Customer Reviews
2D fighting fans...Your prayers were answered!
I'm forced to confess that there was always a flare and personality about the 2D fighters 3D could never snatch up or imitate. Recently I have played Super Street fighter 2 HD mega mix ogling over its' new redrawn sprites more than I have fooled around with the character editor in Soul Calibur 4. So naturally when I heard about Blazblue I got pretty damned excited.
Many people are going to relate Blazblue immediately to Guilty Gear. This is because many of the same designers and programmers are involved in both titles & at a first glance the games look quite similar. Beyond the surface though Blazblue is a very different beast under the hood. While it has the complexities of guilty gear it is much more forgiving to newcomers. You only have to worry about 4 buttons most of the time and if you are "smart" and start out on beginner difficulty you CAN get through story mode and arcade mode with no jet lag.
Guilty Gear's biggest problem is it catered too much to the "elites" of fighting. Story mode was a nightmare because depending on the character you chose in X-2 the "end boss" would be harder and have more bonuses. I remember fighting I-no with Baiken and it was hell to put it mildly. Blazblue completely drops this unfair mechanic giving all 12 characters an equal fighting chance.
If you thought the Guilty Gear series looked and sounded great Blazblue is here to raise the bar even higher. The sprites are smoother and more detailed, the orchestral heavy metal music is better, and the backgrounds are jaw dropping. If that were not enough to convince you even the English voice actors/actresses have done a wonderful job. No more will we only get "Japanese voices" during character interactions. For those of us not fluent in Japanese we can finally know what is going on. Why is this even important? Because blazblue "cares" about making every character lovable and deep and puts the same polish into the story line. You WILL play BlazBlue to find out what happens. To get the full scoop on everyone you must play through multiple times to make different choices. As much as it maybe a "shock" to fighting game developers some of us fans do not play brawlers merely to compete online. Some of us DO care about the meat on the bones. Blazblue in that regard is a big juicy steak!
Now let me address the small character roster. First of all, every fighting franchise began with a small roster. In a starter game 8-12 character sprites are established. The sequels become "easier" because only a few newcomers need to be added to the pre-existing roster. To expect any fighter series to break out with 30-50 characters when just getting off the ground is unrealistic. Secondly "more" does not always equal better. Sure Mortal Kombat Armageddon, KOF dream matches, and Marvel VS. Capcom 2 had an insane number of fighters. But though mildly amusing these games had no plots, no worthwhile endings, no soul, and no balance. I'll choose a few endearing and interesting protagonists and antagonists over a confusing cluster-frag of nonsense, badly executed cross-overs, unrealistic resurrections, jazz music, and ill thought out back drops any day of the week. Quality in my opinion outweighs quantity. (Btw I like Jazz, but it doesn't fit into a scenario with Wolverine sticking his claws into Ryu's bread basket anymore than a giant clown head.)?
So without further adieu...the characters in my words...
Ragna : Ragna is sort of like a fusion of Dante (Devil May Cry) and Sol Bad-Guy on the surface. Luckily this shallow exterior gives way to a deeper interior. Ragna's strikes are vampiric and can sap life essence from his foes. His brother is Jin and they have "sibling rivalry" issues. Ragna is a criminal to authority and EVERYONE wants to bring him in for a huge bounty. (Stick it to The Man Rag...stick it to The Man! Amen! You are a true Gangsta!)
Jin: Jin seems to have been a dedicated and loyal young man going through a military academy but at some point unexpectedly he snaps and goes rogue. Not only does he screw over Ragna but he also screws over his friends in the academy. Jin tends to have a psychotic laugh, cold predatory smile, and piercing blue eyes. If you could take Ky Kiske, make him evil, and substitute his lightning attacks with ice attacks you would end up with Jin!
Noel: Noel is easy to learn attack wise and her memories about her past are vague. She fights with two awesome baton-length hand guns and wears a military beret. She is dedicated to the librarium academy but is also kind hearted and rational.
