BlazBlue Review

BlazBlue Continuum Shift is an interesting fighting game, a remake or re-mastering of last year's BlazBlu Calamity Trigger. The characters are better balanced and there are a few additions. For someone who has been absent from the genre for many years it's tough to pick up a game like this and get into it. I can list on one hand the number of fighting games I've enjoyed and been good at: games like Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Mortal Kombat 2, Capcom vs. SNK, and a few others. BlazBlu reminds me a lot of the Guilty Gear series, with its strange characters and their odd abilities. There are the close range fighters, people who throw projectiles, and the slow heavy hitters. Whatever a gamers' playing style, there is something for everyone. I managed to find someone I could mash buttons with, and I quickly discovered I fared pretty well against the computer, but not so well online.

Gamers can set up the game to run on beginner mode, making the combos easier to pull off. Beginner mode also ensures the game is less of a chore for those of us who are not up to the challenge. The game's story is short and most gamers should be able to blast through it. The saving grace of the game comes in several forms: the online play is very good, almost lag-free, and although I got my butt handed to me I was impressed. There is a nice tutorial mode, which teaches aspiring gamers everything they need to know from simple moves to the more elaborate 12 or more hit combos. The game's legion mode is what I enjoyed--forming an army and conquering other armies on a large-scale map. This should give gamers a break if they tire of the main game. There is also an in-depth story mode feature that gives the background and etc. on each of the characters.

For me, I knew little of the game before I got my hands on it. I'm not a huge anime fan and I suck at most fighting games. Nor do I have the patience to memorize everything. Come on already! Give us a fighting game with QTE! In the end, I had some fun with the game and it was good to see a developer put a lot of bang into a game like this. There is a fair amount of characters; more would have been nice. The extra game play options flesh out a genre that is normally too short to warrant a day-one purchase and beginner mode helps rookies get back into the game. With a $40 price tag and a variety of cheap DLC, I'd say gamers should give this game a shot, especially when it drops to $20-$30; even if they are not fans of the series or genre.