NewNews - Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade Announced for Japan

Official Site:
http://teamninja-studio.com/teamninja/doa5/ultimate/
Source: Youtube Channel KOEITECMOofficial

Namco Bandai has announced Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade, a version of the game specifically for arcades in Japan.  With that, they added one new character to the 29 character roster: Marie Rose.  She is absolutely adorable and is a practitioner or systema, a Russian martial art.  From what is shown, she might be a grappler (grabs and reversal throws) of sorts.  I don't like playing grapplers in fighting games, but she's so cute that I might not care!  The problem at the moment is that no confirmation for Marie Rose being brought to the West or even consoles has been made.  Team NINJA did leave a message on their Facebook page saying:

"Fighters! We see that you’ve discovered our newest character, Marie Rose for the upcoming Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade. Although this game is a JP exclusive title, we haven’t forgotten about our overseas fighters in the World."

So there's a chance Marie Rose will be released on consoles in the West as a DLC.  I really do not like DLCs, but I'll seriously consider it if it's for this one character.  Japan will be getting DoA5U Arcade sometime this Winter with the addition of Marie Rose.

Sources:

-Joystiq - Marie Rose enters the Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Arcade arena

-Shoryuken - Team NINJA Hints at Possible Console Release for Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade’s Marie Rose

-Dead or Alive Wiki - Systema

GameLight Review - Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+

Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/236450/
Source: Youtube Channel Robert Cram

Developer: Mine Loader Software
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Platforms: [PC], PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Genre: Arcade

Pros:
+ Easy to pick up and play
+ Bright, colorful, and full of energy
+ Fast-paced and exciting arcade action
+ Comprehensive and competitive leaderboards to challenge players in the world
+ One of the very few games I was willing to pre-order digitally

Cons:
- No controller support other than Xbox 360 controllers
- Game is a buggy port to PC with Audio failure and crashes at stage select
- Sadly, still no multiplayer mode of any kind

Recommended: Absolutely!  If you're a Pac-Man fan, love arcade games, or looking for something fast-paced and isn't time consuming, this game is something you have to try if not buy.

I've been a long time Pac-Man fan growing up watching my father play it on arcade tables and playing it alongside him on our Sega Genesis.  After a while, it seemed like there wasn't anything new to create from Pac-Man and all the adventure games that came out under its name were kooky and silly, but they weren't Pac-Man games.  When Pac-Man Championship Edition had released and reached Playstation 3's PSN for demo, I got to try it out and was impressed by the dynamics of the game while still retaining a lot of the rules of the original.  Still, it was released digitally on console and I'm a bit stubborn when it comes to digitally sold games on console.  So I was pretty happy to hear that it was finally making its way to PC on Steam along with some new content.  With DX+, new maps, skins and music is added to the game.  Despite having some problems with the PC port, the game is still fun, challenging, and addictive.  It's a mixture of traditional Pac-Man with snake where you lure as many ghosts to chase you down as possible before grabbing and power-pellet and gobbling all of them up for massive points.  The bright and shiny aesthetics along with the energetic music creates a rather exciting experience for a Pac-Man game.  It's so fast!  The extra skins are kind of fun/silly if not nostalgic (Dig-Dug/Rally-X) and at least one of the songs is really good (Pac-Steps).  Even if you're not a fan of Pac-Man, it should be a fun experience for newcomers with its beautiful presentation and exciting gameplay.

Aesthetics
Art-Style: Various skins provide different styles of past looks of Pac-Man
+ Colors are bright, dynamic, and vibrant making for a clean look
+ Music has a balance between laid-back and exciting which works well
+ The sound of gobbling dozens of ghosts is rewarding
+ There are a lot of sounds and graphics that have a nostalgic factor to the original
+ Dig-Dug and Rally-X skins changes the whole feel and look of the game
+ Pac-Steps is perhaps the best song out of all that's played in the game

- The Re-entrance song isn't that great.  It's an extended version of the title theme
Aesthetics: 10/10

Buttons
Controller: Keyboard or Xbox 360 Controller
+ Tiny arrows around Pac-Man showing where he's going next is a great mechanic
+ Simple controls: Movement and bomb
+ The flow and movements in the game work hand in hand with the level designs
+ Controls makes it easy for anyone new to pick up and play the game

