Skullgirls. Fighting game, simplified? perfected?

[Darren Dirt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvgT6N3O4nI

via http://www.1up.com/reviews/skullgirls-review-fluid-competitive-fighter

We've all been spoiled as of late with 40-plus characters in most modern fighting games, so players will immediately be struck by the size of Skullgirls' roster (. Once you play a few matches, you'll quickly see that a lot is going on with Skullgirls. Each character possesses a deceptive array of options and attacks. The gameplay system is closest to that of the Marvel vs. Capcom series as it utilizes chain combos, wall bounces, OTGs, wave dashes, and various forms of air mobility. Each character has her own unique play style and movement options -- even more so than most other fighting games on the market -- which more than makes up for the small roster size.

Regardless of how you form your team, once everything clicks the game plays very fluidly, naturally encouraging creative offense patterns and combos. That said, if you're still having problems wrapping your mind around how everything works after a handful of matches, the developers have included a fantastic tutorial mode... probably the best in any fighting game to date. The tutorial in Skullgirls goes far beyond what you're used to seeing elsewhere, as it actually teaches you how to play fighting games as a whole -- defending against mix-ups, confirming hits, punishing unsafe attacks -- while still addressing the specific gameplay elements found here.

First impressions are important. So I know how easy it could be to pass Skullgirls off as gimmicky anime fighter due to the over-the-top fanservice, but fighting fans should suspend their judgement and give the game a shot. It's one of the most solid fighters to come out in the past few years. Even with its small roster, Skullgirls is an absolute steal for 15 bucks and feels far more complete than some full $60 retail games.

Competitive players will be more than pleased with Skullgirls' gameplay system, and it teaches beginner players things about the genre they wouldn't have learned otherwise without attending tournaments or digging through pages of forum posts. The learning curve is perfect as it isn't inaccessible to newer players, but it also doesn't feel dumbed down and avoids alienating experts.

The game is doing the entire genre a favor by acting as a blueprint for what should be expected from developers when releasing a fighting game. There is no excuse now for wonky button configs, lackluster tutorial modes, or sub-par netplay. If a PSN/XBL downloadable title can knock it out of the park on all fronts there is no reason these features shouldnt be standard in other fighting games moving forward.

[Mr. Analog]

I really should buy this game, I've been following the team online for a couple years now, a lot of care went into the making of this game.

[Darren Dirt]

It really does seem (based on the review) that it is "fan-service" on multiple levels. Beyond just the visuals, it also seems to be an attempt to make it pure in the gameplay, attempting a signal:noise ratio of infinity (or close enough). I think "Peacock" would be the most popular only cuz the weaponry and combos look the most ridiculous

[Mr. Analog]

Well it's sort of taking something a lot of gamers dance around and don't usually admit, sometimes what can make a game fun is how over the top it can be (it helps if the game is great as well).

Mortal Kombat when it hit the street gained notoriety because of its over the top gore, but beyond that it was actually a REALLY good fighter, in fact the only real contender to SFIIs throne back in the day.

Likewise Bayonetta which is a game so drenched in fanservice it lampshades itself at various points is... actually REALLY fun to play.

Skullgirls is like an unholy union of over the top crazy stuff, fanservice and a solid 2D fighting game with hand drawn art assets.

They really can't lose!