BlazBlue: Review

So I've spent the past 6 hours playing the heck out of the story mode of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, which was released yesterday on June 30th. And let's just say I doubt I'm 50% through. I've done a single run through of every selectable story arc (12 characters and a "true ending"), and another run of Ragna the Bloodedge. I've also went through an Arcade Mode run with Rachel Alucard, but it took 2 continues, so I'm sure I haven't unlocked everything for her yet in that aspect. I have not yet tried out the network play.

I was really hyped up about this game 2 months ago, and I must say that it has lived up to all my expectations. Playing several hours in the arcades probably helped my first time experience in the console version as well, and I already knew a little of each character's backstory heading into my first run through of story mode. That said, it was pretty odd transitioning from stick to controller, and the stories were just as crazy/unpredictable as Guilty Gear's despite a lot of spoilers being leaked previously online before the US version was even released.

Well, let's dive right into the positives of this game. It looks amazing in HD, although I was already used to playing it via arcade cabinets. The cutscenes are fantastic, although short-lived. The music, of course, is once again top quality stuff from Daisuke Ishiwatari. Character development is a bit on the empty side, obviously because I haven't explored all of the story and if the design holds similar to the Guilty Gear franchise, even getting 100% completion won't tell me all the in and outs of the plot, but several characters have come out with unexpected twists/personalities that I didn't perceive from their online backgrounds or the arcade. And that was a very very good thing for me.
The appeal will be very limited, as the heavyweight fighting franchises have all already transitioned to 3D fighting. Also, for a fast-paced, anime-style fighting game, button mashing is not very effective. There are way too many combos and moves that rely on quartercircles, double quartercircles, dragon punches, crouches, forwards, dashes, etc, that if you try to mash, you'll end up doing the wrong move, leaving yourself vulnerable to a counter-attack. Which, of course, is how a fighting game should be. There has already been several unofficial tier lists published due to the release of cabinets much prior to the consoles, which would imply that there is some sort of unbalance in the game. However, even the lowest C tier characters (Tager, Carl, etc.) have their huge advantages against some of the top tiers, which makes them much more useable than say, certain low tier characters in Street Fighter 4 which you never see used in tournaments.
There are plenty of unlockables in the game, most of which take the form of art. There are drawings for various scenes in each characters' 3 story paths, Arcade mode endings, special CG drawings that can only be unlocked when "certain circumstances are met", and other goodies as well. Which is also a good measurement of how much of the game you've actually completed, and where I got my theory that I'm not even 50% done with the game (lots of empty picture spaces in my gallery). And if you think it's just random art, let's just say the "partial nudity" rating in the ESRB rating isn't through arcade/story mode.
One neat feature is the Network Play capabilities of the Playstation 3 version. For those unfamiliar, if you own a PSP and a PS3, you can connect to the PS3 via the internet through your PSP, no matter what your location is (as long as there is a wireless internet connection available, obviously). In terms of playing games, BlazBlue is one of the very few games that support gameplay on the PSP through your PS3. It does lag a bit since all your Playstation's data is being streamed through wireless internet onto your PSP, but it is perfect for those who want to mess around with the game while they don't have access to their TV and PS3. Just leave your PS3 idled, and you can turn it on and off with the PSP, and do everything your PS3 can do as well, such as browsing the internet, visiting the Playstation Store, and access all your Playstation 3's media on your PSP (to play BlazBlue, you have to leave the game disc inside the PS3, and access it under the "Game" menu as you would on your PS3). Obviously it doesn't play in HD on your PSP and the half second delay takes some adjusting to, but honestly it is perfect for some training/arcade mode when you have a roommate sleeping in the living room.

Now, for the negatives. First, in terms of gameplay, the only complaint I have is the very incomplete command list provided for each character. I was hoping I would be able to have a full command list and practice those 20-30 hit combos I see from the top players in training mode, but the moves provided are as bad as the ones online. You have your basic A, B, C, and D moves, along with each character's drives. Astral Heats have to be unlocked, but I rarely find the opportunity to use it anyways. But due to the incomplete command list, it looks like I'll be forced to use the tutorial disc they provided me with the limited edition pre-order.
The soundtrack in the limited edition was flaunted for having 12 more tracks than the Japanese release. But after uploading both CDs onto my iTunes, the 12 tracks are: 6 remixes by DJ Oh No, each about a minute and a half long, and various story mode BGMs. The BGMs are nice, but I'm not sure how I feel about the remixes. The main thing that upset me with the OST is the lack of songs I know are in the game but aren't on the CDs. The intro anime sequence to the game's background music and the music playing when Bang uses his drive ability that makes him gold and glowy both have lyrics and singing, and there isn't a single song on the soundtrack with either. Sticking with limited edition goodies, the GameStop artbook pre-order bonus is nothing special. A couple of pages are wasted on the prologue of the game (which can be found in the manual), and every other page is concept designs of stages and characters. The only useful page was a neat relationship tree of all the characters minus Hakumen and V-13, and even the cover of the artbook (the skimpy Noel drawing) can be found at the back of the game manual. With all that said, it was great that the limited edition costed the same amount as the normal edition sells for now, so I really can't complain too much about all the stuff since it was virtually free.
From a professional standpoint, the limited appeal of BlazBlue is really the main factor that brings down this game. Obviously not everyone is keen with the anime-style and the crazy 30 hit combos and timed attacks to execute said combos, but honestly I believe anyone who picks this game up and actually gives it a try will enjoy it, provided they actually take the time to learn some basic combo links. You could theoretically do crappy two hit moves and win matches against the computer through good teching and defensive play, but that would be extremely boring. And of course, the confusing and incomplete story could have some screaming in anger and frustration.

But as a huge fan of the Guilty Gear series, I am absolutely in love with BlazBlue. Even before I first went to the arcades and I simply stuck with YouTube videos, I could already tell this game was a must-buy for me. Obviously I have a long way to go in terms of learning the ins and outs of the gameplay of each character, and I intend to spend most of my day today going through the tutorial video (must learn Rachel's 10 hit command!). Until I feel comfortable that I'm somewhat decent, I will avoid the Playstation Network's ranked matches. But I have no doubt that the servers will be just as good, if not better, than Street Fighter 4's.

Grade: 9/10