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 BlazBlue
Portable (PSP)
Bringing the exhilarating fighting
game franchise to the PSP, developer Arc Systemworks has created a solid
conversion of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable to the handheld. The
arcade game's full lineup of fighters is present, along with their deep
moves lists and its unique 'burst' system. There are a few noticeable
changes, such as slightly simplified controls and a reduced number of
backgrounds but, the smooth animation and unique design remain. Extras
such as an art gallery, unlockable character moves and a unique Legion
mode add to the replay value, making this edition of BlazBlue a solid
purchase for those who enjoy 2D fighting titles. |
As the spiritual successor to the Guilty
Gear series, BlazBlue is an excellent continuation of the style of play.
It's a traditional 2D fighter festooned with a gothic blend of dark
characters, black humor and elaborate super moves. The game came out last
year on consoles and has been miniaturized for the PSP with little
detrimental effect. It has a somewhat less elaborate design with fewer
backgrounds and less detailed stages, but BlazBlue still looks very sharp
on the PSP screen. Obviously, with fewer buttons and a smaller scale, the
true arcade experience you'd get from a console port isn't a realistic
expectation. The game deals with this effectively, by streamlining some
move functions and attacks to create a game that's accessible while not
sacrificing the depth players have come to expect. All of the characters
from the console game are present, along with their special moves. Most
importantly, the basic gamepaly mechanics have translated through to the
portable edition flawlessly, creating a solid fighting experience that
delivers plenty of depth and challenge.
While the fighting system in BlazBlue is
fairly straightforward, there are a few eccentricities that players should
understand before jumping into the fray. Like most other fighters, you
have a selection of punch and kick moves that serve as the basic
maneuvers, in addition you can use a number of other moves to block,
throw, counter and shield your character from enemy attacks. One tricky
maneuver is the guard cancel, where you can cancel out a blocked move,
which allows you to protect yourself from a counter move, but it uses a
lot of your energy to perform. Another skill you'll need to master is
timing rolls and jumps to avoid taking damage. You can also use a counter
block to unleash a special attack while guarding an attack. This can be
quite effective if you catch an opponent in a attack position. One
interesting strategic aspect of BlazBlue occurs when you successfully
guard a character's attacks. As you guard their attacks, your character's
special Libra gauge will increase and when it fills up, you can perform a
special move that temporarily stuns your opponent. Libras also have the
effect of pushing your opponent away from your character with a barrier,
reducing the chances they can damage you. These are fairly standard
methods in most fighting games, but BlazBlue adds another level of defense
in the form of Barriers. These can be used to temporarily shield your
player from attacks, and they are quite effective in frustrating even
powerful special moves. These give you the time to build up your gauge or
add a few seconds of breathing space. Barriers can also serve as a final
defense when your energy level is running low.
The barrier system gives the battles in
BlazBlue a unique feel and makes its battles feel more unique than many
other fighters, giving it a unique strategic element. While the fighting
system can seem complex and little bit too esoteric at times, it becomes
more intuitive with practice and the game rewards players who master its
fighting system with added power. You can build up your play by focusing
on a single character and mastering all their moves until you can
consistently performing their special attacks. This is a good strategy for
another reason as well. In addition to mastering their regular moves,
BlazBlue gives each character a signature multi-hit chained attack, called
Distortion Drives that are unique to them. Knowing fully how to use these
attacks can be a huge competitive advantage. The Distortion moves are
complimented with each character's strengths, and can be combined with the
special attacks to make for some devastating combos. Most of these moves
are performed by inputing elaborate commands quickly, so you need to get
into the game quickly. BlazBlue's special moves can be difficult to
remember, but the game helpfully includes a menu where all the character
moves can be called up onscreen. At the start of the game, most characters
won't have access to their Astral Heat moves. These are unique special
attacks for each character that can inflict a devastating amount of
damage. Astral Heat moves use up energy on your character's heat gauge so
you need to use them sparingly. Learning to use all of these moves takes
some practice, but BlazBlue's fighting system is finely tuned and its
basics quickly become second nature, making for a solidly addictive and
challenging fighting system.
BlazBlue Portable consists of several
standard gaming modes including the traditional Arcade fighting mode where
you defeat opponents in order to move up the ranks. The game also includes
a training mode where you can practice your moves and techniques against a
dummy opponent, and a versus mode that allows you to fight against an
opponent using the PSP's ad-hoc mode. In addition, you can unlock special
features such as art galleries and short cinematic sequences by earning
money in the standard fighting game modes. As you defeat opponents and
complete other tasks, you can go into the shop and purchase/unlock these
items, which include the special Astral Heat moves mentioned earlier.
These modes are fairly common in fighting games, but the PSP edition
includes a bonus mode called Legion. This mode is a mix of strategy and
traditional fighting. You are presented with a map with has a series of
small pods on it. Each represents a battle you can participate in. Going
in closer allows you to see which characters you'll face. These take the
form of traditional battles with go from one-on-one to team based battles
with multiple characters on each side. When you've defeated one of the
opponent groups, you can select one of their characters to join your
'army' of selectable characters. Addtionally, defeating these opponents
allows you to earn extra items. As you defeat more nodes, you can capture
additional spaces on the map, which unlocks more characters and items.
It's a fairly fun mode of play and Legion is a solid addition to the game
that's uniquely suited to portable play in short bursts.
Between all of these modes and its
incredible depth, BlazBlue: Calamitry Trigger is an excellent example of
how to translate a full-fledged fighting game onto a portable system.
While there are a few minor aesthetic sacrifices made, such as fewer
backgrounds and slightly reduced character animation, the game still plays
smoothly. Its standard arcade mode is quite challenging for the novice but
those who played the arcade version will find many of the techniques and
maneuvers learned playing the console version have translated beautifully.
BlazBlue's game modes are fairly standard for the most part, but its
unique Legion system and unlockable content gives players a fairly strong
motivation to keep playing. It's not an entirely flawless translation of
the arcade game, but this edition of BlazBlue is about as good as you'd
expect given the technical constraints of the PSP. Overall, this is a
great 2D fighter with plenty of depth, style and challenge and these
elements makes this release an excellent addition to your PSP library.
- Michael Palisano
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