We must not be playing the same game. The problem might be that youre still stuck playing the demo?You must have 'gorgeous' mixed up with 'muddy, low-res garbage that could have been rendered on the Wii.' My bad. The game may have an appeal to you, but nearly anyone who has played it or even just laid eyes on it would agree with me. And again, I love Guilty Gear. Really do. Even made a Japanese Live account to download the demo a year ago when it popped up over there. There is nothing solid about this game other than the inclusion of some of their signature moves.
The game is visually VERY pretty, I can say it looks a lot sharper than many games released. Perhaps your TV/monitor isnt HD?
If you dont think its solid im not sure you've given it any time at all. The controls are responsive and there are plenty of different attacks per character to set up various things/combos. You cant just go in and mash buttons and expect to have any kind of experience whatsoever. The combat isnt guilty gear 2d fighter caliber, but its not dynasty warriors brain dead either.
The game really shines in its strategy too. You have to be very strong at micromanaging or else you can just get destroyed
Only a fanboy (a really, really big one) could appreciate this game on the level you do. I'm not insulting you. Just saying that you are clearly motivated by your own love of the game with your statements. I absolutely loved Mercenaries 2, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention all the things it has wrong with it before recommending it blindly to people. Same concept.
Funny thing is I'm not really a guilty gear fan boy. Don't get me wrong, I like the series, but its never been one of the games i really follow. Any recommendations I've made are based on my experience playing the game. Its definitely not for everyone, because lots of people aren't going to like the mix of 3d action and strategy, but if you like the concept then there isn't really much the game does wrong.