Reviewed: Blazblue: Calamity Trigger (360, PS3)
Blazblue: Calamity Trigger is a 2d beat em up direct from the jaws of the Japanese gaming market.
Although it is similar to the Street Fighter franchise, Blazblue: Calamity Trigger distances itself a little from the precise and sometimes geeky approach of its counterpart. It delivers a fighting system that is more user friendly and attempts to capture some of the casual gaming market with effortless button controls that can be easily picked up and played rather than spending countless hours trying to master every move.
Saying that, Blazblue does cater for the beat em up officianado too with more complex combos and skills to master so there is definitely something for everyone and a smooth learning curve for the first timers to this particular genre makes this a perfect game to ease yourself into without feeling as though you are lacking in required skill.
There are two main modes in the game, arcade and story modes as well as a tutorial that offers an insight into the back story of the 12 characters available and also offering a variety of skills for them too. Although the tutorial may seem confusing it is an essential tool in understanding the plotlines in the main story as each character is played out in a different way.
Arcade mode focuses on beating the other characters available with a varying degree of difficulty over three rounds, or rebels as they are called in the game. Why they are called that is beyond me but probably to do with the way it has been converted from its Japanese origins into an English translation. There is also an option to continue a game if it all goes wrong so there is no need to start from the beginning and again encourages new gamers to this genre to soldier on.
The controls themselves offer a varying amount of leeway within the gameplay. Normally, with the beat em up genre there seems to be two camps of players. The ones that mash the buttons uncontrollably to get the desired effect and a stroke of luck (my wife included!) and the gamers that utilise strategy, timing and an intimate knowledge of the various moves and combos to attack at the precise time with deadly effect.
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger does cater for both but as the fights progress the game encourages you to try a few more moves in an attempt to at least try some of the moves on the list rather than scaring you off and keep on with the button mashing until it becomes so frustrating that you will not play any more. The characters themselves also have varying moves and skills and you are not left wanting for variety when playing again. The bigger fighters have more power but are subject to being a little slower to get a hit in whilst the smaller characters are a lot more nimble but lack the explosive hits and therefore you will need to gauge the effects and how they adapt to your fighting style. Each character also have special moves and abilities that again vary the game play so you never know what you will get in terms of the attacks coming from other characters.
The story mode in essence is great but has difficulties, I feel, in presenting itself in the right way which could again be down to the conversion from Japanese and also its gaming culture. Although the meat of the game play is solid, the stories themselves appear weak and confusing with voice overs that I cannot rate that highly. Again, playing the tutorial first will iron out some of those moments but you are still left a little disoriented as to what is really going on and where the story is heading and you just keep trying to smash the living hell of any fiend that comes across you. The fights are also based on one round and if you lose then it is game over. The saving grace for this is that after each fight your game can be saved and therefore you will only need to go back to the fight you have lost rather than trawl through a whole section again.
This element is my only niggle on a game that is built on solid foundations and although you feel detached from the stories to a point will not destroy the core game play and what it has achieved.
The animations to Blazblue: Calamity Trigger are smooth and graphically beautiful adopting a Manga/Anime style in presentation which really shows. Characters are well defined and a lot of colour on screen makes this a beautiful spectacle to see whilst trying to dodge those special attacks. The menu system is also very easy to use being able to scroll through the options quickly and efficiently. Pausing the game also brings up an option for your list of moves where you can gain a little knowledge on what your character can achieve in a fight.
Overall, Blazblue: Calamity Trigger is an excellent 2D beat em up that takes into consideration the novice player as well as a gamer that is well versed in the art of button combos to pull off effective moves. A three button system for beginners works very well in principal and the smooth learning curve will allow you to become confident in a fighting game without the frustration of constantly getting your bum kicked. Beautifully designed in its retro game play converted to a next gen format, Blazblue: Calamity Trigger delivers a solid beat em up for all levels of the gaming fraternity. Poor conversions of story arcs and voiceovers aside, the quality of the gameplay coupled with the price points that stores have the game at will make a worthy purchase for any gamer looking to get into the genre as well as the gamers that are looking to add to their beat em up collection.
