I won't say I'm a hardcore fighting guy, I'm more of an arcade enthusiast than anything else, but there's a definite appeal with fighters and their arcade roots, which is why I've played a good chunk of them over the years. I certainly have my favorites, even if I'm not anywhere near the skill level as some of the pro's you'll catch at tournaments, but it's nice to say I can add a new favorite to my list with this title from Aksys and Arc System Works, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger.
Of course, it helps that the game is so damn beautiful. It's a true HD, 2D fighter from the guys that brought you the Guilty Gear series, which was also pretty well known for at least running in the 480p range while most other fighters were at a lower resolution. I'm not sure if that little bit of knowledge and planning helped them out a great deal here, but the animation and overall image quality in the game is amazing, and I get a kick out of just seeing it in action on big HD set, which I imagine a lot of 2D fans will too. The characters are bright, flashy, and there's plenty of cool stuff to see happen on-screen. Likewise, the soundtrack of the game is fantastic, employing the use of the rock infused music Guilty Gear fans are most likely familiar with, but managing to knock out quite a few distinct tracks that make the experience stand out really well.
Now that we've got the presentation and look of the game out of the way, how does it play? Well, obviously it's going to have some similarities to the Guilty Gear titles, but in reality I didn't find it to be as familiar as I was expecting. There's certain aspects to the game, more so in the specials and “Distortion Drives” that felt a lot like a Capcom vs. fighter to me, something akin to X-Men vs. Street Fighter, or even the original Marvel vs. Capcom. It's not a tag fighter, but there's something in the speed and combo system of the game, and in how heavily focused it is on offense over defense that really struck me as one of those late 90's fighters from the big C. The comparison isn't meant to be a fault though, I loved both of those titles as a kid, and I love how the system in BlazBlue works as well.
The game is very focused on offense, going so far as penalizing players that like to “turtle” by affecting your overall defense and causing you to take on more damage if you're not trying to press the attack at all. You can only block so much anyways, and even if you're using the Barrier Block to completely neutralize damage, it'll run on a meter and you'll end up exhausting it. It's far better to block and attack back, or use a few of the other aggressive defense options the game tosses in. For instance, with throws, if an opponent has locked you up to toss, you'll see a small exclamation mark above your characters head letting you know you have a small window to reverse. Every so often, during an opponent's attack, you'll see that same exclamation point show up, letting you know you could perform an instant block to throw your opponent's momentum off guard, and allow you to strike back quickly. I really love the idea of giving an obvious visual signal for the throw reversals at least, it's something I'll struggle with in other titles, and it's certainly useful for the average player to see. Finally, you can tap all the buttons to pull off a barrier blast, which is a one time use option that'll propel your opponent away, interrupting a serious beating, but at the same time putting you in a state that'll cause you to take more damage than usual during a fight. It's a last ditch effort for the most part, but it can really turn the tide of some fights.
BlazBlue also puts a pretty heavy emphasis on combo attacks, and with a little searching on YouTube you can find some pretty impressive strings being put together by other players. It's not really that difficult to get small ones pulled off as soon as you start, like a basic three hitter, or even chaining into a special to pull off something a tad more epic. I'd like to really emphasize that this is fighter that I feel like anyone could pick up, play, and really enjoy. There's no real barrier to overcome, and while you'll certainly run into players that can stomp you right out of the gate, it doesn't take very long to learn the basic mechanics and moves so you can get by. The move sets share similarities between characters, and there's not much in the way of charged attacks or complex specials. There's even an option for easy specials that tie them into the right analog stick, allowing you to press a direction to perform a special This option is more for single player use than anything, as Ranked matches disable it, and the host of Player matches online can turn it off as well. If you've ever pulled off Ryu or Ken's abilities, you'll be well on your way to figuring out a lot of basic specials in BlazBlue, which again isn't meant as a bad thing.
