At the beginning of this gen it seemed like the 2-D arcade fighter genre was all but dead. With Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s Playstation 3 looking to push the true power of High Definition graphics the last nail in the coffin of 2-D fighters looked like it had gone in.
However, Arc System Works (ASW) has somehow managed to revitalized what seemed to be a dying genre, in the form of BlazBlue a spiritual successor to ASW’s Guilty Gear Franchise.
Simply Amazing
In BlazBlue players are brought into a world that has somehow survived the apocalypse in the form of The Black Beast and
with the help of six heroes and their fusion of magic and technology called Armagus the world was saved from total destruction. Fast forward a number of years and the world has torn itself apart trying to get it’s hands on powerful Armagus’ and in the centre of the chaos is a young man by the name of Ragna The Blood-Edge who also has a very large bounty on his head.
For a fighter BlazBlue’s story is very difficult to understand at first and until the player beats the story of the initial characters and secret characters they won’t be able to unlock the True Ending which ties all these individual stories together and attempts to make sense of it all.
Aside from its very convoluted story BlazBlue shows off a very deep and rich fighting system. The system is slick, fast-paced and very combo-oriented. In fact if you are a fan of button-mashing prepare to get schooled by the various AI and players that utilize the combo system well.
As if the single-player mode wasn’t enough to satisfy your hunger BlazBlue boasts a serious online section that is both simple, satisfying and easy to use. There are several types of matches online ranging from Ranked matches to Player matches. The game also gives players a level-based card system that shows you everything on an online competitor. Things like Most used character, win/loss percentage, number of games played and numbers of games won/lost. While playing the game online I found that while the Xbox 360 version boasts a more steady online feed from Xbox Live the PS3 version is nothing to laugh at. During my play-through the only lag I experienced came from the introduction segment where there is a heavy lag but it steadies before the fight begins.
This Man Is Crazy
Visually BlazBlue is a stunning 2-D masterpiece. The character detail is both rich and enticing and the movements are quick, masterful and slick. The backgrounds are completely 3-D but they are used to compliment the 2-D sprites well. The only real problem I had with BlazBlue were some of the voices. While Patrick Seitz and David Vincent provided admiral jobs as Ragna and Jin respectively. I found myself cringing every characters Taokaka and Noel appeared on screen as they just either sound irritable or very uninspiring. However, unlike some of the VA the music in BlazBlue is stellar. You’ll find your self beating down (or getting a beat down) to some awesome heavy metal and J-Rock tracks.
The Legend Lives On
To me BlazBlue was an unexpected hit. It takes everything that made Guilty Gear great and transcends it while only struggling on some parts. Aside from some voice acting and a confusing and head scratching plot BlazBlue offers a unique yet familiar experience that will have 2-D fans and fight fans alike craving for more. Fans won’t go wrong with either system but I found the PS3’s D-pad less frustrating to use in comparison the 360’s. But really which ever version you get you wont go wrong and if you hurry you can get the Limited Edition version for the same price as the Regular Edition. Hurry Get This NOW!
Presentation: 8.7
Gameplay: 9
Value: 9.5
Overall: 9.1
