November 27, 2009 - G-Star 2009, a Korean tradeshow being held in the port city of Busan, is a show focused mainly on MMOs and other online games. Almost everything on the show floor features either elaborate skill sets or small, cuddly monsters. So it was with great surprise that Charles and I stumbled upon the sequel to one of this year's top fighting games: BlazBlue. Titled BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, this ARC System Works fighter was nestled in one the smaller hallways of the convention center but featured a tiny crowd of devoted BlazBlue fans. Charles and I sat down at one of the free arcade cabinets and enjoyed some time with the two new faces of the BlazBlue universe.
Actually, they aren't "new faces" in the traditional sense. Gamers familiar with the original BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger storyline will recognize Hazama and Tsubaki as non-playable side characters. But in Continuum Shift, both characters will have the opportunity to enter the ring, along with all the old fighters we know and love.
Accompanying Hazama and Tsubaki are several other additions to the BlazBlue experience. Continuum Shift will feature brand new stages in which to compete, as well as new profile art for every character. This is very similar to how ARC System Works handled the various iterations of Guilty Gear XX when it was first released on the PS2, so players can expect several subtle additions to the core experience.
Actually playing as Hazama and Tsubaki was fantastic, but also extremely confusing. The character cheat sheets printed on the arcade cabinets were in Korean and we didn't have time to train with either fighter. That being said, my initial impressions of both fighters are very positive, as Hazama was a blast to play even without understanding his special moves. Entering the ring with his signature hat and coat, Hazama uses a massive bladed chain as his weapon of choice, which can catch opponents from all the way across the screen. This chain obviously serves as Hazama's Drive attack and can be thrown in multiple directions. It can also be used to send Hazama flying across the screen, similar to how Rachel uses the wind for sudden bursts of speed.
Tsubaki, on the other had, was almost unintelligible to me. Her Drive attack created an ethereal field around her character, but what this field does exactly is beyond me. Regardless, she was still enjoyable to play around with and her character animations -- like the rest of the cast -- were superb. I very much look forward to an extended play session where I can more accurately grasp the intricacies of her play style.
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift isn't officially confirmed for a U.S. launch, but we can only assume that the game will find its way stateside and land on the PS3 and 360. Hopefully we're right.
Actually, they aren't "new faces" in the traditional sense. Gamers familiar with the original BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger storyline will recognize Hazama and Tsubaki as non-playable side characters. But in Continuum Shift, both characters will have the opportunity to enter the ring, along with all the old fighters we know and love.
Accompanying Hazama and Tsubaki are several other additions to the BlazBlue experience. Continuum Shift will feature brand new stages in which to compete, as well as new profile art for every character. This is very similar to how ARC System Works handled the various iterations of Guilty Gear XX when it was first released on the PS2, so players can expect several subtle additions to the core experience.
Actually playing as Hazama and Tsubaki was fantastic, but also extremely confusing. The character cheat sheets printed on the arcade cabinets were in Korean and we didn't have time to train with either fighter. That being said, my initial impressions of both fighters are very positive, as Hazama was a blast to play even without understanding his special moves. Entering the ring with his signature hat and coat, Hazama uses a massive bladed chain as his weapon of choice, which can catch opponents from all the way across the screen. This chain obviously serves as Hazama's Drive attack and can be thrown in multiple directions. It can also be used to send Hazama flying across the screen, similar to how Rachel uses the wind for sudden bursts of speed.
Tsubaki, on the other had, was almost unintelligible to me. Her Drive attack created an ethereal field around her character, but what this field does exactly is beyond me. Regardless, she was still enjoyable to play around with and her character animations -- like the rest of the cast -- were superb. I very much look forward to an extended play session where I can more accurately grasp the intricacies of her play style.
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift isn't officially confirmed for a U.S. launch, but we can only assume that the game will find its way stateside and land on the PS3 and 360. Hopefully we're right.
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