- No controller support, only Xbox 360 controllers
Buttons: 8/10

Concept & Content
Core Concept: Eat pellets and Ghosts to get the highest score
+ Game feels fresh despite staying true to the concepts of the original
+ Level constantly changes as the round progresses for dynamic gameplay
+ They made eating ghosts feel so good in this game, it's addicting
+ Level designs have a nice flow to them
+ Leaderboard are up-to-date and can tell you your standing in the world
+ Pre-order was worth it with all the DLCs that was included
+ Lots of levels, skins, music, and modes were in it for its price

- It'd be nice to have a 4-man multiplayer like the ones in arcades
- If striving for the highest score isn't your thing, there isn't much more else to give
- The audio often fails at start up and the game crashes on stage selection
- Hackers were already present on the first day of launch, ruining leaderboards
Concept and Content: 8/10

Duration

+ Just going through all the levels once will provide an hour of gameplay
+ There are a lot of challenges/trials to go through for gameplay time
+ Replay value is high if you're into getting the highest scores in games
+ The pacing of each round never lets down, they stay exciting the entire round

- There isn't much for those who want more than just "high score" leaderboards
- It can be repetitive and boring for those who don't like arcade games
Duration: 7/10

Fun
+ The vibrant atmosphere from the game makes me feel good
+ I have to play hard every time, I love the speed and excitement of it
+ Eating ghosts and the sound it makes is so satisfying
+ The easy-going music mixed with a bit of excitement is a nice compliment
+ I liked seeing some of my scores go over so many other players on leaderboard
+ The flow of each round is so fluid and the feeling I get from playing is bliss

- Having to restart the game 3-7 times because audio isn't there is annoying
- Game crashing at stage select isn't too big of a problem, but it still bugs me
- No controller support, getting sick of seeing "Xbox 360 controller only"
Fun: 8/10

Overall
It's a fun game that anyone can easily get into without going through long dialogues, getting lost, facing frustrating enemies, etc.  It's a nice distraction from the other gaming you might be playing and provides entertainment in a pure form.  It might not be a game players will play for long durations, but being able to play a round for 5 minutes for a break and still give a satisfying experience is a nice thing to have.  For the more hardcore players, the highly competitive leaderboards will keep them busy finding new strategies and refining their reflexes with the ability to watch replays of any player's score.  The game was worth pre-ordering with all the extra content that came with it, but eventually it will get a Steam sale and provide a nice price for the entire package.  With its beautiful presentation and fast-paced gameplay, it's a game I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys arcade games and more so if they're a Pac-Man fan.  Overall: 8.2/10

GameLight - PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX+

Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/236450/
Source: Youtube Channel Robert Cram

I'm so ready for some PAC-MAN!  PAC-MAN Championship Edition first released 6 years ago on Xbox Live Arcade and I was able to finally try it out 2 years ago when a demo released on PS3's PSN store.  The concept of the pellet gobbling PAC-MAN remains the same, but some rules have been changed a little.  The game will speed up, slow down, have more pellets appear, have a bunch of ghosts swamp you, and other crazy new mechanics that really change the pace of the classic arcade game.  As far as I know, the game is still only single-player, but  perhaps that might change as the "plus" version allows "players to challenge their friends".  The problem is, it might just mean allowing the player to beat their friend's score on a friend's list leaderboard.  A multiplayer version does exist in places like Dave & Busters (Arcades) as I have played it earlier this year with 3 other friends and it was a lot of fun.  I don't think it'll provide online multiplayer (listed as single-player only), but it should be a fun arcade experience.  I already pre-ordered it a month ago to get the 8 DLCs that come along with the pre-order.  I just have to wait 2 more days before I start munching pellets and ghosts.

"The update provided improved leaderboard functionality, the ability to challenge friends, and medal support. In addition to this, paid downloadable content was also released. It added four new courses (Big Eater, Championship III, Highway II, and Mountain), three new skins (based on Dig Dug, Rally-X and Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures) and two new background music tracks (Pac-Steps and Re-Entrance) to the game. This content was made available in the "All You Can Eat Add-on Pack" bundle." -Wikipedia

You can grab PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX+ on Steam for $9.99 or if you want to save a little you can grab it at GreenManGaming and use their 25% off coupon (GMG25-J4B0D-FLH8M) and get it for $7.49 with all the DLCs.  The game unlocks on September 25th at 12PM PST.