Rachel Alucard: Rachel is part of an aristocracy of vampires and sports the now cliché goth lolita look. She's kind of snooty and maybe is a subtle satirical stab at followers of the "Goth" subculture. Rachel uses lightning and wind in her attacks...as well as shocking frogs! Her black cat advisor becomes an umbrella. Go figure.
Iron Tager: Iron Tager is a red cyborg that looks like Hell-Boy fused with an orc chieftain from world of war craft. His attacks are powerful but he is so heavy he cannot jump or dash while air-borne like the other characters. Tager seems polite and intelligent and works for an elite group called sector 7.
Taokaka: An adorable cat gurl who is easily excited and energetic. She has humorous names for people she meets such as boobie lady or scruffy man. She is quick and as you would expect she uses her claws.
Litchi: At first Litchi seems to be gratuitous fan service for testosterone driven male gamers who like big breasts and panty shots. HOWEVER she is a dedicated doctor and is both compassionate and forgiving. She is one of the deeper female leads. Her favorite weapon is a 3 section staff.
Arakune: Arakune was once a man but now he seems to be a tar covered insect wearing a pale moon mask. He looks like the shadow creatures from Persona 3 and Persona 4. Litchi is very protective of Arakune and believes she can cure his condition.
Bang: Bang has awesome kicking and punching combos. He is a ninja that fights for "love" and "justice". His over exuberant stalker personality maybe the result from the trauma he faced while watching his village burn to the ground. Bang is a nice guy but man, he is annoying and he has a huge crush on Litchi.
Carl: Carl is a young magician clad youth who commands a marionette...or so it seems at first. He has connections to Noel and Jin though beyond that my lips are sealed.
Hakumen: Referred to as one of the "heroes" from the dark war Hakumen looks like an evil white power ranger (only much cooler) and has a personality just as abrasive and psychotic as Sephiroth's as well as a looong sword to overcompensate for insecurity issues. You just know the fan gurls are going to eat this guy up!
V-13: A cute robot girl who is a weapon from the dark-war reactivated because a bunch of scientists in a dark room screwed up big time. She has an eye patch and is formable as a boss encounter but also pleasantly fair.
I did not do justice describing the stellar caste of blazblue. It is factual there are stereotypes aplenty but much like "real people" you cannot always judge these guys and gals by their covers. To me "story mode" has been very rewarding with an intricate web of plots as equally complex & rewarding as a role-playing game. I never thought I would be able to say that about any fighter.
Mechanics
Distortion drive: Character specials. You cannot use more powerful drives infinitely because they have a gauge. Distortion drives can even alter physics and some characters cannot do certain techniques unless they are in distortion drive mode.
Push shield/Barrier: Push shield is a term I use to refer to the circular energy barrier every character can block with. Barriers get weaker over time and they can be expelled to create a "burst" that knocks an opponent back. I'm still very naïve to this mechanic but hope to get better.
Dash N jump: As with guilty gear all characters can dash n jump. "Dashes" can be done even in the air.
Heavy attacks, light attacks, etc etc: Pretty self explanatory stuff. All characters have myriad "normal attacks" that include punches, slices, slams, sweeps, grapples, special attack cancels, and rush evasions.
Astral Heats: Every character has an ultimate astral heat special attack and you only get these by beating arcade mode with each fighter.
Pros
+Stellar story
+ 12 unique and in depth characters.
+No "clones" with identical fighting styles
+Beautiful art, detailed backgrounds, high quality voice acting, and stirring music
+Many modes & unlockables
+Online play which is reputedly smooth as silk.
Cons
-Anime haters need not apply. I'm not implying disliking anime is wrong. I am merely stating if you do not like the Japanese art style & cultural influence BlazBlue is not for you UNLESS you judge it based on its' deeper game mechanics which are intricate, fun, and easy to learn.
