Since the creation of fighting games, Capcom has been leading the pack. While some competitors have given Capcom a proper fight, many have moved on to 3D or simply dropped out altogether. However, one fighter has been able to stand tall with the mighty Capcom 2D fighters, Sammy Studios and Arc System Works Guilty Gear series. Hitting the original PlayStation, Dreamcast, PS2, and Xbox, Arc System has made a name for themselves by arguably besting Capcom's Street Fighter series.

While the various installments of Guilty Gear have followed the same path as Street Fighter by making minor adjustments to the series with each new title, Guilty Gear Isuka takes the series in a new direction. The primary fighting engine remains virtually untouched from previous installments. The main change here is the inclusion of four-player combat. Taking a nod from SNK's older fighting games, Isuka gives players the ability to move between two parallel planes (foreground and background). This allows players to add more strategy into their games, as they now have to worry about more opponents, as well as movement between the two planes, avoiding various attacks.

Since there are now four characters on screen at once, Arc System has also included a turn button. The first time you play Isuka, it may take some time to get adjusted to this new ability. In most 2D fighters, your character will automatically face the direction of their opponent. However, since you can have opponents on either side of your character, the turn button is needed in Isuka. Once you've had the chance to adjust to this feature, you'll see just how much it comes in handy.

Another new feature in Isuka is the Boost mode. Fans of Final Fight should feel right at home here, as Boost mode plays just like the classic 2D side-scrolling brawlers. This is a great new feature, and helps to add some flavor to the fighting, but for some reason the turn feature has also been included in Boost mode. So instead of simply pressing left or right to turn around, you have to press the turn button. While things aren't too bad once you get used to this, it seems very out of place.

Even with the awkward turn button, players will be going through Boost mode quite often thanks to the Robo-Ky Factory mode. Here players will be able to basically create their own fighter. This isn't simply limited to selecting moves though. You can get very detailed with your custom options here, and basically create the perfectly balanced character for your playing style. The catch is that you'll have to use experience earned in the Boost mode in order to customize your new fighter. Not a bad catch at all, especially when you think of the possibilities of the Robo-Ky Factory.

On top of the create-a-fighter mode, you can also customize the existing cast of characters with new colors similar to Capcom's customization options in their more recent fighters. If you're not up to the task of gaining enough experience to make your character of dreams, you can still customize your favorite Guilty Gear character to look just the way you've always wanted them to look.

As with almost every other Guilty Gear title, Isuka excels in the visuals department. It's easily one of the best looking 2D fighters on the market today. It's almost on par with the recently released Xbox title, Guilty Gear X2 #Reload. However, one thing the Xbox title has over Isuka is the inclusion of online play for a budget price.

A year or two ago, the lack of online play wouldn't be a negative for a fighting game. However, with almost every fighting game series heading online recently, GG Isuka really feels behind the times. This is especially apparent when you consider the fact that Reload just landed on Xbox Live about a month ago. Isuka is the latest title in the series, but the lack of online play, and the $20 price of Reload makes Isuka a tough purchase for those who own a PS2 and Xbox.

Even without online play, Guilty Gear Isuka is still a top notch fighter. The customization options alone should keep fans interested for some time, and the new Boost mode will only add to the replay value. The four-player combat is great fun with three friends, and the single player still retains the gameplay depth of the previous Guilty Gear titles. Fans of the series, and 2D fighting game fans in general should be able to enjoy everything Isuka offers this holiday season.