautiful graphics are a longtime hallmark of the series. So is balls-out-crazy fighting action, and Judgment delivers that as well as Guilty Gear ever has. Driven by a wailing metal soundtrack, it's actually two games squeezed onto one UMD: Guilty Gear Judgment and Guilty Gear X2 #Reload.

Of those, X2 #Reload is the one that'll probably draw more fans of the series, as it's the same deep, one-on-one 2D action that built the franchise. Packing in 23 characters (all of which are unlocked right off the bat, including their SP and EX variations), ridiculously huge super attacks and few surprises, it's maddeningly addictive whether you're a button-masher or a more technical player who actually knows the difference between a Gatling Combo and a Roman Cancel. In short, it deliverseverything you'd want from a Guilty Gear.

Well, everything except mission and story modes, which have apparently been cut in favor of Judgment (which we'll get to in a second).