-I have no problem with there only being 12 characters but for fighting fanatics that insist on a roster of 20 or higher I suggest renting before buying.
-For those who are intimidated by reading lots of text they should steer away from story mode. Much of it is voiced but not all of it.
Pro/con??: Blazblue is the weird kid on the block. It's not remotely akin to any other fighter out there. If you are like me and old enough to be a bit bored with KOF and SF Blazblue is a ray of light in a dark dusty room. A lot of last minute detractors have appeared on sites saying "Blazblue is over hyped crap" or "I'm gonna dragon punch this emo Jap fighter!" Laughable retorts considering regardless whether they claim to be street fighter fans, KOF fans, or Tekken fans those games originated in Japan as well.
For those who have not beaten arcade mode with every character or dived into the intricacies of story mode they are not seeing the generous amounts of unlockable content. On the surface Blazblue will appear to be just another brawler. Guess what? The same can be said of any fighting game out there.
Yokels who feared innovation kept us in the dark ages of superstition and witch hunts. Now a small rigid organized mob of fandom yokels want to tell us EVERY fighting game should play the same with rehashed repetitive moves we've seen hundreds of times over. Refuse to buy into their idiocracy.
Don't get me wrong. If you are an enthusiast of a well established franchise there's nothing wrong with that at all so long as you are never afraid to give something new a chance. Sure I'm defending BlazBlue but I'm also an old schooler that has a PS-2 memorabilia stash of samurai shodown anthology, Neo Geo Battle Coliseum, KOF XI, Tekken 5, Soul Calibur 2-3, and Super Street Fighter 2 HD mega mix on my X-Box 360 hard drive. I recently also purchased Soul Calibur 4 which I have no lingering regets about. I admire the classics but I also try to have reverence for newcomers that put a lot of effort and heart into what they put out there.
I remember when people scoffed at the blocky polygons of the first 3D fighters or thought the very idea of a one on one competitive martial arts tournament game was lame. Yet how sad we would be if Tekken, Soul calibur, Kof, Virtua fighter, and SF threw in the towel after being ridiculed on the grounds they went in a controversial new direction for their times! If we were there to cheer on the under dogs of yesterday why can't we extend that same courtesy towards BlazBlue today?
Is it worth it? If one game could "convert" 3D elitist fighting fans to 2D blazblue would be it. Hands down this game tops EVERY fighting game I've played across the board. It took what I loved about Guilty Gear X-2, threw in a bunch of new stuff, and made the learning curve much less painful. Even the artists, composers, and voice talent gave 110%. Though I'm not a fan of online matches I've heard the Xbox live head to head is grade A+ classiness with very little slow-down.
If you are not biased against anime, respect the 2D fighting genre, and crave a brawler that stimulates the firing neurons in your brain just as much as the reflexes in your twitching thumbs your "messiah" has arrived!
The limited edition is a bit pricey but considering the replay value and generous amount of content I feel as if it was all worth it. You also get two music cds and a helpful tutorial cd. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me!
BlazBlue - A True 2D Fighter
Not for the feint of heart, BlazBlue is truly a 2D fighter of its own kind. The game is a fantastic exclamation point, and one that pushes the boundaries of 2D fighting games. It's a hardcore game that also can be fun to the amateurs of this genre, but make no mistake; the challenge is here if you want it. Overall, this is a wonderful addition to the genre and it exemplifies why 2D fighters are still alive and kicking.
At first glance the game is a beautiful masterpiece. All character models are drawn in high-res sprites. Backgrounds are done in 3D, and the blend of both equate to a wonderful convergence of visuals. The game is pretty to say the least. Each character also has a fun and quirky style reminiscent of Guilty Gear's lineage of outlandish character stock. We have cat girls, huge breasted beauties, mechanical marionettes, and countless odd yet cool fighters. If you can find your own quirk, there is bound to be a respectable character to scratch that itch within the game's 12 playable fighters.
