BlazBlue: Continuum Shift is the long-awaited sequel to Calamity Trigger, offering new characters, features, and a story that explains the events after CT.
Fans will be delighted by the extended character roster. The upgrade includes 4 new fighters: Tsubaki, Hazama, Lamada-11, and Mu-12. Legion is another upgrade; the object is to eliminate armies that occupy territory. The game field is represented by a colorful grid connected by lines. Once you select a territory to conquer, you must battle the army that occupies it.
Your first battle pairs you against a single opponent. Once you win, you can add the fallen foe to your army. As you progress through Legion, you will encounter large armies comprised of multiple enemies. The gameplay is based on a team mechanic where each fallen fighter is replaced by another until a victor is determined. Some reviewers have called this upgrade a small diversion, but I call it a breath of fresh air.
The Guard Libra system has undergone some changes as well. Now known as Guard Primer, this new system eliminates the ‘tug-of-war’ guard breaking system and replaces it with a set number of primers. These primers must be removed in order to break your opponent’s guard. This allows for more challenging matches.
The gameplay has been re-balanced to enhance the experience. Unlike previous BlazBlues sequels, Continuum Shift doesn’t suffer from the same issues that plagued its younger brother, Calamity Trigger. The top 3 tier fighters from CT – Arakune, v-13 and Rachel – have been toned down for competitive play. This change received a lukewarm reception and in some ways it is understandable.
Since the change, characters like Bang – when in the hands of a skilled player – can easily control the fight when challenging any one of the 3 previous top tier characters. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Arakune, v-13 or Racheal are useless – it means that competitive play has shifted and requires a new approach. However, it was once easy to control the playfield with a fighter like v-13. He could attack from anywhere on the screen without being counter attacked.
This made online competition difficult for the casual gamer. If you happened to favor a character that wasn’t in the top tier, your chances of winning online were slim. This led to Calamity Trigger’s sudden drop in popularity with most players, but It didn’t affect the core community however.
While BBCS is easy to pick up, it’s not as straight-forward as Capcom’s Street Fighter 4. It offers a multitude of complex air juggles, combos, special moves, and finishers (distortions) that require skill and patience. Luckily there is a tutorial for beginners that explains the basics. If you are not familiar with the game mechanics of BlazBlue when you start, you will finish the tutorial understanding the fundamentals of the game. Newcomers should take advantage of the tutorial before attempting online play. Online competition is overwhelmingly fierce, and it can be very discouraging to lose to a seasoned veteran.
The in-game controls are fully customizable. You are given 4 attack buttons – A, B, X and Y respectively – and they can be chained together almost effortlessly to create combos. When combined with your character’s Drive Attack, you are treated to something quite unique. For example, Ragna’s Drive Attack can absorb his opponent’s life with each attack. Ideally, each character has his/her own unique Drive Attack.
Gamers from different circles have argued this point since the beginning, but nothing is more beautiful than this game. BBCS offers some of the most detailed sprites in a 2D fighter, and the HD graphics just add to their beauty. Everything animates with such fluidity; the colors literally dance across the screen, and the Anime-style art is something to be revered. There are fighting games, and then there’s BBCS; a 2D fighter in a class all its own.
Some gamers believe that BBCS is nothing more than an upgrade to CT, but BBCS offers enough to be considered a sequel. While it may not be considered the most friendliest fighter to newcomers, the tutorial remedies this problem. As far as 2D fighters are concerned, it is one of the best available today. No self-respecting fan of the genre should pass this up.
Mike ‘STGuy1040’ Pittaro
Platform: Xbox 360
Developer / Publisher: Aksys
Price: $39.99
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| The 2D visuals are absolutely breathtaking in HD. There isn't a fighter on the market today that can rival BBCS. | |
| Sound | |
| Great music, loud explosions, and good voice acting enhances the experience. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Online competitive play is where the action is really at. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Buy it. | |
