Guilty Gear XX Accent Core is a bit of a funny one. While the score it's received would suggest another exemplary slice of 2D fighting from ARC System Works, you could quite easily cut that score in half if you don't own the peripherals needed to play this game the way it should be played. Although other games have required a Classic or Gamecube Controller to get the best out of them in the past, never before has their ownership been as vital to the gaming experience as it is here.

Guilty Gear is not a game you play with your family after a pleasant round of Wii Bowling or a gentle workout on the Wii Fit board - no, Guilty Gear is, and always has been, a challenging, highly stylized piece of gaming, requiring nimble fingers and quick reactions. Although there are two different control set-ups for using the Wii remote and nunchuk, one primarily based on motion sensing and one on d-pad input, neither has anywhere near the accuracy or response required to play Accent Core at the level that can be achieved with more conventional control schemes.

Issues of Wii-enforced control schemes aside, Accent Core is an outstanding game that delivers the fast-paced and skilful yet accessible gameplay that the series is famed for - and thanks to subtle additions to both the gameplay and character move sets, the balance between offence and defence is now tighter than ever. The animations are fluid, the characters are some of the most bizarre and memorable ever seen and although the overall presentation isn't hugely removed from the PS2 instalment, it still serves as the best looking 2D fighter currently available on any format.

While there have been few changes to the formula, the extensive character roster, updated visuals and successfully enhanced control scheme makes Guilty Gear XX Accent Core come across as almost an unofficial 'best of' compilation. The game is still accessible enough for newcomers to enjoy, thanks to the flashy moves and simply outstanding art design, while veterans and hardcore fighting fans will find enough nuances in the new control enhancements to want to get to grips with the game all over again. If anything, it's actually the more skilled players that will benefit most from Guilty Gear XX Accent Core's understated change in game mechanics.

Although a complex fighter behind the scenes, Guilty Gear has always been a flashy and accessible 2D fighter on the surface. Nothing has changed in this regard; attacks are still made up of a combination of kicks, punches, and high and low slashing attacks, which can be pooled together to devastating effect thanks to juggle manoeuvres. The majority of the game is still weapon-based and is of the traditional one-on-one battle experience, doing away with the poorly implemented multi-character battles of the Isuka-developed release.

All the special attacks, Techniques, Overdrive moves and ludicrously brilliant instant kills have also returned for Accent Core, along with its wacky anime styled characters and insanely morbid sense of humour, while the new additions to gameplay come in the form of the Force Break and Slash Back manoeuvres. The first of these serves as a powered up version of the special techniques, which now consume energy from your Tension Gauge. When in use, these Force Break attacks can hugely increase your offensive abilities, allowing for even wilder combination attacks and higher damage. They can also improve your defensive attributes, thanks to the ability to escape throws. Although many would argue that Guilty Gear has never been one for defensive play, this added defensive attribute, along with the new Slash Back technique that allows for a quicker transition from defence to attack, makes for a more balanced, dare I say, thinking man's fighter. Be aware though; these changes are only going to affect the gameplay for highly skilled players and long-standing fans of the series; they aren't revolutionary, but they do add nuance for those looking carefully enough.

For all the talk of increased defensive play, Accent Core is still all about offence. The insanely over the top move list has been improved and extended, whilst spineless, cowardly players are now punished with weakened attacking abilities if they decide to hide and block for too long, thanks to the new penalty system. Attack is still undoubtedly the best form of defence in Guilty Gear, even if there has been a welcome and arguably overdue address to the balance of the fighting. Again, it isn't game-changing stuff, but it does provide another welcome tweak to the package as a whole.

Despite the fact that the move list is extensive and the gameplay better than ever, the same cannot be said of the game modes available for this latest release in the series. For one, there is no online mode whatsoever. This may not be surprising given that the game has been released on the largely online unfriendly Wii and PS2, but it still doesn't make it any easier to take, especially when Story mode has been inexplicably removed from the game in its entirety. This wouldn't be too big a deal for the bulk of fighters, but thanks to the eclectic line up and well developed back story created for the unique roster of characters, Guilty Gear's story always shined in comparison to the majority of fighters on the market and is thus sorely missed from this otherwise stellar gaming experience.