GameLight Review - BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend

Official Site: http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/blazblue-continuum-shift-extend-ps3.html
Source: Youtube Channel jourdal

Developer: Arc System Works
Publisher: Aksys Games
Platforms: [Playstation 3], Xbox 360
Release Date: February 14, 2012
Genre: Fighting

Pros:
+ Lots of unlockable content
+ Rebalanced characters and difficulty
+ "Almost" everything great about the series so far put together in one
+ Extra stories that delves deeper into the lore of BlazBlue
+ The addition of Relius Clover
+ Another mode added for those who like playing single-player
+ Optimized online gameplay
+ The in-game money and level system is great for single-player play
+ Abyss mode adds some light RPG elements great for single-player play

Cons:
- An expensive DLC for those who own the original and 3 of the DLC characters
- Legion mode is not present in this "supposed" definitive version of BlazBlue
- A lot of the English voice actors have been swapped out
- Public online community is pretty dead
- Honestly, it's only one extra characters
- Odd typos and weird dialogue problems in conversations

Recommended:
   *Yes: If you've never bought any of the BlazBlue or you're a big fan
   *No: If you've bought Continuum Shift with the 3 DLC characters

I was hesitant about purchasing Extend as it was mainly 4 new characters for me for $40 (it was 1 new character for those who paid for the 3 DLC characters before Extend released).  But I got a really good sale discount, there were new modes, new story lines, new characters, and I really liked BlazBlue.  I liked the addition of Abyss mode, which was ported from the handheld editions, and the currency/level system as it gave me an incentive to keep playing to unlock more content much like Calamity Trigger was like.  I had never played the 3 DLC characters before, so it pleases me that all 3 turned out to be really fun to play.  The exclusive Relius Clover for the Extend edition is okay, but I can understand why a lot of people who bought Continnum Shift and all the DLCs didn't want to buy an entire expansion just for him.  The additional story arcs were great and quite moving on some of them.  What I really didn't like that made me upset was that some of the voice actors were different.  The main problem is that they're mixed in with the original voice actors so some attacks just sound so odd when it's a totally different voice.  It was also saddening to hear it in Story mode as it no longer captures the essence and being of that character anymore as well as being inconsistent.  There was also some very odd typos where words are misspelled, words didn't match what the voice was saying, and weird dialogue changes in the middle of a conversation where some characters suddenly have the Japanese voice actors speak and then go right back into English voices.  This expansion seems rather rushed and unpolished in terms of content quality, but the core gameplay is still very solid and a lot of fun.

Aesthetics
Art Style: 2D Hand-drawn sprites with multi-layer hand-drawn backgrounds
+ Slight changes to UI, certain animations, and graphics to make it smoother
+ New content in gallery and new CGs for story
+ As usual, the music is incredible and new songs have been added
+ Additional levels have been added

- Typos in texts and voice overs not matching to texts or fluctuates to Japanese
- Changes to English voice actors is disappointing and jarring in-game
Aesthetics: 7/10

Buttons
Controller: PS3 controller or Fightstick
+ Nothing has really changed for the controls.  Still easy to navigate the menus, character moves and skills are still solid and response time is very tight.
Buttons: 10/10

Concept & Content
Core Concept: Classic 2D Fighter
+ The new story arcs are pretty well written and has the same great quality
+ New modes like Unlimited Mars and Abyss Mode are great additions for solo
+ The 3 DLC characters with Relius Clover is added to the roster
+ Currency and Leveling system adds more replay value and incentive to the game
+ A LOT of unlockable content such as pictures, unlimited characters, and voices
+ Online play is optimized and runs much smoother

- Legion Mode was taken out
- For competitive players, not much new was added
Concept and Content: 9/10

Duration
+ Replay value for solo play has been "extended" significantly
+ More stories means longer play time
+ Lots of content to unlock so there's incentive to play more
+ Abyss Mode has 4 tiers and has light RPG elements for more "depth"
Duration: 9/10

Fun
+ I like the currency/leveling system a lot, that progression for solo play is great
+ I really like the RPG elements within Abyss mode
+ The additional 4 characters are really fun and unique
+ Relius Clover has the coolest and most intricate Astral Heat
+ The stories for the new characters and side stories were rather moving

