Rollback netcode has become increasingly common in the developer’s fighting games, helping to reduce latency in multiplayer. In addition to Guilty Gear Strive and DNF Duel having rollback netcode at launch, Arc System Works also implemented the feature in BlazBlue Central Fiction, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. Dragon Ball FighterZ will also receive the same for PC to coincide with its Xbox Series X/S and PS5 launch.

In the meantime, Guilty Gear Strive saw the addition of cross-platform play last month. Its next DLC character is also slated to arrive in March and could be related to Delilah, Bedman’s sister from the Another Story DLC. Stay tuned for more updates in the meantime.

To access the public test, open the Steam client and navigate to the game. Right-click and choose “Properties,” then select “BETAS.” From the drop-down menu, one must select the “publictest” option. Upon closing Properties, the game should automatically update. Players are encouraged to visit this sub-forum to report any bugs or issues.

The end date for the public test hasn’t been confirmed, so stay tuned for further updates in the coming days. Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 is currently available for PS3, PS4, and PC, and is the latest Arc System Works title to support rollback netcode. Other titles that recently received the same include Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, BlazBlue Centralfiction, and so on.

Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 was first released for consoles and PC in May 2017, though it’s an upgrade to Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- which first launched in June 2016. It’s considered one of the best titles in the series with a large cast. It includes characters like Elphelt Valentine, Jam Kuradoberi, Dizzy, and Answer, who aren’t present in Guilty Gear Strive (along with mechanics like Instant Kill).

Time will tell if this reignites interest in the fighter, at least on Steam, over a sustained period. Stay tuned for further details, and check out our review for Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 here.

Granblue Fantasy Versus

Cygames’ mobile RPG envisioned as a fighting game with side-scrolling hack and slash RPG battles, weapon grids and bosses? It’s doable but Arc System Works took the idea and ran with it, using its incredible visual style and art direction for each character and environment. The combat has a decent amount of depth with Skybound Arts (which are executable using a single button, if necessary). The online play could be improved – as is always the case with these kinds of games – but Granblue Fantasy Versus is still a worthy title especially with updates and new fighters rolling in.

Mortal Kombat 11

Despite how motion capture is utilized when quicker attacks start flying, there’s no denying how good the overall animation work is here. Facial expressions are on point throughout, comparing favorably to Injustice 2. Even in terms of attack animations, seeing each character’s unique stances and abilities flowing into one another, creating a gorgeous rhythm during fights is mesmerizing. That’s even with some of the more exaggerated actions taking place with Fatal Blows and Fatalities.

DriveClub

Evolution Studios’ DriveClub had a pretty rough start with server issues and glitches making a lot of the content inaccessible. Nevertheless, the developer stuck with it, improving the experience, adding more content and branching out into different ideas (like bikes). By now, DriveClub stands as one of the better racing experiences out there, even if it isn’t as hyper-realistic as, say, Gran Turismo Sport.

Guitar Hero

Guitar Hero was the first word in rhythm-based games when it first rolled around. Though mass appeal helped it to achieve great success, actually trying to get good at the game was a task. Mastering the basic controls? No problem. Trying to advance up the ladder and surpass some of the tougher songs, especially Through the Fire and The Flames? It’s definitely not for everyone. Regardless, Guitar Hero was a fun era in gaming.

EVO 2018 saw a boat-load of big announcements, including the arrival of Cooler to Dragon Ball FighterZ. Arc System Works had a whole lot more to discuss, including the announcement of its Arc Revo World Tour, which you can see the trailer for below.

The Arc Revo World Tour is essentially a tournament with over $100,000 in prizes, and takes place from Fall 2018 to Fall 2019. Featured games include Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, BlazBlue: Central Fiction and BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, with qualifying tournaments to be held around the world.

But that’s not all. Arc System Works CEO Minoru Kidooka revealed that Guilty Gear director Daisuke Ishiwatari was unable to attend the event because he was “working really, really hard right now at the office on something Guilty Gear“. This could be interpreted in different ways, like new Guilty Gear content, possibly for Guilty Gear Xrd, or even a brand new game. At this point, it’s hard to say.

Regardless, Arc System Works does have new content coming to BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, not to mention a beta for Dragon Ball FighterZ on the Switch, so there’s plenty to be excited for. What do you hope for the future of Guilty Gear? Let us know below.

One of the flashiest fighters out there from Arc System Works, Guilty Gear Xrd: Rev 2 is set to finally receive the previously teased balance patch that brings it in line with the arcade versions and provides other improvements. The “Game Balance Re-Finement Update” hits PS4 and PS3 on March 1, with PC players having to wait a bit longer.

The patch notes just below aren’t quite exhaustive, and players are sure to dig deep into what exactly has been changed after launch. But in addition to the expected balance changes and plugging of some “problem content”, there are some display issues accounted for and online net code should see improvement.

The patch version for Rev 2 owners will show as Version 1.07, while original Revelator owners who purchased the DLC upgrade will have it listed as Version 1.12 on PS4 and 1.11 on PS3. PC players still have no word on when they can expect the patch beyond “soon”.

• Combos and Missions: In addition to balance changes, some problem content has been revised.
• Training: Fixed a bug that unnaturally listed the names for some skills when using the Combo Recipe display function.
• Fishing (Overall): Fixed a bug that has occurred since the previous update where non-held items were sometimes not obtained even after catching more than 10 fish.
• Online (Overall): Improved the delay value variation processing in network battles.
• Battles (Overall): Fixed a bug where Zato-1’s injury expression was not properly displayed.
• Story: Fixed a bug that has occurred since the previous update where the direction of Chapter 1 became unnatural.

After the success of Dragon Ball FighterZ, developer Arc System Works will be looking for a better balance in accessibility and depth with its flagship franchise Guilty Gear. Series creator Daisuke Ishiwatari spoke to Destructoid about this and noted how past titles were “too complicated” for some players. The key then is to reduce the number of required systems, streamline gameplay and thus “expand the userbase.”

“After releasing Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 it’s clear what we need to improve on. The key is to win over more users because of the complex controls. But if we implement everything the game will no longer be Guilty Gear. It’s hard to balance out all the improvements.

“One thing that we have to do in the next installment is to reduce the number of systems; it’s too complicated for everyone. You can expect that in the next game,” said Ishiwatari. The series will still “maintain the people we’ve already won over.”

It should be noted that even if pulling off strings of combos and Supers in Dragon Ball FighterZ is easy, fully mastering the combat system to effectively juggle opponents around and go for the truly devastating combos is a lot tougher. If this is brought over to Guilty Gear, you can expect a similar system which will allow new players to jump in more easily while dedicated players take the time to totally master the mechanics.

We’ll have to see how it works and what systems end up being “reduced” in the process but it does sound interesting. What are your thoughts on the same? Let us know below.