Suzaku

Dizzy was hatched from an egg after an unspecified incubation period. She also appears to have connections to the OutRage, which Frederick created. It was either Sol or That Man, and since Dizzy is half-gear, it was either Prototype Gear Sol and Human Aria, or Human That Man and post-conversion Justice. Valentine is a backup of Aria, and there are other backups emerging at the conclusion of GG2.

Dizzy is the daughter of Sol and Aria. Aria was converted into Justice. Dizzy is the Maiden of the Grove. Sin is the son of Ky and Dizzy. While not explicitly confirmed, these are all things that you can really only deny if you ignore common sense and refuse to read between the lines. However, this conversation should probably head over to the Xrd story thread.

Come to think of it, Kliff was able to use Ki to temporarily reverse his age, and the Japanese are supposed to be naturally gifted at Ki manipulation...

Well, May is Japanese. Sometimes it can be pretty hard to tell a 20-year-old Japanese woman from a 14-year-old Japanese girl.

As a matter of fact, during the press Q&A at the loke test opening ceremony, Ishiwatari explicitly said that all of the games are canon. Guilty Gear Xrd is the "descendant" of both GGXX and GG2. Gaiden can mean either "parallel story" or "supplementary story." It does not mean "non-canon."

Split Ciel ( + ) and Grinder Placement () place Grinders (sigils). Durandal Call is the attack that's triggered when you send a Stun Edge or Sacred Edge through the Grinder.

Oh, wow, you can you can see some of the Swordsman Servants from Sin & Ky's Tribe in the background of Ky's stage.

1. 2ch (ni channel) is not like 4chan. 4chan was based on 2chan (futaba channel). 2. I certainly can't find anything on 2ch to support this guy's statement.

At a glance, it all seems like the articles all kind of have the same info. I guess it was less one-on-one interviews and more a Q&A, since different sources have the same questions an answers.

Just had to repost this one.

Dragon Install Sol.

http://www.inside-games.jp/article/2013/08/09/69405.html Another article with more screens.

