Blazblue gives 2-D fighters the stunning style and rock-solid substance needed to prevail in the modern market.
Blazblue: Calamity Trigger circles around a set group of characters, each having their own story for existing in the government-run city of Kagutsuchi. The main character (or the guy most emphasized on the box) is Ragna the Bloodedge, the aptly named "Grim Reaper" who seems to have a bone to pick with the secrets of Kagutsuchi. Along the way the player will encounter Ragna's seemingly-schizophrenic brother Jin, the timid and gun-toting Noel, the sharp-tongued vampire girl Rachel, among many others. After seeing everything from a justice-focused ninja to a half-cat, half-human girl with a hilariously short attention span, you're bound to find a favorite. Exploring each character's distinctive storylines is a blast, especially considering the multiple endings for each, offering plenty of encounters with other characters. Along with a great collection of storylines, the player can explore the chibi-fied "Teach Me, Miss Litchi" side-story, where doctor Litchi teaches formerly-mentioned cat girl Tao how to be a vigilante. The great collection of storylines and cinematic content gives Blazblue an undeniable style, especially considering how little it really takes itself seriously.
Unlike other fighting games like Soul Calibur and Super Smash Bros., Blazblue is not particularly accessible. The controls definitely take a while to get used to. Each character has three basic attack buttons, each one differing in speed and range, along with a Drive command specific to the character's style. In addition to that, each character has super-powerful Distortion Drive moves, intense defensive abilities, and plenty of different character-specific techniques. Along with that, different special attacks are assigned to the right analog stick, a very good idea for newcomers to associate themselves with the controls if half-circle and quarter-circle commands aren't their cup of tea. The different controls are blatantly focused towards those with arcade joystick prowess, but using a regular Xbox 360 controller is a respectable substitute. As expected with modern 2-D fighting games like Guilty Gear, Blazblue is full of depth, where a win or loss can come down to a single technique connecting. The overall gameplay is fast-paced and over-the-top, but it refines itself with an excellent counter system. It demands plenty of patience and practice to succeed in Blazblue, but once you find a character that suits your style of play and get the controls together, you'll find a fighting system with a remarkable amount of depth.
As far as modes go, Blazblue is packed with options. The majority of the game follows the Story Mode, where all of the characters go through their respective routines and journeys while encountering plenty of reasons to duke it out amongst themselves. The Story Mode is extensive and interesting, mostly thanks to the excellent collection of diverse characters. You also have traditional Arcade Mode, where you climb the ladder of battles to the top to fight the final boss, and Versus Mode, where you can have a quick battle against a friend or computer character. Score Attack Mode is a challenging progression mode where you fight opponents to earn points; you can then upload your earned score to the leaderboards over Xbox Live. The Network Mode is a superbly implemented online system, allowing for Ranked Matches for the experts, along with Quick Matches for friends. The community of Blazblue encourages practice with your chosen fighter, but players can also watch battles to learn techniques and skills. Online matches can even be recorded in the Replay Theater for future viewings. Blazblue offers a tremendous amount of modes to experiment with, both online and off, showing a careful comprehensiveness when it comes to options in a fighting game.
The fact that there are only 12 characters playable in Blazblue may bother some gamers who've grown addicted to selecting from extensive rosters like in Street Fighter, but the fact that each character is remarkably different from the others more than makes up for it. The special moves and unique Drive abilities offer multiple ways to battle, and once you find that character that just nails your style of play, it's rewarding beyond belief. Speed, range, strength, defense, and versatility all come into play in selecting your primary fighter in Blazblue. The end result is professionally constructed; the developers really took the character diversity seriously in constructing Blazblue. There will no doubt be preferred characters online, but that doesn't stop the roster from introducing some phenomenally unique fighters to select from.
Blazblue is, hands-down, the best looking and sounding 2-D fighter you'll find on the 360. From the get-go, the game's beautiful opening anime cutscene sets the stage for each of the characters and doesn't stop. While a majority of the game is presented through scrolling text, seeing the grandiose (albeit rare) anime cutscenes is incredible. Gameplay offers some stellar sprites that move smoothly along with amazingly animated attacks that illustrate each character's fighting style superbly. Even the menus look refined and clean. The game's over-the-top animations may make gameplay seem a little too chaotic, but that doesn't stop the battles from looking incredible in motion. The sound design is equally stellar, with plenty of diversity in the musical scores, ranging from racing guitar sounds to thunderous orchestral music. The voice acting is good as well; the characters are represented excellently, even when the writing tends to lean towards melodrama. While 3-D fighters have mostly leaned towards realism in their presentation, Blazblue instead refines the already stunning 2-D sprite work of the Guilty Gear series into a game with a presentation unmatched by any other. Don't scoff at the use of sprites or anime-style voice acting: you won't find another fighter on the 360 with this much intensity in its presentation.
Pros
+ Striking and brilliant graphic design
+ Diverse characters actually play differently
+ Interesting story setup and character interaction
+ Fast-paced combat is full of depth and counter-happy gameplay
+ Excellent collection of challenging modes
Cons
- Small cast of characters compared to other fighting games
- Controls require plenty of practice to get together
- A little text heavy
Blazblue: Calamity Trigger is just what the 2-D fighting game genre needed, and it accomplishes feats that even the greatest of 3-D fighters have failed to match. The storyline is full of memorable characters and is worth exploring just to see how many endings are possible. Though it isn't the most accessible of fighting games, it's by far one of the most rewarding. It takes plenty of practice to find a character and strategy to use, but the work is well worth the trip. The characters pack enough diversity and different playing styles that any newcomer is bound to find one that is worth practicing with. Blazblue's comprehensive mode count, each with unique twists and content, is incredible for a fighting game. While it's full of tough-as-nails competitors, the community of Blazblue's online system is unlike any other fighter: comprehensive, diverse, and full of challenge. Blazblue's presentation is striking and vibrant; every animation is stylish and furious, some of the best ever seen in a fighting game, and the sound captures the diversity of each character and the power of each battle superbly. With so many fighting games released on the Xbox 360, it seems pretty easy to overlook Blazblue, but it's a mistake that isn't worth making. Blazblue is a comprehensive fighter that doesn't skip on the presentation or the depth. The end result is a fighting game that will keep you hooked, whether it is by racking up points for Score Attack or battling friends and rivals online. Blazblue stands alongside the best fighting games of this generation, and should not be ignored just because you can't sidestep. 2-D fighters are far from dead, and Blazblue, without a doubt, has proven that fact considerably.