-The lack of polish in texts, voice actor changes, erratic language voice overs was a disappointment and I hope this doesn't happen in Chrono Phantasma
Fun: 9/10

Overall
Despite the lack of polish in bringing it over to the Western Market and disappointments with voice actor changes, the sheer amount of solo play content that was added more than makes up for it (but still makes me sad).  BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend is the definitive version of the series thus far with all the characters up to date, all the stories including Calamity Trigger, and all the different modes excluding Legion mode.  The expansion is quite an expensive payment for those just wanting Relius Clover in their roster, but a worthwhile one if more single-player content is what they seek.  For those who really like the series other than just solely on the competitive scene or those who have never even bought the game, BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend is a great buy for any gamer remotely interested in the 2D Fighter genre.  Overall: 8.8/10

GameLight - BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma

Wikia Site: http://blazblue.wikia.com/wiki/BlazBlue:_Chrono_Phantasma
Source: Youtube Channel PhoenonX

A new BlazBlue is on its way!  Arc System Works is keeping themselves busy announcing a new BlazBlue while launching Persona 4 Arena just yesterday for the PS3 and Xbox 360.  Chrono Phantasma will be a new chapter to the BlazBlue series rather than an add-on (much like Continuum Shift 2 and Extend were) with redone sprite work, three new characters, and some new mechanics.  BlazBlue is a 2D Fighter with very unique play styles to each individual character, an incredibly in-depth story, and the genius work of Daisuke Ishiwatari on composing the music.  Fighting games has changed quite a bit throughout the decade, and BlazBlue takes traditional mechanics mixed with new ones to create a game that's easy for anyone to pick up but make it so detailed and in-depth that it's viable for the most competitive players.  For one, it's a lot easier to perform combos and specials compared to other fighting games, and those who want a bit more than just the combat aspect will enjoy the story mode.  The music is what got me interested in BlazBlue as well as its style of art, but it's the characters and story that got me hooked to the game.  The story ranges from humor, to drama, to action, to some of the most emotional scenes in a fighting game.  A lot of the writing is better than what you'll experience in RPGs.  BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma should hit Japanese Arcades this Winter and come out for consoles sometime next year.

GameLight - Dyad

Official Site: http://www.dyadgame.com/
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment

What the heck is Dyad?  I've been hearing about it for the past week and now I see it with high ratings among the critics.  It claims to be a Racing, Puzzle, Shooter, Music game.  That kind of reminds me of Audiosurf minus the shooter part.  With a mixture of games like Rez, Wipeout, and Tempest, Dyad is to be a fast-paced, music-based arcade game for the Playstation 3.  One game that's most similar to Dyad is probably Amplitude, though that game worked more like guitar hero.  So looking at it, Dyad looks like a neat little game.  But it seems a lot of PSN games published by SCEA receive an insane amount of praise by the critics in the industry.  I'm going to be doing a review of Journey soon, and that was one of the games I felt was overly exaggerated with praise.  In general, I don't really buy games digitally on the PS3 just because I have the 80GB version and can barely hold the data from my physical games.  Dyad would be a game I'd like to try, but wouldn't buy.

GameLight - Wizorb

Official Page: http://wizorb.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/207420/

Source: Youtube Channel TributeGames

The Steam Summer Sales isn't here yet, but one of the games I was looking out for is the Daily Sale for today.  Wizorb is a fantasy themed Breakout clone with a retro game feel and incredible sprites animated by famed artist Paul Robertson.  The game is reminiscent of RPGs like Final Fantasy, Ys, or Dragon Warrior with aspects similar to The Legend of Zelda series (rooms and shops).  The breakout portion of the game has the usual bricks along with special enemies, power-ups, and boss battles.  The game has over 60 levels and seems to follow a story with multiple endings.  Wizorb is on sale today on Steam for $1.49 or you can get it on Xbox Live Arcade for 240 points.

