Thread: BlazBlue

Something I wrote a while ago for TTP, didn't submit it as I had no way to take screenshots on my 360. Hopefully it'll convince some of you to get it.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (called BlazBlue henceforth) is a two dimensional fighting game for the Xbox 360 and PS3. It was developed by Arc System Works, a company best known for their work on the Guilty Gear series of fighting games.

Gameplay: 9/10
The BlazBlue gameplay is very straight-forward. You play as one of twelve characters, and your goal is to beat the crap out of the other player. It's quite straightforward, as most fighting games are. There are four buttons, which correspond to four different types of attacks: Weak, Medium, Strong, and Drive. The Drive attacks are what makes each character truly unique, other then what the character looks like. One character, for example, controls Ice, and his drive allows him to freeze opponents. Another of the characters can control Wind, rapidly moving her across the screen in any direction the player chooses. None of the drive attacks feel similar, and each gives their character a distinct fighting style. Each attack adds a number of points to a meter called the "Heat Gauge". Certain, more damaging attacks cost Heat to use, along with certain gameplay elements. BlazBlue is incredibly easy to pick up. It is very easy to link attacks together, and is made even easier with a system called "Easy Specials", which bind a character's harder attacks and Distortion Drives (attacks costing 50 heat) to each of the four cardinal directions on the right analog stick. These are turned off in online matches, but make the game much easier to learn for new players.

Just because the game only has four buttons does not mean there is no depth. There are a number of features in BlazBlue that make even the best players still able to learn something new. The two most useful ones are "Rapid Cancels" and "Barrier Block". Normally, when you block an attack, you take a tiny, almost negligible amount of damage. Barrier Block removes that damage, at the cost of depleting your Barrier gauge. Rapid Cancels are simply a way to cancel an attack before it is finished. When you perform a Rapid Cancel, the recovery animation ends immediately, allowing you to resume attacking before you would otherwise have been able to (similar to fast switching). Once you learn how to use it, most other fighting games seem slow.

Story: 8/10
In the console version of BlazBlue, there is a fully-fleshed out story mode. It is basically a collection of dialogue in between one round fights, with branching paths. I found the story quite interesting, however, if you are not a fan of Anime I would not recommend buying BlazBlue for the story.

Graphics: 10/10
BlazBlue is a two dimensional game, with two dimensional graphics. The backgrounds are 3d, however, the characters are all beautifully hand-drawn sprites. If you like crisp, detailed anime, then you will like the graphics. If you like realism, then you will be hard pressed to enjoy BlazBlue's graphics. All the animations are very well done, as are all the backgrounds and characters. It is a very beautiful game if you like over-the-top anime.

Sound: 8/10
The sound in this game is very hit and miss. The background music is very influenced by rock and metal, so if you are a fan of those genres you will enjoy it. The voice acting in general is very good, however, some of the English voices are a bit annoying. There is also an announcer who announces every little thing you do (Counters, Rapid Cancels, etc.) which can get a bit annoying after a while. All the music, however, is very well done.

Multiplayer: 9/10
BlazBlue is the best fighting game on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network at the moment. There are two types of online matches: Ranked and Player. Ranked matches automatically assign you to an opponent, who you then fight. There are leaderboards for every character and a general leaderboard so you know who the best players on Live or PSN are. Player matches are much more casual, with up to 6 players in each room. Room hosts can manage everything from disabling Easy Specials, to how the next two players are decided. Most rooms follow the Winner Stays rule, which means that after a match, the loser switches out for someone else. My only complaint is that you are unable to join a room if there is a match in progress. Lag is almost non-existent (I had one match which lagged a bit in the middle, but that was all) though some people encounter it more often. Some people drop a match immediately after they lose, adding an Incomplete Match to your D-Card (a graphic used to identify player skill, what your main character is, etc.) instead of a lose. Like lag, I haven't been affected by it too much, but some people report a lot of it.

Teamplay: N/A

Conclusion
BlazBlue is the best fighting game for this console generation. If you like fighting games, this is THE game to get. If you want to get into fighting games, this is THE game to get. If you want a new game for your 360 or PS3, this is THE game to get. Everything about it meshes together incredibly well. As I have told all my friends, the only way I cannot recommend it enough. It truly is "2D High-Resolution Fighting Brilliance" as the back of the case says.

Looking for critique on my writing if possible!