How many game in the serie?

[Ikagura]

I'm only getting into this serie (after seeing the trailer for the new game, it's the 7th main game right?)

What is the difference between the numbered and "X" game in the serie?

[Red]

Basically, in terms of story, you have:
Guilty Gear
Guilty Gear X Plus
Guilty Gear X2 Slash (or #Reload in the West, with slightly less content)
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R
Guilty Gear 2 -Overture-
Guilty Gear Vastedge
Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-
Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2
... and then the next one, which will most likely continue where Revelator/Rev 2's story left off.


In terms of games though, it's a bit different.

Guilty Gear is a standalone game that set up the foundation for the series (and many other games now known as "anime fighters" or "air-dashers", which is a term I personally prefer). It's pretty unbalanced, but worth playing out of curiosity and for the lore.

Then came Guilty Gear X and X Plus (Japan only), with more characters, a much more polished gameplay, new graphics... An arcade version called Guilty Gear X ver. 1.5 also exists, with a gameplay closer to the XX series but without the Plus version's added stuff.

The Guilty Gear X2/XX series is when the series really gained in popularity, I think. It's again more refined than GGX, and has more content. It added plenty of characters, gameplay modes and lore, and IIRC story modes are different in GGX2#R/GGX2S and GGXXAC+R. The latest iteration, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, is one of the most complex (yet balanced) fighting games to date. As a side note, several drama CDs (only in Japanese, though) and lore books have been released during the XX era, so if you're interested in the lore, they also exist.

Guilty Gear 2 -Overture- is a completely different game and was meant to be the prologue to the next part. It's not a traditional fighting game, but more of a fighting game / tower defense / strategy / beat 'em up hybrid. Many people disliked it when it released, but I think it's fun to play (well, save for a few frustrating missions). Maybe it also had to do with the Xbox 360's technical limitations... It's worth checking out for the lore and unique gameplay.

Guilty Gear Vastedge was a pachi-slot game released a bit before Xrd, and again serves as a prologue of sorts. The problem is that aside from that, not many details about it are known in the West, so technically it's great for the lore, but lost to the past.

Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- marked the series' real shift to 3D (while still keeping it a 2D fighting game). As a result, it has way less characters than the XX series. It also features a new story (that takes place after GG2O and Vastedge), new or reworked game modes, new characters and a reworked gameplay (because even the devs thought the XX series was too hardcore). Speaking of which, it introduced Stylish Mode, meant for casual players as an introduction to fighting games' gameplay.
Guilty Gear Xrd -Revelator-, and subsequently its Rev 2 expansion, also added graphical improvements, new characters, a continuation to the story, reworked game modes and so on. Currently, Rev 2 is the latest iteration, so if you want to check the series out, that's a great starting point.

And then you have the next Guilty Gear game, which should continue the Xrd storyline but have a fairly different gameplay according to the series' director, Daisuke Ishiwatari.


There you have it. Guilty Gear, the X, XX and Xrd series are more or less traditional air-dashers each having their own specific aspects, Guilty Gear 2 -Overture- and Guilty Gear Vastedge are their own thing, and not much is known yet about the next game's gameplay aside that it should be a 2D fighting game. Aside from that, all of these games have a place in the series' canon.

Hope this helps!

[Ikagura]

Thanks a lot for the explanation! "Air-dasher" sounds good for this subgenre (I think Melty Blood may have taken inspiration from GG at some point).

Which game would you advice for a newcomer to the serie like me? I tried the first one but got literally destroyed by the final boss (it would feel at home in a SNK game)

I think I may get X2 on Steam soon (Robot Ky is playable in this one right?)

[Red]

Originally posted by Ikagura:

Thanks a lot for the explanation! "Air-dasher" sounds good for this subgenre (I think Melty Blood may have taken inspiration from GG at some point).

Which game would you advice for a newcomer to the serie like me? I tried the first one but got literally destroyed by the final boss (it would feel at home in a SNK game)

I think I may get X2 on Steam soon (Robot Ky is playable in this one right?)

I'd personally recommend GGXrd Rev 2 since it's the latest one, but if you want to get into the XX series both GGX2#R and GGXXAC+R are good in their own way. #R has a mod implementing online multiplayer with a rollback-based netcode (but there's no Robo-Ky), while AC+R is the most complete one.

And yeah, Melty Blood definitely took inspiration from GG if not GGX.