GameLight Review - BlazBlue Continuum Shift

Official Site: http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/blazblue-continuum-shift-extend-ps3.html

Source: Youtube Channel banjoparapanyo

Developer: Arc System Works

Publisher: Aksys Games

Platforms: Arcade, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Playstation Portable, Nintendo 3DS

Release Date: July 27, 2010

Genre: 2D Fighter

Pros:

-Breathtaking visuals in both environment backdrops and character sprites

-Beginner mode makes it more inviting for new comers

-The combat mechanics leaves a lot of room for creative combos and competitive gameplay

-Gameplay is smooth, stylish, dynamic, and fast-paced

-Story mode isn’t just a repeat of Calamity Trigger, but a follow up

-Daisuke Ishiwatari once again graces us with his genius music compositions

-Legion and challenge mode changes up the pacing from the usual arcade mode

-All characters play very uniquely and have their own play style

Cons:

-DLC characters a $7 each, what a rip!

-Last boss: Hazama of Arcade mode is stupidly hard to beat even at the easiest difficulty level

-The new character selection graphics aren’t as good as the CT, but that’s a preference

-Players who have gotten so used to Calamity Trigger might have to readjust for this one

After playing BlazBlue Continuum Shift for about 1.5 years, I’ve come to love it more and more.  The game just keeps getting better the more you play it.  BlazBlue has one of the most definitive stories to go along with a fighting game.  It’s so deep, moving and intricate that it just pulls the player into the world and change the ways one might feel about each individual character.  Characters become more than just toons that fight each other, but they all have reasons and agendas that coincide or conflict.  What’s more, Continuum Shift is a continuation of the events of Calamity Trigger rather than a simple update as most other fighting games seem to do.  The game itself is fast-paced, very stylish and a lot fun to perform all sorts of combos, skills, and special abilities, but having the story completes the package.  The changes from Calamity Trigger has added new specials for all characters, an optional beginner’s mode, some tweaks to how burst works, etc. to make the game more balanced and dynamic.  This would be one 2D fighter that I would recommend to those who don’t generally play fighting games as its intriguing story mode is like a game of its own while the beginner mode option makes it easier for one new to fighting games to ease into it while definitely recommending it for hardcore, competitive players as it has all the factors that make it challenging.

Aesthetics

The main reason why I decided to buy the game was because the music was by Daisuke Ishiwatari and is developed by the same team who created Guilty Gear.  It was sad to hear that they lost the rights to Guilty Gear and was no longer able to continue the series, and so I wanted to support them with the purchase of BlazBlue.  Sure enough, the music was amazing the first time I heard it and more so when I hear it now; however, the visuals shocked me.  I was expecting BlazBlue to be similar to Guilty Gear as characters from BlazBlue seem to look similar to those in the GG series.  The graphics were dynamic with beautiful backdrops with lighting effects, moving sprites, and a sort of 3D-ish feel to them.  The character sprites are a lot sharper and clean cut compared to what the team did for GG.  The animations are incredibly fluid, flashy, and stylish, making combos, specials, and attacking feel really good.  I have to admit that I was annoyed by some of the voice acting in both the English AND Japanese, but as I played the game more I began to adore the talents of both languages and their portrayal of the characters in the game.  The biggest treat for me was the Story mode, which convinced me to play through Calamity Trigger before I started on the story on Continuum Shift, as it became a major factor to what made the whole game come alive.  Story mode changed how I felt about each character and encouraged me to even play characters I generally wouldn’t choose.  My biggest complaint on the game’s aesthetics would probably be the main menu.  All modes and options are laid in one long list which makes it overwhelming and cluttered when most of them could have been collapsed into sub-categories and menus for an organized look.  Besides that, I can complain a bit about some of the cinematics having odd animations and character design that doesn’t match up to the rest of the game’s art style, but it’s not that big of a deal either.  Everything about BlazBlue Continuum Shift in terms of Aesthetics (Still images, sprites, backdrops, animations, cinematics, dialogue, voice acting, music, story, etc.) was very well thought out and meaningful.  BlazBlue turned out to be a much more polished and carefully developed fighter than I would have every guessed.  Aesthetics: 10/10

