(Note: This is my first review at Destructoid. I have chosen to forgo number
scores, and instead will allow you to draw your own conclusions.)

Since the 90s, I've had what you could call a love-hate relationship with fighting
games. I remember the first time I tried one, at about 7 or 8, in some crappy
arcade, the kind that you KNOW had some shady business going on in, in retrospect.
I remember settling down to a worn in cabinet and not being able, for the life of
me, to have Ryu throw a fireball. Since that, fighters were a bit of a novelty for
me; until an old roommate from about two years ago, who taught me about the more
technical side to fighters. Since then, I've basically devoured nearly every 2D
fighter out there, with the exception of Guilty Gear. I've always found it a bit
hard to get into; preferring what I saw as more "balanced" fighters. I assumed
BlazBlue would be no exception. For reasons you will see, I was proved drastically
wrong.

The Good

Diversity: In a game with 12 characters, some people, including myself, were
puzzled. How could any 2D fighter release with just 12 characters, no unlockables,
and still be fun? The answer is diversity. In BlazBlue, there is not one character
that is a "clone" of another. This is largely due to the "drive" attack mechanic,
which is a character specific attack that can do anything from freeze an opponent
to controlling the wind (and giving attacks different properties with wind
assistance.) Everyone has a unique playstyle because of this, and I'm sure there
are strategies that won't be found for a long while. Oh, and the diversity extends
to their designs, as well. If a Gothic lolita vampire, or a hyperactive, hot
blooded ninja with a giant nail on his back aren't diverse, I don't know what is.

Look what I can do!: The problem with modern 2D fighters is that they seem
to require either previous knowledge of how the games play, or a field manual
explaining about all the different concepts in the genre, hitboxes, frames, and so
on. BlazBlue is one of those rare games beginners long for: one that's easy to pick
up and play, but difficult and deep enough to master. All of the characters in the
game can combo with a light, medium and strong attack done in succession, and
specials, the bane of the 2D fighter newcomer, are mapped to four directions on the
right stick by default. This option can even be turned off online, but when on,
ensures that the playing field between novices and advanced players is leveled
slightly, which is a welcome relief when you compare it to a game like Street
Fighter IV.


Keep on rockin': The music is in a word, phenomenal. BlazBlue's soundtrack
consists mostly of hard hitting rock pieces, with a sprinkling of metal and
symphonic elements to boot. There are even character specific battle themes, almost
assuring that you won't be hearing the same song over and over. The soundtrack
doesn't take itself TOO seriously: there are a few odd sounding songs here and
there, like Taokaka's theme (BB's resident catgirl.). The music manages to remain
Guilty Gear-ish enough, while adding elements that set it apart from it's spiritual
predecessor.

Story: Yes, there is a story. Fighters have a tradition of having little to
no plot, and when they do, it's nonsensical and confusing. In BlazBlue, story mode
plays like a Japanese visual novel, and one that is very well written at that.
Without giving away too much, every character's story leaves some unanswered
questions that are wrapped up somewhere - another character's story. If you're used
to story mode being just about unlockables, like I was, this will completely
redefine how you see story in fighting games.


I can post more screens, but they all basically look this awesome, so this gives you a good idea.

The Bad

Intimidation: At the end of the day, it's still somewhat daunting for new
players to make the plunge into. Even the tutorial disk, aimed at new players,
absolutely bombards you with information. Don't get me wrong, this is a very big
step in the right direction to make fighters more accessible and mainstream, but if
you're just not into it, it won't work miracles. I realize this isn't really fair,
considering how accessible the game already is, but I just feel like more could
have been done to make the game more newbie-friendly. Perhaps an in-game tutorial
would have helped.

Player Lobby Blues: At least in the 360 version, the online component is
less than stellar. The player lobbies are great to see after they were not included
in Street Fighter IV, but they have their share of problems. Often, after searching
for a match, and getting a list of lobbies, you will be rejected from connecting to
all of them. Apparently, you can't join any lobbies when a match is in progress.
This, at times, leads to entire pages of games that cannot be joined, even with
open slots. At times, I was unable to join games that were listed as having empty
slots, or unable to see some rooms at all. While ranked matches balance this out
somewhat, at very least a filter to remove games that are currently in progress
would save time between player matches.

Story mode completion: As amazing as the story is, story mode is not without
its flaws. See, in order to get a full clear in someone's story, you need to see
100% of their story mode scenes. Unfortunately, that includes the scenes that play
when they lose to characters as well. Even then, once you lose to everyone, chances
are you'll be sitting at 80% or 90% completion. That's because certain character's
routes require specific conditions. For example, finishing a specific character off
with a super, dubbed "distortion drive" in BlazBlue's terminology. This, for some
is an exercise in frustration, as some of the conditions thus far have been
extremely difficult to pull off.

The Ugly

Arakune. It's not a negative point, but that has to be the strangest fighting game character ever.

Although not without a few minor flaws, BlazBlue is an altogether amazing
experience that breathes new life into the 2D fighter in many, many ways, the least
of which catering to newcomers, a practise that has never really been the case with
other games in the genre. It isn't just a spiritual successor to Guilty Gear, but a
channeling of the GG team's creative energies into something that retains the style
and charm of Guilty Gear, but with enough differences to satisfy fans of the
series, and welcome newcomers to the fold. If you even had a passing interest in
Guilty Gear, or just dig the game's Japanese anime style, you should definitely
give BlazBlue a try at the very least. It's most definitely worth the purchase.

[360 Version. Played for a total of about 30 hours so far. Play included
clearing three characters' story modes, a few arcade playthroughs, network matches,
versus matches, score attack, and browsing the gallery. Played mostly as Tager, but
also as every character at least once.][img][/img][img][/img]