The only thing that borders on complex are the flashy Distortion Drives, which are just super-powered specials that'll typically chain together a gigantic string of hits. These have popped up in quite a few fighters over the years under different monikers, but they're certainly not instant killers in BlazBlue. They're fairly well balanced in how much damage you can output, and even certain Distortion Drive moves will just power up your character, like with Bang or Taokaka. They're definitely worth using, as they can generally put you over the edge in a close match, but if someone pulls one off, it doesn't always mean instant death. Of course, this wouldn't be an Arc System Works title without an instant death move, which does show up here in the form of Astral Finishers, but they're so hard to pull off, and require a few stars to align, that they're not much of a threat for most players. I've only pulled one off in training, and at about 100 matches played online, I've never seen another player pull one of them off. Hell, most of them are unlockables for completing a particular characters story mode at 100%, so I imagine a lot of people won't mess with them anyways.
Outside of your basic Arcade and Training modes, the game features a really fleshed out story mode for each character, with branching paths that you'll need to explore to get 100% completion. My only real complaint is that you also need to lose each fight to get that 100% score, which is more annoying than fun, but the stories themselves range from humorous to super-serious, and provide an entertaining distraction from the basic Arcade play. You can play through a basic storyline quickly, as the fights you come across are only one round, so they're worth checking out for the novelty, and there are some unlockables attached to the mode. There's also a time attack mode that you can play which will let you upload your scores to an online leaderboard, and finally there's the online mode, which really puts a lot of other current-gen fighters to shame.
The online system in BlazBlue incorporates Ranked and Player matches like most online titles do nowadays, and offers up rooms for Player matches that support up to 6 players at a time, with various options for the host including the abilities to turn on or off unlimited characters, easy specials, and Astral Finishers. The room will pair up players automatically, but you can opt to pass a round if your turn comes up, so if you need to walk away for a second you're less likely to get kicked by the host if you're grouped with randoms. The Ranked matches don't have an option for spectators, but you can opt to just match-up with whoever is available, or try to stick to those in your skill range. BlazBlue uses an experience system for both Ranked and Player matches that will level you up overtime, so it's somewhat easy to get a feel for the skill level of whomever you're playing against. A losing match won't net you much, about 10 points a round, while a win can vary quite a bit depending on the skill level of the person you've fought.
Also, the game will synchronize matches prior to the fight starting, and I've had zero issues with lag since a patch hit earlier last week. It'll seem a little slow as it's gearing up for the first round, but once you hear "Rebel 1!" it'll be smooth sailing from there. I'm not sure that I've played anyone internationally, but I'm based on the East Coast and I've played against West Coast players with no problems. It's a really smooth online experience, and there's already no shortage of people online to play against. From what I understand there is worldwide matchmaking, and you'll be able to play against anyone. Also, the Player rooms allow for friend invites, so if you're looking to get a few buddies together you'll be set to go.
Character balance in the game feels really controlled, and while I know there's a few tier listings available online, damage and defense seems to be well rounded among all the characters, and they all have their own definite sets of strength's and weaknesses. You'll be able to find a match for most play styles, and there's even a grappler in the group with Iron Tager, so 'Gief fans can be a little happy too. It also helps that the cast is relatively small to other fighters, with 12 characters to mess around with it doesn't take a great deal of time to get familiar with each of them. Nobody feels redundant or unnecessary, and while a character like Ragna is meant to be introductory, it doesn't make him useless or less powerful in any way. Personally, I main with Taokaka, and she's a pretty fast melee cat-girl, but against an experienced Rachel or Jin I find myself needing to switch up on occasion. One other neat thing about the online mode is that it will track whoever you play with the most, and show that fighter on your in-game card that gives away your ranking, how many matches played, and win ratio. Your secondary fighter will also be listed, which is a neat way of giving players an idea of who they're up against prior to a match. Ranked matches won't show you who your opponent is selecting, but with the card you'll get a better idea of what's coming.
So regardless if you're playing BlazBlue online or off, you're in store for an excellent fighter, and one that I'd hold in high regard to the other big fighters available on the 360 and PS3 at the moment. BlazBlue's online system puts titles like Street Fighter IV to shame, and the overall beauty of high-def 2D sprites put it at the top of the graphics department as well, but that's going to be a bit more subjective depending on your tastes. Still, it's such a well-rounded fighter it would be a shame for fighting fans to miss out on the action, and I'd highly suggest picking this up when you get a chance. The online game is fantastic, and there's enough to the offline Arcade and Story modes to keep anyone busy for a bit. It's definitely one of my new favorite fighters out there, and a great first showing for a new (and hopefully continuing) franchise from Arc System Works and Aksys.