Sound, too, boasts a caliber of oomph, which is usually accompanied by a mash-up of heavy metal riffs and classical music. While to some this might be an irritating soundtrack, I didn't find it to be annoying and it blended quite well with the high-intensity fights on screen. The one thing that can detract from the experience is the constant yelling and yelping that accompanies each move characters make. Some are more irritating than others (Tao for example comes to mind--meow, meow, meow...) but overall, the battle cries aren't excruciating, and after a few moments you drown it out into the background.
Gameplay itself is where the meat is, and with that players divulge into two camps; the ones that button mash, and those that take the time to master the mechanics. It's totally up to you how you approach the game, but to the dedicated they will find a rich experience to sink their teeth into. There are four attack buttons: weak, medium, strong, and Drive. The first three are self explanatory, the fourth, Drive, is a special attack that utilizes a characters special ability. While this array of button layout may seem tame compared to other fighters, in combination with quarter-circles, half-circles and the like, the game opens up considerably and the emphasis of quick dash and strike attacks takes over.
This is where the depth of the game shines. Knowing what moves and attacks do what kind of damage and how it affects the opponent is the key to opening up an opportunity to create a combo string. There are also two gauges, one controlling your guard and the other your super. Combine these with cancels, grabs and others, and you have quite and arsenal to kick some...well you know.
Once you think yourself decent, take the game to its various modes. You have your mandatory training, arcade and versus mode. These are self explanatory, but there are others. Story is an interesting change to the formula for this genre, as there is an actual story to follow. Granted the story here isn't amazing, but it is entertaining and the way the game forces you to choose different paths to unveil the whole story is interesting and a welcomed change to the usual we've seen before in this genre.
Along with story mode you have Score Attack (a variation of survivor mode) and Network, its online component. Online is pretty basic with player and ranked matches and you can watch a match along with four other people. The online mode is regular 1v1, but be forewarned, there are some top notch caliber people out there right now so you might be outgunned. If you have friends who have the game you can always set up a private match for a more balanced game. As of now, the online portion is very solid without any lag and most people whom I've come across have been cordial and stayed through the whole game. Obviously this can be different in your location but I live in Florida and I've had zero lag issues online--two thumbs up to Arc Systems.
Overall, the game is a true keeper. If you are tired and feel Street Fighter and others alike have become stale, give this a definite buy. If you buy soon you get the Limited Edition of the game. This edition includes the game, the full soundtrack and an IGN strategy guide disk full of videos of all characters. It comes packaged in a neat box with two cases inside for the content. A definite plus since it costs just as much as the regular game. I suggest if you want the premium box buy it NOW as I assure you they are in limited quantities.
If you are looking for a solid online experience with a quirky slant on the genre then look no further, BlazBlue is a MUST BUY.
SICKNASTY
Even though I am a huge fighting game enthusiast I never got around to playing Guilty Gear. Because of this I had almost no desire at all to try Blazblue. After seeing the amazing reviews it got I decided to give it a chance. I must say this is probably up there with the greatest fighting games of all time> I mean it.
The fighting in this game is bar none. The combat is fast paced and extremely addicting. The depth in this game is outstanding. And the best part is that it is extremely beginner friendly. My first play-through on normal difficulty I was able to beat it. The characters are all zainy and infectious and you can tell that tons of hours went into making every character balanced.
I have read on many reviews that this game has very limited appeal. I have to disagree. I can't think of one person that wouldn't have a blast with this game. The only thing that does have limited appeal on this game is its story mode. The story mode is very, how you say, anime-ee. If you think you can handle that then definitely give it a shot. I am in no way an anime fan but I still found the story mode extremely enjoyable. The story itself is pretty sick. It may not make since at first but once you beat it with all the characters you will unlock the whole story.
If you havnt noticed, I adore this game. I recommend anyone interested in fighters to pick this up. This is honestly in the top 3 fighters to come along in the past five years.
