Month: December 2014

It would probably be a great disservice to Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- if I didn’t describe it as one of the most anticipated fighters in recent memory. As a continuation of Arc System Works’ beloved franchise, Xrd is the first all-new installment fans have seen since Guilty Gear XX originally launched in 2002 (though there have been quite a few updates, spin-offs, and even a non-fighter in Guilty Gear 2: Overture since then), and the arcade-exclusive launch earlier this year only served to intensify the excitement.

With this kind of status in the fighting game community, many opted to purchase the game as an import (or even with foreign PlayStation Network accounts) in order to take advantage of the 12-day headstart Japan had for the console release. While they’ve been playing it for a few days now–and even uncovering some hidden goodies on the disc–North American fans can actually grab a copy today thanks to GameStop.

Yesterday, GameStop employee Aaron Muhlmeyer (who has previously conducted a few interviews for us) mentioned that his store had received a message from corporate stating that the street date for the title had been lifted. After hearing of this, we attempted to follow up on this news with the company themselves, but to no avail. Muhlmeyer went on to say that his particular store would be receiving copies the next afternoon, and a location in my area confirmed their own shipment was also planned for the same time when reached for details.

Without much else to go on, I decided to simply wait until today, walk into GameStop, and see what happened…

…and that’s pretty much how it went down. Before calling and confirming that, yes, they had copies and, yes, I would be able to purchase one, I drove over, bought my game, and am currently enjoying its metal riffs emanating from my television as I write this.

In his messages, Muhlmeyer stated that the memo that was sent to his store went company-wide, which means every store in the country should (in theory) have copies of Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- in stock and ready to sell. Because GameStop has failed to get back to us, we can’t outright confirm this is the case, but definitely give your local store a ring and see what’s up.

It should also be noted that my location only received one copy of the PlayStation 3 version, so supplies are probably limited if you didn’t pre-order. And, of course, if you are looking to grab a limited edition, you’ll have to wait until December 23 due to recent delays.

While individual character strengths may differ, the idea of parity for fighting games is very important to the competitive scene. If, say, one platform is given cast members that aren’t available on another, it becomes very hard to make a case for their inclusion in tournaments, often resulting in outright bans (see: Street Fighter x Tekken’s Megaman and Pac-Man on PlayStation 3).

Fortunately, it appears as if that won’t be an issue in Mortal Kombat X.

During their showing at PlayStation Experience, NetherRealm Studios executive producer Shaun Himmerick mentioned that fans won’t have to worry about them repeating a similar move they pulled with 2011’s Mortal Kombat, which saw God of War’s protagonist Kratos join the cast on Sony consoles.

This puts to rest rumors that Mortal Kombat X would include such fighters spread by an article IGN in August, during which creative director Ed Boon supposedly divulged (though he was not quoted as such) that they were developing console-exclusive characters.

Mortal Kombat X is scheduled to release for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC on April 14.

Source: Hardcore Gamer via Test Your Might