Quick and dirty translation of the dengeki interview. -- This is a large scale location test being held in private on a single floor, but do you have plans to test outside of Tokyo? Ishiwatari: We want to test in multiple locations, but they might not reach this scale. This time, as it was the latest in the series after a long time, and the first location test, and because a lot of people are already in the Tokyo area due to Comiket, we were able to make it really big. Pachi: This time, everything just came together. We're holding the test in the Sega Akihabara Building, which is like a Guilty Gear holy land, and we got private access to an entire floor, so it's huge. Of course, even the fans outside of Tokyo, such as those in Osaka, want to test the game, so we'll work on organizing something for them. -- Instead of 2D pixel art, you're using 3DCG models this time around. Can you tell us about that decision? Ishiwatari: After making fighting games that are 2D at heart for ten years, we thought about what the future should hold, and this was what we came up with. With Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, our company has presented the appeal of 2D, and fans have supported the appealing 2D pixel art. But we wondered what its peak would be -- if we're doing 2D in an era of 4K resolutions, can you even really consider that pixel art anymore? This is just my opinion, but when we can incorporate 3D like this and move forward while staying true to what makes it fun as a 2D game, that's the type of 3D production we wanted to introduce. -- Does the 3D processing affect the gameplay in any way? Ishiwatari: When it comes to 3D gameplay, we haven't done anything daring yet. When you've got a 2D fighting game, everything's really digital. I think of 3D as having analog elements, so we haven't incorporated anything involving a 3D plane. On the other hand, on the production side, we still have to do things that show off the 3D. -- When your characters are made using 3D models, it must become easier to dress them up, like to change accessories, don't you think? Ishiwatari: Compared to 2D it definitely has some advantages that make things like that a lot easier to realize in 3D. However, well, I think a lot of the time it's only somewhat easier to do, relatively... you still need to do fine tuning by hand. (Laughs) -- Can we expect some more information in the future? Ishiwatari: I can't say anything right now. I think we're going to keep our secrets for the time being, so you'll have to just imagine for now. (Laughs) -- Why did you choose seven characters for this location test? Ishiwatari: It was the order they were finished in. (Laughs) Honestly, part of it is that we wanted to have a good variety available for people to choose from today. -- Are you trying to balance characters that are easy to control and others that are for experts? Ishiwatari: We want to reduce the gap between beginners and veterans, and we also want players to be able to choose their favorite characters. Secret Behind the Evolution of the Roman Cancel: --When you play, you get the feeling that it's not exactly simpler than before, but it's easier to play. Was that an intentional game design? Ishiwatari: That's part of it. I think the convention is to introduce more and more new systems with each iteration, making it more difficult for new players to start, and I guess to an extent it becomes too difficult. Although there are definitely good reasons for keeping everything in a game the same, we wanted to make it feel new again. I want to be able to play with a new generation of gamers, so that was the intent behind the revisions. However, we have a strong understanding of the older generation that have been around up until now. We wanted these people to also experience something fresh and new, so we decided to evolve the Roman Cancel. That way everyone can feel like there's something new they've never experienced before while playing. Rather than adding more and more new elements, the idea was to improve something we already had. --So the Roman Cancel has evolved. Please tell us some of the finer points. Ishiwatari: Well, I can only talk about a small part of the system for now, but you can now Roman Cancel in pretty much any situation. To avoid problems with balance it uses NG points (?), but you can basically use Roman Cancel whenever you want. Then, depending on the situation, the color of the effect will change. Pachi: For example, when you watch someone play, if they Roman Cancel out of a projectile attack, or if they Roman Cancel after an attack hits, the color will be different. Ishiwatari: There are different properties depending on the colors, but I can't really talk about that yet. Suffice it to say, they'll become important. --Are the familiar Instant Kills going to be included? Ishiwatari: We didn't finish them in time for this location test, but they'll be implemented by the time we have an official launch. --Pachi, you've worked on both the Guilty Gear and BlazBlue series, but do you feel like they have a different development process? Pachi: They're definitely different, and Mori and Ishiwatari, who are the directors and creators for BlazBlue and Guilty Gear, have different ideas and ways of thinking. Like, when using powerful attacks, the start up time is different in Guilty Gear. When it comes to the flow and quality of gameplay, there are a lot of unwritten rules, and whether they're talked about or not, you need to keep them in mind, even when developing new systems. --Where did you come up with the "Xrd" title? Ishiwatari: Well, I made "X (Zex)", and I also made "2", and I wanted to show that this title is a descendant of both of them. Since this time the gameplay system is part of the "X (Zex)" lineage, and it's the "3rd (third)" in that series, I came up with the word "Xrd (Igzird)". --When does this story occur in the timeline? Ishiwatari: The stories for the games aren't parallel worlds or anything, basically all of the stories that have happened in this world are connected. Xrd takes place after the home console game, Guilty Gear 2. --So is Sin, who appeared in Guilty Gear 2, going to show up in this? Ishiwatari: Well... we're still in the early stages of location testing, so... no comment. (Laughs) -- This may be hasty, but have you started developing for a home console yet? Ishiwatari: Hmm. Well, I wouldn't dare say "no!" but there's really not anything I can say about that. (Laughs) -- The flow of new arcade games has decreased in recent years, but do you think that releasing new titles like this will boost the the arcade game industry? Extremely long responses from both Ishiwatari and Pachi about the atmosphere of arcades, meeting friends, and the importance of making not just games but fostering the communities that play them.

BGM and SE are reused from earlier games.

http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/691/691064/ Even more stuff from Dengeki. They're really delivering the coverage today.

