Norematch

Now that Accent Core Plus R is out on the Japanese PS3 version of AC+, many people outside of Japan can now have a chance to play this game. It can be a difficult game to get into, as the amount of online resources available for +R is noticeably less than that of the major Capcom games. In addition, the community is relatively small(but dedicated!), so there aren’t a lot of people around who can answer questions. So I’d like to make this post to compile all of the useful beginner resources for this game. I wrote a similar post back when AC+ first got released on PS3/360, and most of the things described there are still great. But since then, there have been a multitude of other resources made!

Let’s talk about obtaining the game first. Right now, the +R update for console is only available for the Japanese PS3 version of the game. There are also no announcements as to when the US PS3 and XBox 360 versions will be updated. If you don’t feel like waiting, now is actually a great time to get +R, because the Japanese version of AC+ is having a 20% off sale until 9/4. It is currently priced at 1200 yen. Kurushii recently wrote up a very helpful guide for importing Japanese games, which includes signing up for a Japanese PSN account, obtaining PSN points, and even finding AC+ on the Japanese store!

Dustloop is still the most extensive English language Guilty Gear resource on the net. Since the last time I wrote about it, the Wiki has gotten a facelift with some in-depth explanations of the system mechanics as well as complete frame data for every character translated from the official +R mook.

I’ve noticed that one of the greatest hurdles that many people have when starting Guilty Gear is picking a character. There are a ton of cool characters, with vastly different playstyles and optimal ranges. My friend Brett’s character select guide can help you narrow down your choices, as it has been updated for +R. It is a chart of every character showing their beginning learning difficulty and optimal range.

Novril and Carlos “Specs” Alexandre have been producing a video series called Guilty Bits which is intended to introduce new players to every character in GGXX AC+R. It goes over a character’s general playstyle, key normals and specials, and strengths and weaknesses. As it is geared towards players who are completely new to the game, it does not go over deeper details like combos or matchup specific information. But I feel that it’s a great way to get acquainted with the cast and can definitely help you determine if a certain character is right for you.

Klaige, a top Midwestern Anji player, has begun a weekly stream show called IAD TV on Twitch. It is geared towards players of all skill levels, and pretty much has something for everyone. The first episode is geared towards beginners, as it is a general introduction to the game and its various system mechanics. Later episodes then go on to more specific details like character playstyles and the neutral game. You can also watch the stream archives on his Youtube channel.

Alex Jebailey, the founder of CEO Gaming, has been doing some Guilty Gear episodes on his stream show with various players from the community. In the 1st episode, top Faust player Senkei joins and goes over the basics of the game. The second episode has Kugler and Mynusdono join for a general overview of the history of the GG series.

Crosscounter TV has been doing some beginner Guilty Gear episodes with Tasty Steve, and while it is great that they are giving the game more exposure, I cannot recommend their video series because of the sheer amount of false information given in their tutorials. If they clean up their act in the future, then I’ll change my mind.

In this day and age, watching match videos is easier than ever with Youtube, stream culture, and the ability to go online anywhere you want with your smart phone. Videos are a great way to learn your own character: you don’t have to invent the wheel since you can watch stronger players run their tech. In addition, videos are also a great way to get an idea of how certain matchups play out, especially with characters who are not well represented in your own local scene. I watch a lot of videos myself, and I’ve compiled all of the high level footage in the Videos section of this website. +R came out in 2012, so the footage can be accessed from the 2012 and 2013 Videos page. These pages are also designed to be Ctrl+F friendly!

If you feel like doing some video searching by yourself, then it’s very important to know what the right tags are. Searching for “guilty gear” or “accent core plus r” is actually not the best choice! Generally, the best tag to use on Nicovideo and Youtube is “ggxx”, and some uploaders use “ggxxac+r” though that one is a bit less common. When it comes to searching for player names, I’ve got you covered! My Notable Japanese Players page has been updated for +R. It lists all the top players who appear frequently in match videos, with their Japanese and romanized names displayed. There are also links to their card profiles on the GGXXAC+R Player’s Guild site: this is pretty useful since many players change their card names frequently. You can also see their win/loss stats this way!

I hope this post helps! If there are any other useful beginner GG resources, feel free to add them in the comments!

Mikado’s next major Guilty Gear event, the Mikado Masters Cup, has been announced for a while, but the format and date were just recently finalized. It will be going on this weekend, and the schedule is:
7/13: Same Character 3on3, Ladies Tournament, 3on3
7/14: Newcomer’s Tournament, Haisha Kyuushu Tournament
7/15: Random 7on7

So the crazy Haisha Kyuushu format from Sekai Saikyou Ketteisen makes a return here! If you don’t remember, it’s a team tournament where the teams are made by “absorbing” defeated opponents. Like all the other Mikado events, you can expect this to be streamed on the Mikado nico community and Jonio’s twitch channel. Unfortunately, the Mikado Masters Cup happens to be going on during the same weekend as Evolution 2013. So I imagine it might have less players show up as the other Mikado major events.