9.2

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger

It's these little gems that generally go under the radar and although the previous game by developers Arc System Works, Guilty Gear had a strong following, we're expecting this to be smashed. This is of course due to their latest title, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger that features 2D fighting at its best, thanks to its hand drawn graphics and classic sprite animation.

With that said, if you enjoyed Guilty Gear, than you'll adore BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger that goes beyond the previous game by not only incorporating old school arcade fighting but adds some 21st century gameplay and graphics. 

With 12 playable characters, BlazBlue offer gamers some truly diverse characters, each with their strengths and weaknesses but best of all, the majority are quite fun to play. It's the wackiness of the games characters which is oozing with anime references and their entertaining combination attacks that make this so fun to play and also a little addictive.

In terms of game modes, BlazBlue offers Arcade, Score Attack, Versus, Training and an interesting story mode that gives you some history behind the characters. Although I would not expect that a game of this nature to support online modes but in actual fact it does and I must admit that there are several hardcore BlazBlue players out there that handed me my ass on more than one occasion. Lag will unfortunately make you lose though. Another nifty option is the ability to watch both offline and online fights via replays which is actually kind of fun in a nerdy sense.

The gameplay of BlazBlue is quite fast and if you're not use to this speed, you may find it a little difficulty in mastering the control system. Although the control system is well mapped on the controller, it's trying to link all those button combinations together which makes for some challenges. With this in mind, each character contains three attacks that include weak, medium and strong but where it does shine is through the dive attacks that are basically super attacks.

Of course, you can link all these attacks with each other to pull off some impressive combinations. Another interesting aspect of BlazBlue is the heat gauge which allows you to access the distortion drives which is the most powerful attack in the game and looks visually quite stunning when released. To access the distortion drives, you need to be either hitting another character or receiving damage but once it's filled, man is it fun! Apart from fighting, this game allows for blocks and even grabs against your opponents to up the ante.

Even though some of the characters are quite strange looking, most gamers will be drawn to them, just to see what their special manoeuvres are. Apart from fists and feet, some characters have weapons that is so reminiscent of those old school arcade games with swords and guns. The highlight of this game for me is the ability to combine or chain attacks together which are those cool moments in BlazBlue but that's not to say they are unbeatable because there are some great defence strategies as well.

Graphically, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is a colourful game with some great 2D inspired graphics. The characters are well animated and it's almost as if they have jumped straight out of a anime series. Add an interesting rock inspired soundtrack thanks to Daisuke Ishiwatari and it just adds to the hectic atmosphere of the game. I also love the the over the top sounds of fighting that would not be out of place in a Hong Kong martial arts movie and when matched with the gameplay, you have everything you need to get drawn into the title. Just imagine the old Batman TV series on LSD!

At the end of the day, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is an outrageous fighter that breaks away from Western norms and gives the player something uniquely different and more importantly, entertaining. It may appear to be quite crazy and outrageous at first with all it's anime inspired characters and bright colours but for us, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is a sturdy fighter that offers the player quite a bit in terms of gameplay, replay and entertainment value. Supporting both online and offline play, this should be the future direction fighting games, especially with options such as ranked matches and leader boards. Fun indeed!

Update: PS3 and 360 comparison? It's virtually the same game, identical graphics and gameplay. The 360 version does load faster and the colours seem more bright on the XBox, however at the end of the day, neither console owner will be disadvantaged.

Features

• The First HD 2D Fighter from the Creators of the Guilty Gear Series! Be prepared to be blinded by the awesomeness that is BlazBlue, with its stunning characters-each one animated with over 1800 frames of hand-drawn, high-definition sprites!

• Console-Exclusive Content! Brand new music, animations, backgrounds, and a fully fleshed-out story mode have been made exclusively for the console release!

• Dual Language Support! Experience the fully realized BlazBlue saga with fully-voiced dialogue in English or Japanese!

• Online Battle: Train your skills online through ranked and player battles. Create online lobbies where up to six players can battle each other or spectate from the sidelines to gauge their opponents!

• A Plethora of Defensive and Offensive Options at Your Disposal! Take advantage of Barriers, Counter Assaults, Rapid Cancels, Barrier Bursts, Ukemi Tactics, Distortion Drives, and console-exclusive Astral Heat for all characters!