Just realized that the new Dengeki article has a completely second page with individual character impressions (including with some screens of their new moves!) I'll try my best to translate 'em. Some of this will repeat ElvenShadow's comments. ICPM causes Potemkin to launch himself across the screen in a wide, parabolic arc. It can apparantly be RCed to create various approach opportunities. Trishula creates a vertical pillar of fire. Anti-air, creates upper body invincibility. For the various cut-ins, although they use 3D models, they seem to be designed with fixed camera angles, so they always have the same appearance. It gives the impression that they were animated seperately in two dimensions, but you can tell it's 3D if you look closely. May's attacks are really cute. She comes into the stage riding a dolphin and a lot of her attacks involve animals. She was always a cute character, but this time the cuteness is more 'refined' and stands out more. Her version of Ensenga, is an immitation of Johnny's. She throws different objects, and (if I'm reading correctly) has a more vertical angle, so you might miss if the enemy is crouching. Her version is ditzy, compared to Johnny's manly version. You can also ride the dolphin by touching it after it lingers, allowing for some tricky possibilities. Likewise, Ky and Venom both have more strategic options. Ky can generate a crest with his Grinder Placement ability, which remains in the location where it was summoned. Then with Durandal Call, triggered by hitting the Grinder with a Stun Edge attack, it shoots out a lightning bolt (or beam?). Split Ciel also generates a Grinder. QV replaces Dubious Curve, summons a ball which hits the opponent multiple times. Bishop Run Out summons a huge black ball that doesn't disappear even after hitting the opponent. Writer did not get much time to check out Chipp and Sol. Chipp's Wall Cling seems interesting and his Kunai attack apparantly leaves the kunai laying on the ground. His Dragon Willow (Ryuu Ryuu) Overdrive apparrantly throws tons of Kunai all over the place. Sol's Dragon Install is much more flashy and Crash! (Kudakero) is a dive attack. Millia's got more rolling options, but he didn't get to play as her at all. General impressions: As the Guilty Gear series progressed, more complicated abilities (Force Break, Slashback, FRC) were introduced one after another. By rolling back those introductions and improving the basic Roman Cancel system, various new strategic options have still be introduced, and there are fewer complex systems for new players to memorize. It's like a "rebirth of Guilty Gear." Because this is set after Guilty Gear 2 and not a "gaiden," the writer hopes more new characters will be introduced. ~ http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/690/690981/index-2.html

http://www.dustloop.com/forums/showthread.php?16395-Xrd-General-%28Theoretical%29-Gameplay-Discussion&p=1527882&viewfull=1#post1527882 Posted some info gleaned from that article. Not much (if anything) we didn't already know.

http://dengekionline.com/elem/000/000/690/690981/ Another article from Dengeki with more screens. Article describes the player turnout for this loke test as "unprecedented" and a "huge success" for the venue. Despite the vastly improved visuals, the gameplay has not changed very much and feels really familiar, so you can just dive back into it. It notes that the revamped Roman Cancel system, as we already know, allows you to cancel on whiff, and notes that the time slow only occurs for a "fraction of a second," so it doesn't make things one-sided. In order to properly catch up with an RCed projectile you apparantly need to do an instant air dash. Writer suggests that having more RC points (RC on whiff) will increase the game's strategic complexity. There's speculation that FRC will be implemented later, since Pacchi mentioned that there might be more types than red and yellow, and the Tension Gauge has 25% incremenets. If I'm reading this correctly, the writer thinks that, since your opponent can recover after the apex of a Dust Attack, the jump pursuit will probably still be more effective. Overall damage seems to have increased as a result of the Tension Gauge not being usable in smaller increments. Knock backs seem more common now, too.

Ragna's main inspirations are actually Dante from DMC, Cloud from FFVII, and Heine from Dogs: Bullets & Carnage. I forget where I read that.

That's because it's supposed to be Riot Stamp. Agreed. They can do a crossover fighter with BB someday, maybe, but I want Guilty Gear costumes, not BlazBlue costumes.

It's really just one of the benefits of hi-res textures and 3D character models. They can add a ton of extra details because they don't have to redraw them or anything. Ishiwatari did the same with GG2, maybe even went a little overboard with those designs depending on who you ask. To be clear, you're talking about his dive kick, Kudakero ("Break Down" / "Crash!"), right? I ask because the Stamp in Riot Stamp can also be pronounced Stomp.

Some quick notes from the article: The key point of development for the new system was to make the Roman Cancel mechanic more interesting, such as using it to to attack simultaneously with projectiles and to slow time. Right now it comes in two types (colors): red and yellow. Other colors were hinted as possibilities. They're now using LCD monitors. The SE and BGM in the loketest were recycled from older games. It also talks about the core concept behind each character's playstyle, but nothing really interesting there; Sol is easy to use because he's a hero, Ky has grinders to enhance his projectiles, May is catchy and gets help from animals, Chipp's more ninja-like, Millia is fast and tricky, Potemkin has changed a lot visually but retains his characteristic abilities, Venom has changed the least but his ball techniques are easier and more like playing billiards than ever.

The character art on the official site for Sol and Ky is by Ishiwatari. The ones they're using in the loke test are actually the in-game models -- probably placeholders.

Bunch of screencaps: http://www.radiokaikan.jp/press/?p=17669