Buttons

The controls of the game are both easy and hard at the same time.  There are essentially 4 buttons to utilitze: light attack, medium, heavy, and a special attack that differs between all characters.  Players can easily perform combos by mashing light->medium->heavy and mix them around a bit; however, the combos and delays vary between each character.  Even with beginner mode on, a player may not be able to land all their hits in time and can be countered if the opponent is skilled.  Other times, combos are so easy for certain characters that even the most novice player can combo lock an opponent into a string of attacks that they can’t get out of.  This is why the controls are both easy and hard at the same time.  The mechanic of using three main attacks and a special key has been utilized in other games such as Melty Blood and now even Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 as it is much easier to understand and handle to single-action attacks from fighting games like Street Fighter or King of Fighters.  It makes it much easier to learn and perform combos and utilize special attacks into them.  Compared to most fighters, the leeway time between each attack for combos is rather lenient.  The difficult part in learning how to play each character when not in beginner mode is finding the flow and pacing of each character and knowing which abilities can be chaining to each other.  Some skills can still be difficult to execute, even with the use of a fight stick.  For the most part, the game’s controls and battle mechanics was easy to understand if given the patience and time to learn them.  Challenge mode helps a little, but rushes into the difficult techniques a bit too quickly.  Buttons: 9/10

Concept and Content

I was disappointed at first when I got the game and realized how very few characters the game seemingly had; however, I changed my mind about that as I played through story mode and saw how deeply involved each character was to the story of the BlazBlue as well as how distinguished each character players.  To give some examples: Bang Shishigami focuses on counter-attack, grapples, and dashes; Iron Tager excels at knock-backs, wall bounce hits, grabs, and pulls; Rachel Alucard requires the use of all her special abilities and the use of wind influence to make the most out of all her attacks; Taokaka is quick and so can perform a long string of attacks in a small amount of time; etc.  This idea of different play styles favors those who play in a certain way or ones who seek variety in their fighting games.  The additional challenge mode to the existing arcade, training, legion, and story mode is a good tutorial into more advanced techniques, but it isn’t entirely exciting.  The concept of story mode playing like a visual novel is both easy for the developers to continually create more in a short amount of time and providing a lot of insight to events, characters, and background history for the player.  The continuation of the story from where Calamity Trigger left off is the biggest treat in Continuum Shift.  Three additional characters were eventual available for DLC, but cost $7 each and doesn’t include their story modes.  Also, those who didn’t play Calamity Trigger will have a lot of unexplained events in the story of Continuum Shift.  It seems that upcoming release of BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend will remedy all these with stories of the first and second in one game, all the characters released so far, and a brand new mode.  Continuum Shift further extended the concepts and gameplay mechanics of Calamity Trigger, but seems to have been lacking in content that should have been there such as the additional 3 characters.  Concept & Concept: 9/10

Duration

The game as a whole doesn’t have a distinct flow, but Story mode is presented differently from Calamity Trigger.  Story mode starts off with an introduction as usual and then allows only the choice of playing Ragna the Bloodedge’s story rather than allowing the player to choose any character in any order.  After finishing Ragna’s story, 5+ or so opens up and then gradually unlocks more character stories as to keep a sort of flow to each one of them.  The game can last a very long time as I’ve had the game for 1.5 years and am still playing it.  Continuum Shift provides: Arcade, advanced tutorial (not available in Calamity Trigger), Challenge, Legion, Training, Online, and Story.  For those who play casually only for the fighting, arcade mode and legion mod will probably the main modes to play.  Those who like stories and learn more about the world of BlazBlue will play story mode and some arcade.  Competitive and hardcore players will play online mode a lot.  A good fighting game should have incredible replay value and provide something for the player to keep coming back for more.  BlazBlue Continuum Shift seems to fulfill those criteria.  Duration: 10/10

Fun

Honestly, my first impression of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift was kind of bad.  I loved the visuals and the music, but the voice acting annoyed me, the character selection felt very limited, and the last boss, Hazama, was so difficult and unfair (silly me thought I could handle the game right off the bat on normal mode, everyone else was alright other than the last boss) that it just left a bad impression for me.  I seldom went back to play it once in a while just because I loved the rest of the game play when I’m not fighting Hazama and because of the music.  The game was fast-paced.  Performing long combos felt good.  It was fun, but it was hard getting back into it everytime I had to face Hazama.  Eventually, I got a copy of Calamity Trigger and started playing story mode.  For me, I love fighting games because of the story and how all the characters have some sort of relationship with each other in some way or another and I would play each character to see their character endings and see what their story is about.  BlazBlue went far and beyond that with story mode as it expands long dialogues, history, backgrounds, and even multiple paths to go by to provide a rich and intricate world for the player to explore.  I got really hooked onto BlazBlue ever since I started playing story mode and have begun to play the game a bit more seriously with training and challenge mode to become more familiar with certain characters.  The only mode I’m reluctant to play anymore is Arcade because of Hazama.  Fun: 9/10

