Xrd was technically my first fighting game. In reality, I played a few platform fighters first, and I may have "played" the tutorial of Xrd first, but I actually learnt how to play Pokken Tournament DX and Dragonball FighterZ before coming back to Xrd. Nonetheless I treat it as my first ♥
It's no secret that the system mechanics of Xrd are revered by the community as much as they are cursed. So what's my stand? I 'unno. I mean, I'm FAR from a competetive player, but as a casual enjoyer of playing the game with friends, the system mechanics are like a bunch of little treats to discover and use as you struggle over the tiniest of edges you can muster over your friends. I'll never forget when I learned that I could just parry anything for 12.5* meter, that was insane to me. I then promptly forgot entirely about the Blitz mechanic when I learnt how to use Roman Cancels properly. The same thing happened for Gold Burst, standing dust and YRC, and then character specific things like Dragon Install or dustloops. There was just always something new to learn and implement. I heavily oppose the notion that advanced games scare away new players, motion inputs aren't killing sales and making systems easier won't stop casuals from getting stomped by veterans. And while I appreciate that Strive exists, and I do enjoy playing it (it's the only traditional fighting game I can play at an average level online), I would be lying if I said I didn't adore the seemingly needlessly complex mechanics of the older games. If/when you see any of my own games I'm designing, you'll see a lot of Xrd shining through. It's my favourite Guilty Gear, and I don't think that's ever going to change.
