BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Review for Xbox 360

From the Creators of Guilty Gear Comes a Gorgeous New Fighting Game

Jul 16, 2009 Jon O'Neal

BlazBlue is not only a superb entry in the 2D fighter genre but threatens to overtake its competitors with blistering, innovative gameplay and stunning, high-res sprites.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is a complete sensory overload. Staggering 2D sprites rendered at a 720p resolution flit and fly across lush 3D backgrounds, accompanied by finger-shredding guitar solos that make up the game's soundtrack. Players familiar with Arc Systems Works' Guilty Gear series may find this familiar. However, what separates BlazBlue from its predecessor is refined every element of the package is.

Not only have the graphics and sound been upgraded to utilize the power of next-generation consoles but the gameplay formula has been expertly polished, smartly dodging a bloated and overly similar roster in favor of a solid 12 fighters that play nothing alike. Gamers that were miffed at the five derivatives of iconic, fireballing karate man Ryu in Capcom's Street Fighter IV will be pleased with BlazBlue's refreshing fighters that inject originality into an overly-conventional genre.

The Feel of Combat

What defines a fighting game is how it plays. BlazBlue shares some similarities with the high-flying, combo-heavy Guilty Gear series but separates itself in a number of ways. The pacing is fast (but not epilepsy-inducing fast) and the fighting stays on the ground as much as it does in the air. The biggest departure is that the characters don't play like any familiar, fighting game archetype.

The characters aren't completely alien, however, featuring staples like the ninja and the big guy that body slams opponents into the ground. But this game's big man, Iron Tager, doesn't spend his time chasing down nimble opponents like his contemporaries but rather sucks them in with a magnetic fist. Other characters can control the wind, fight using a mechanical marionette, or curse their enemies so they're hounded by swarms of insects.

Of course, too much innovation can alienate gamers. Although there aren't any familiar dragon punchers or sonic boomers in this bunch, the game extends a hand to casual players by implementing an easy combo system and the ability to do instant special and super moves with a flick of the right analog stick.

The game's friendly approach to new gamers isn't at the cost of depth. BlazBlue is filled with an overwhelming amount of strategic systems, like the Barrier Gauge that brings up a shield to protect your character, and unique subsystems for each character. There's certainly enough minutiae in this title for the hardcore fighting game communities to obsess over.

The Anime Pastiche World of BlazBlue

The character designs are heavily influenced by anime, which is good or bad depending the player's predilections, and they exist in an extremely detailed world that combines science fiction with fantasy elements.

This extends to the extremely robust story mode that's dedicated to fleshing out the characters and world around them. This mode features multiple, branching story paths for each character that change depending on the decisions the player makes. The concept is interesting on the surface but amounts to a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure interjected with the characters pummeling each other.

Even worse, the adventure isn't even that good. The plot is convoluted, the dialogue is often nonsensical, and those energetic personalities introduced in the main game overstay their welcome.

The real irony about the story is that despite being the weakest feature in the game is that it blows away most fighting game stories simply because they barely exist. Most stories in fighting games are thin pretenses to assemble the cast of playable characters, typically by way of mysterious martial arts tournament held by a shadowy organization.

BlazBlue dodges most fighting game clichés and creates a world with numerous characters and a deep history that is unfortunately presented in a way that's only remarkable in a fighting game. Gamers would riot in the streets if Call of Duty told its story with art stills and text boxes.

Taking the Fight Online

The lifeblood of a fighting game is competition and unless a gamer lives near an arcade or a sizeable fighting game community they'll have to rely on online play. Competitive matches require quick reflexes and strict timing, with games won and loss on a tenth of a second, so spurts of lag that could be ignored in a shooter or sports title would absolutely kill an online fighting game.

Thankfully BlazBlue has one of the best netcodes in fighting game history, allowing players to compete across the world with almost no visible lag. The game also tracks the player's wins and losses and awards experience points relative to whom they beat and how they beat them.

Most importantly, the game keeps tracks of how many times a player disconnected before a match was finished, even going so far as to tag sore losers who habitually drop matches so their records won't be tarnished. Players can also upload replays of their matches, giving them the chance to show off their skills and others an opportunity to study those skills.

Conclusion

No fighting game fan should pass up BlazBlue. It isn't just notable because its a great fighting game when there are so few fighters released each year, its a large step forward for the entire genre.

The game isn't perfect, what with the puzzling idiosyncracies that litter the game (who decided to call rounds "rebels"?) and an overly indulgent story, but these are nitpickings on an otherwise fantastic package. Street Fighter IV proved earlier this year that classic 2D gameplay was still viable but BlazBlue's innovations show the genre still has plenty of room to grow.

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