What you are left with is a basic albeit challenging Arcade mode, thanks to some pretty rock hard boss battles, along with standard vs. battle, a training mode to hone your skills, an art gallery, and two survival modes. The first of these is your run of the mill battle against an endless supply of assailants that increase in difficulty as you work your way through them, attempting to defeat as many as you can before you inevitably get beaten down. The second, entitled Medal of Millionaire, is a little more interesting in that it hands out medals and health bonuses depending upon the level of damage inflicted upon the enemy, thus making high score chasing that little bit more interesting. For fans of the series there is also the possibility to unlock a selection of hidden treats, including characters from previous Guilty Gear releases, each with their original move sets and abilities.

At the end of the day though, each of these modes are pretty standard fare and probably won't hold your attention for all that long. As is the case with every fighter out there, the longevity lies in versus play against human opponents. If you have a few friends who enjoy 2D fighters then you will probably be with Guilty Gear XX Accent Core for the duration. If, however, your friends' CVs of gaming don't extend beyond the latest FIFA and Need for Speed offerings then you probably wont be getting the most out of this bare bones but brilliant gaming experience.

As mentioned previously though, how much you will enjoy this game depends hugely on your ownership of a Classic or Gamecube Controller. While the Gamecube controller is more than adequate, its chunky buttons are still far from a perfect fit for the quick fire gameplay of a Guilty Gear title. Also, if upon turning on the game you find that you can only use the wholly inadequate analogue stick rather than the much more accurate d-pad, fret not, as this is simply, if rather bizarrely, set as the default control method for the Gamecube controller. A quick flick through the menu soon fixes this, so please don't panic. While this control method works fine for the most part, you will need to get a hold of the Classic Controller if you really want to get the best out of the game. Its d-pad is better suited to quick movements and the traditional button layout is more responsive to the constant, often elaborate button presses required to achieve some of the more advanced manoeuvres the game has to offer.

Although there are two different control methods for using the Wiimote, neither of them are in any way suited to this type of game. It isn't the fault of the developer; it just isn't viable to combine a game as traditional and lightning fast as this with the unique motion controlled control scheme of the Nintendo Wii. In fairness to Arc System Works, they have attempted to utilise a non-motion-based control scheme using the Wiimote, but sadly its inclusion does little except to prove that 2D fighters and the Wiimote just don't fit. Movement is poorly realised via the inaccurate analogue stick, while attacks are inputted via the directional pushes on the d-pad. Needless to say, it's far from ideal.

Even worse is the attempt to attach motion controls to Guilty Gear's old-school arcade gameplay. Attacks are achieved by swinging the Wiimote at different strengths while holding specific buttons. Again, it is inaccurate, clumsy and all but game breaking. These control methods also take majority of skill required to master some of the more devastating attacks completely out of the equation, with Overdrives and Special attacks achieved by little more than the holding of a couple of buttons and the quick swing of the Wiimote. If you thought that Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO destroyed the balance, subtlety and skill of the game by oversimplifying special attacks then you really aren't going to enjoy this method of control at all.

It may be all but identical to the PS2 version, but Guilty Gear XX Accent Core is still an amazingly good looking 2D fighter. The enhanced backdrops are very eye pleasing, while the characters are inventive, well animated and generally straight out of the top draw of character design. Everything about the game has a wow factor without being too obtrusive to the gameplay experience. The musical score is excellent throughout too, at times bordering on outstanding. The newly recorded voice work is also an improvement over previous releases in the series and although the rest of the audio effects are pretty standard, when every other aspect of the audiovisual department excels, one touch of mediocrity really doesn't have too much of a detrimental effect on the experience as a whole.

As long as you have a Gamecube pad, or ideally, the Classic Controller, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core can go down as an essential purchase if you have at least a passing interest in the 2D fighting genre. It's fast, slick, easy to pick up and difficult to master, with mechanics that rival anything else currently on the market. It may not be the overhaul of the series that many were hoping for, and it certainly doesn't bring anything hugely unique into play, but it really is hard to argue with a product as polished as this one. With casual gaming going crazier than ever on the Wii thanks to the release of Wii Fit, it's great to see a bit of traditionally old school gaming making its way onto Nintendo's little white box of wonder.

Reviewed by Liam Pritchard for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).