It’s funny how much of a difference a year makes. About this time last year most people were burying the fighting game genre as a stagnant, stale genre that refused to evolve and would never have the same mainstream appeal it once had. So I guess around then was a good time for developers to start shooting their loads, as in the last twelve months alone, we’ve been treated to a whole mess of really awesome fighters such as Soul Caliber IV, the surprisingly not terrible Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, and the big kahuna: Street Fighter IV. Plus there’s still a bunch coming out like King Of Fighters XII and Tekken 6.

However these games with their awesome graphics are still just a band aid covering up the fact that this genre still really hasn’t changed that much over the last fifteen years. I’m not saying they’re not fun, but I fear that if someone doesn’t do something groundbreaking eventually, this genre will go the way of the point ‘n click adventure genre. It’s not going to go away, it’ll just go back to what it was a few years ago before all of these heavy hitters came out: incredibly niche. Well the latest developer to throw their hat into the ring is Arc System Works. The developers behind the Guilty Gear series have started a new franchise with BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger.

While BlazBlue isn’t a sequel to Guilty Gear, it’s been dubbed a spiritual successor of sorts due to their similarities, the most apparent being the same batshit crazy yet totally awesome hyper anime art style. It’s all here: the unrealistic schoolgirl outfits, the crazy hair, swords that are obviously overcompensating for something, more belts, buckles, and zippers then you can shake a stick at, and it’s more colorful then a rainbow on acid. This could’ve been a recipe for disaster, as if it was in the wrong hands it could’ve been the most generic anime game imaginable (The title currently held by Cross Edge). However the guys over at Arc decided to swing for the fences and turn the crazy up to eleven, and the end result is one of the most distinct looking fighters in years.

From the moment you turn on BlazBlue, the game explodes with vibrancy. The one thing that really stuck out to me was the level of detail shown throughout the game. BlazBlue uses hand drawn sprites fighting on a 2D plane with 3D backgrounds, and it looks fantastic. The sprites are some of the best I have ever seen in any game. They animate amazingly well and the distortion finishers (super moves) look totally awesome. The 3D backgrounds are absolutely huge and are filled to the brim with crazy shit. Hell even the menu’s in this game are nuts (and gorgeous). At anytime you are playing this game, if you just stop and stare at it, you’re looking at one of the busiest screens in videogame history. This is sensory overload at it’s finest.

Sensory overload is also a good way of describing the fighting system. Each character only uses four buttons (five if you count the taunt button): weak, mid, strong, and drive. As you do combos, you build up your drive meter, which you can use to perform your distortions. When you block, this affects the “Guard Libra” meter, and once it fills up, you will be temporally stunned and will probably get owned because of your carelessness. You can also use a Barrier Block, which doesn’t affect your Guard Libra, but if your Barrier meter runs out, you’ll enter a “danger state” where you will take significantly more damage from your opponents attacks. If this sounds complex, well that’s because it is, and I only just scratched the surface of the stupefying complexity on display here. Not to mention the fact that no two characters alike and each one has their own quirks. Tager is a giant character taking up about a third of the screen, but due to his size he’s the only character that can’t double jump. Bang’s main weapons are nails, and he can only use a certain amount per round. Carl Clover has a mechanical doll that can be used for special attacks and can be moved around the battlefield. I could easily see someone getting really good with him, and use the doll and Carl to juggle his opponents into oblivion. The list goes on and on. Another one of BlazBlue’s strengths is just how cool the game looks while fighting. The game moves at a very fast pace, its normal moves look like other games special moves, and its special moves are so over the top and flashy you will probably just stare dumbfounded the first time you see some of the crazy shit on display.

So you’re probably wondering how this compares to the current king: Street Fighter IV. Well…it’s kinda like comparing apples to oranges. Both the look and the combat in each game are pretty different and will come down to personal taste, but there are a few key areas where BlazBlue wipes the floor with SFIV, namely in the online department. The game supports six player lobbies where you can each take turns calling next and talking smack to each other, and you won’t be kicked out of the room after each match like in SFIV. There’s also full online leader boards, and the game has generally lag free fighting. Granted, like in every other fighting game with online play, the frame counters are going to bitch about even the slightest delay, but all of the commoners like us wont have much to complain about. The second area where SFIV gets its ass handed to itself is in single player content. BlazBlue has your basic arcade modes, training modes, replay theatre modes, etc. However it also has a full blown story mode for each character. It consists of watching static portraits talking to each other, then fighting, then talking some more, then fighting some more. There’s branching paths depending on your actions, but it doesn’t change the experience drastically.

Easily the highlight of this mode is the truly awe inspiring voice acting, and while it isn’t on par with such engrish classics such as Castle Shikigami 2, there’s plenty of awkward/hilarious moments to keep you entertained. The story mode is better then most fighting game story modes, but it’s still not something to write home about, and it doesn’t even compare to the story mode in Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe, which had the best fighting game story mode EVARRR. One last thing that should be mentioned is the Limited edition of the game.

Every copy of the first print of BlazBlue is a four disc set consisting of a snazzy box, a two disc soundtrack of the games awesome music, and a bonus tutorial disc designed to help n00b’s understand the mechanics, and it’s hosted by (ugh…) Jessica Chobot. In short, this disc sucks. It’s pretty bare bones and isn’t really going to help you much, but it was free, so whatever. It’s not why you should buy BlazBlue. You should buy BlazBlue because it’s totally fucking awesome and the best fighting game of the year. Like I said earlier, some people are just going to prefer the style of play in Street Fighter IV, but as far as being a complete package loaded with tons of both single and multiplayer content, BlazBlue clearly comes out the winner. Plus it’s the perfect game for the long summer drought. You could spend months finding every single nook and cranny in the fighting system and still come back for more. The wheel of fate is turning, my friends. Go buy this right the fuck now.

Reviewers note: this review is based on the PS3 version of the game. The two verisons are apparently identical, with the PS3 version having trophy support, no mandatory install, and headset support online (hard to believe that is still an issue). I went with the PS3 version since the bonus disc is a Blu Ray on the PS3 while it’s only a DVD on 360, but the video quality is crap so that doesn’t really matter that much. HOWEVER: I had to return my copy of the game because the Blu Ray bonus disc was faulty, and after perusing some boards, it turns out I wasn’t the only one with this problem, so let the buyer beware. Either way, it’s $60 well spent.

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Tags: arc system works, blazblue, fighter

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Games, Videogames. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.