[image of my review copy: limited edition courtesy PlayAsia]

So Sengoku Basara X...it's Guilty Gear with Capcom characters.

Truly, Capcom might have had some say in the final design or general vision, but with Basara X, we're talking about an Arc System game engine with some light Capcom design elements and characters. Everything from the graphics and controls, to some of the game's overall fighting mechanics are very much "Guilty Gear-ish". Besides using the characters and character leveling from Sengoku Basara, it seems like only the "Bodyguard" element is Capcom's.

Like the MvC series, Basara X allows characters to call upon a secondary character from off screen to assist with dealing damage and combos (the "engun" system"). A gauge at the bottom builds as hits and combos are dealt for supers and the longer you wait to call for an assist, the more impressive the results.

There are the requisite "supers" and it's possible to combine them with the assist gauge for some explosive effects, but it's also possible to cancel and counter supers and other moves as well.

I played with Date Masamune for this write-up, and found him an interesting shoto-type character, with a rather well-rounded arsenal, but I can see more advanced players tackling less obvious choices like Honda (a large grappler-type) or Mouri (who can frustrate quickly with his ability to create energy traps around the screen while tossing annoying fireballs at you).

Still, I think expert players will be rather disappointed by the game overall as it seems like some of the higher quality trademarks of the later series of Capcom fighters were overlooked. Beyond the leveling and engun system, it's pretty much Guilty Gear with the various dashes, dusts, and faultess defenses.

I personally was also a bit disappointed wiith the sprite work: limited character detail, limited animations, and not terribly insipring, non-interactive 2D backgrounds betray the arcade roots.

Don't get me wrong, though. Sengoku Basara X is a solid fighting game, with fun to be had. Casual players like me will be impressed with general presentation of the game, the interesting engun mechanic, and the controls are tight and responsive. It will definitely keep fighting game fans busy until the next franchise comes out.