My favorite fighting game. Ever.
First of all, for all you Guilty Gear nuts out there, stop comparing the two games. Blazblue has completely changed the scene. Yes, Blazblue still has some off-the-wall character designs (although toned down considerably from Guilty Gear's cast. Faust and Zappa?), but the biggest revision is the gameplay. Every character has a drive move, each with its own special effect. Whereas most fighting games simply had moves with different range and direction it would launch your opponent, Blazblue adds effects to make each character completely unique. You've got one who freezes opponents, one who sucks life, one who controls the wind, one uses electricity and magnetism, one who controls bugs, one who launches swords out of thin air... you get the point. And because of it, it isn't as easy to pick up a new character and expect to win fights.
Speaking of characters, there aren't many. There are only 12 total characters, and with the exception of maybe 2 or 3 of them, are fairly balanced. That isn't to say that you'll definitely win or lose if you pick a specific character, but there will be some obvious advantages/disadvantages.
What I like most is the game's pacing. It's slightly slower than Guilty Gear, but faster than most fighters. I'm actually really glad they made it a bit slower, because I found Guilty Gear slightly hard due to the insanely fast pace (Okay. It may have been partially because I play as Millia). Of course, I'm still a far cry from the top players, but I think I'm at least average, but the pace definitely helps.
Fighting gamer gurus will find the whole package of details in the game. Just defends, cancels, flashy special moves, move invincibilities, etc. It's got plenty of strategies to perfect. It's also got just about every feature in modern fighting games, including a seamless online experience.
The only complaint I have is fairly minor. I wish there was a custom color palette I could mess around with, but they offer many color skins anyway.
Bottom line is, 2D fighter lovers, you can't miss this one. It's a must-have. And for those new to the genre, here's a great place to start.