So you’re looking for that great 2D fighter for your PSP? Look no further. SEGA has brought its famous Guilty Gear franchise to the handheld. The games cult following has been waiting for the day and now it's arrived. Americans can wait for another version of the game (Guilty Gear Judgement) sometime in January, but is this Japanese version worth the import to tide you over until then?

The moment I saw a Guilty Gear game floating in the pre-order section of my importer, I didn't have to think twice about the purchase. Guilty Gear X on the SEGA Dreamcast was the one fighter that had me hooked from the moment the in-game menu popped up. The addition of the franchise to the Sony PSP had me drooling and the moment it arrived in the mail, I ripped open the packaging with high anticipation. Fortunately, by expectations were met, perhaps even exceeded, and the outcome is a fun 2D fighter that brings gamers back to the good ol' days of true arcade fighting madness.

Without having to refer to the manual, the controls of Guilty Gear on the PSP are generally pretty easy to figure out the moment you start your first battle. The general controlling mechanisms of any fighter are present;

• Punch - square
• Kick - X
• Slash - Triangle
• High Slash - O
• Dust - R Trigger
• Respect - L Trigger
• Memory - Select

The analog nub is turned off on default, but you have the option to use it by working your way through the main-menu options. However, I found it's easier to control using the D-pad. Adding that the nub is as stiff and stubborn as you can get, and it's worth noting that it's not worth turning it on. Furthermore, whatever you choose to direct your character, your going to be fronted with a pretty bad turning mechanism which is more-so the fault of the PSP than how the game was developed. The same problem was present in Darkstalkers though Guilty Gear's controls are perfect when compared to that game.

Overall, Guilty Gear controls reasonably. If you can look beyond the pretty bad quarter-circle turns then you have a fighter that has pretty strong arcade feel about it. You really can't expect much more from a 2D fighter on a handheld in terms of controls and it's unfortunate that the controlling of the PSP is the reasoning behind a problem in gameplay.

Guilty Gear XX #Reloaded looks pretty much identical to its console and arcade counterparts. In other word's, it looks just as great as you'd expect a 2D fighter to look. Great animation, beautiful colors, cool characters and amazing effects all make this game a real winner in terms of presentation. Although the background's during gameplay can seem a tad pixilated, they add a true arcade feel to the title and just further enhance your playing experience. When compared to its twin in Darkstalkers, Guilty Gear for the PSP is miles ahead in terms of looks. Also, the addition of cool Anime cut scenes that look stunning on the PSP further lift this title to near perfection in looks for a 2D fighter. A great effect for me is the dust that appears whenever characters jump in the air. Very "cartoony" but incredibly cool!

Overall, expectations for this game in terms of graphics were not incredibly high, although I was expecting something nice considering its Guilty Gear. My expectations were definitely exceeded in this aspect, and the finished product is a very cool and great looking fighter.

Difficulty is changeable and the default is set on Normal;

• Beginner
• Easy
• Normal
• Hard
• Very Hard
• Maniac

I'd suggest leaving it on the default for your first few fights and work your way up from there. Very Hard and Maniac are definitely only for the experts, but you can work your way up to those difficulties. Adjusting it to Beginner and Easy will see you winning every fight, no matter how bad you are, and it's just not fun that way! Overall, challenge is as expected, and with each difficulty, as you progress, your opponents get more challenging.

Guilty Gear XX has a pretty decent lot of features and extras at your disposable. Game modes available are:

• Arcade
• M.O.M (Master of Millions Combo attack frenzy mode; Yes, it's as insane as it sounds.)
• Network - Link up to 2 people via ad-hoc WiFi
• VS CPU - It's you, VS the CPU, in an all out, 2 round fight-fest! Yeah, I'm trying to work it up a bit...
• Training - Choose your fighter. Choose your opponent. Bash the hell out of your opponent. Practice special moves and get a hang of the controls here.
• Survival - Choose your favorite fighter and square up against opponent after opponent with no continue.
• Mission - 100 (Yes, 100) missions to work your way through, each with their own objectives and different fighters.
• Story - Choose a character and work your way through a "story", pitting you up against particular characters. Differs for each fighter.

A great amount of game modes and heaps of replayability make this game a true fighting-fan's dream. Also available is a Gallery mode where unlockable videos and images are stored. Credit's, the opening anime film (which is awesome, may I say) and another extra film (which is even more awesome than the opening film) are all available from startup, so the extras are already there to tease you. Worth fighting for and I can't wait to fill my gallery with some awesome images.

Available at your disposal are 21 characters, all with their own special ability's and characteristics.

I felt as though I had to mention the sound of the game. Just because it's so damn awesome. With some great 80'style punk-rock music and great character speech as well as pretty cool sounding effects, this game sounds pretty damn awesome and just further increases the overwhelming coolness element of this game.

Guilty Gear XX #Reload: The Midnight Carnival is definitely an import friendly title. Although the manual and box art is entirely in Japanese, the games is mostly in English, with the most important aspects such as in-game menu and pause option all in our native language. Story mode however is in Japanese, as is character speech, but not much is needed to know when playing this mode. Characters appear on screen with text below representing that they are speaking, and there is Japanese narration. Though, you won't need to understand what's going on to be able to play story mode.

Guilty Gear's introduction to the PSP is more than a decent inclusion. It's a fun, long-lasting blast that will entertain any Guilty Gear fan and also those who are new to the fighting genre. Although there is the problem with the turning mechanism, one really shouldn't be deferred by this problem. The game is totally playable and easy to enjoy. Add to the fact there is heaps of replayability (100 damn missions!) and some extras to unlock and this game would be a very handy inclusion into your PSP collection. If you can't wait for a US Guilty Gear to be released, this Japanese import is high recommended!