So, a bit of personal backstory. I never had 2D fighters as a kid. My parents were the "Fighting is violent and wrong and you can't see it" Type, so fighting games were completely out of the question. I'm lucky to have been able to play Sonic the Hedgehog. The first fighting game I ever owned was Power Stone on the ill-fated Dreamcast (very much the opposite of 2D fighters). Then came Power Stone 2, and from there was Smash Brothers. Then, Soul Calibur 2 for my gamecube.

In a sense, I've never played any 2D fighters...

I picked up Guilty Gear X2 on the PS2 (Which I still have) and got completely and utterly lost in it. Being a youngster, I had no idea how difficult those motions could be to pull off. The game was played about 3 times, and to this day continues to collect dust in my collection. I rented Street Fighter IV, and still don't know my Hakoukens from my Shoriukens. (I'm sure I butchered the spelling on those...).

Now, on a trip to Gamestop to sell some old games I'll never, EVER play. (Things like Lego Racers, Harry Potter) I got some good cash, and decided to give 2D fighters a last hurrah. I purchased the limited edition of BlazBlue, almost solely because of the beginner guide included, and I must say...

I've fallen in love...

BlazBlue is the shit.

I'll start with my favorite part. The characters. I know they aren't for everyone, but if you're ANYthing like me, you can at least appreciate all the details in their designs. Plus, I'm a sucker for anime designs, so this game already has a win in that category.

Fighting seems to be fairly standard fare for the genre, at least to my experience. However, at least for me, it feels better. More responsive. And I think that has to do with it being more forgiving with your actions. Granted, it's not a button masher by any means, but doing the quarter-circles seems easier (meaning I can pull them off with some consistency)

I've only had the game for about a day so far, and I must say that the guide disk is incredibly helpful. It takes a few viewings to really absorb what they say, as it does kind of go kind of fast, but I've watched it about 3 times for the characters I wanna learn and it's very helpful.

I haven't tried story mode yet, tho I am incredibly eager to. :D

And, I went online. There is some lag leading up to the match, the pre-fight animations seem to skip a little, but during actual fights, I have to admit, I'm almost completely lag free. Which is such a plus. :)

I've only really tried one character (Noel) and I intend to stick with her for a while until I learn the fighter better. And that's it. I'm off to play some more. See you online! (PSN: Ryoma90)