Overall

What started as a curiosity of music and the history behind the developers turned into a game I can fully appreciate and have fun with.  The fighting mechanics might be a bit confusing for those who are used to Street Fighter, King of Fighters, or Mortal Kombat at first, but those with patience to sit down and get to know each character will find a very gratifying 2D fighter that is so unique in many ways that it will be hard to put down.  BlazBlue’s eccentric, yet loveable characters draw one in as story mode unfolds their endeavors and agendas.  The many modes will keep game play fresh and entertaining after hundreds of rounds and continues to get better the more one plays it.  If you have never played any of the BlazBlue games, I recommend picking up BlazBlue Continuum Shift Extend which releases on February 14^th, 2012 as it will contain the entire story mode from both Calamity Trigger and Continuum Shift as well all the characters released thus far with all returning modes and extra modes such as Abyss mode and Unlimited Wars.  This version of Continuum Shift was great with certain aspects lacking, but “Extend” will be the complete package worth a 10/10.  Overall: 9.4/10

GameOn - Fighting Games - Tekken Hybrid

Did everyone have a good break yesterday for Columbus Day (assuming you got a break)?  This week's GameOn theme is upcoming fighting games (all of them being being spin-offs or sequels).  Today's topic is Tekken Hybrid; it's a 3D CG Movie packed with the original Tekken Tag in HD and I think Tekken Tag 2 Tournament.

Source: Youtube Channel NamcoBandaiGames

I'm not a huge fan of Tekken (even though I own Tekken 1-6) but I do like the premise of the stories for each character and how they all tie together.  I dreaded the creation of the live action movie for Tekken, and so I was really happy to see a 3D CG movie in the works planned to be released as Tekken Hybrid as that's how a movie for Tekken should be presented.  I just hope the story and choreography lives up to its reputation within the games.  Lots of tournament and/or competitive players are excited about Tekken Tag 2, and it makes sense if you see some of the crazy combos pro players perform utilizing the tag system:

Source: Youtube Channel MitsuGTO885

That's scary!  After 1-2 rounds in, your character will miss the feeling of the ground.  Tekken Tag 2 will have a steeper learning curve compared to the main game as its use of the Tag system is necessary if a player wants to be remotely competent against someone who plays the game often.  I'm already god awful at the game controlling one character, I can only imagine how bad it would be like controlling two characters.  The arcade cabinet should be available internationally sometime this month, but the PS3 version won't be seen until sometime next year in 2012.

GameOn - Shmups - Space Invaders

Good evening everyone!  I hope everyone had a pleasant Labor Day holiday yesterday.  This week, I'm going to be doing a GameOn series which I feel as if I hadn't in the longest time.  Each of the four days, I will be talking about a sort of "Shmups" (shortened for Shoot-em-ups) sub-genre.  Today, I will be talking about Space Invaders of the past and now.

Source: Youtube Channel pspshow

Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooters that I played when I was a little kid.  It was a simple objective, but a difficult task.  Shoot-em-ups consists of a level of enemies that the player has to mow down to progress.  For Space Invaders, it was a single screen game where a bunch of aliens planning on invading Earth.  The player takes the role of a single fighter and shoots them out of space and from invading and destroying the player and earth.  In the past 25 years or so, Space Invaders have gone through many iterations with little to no change at all but has introduced things such as power ups, special aliens, and different aspects that changes the game around.  Space Invaders is still played today, even if it looks and plays differently.  It still has that frantic feeling of the last alien whizzing down the screen.  It's still fun for me, but has been overshadowed by many other sub-genre of shooters.  I would call this an Arcade Shooter (I guess it's called a "Fixed shooter" on Wikipedia, makes sense) because of its history of shoot-em-ups in arcades with Galaga, Galaxian, and such being the popular shooters during those days.  You can probably find a site that still has the original Space Invaders for you to play, and there's also many iterations of Space Invaders all around on different consoles and sites.  Space Invaders certainly isn't the first shooter or game to come out, but it is one of the most influential ones that have paved the way for other Shmups.