The Guilty Gear franchise has gathered some fans across multiple platforms, with a combination of dark, cool characters and intense fighting action. The fighting is heavy on weapons and special effects, and the hardcore soundtrack reaches out to the "denim and leather" set. The screenshots that show one big vertical screen don't tell the right story, since we all know the DS has two screens with a hinge in between. The layout of the fighting arena changes enough to keep things interesting, but I never found the split-screen effect to have any real advantage in the game. Because of the split between screens and the fact that all the action only fits onto one screen at any one time, there isn't much novel use of technology here. The fighting is so laden with effects, especially with multiple fighters on screen, that the impact of the action is sometimes obscured. All this being said, there's no denying that the characters are cool, and GG fans will slip right into Guilty Gear Dust Strikers like a hand in a glove. For the rest of us... the DS is still waiting for a great Fighter.

The best parts of Dust Strikers are the mini-games. These are very much like extended episodes from WarioWare, including a balancing game, billiards, and a game that involves polishing a yo-yo. All seven mini-games are used to win special moves for the characters, depending on how high you score. The moves can be applied in a special edit mode called Robo-Ky Factory, and used to customize a character that suits your fighting style. But, with over twenty characters - all taken from various iterations of the game over the years - who needs to customize a character? The replay value in Arcade and Story mode is pretty slim, so having character choice and being able to customize a character for the wireless multiplayer is key to keeping this game on your shelf for more than a long weekend.

Multiplayer is full featured, and comes off like a standard brawler. More play options or more of a true story would have helped multiplayer mode feel deeper, and I was surprised that with such focus on the mini-games, there wasn't some collaborative mini-game mode for two players. The beautiful thing about multiplayer is that this mode will be where real fans of the Guilty Gear franchise spend their time and get their money's worth. Learning all the special moves of standard characters is fine, but customizing a character for multiplayer battles or a battle royale against the CPU is where Dust Strikers comes out best.

There is more button-mashing here than I like with my fighting games. To say Guilty Gear Dust Strikers was configured as more of a party game than a deep fighter seems wrong, because there was a lot of time put into customizing moves, animation and effects for every one of the characters. Unlike a good party game, when there are multiple players on screen - even with the two screens - it's just too crowded and confusing. The lack of much support for touchscreen technology, outside of mini-games, is also a downside given the system's capabilities. There is definite challenge here, and players have the ability to customize their experience or dial up the challenge with a friend. In single-player modes, Guilty Gear Dust Strikers just doesn't have the juice to justify more than a rental.

Almost all the mini-games lean on touchscreen, which is the only place in Dust Strikers where your stylus will get a workout. In multiplayer, I did like that players who choke can throw lighting bolts at the remaining fighters, using the touchscreen! But, that's a novelty, not a real feature. Special moves can be triggered with combinations of 3-4 buttons, and there are several combo levels. Each character's moves are listed in the game manual; as you learn the combos, don't forget to also learn the blocks to stop your opponent if tables are turned. Powerups on the screen allow you to change the odds in your favor before running out of life by triggering events or conjuring attack items. Again, the comparison to a party game is not a bad one, especially since the fighting action is relatively thin. Guilty Gear Dust Strikers includes a charged meter that fills as you take hits, or as you collect items. The focus on items and special attacks replacing a fighting system that just isn't that deep or responsive. Fighting fans looking for intense, twitchy action won't be satisfied, but Guilty Gear Dust Strikers provides good action in a package that is easy to pick up and put down.

With the level of innovation in the DS, it's hard not to see Guilty Gear Dust Strikers as some kind of cop-out, trading on a successful franchise for a new console. Fans will boo and hiss at this, and say that Guilty Gear was always a top Fighter and a sleeper franchise that needs more exposure. True that may be, but it only does an average job as a fighter, and it barely scratches the surface in terms of using the capabilities of the DS. Good for a rental, but thin as a purchase.