Reader Review: BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger

Do you have what it takes to get a review published right here on Kotaku? Gary does, as he kicks off a fight in a library.

Yes, that’s right, we’re now publishing reader reviews here on Kotaku. This is your chance to deliver sensible game purchasing advice to the rest of the Kotaku community.

And thanks to the very kind chaps at Madman Entertainment, purveyor of all kinds of cool, indie and esoteric film, the best reader review we publish each month will win a prize pack containing ten of the latest Madman DVD releases.

This review was submitted by Gary Kew. If you’ve played BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, or just want to ask Gary more about it, leave your thoughts in the comments below.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (PS3)

Blazblue is the stand-out, fully 2D fighting game in a sea of 3D and 2.5D fighting games of the current era. The world is colourful, the moves are flashy, the characters are mentally twisted in one way or another, and the empirical measure of a standard fighting round is called a “rebel”… whatever the hell that means.

Loved

Characters: I believe this is what makes Blazblue truly unique. Each character has grossly different styles of play. You will definitely find someone that suits your playstyle. Are you a grappler? Then pick Iron Tager, who is like Mech Zangief with extra “Mech”. Are you a counter-attack whore? Then Hakuman is for you. Ever wished you could control two characters at the same time? Then test your multi-tasking abilities with Carl-Clover. Did you enjoy playing Sub-Zero before? Then Jin Kisaragi will make you jizz your pants. Would you like to go super saiyan? They have Bang Shisnigami for that.

Easy To Pick Up: Despite the different styles and various gauges on screen, playing each character is actually fun and easier to pick up than you might think. Combo windows are not that strict as well. And each character can perform their specific special move with a push of a button!

Design: It may be a 2D fighter, but in my opinion, certain aspects are done better than some 3D fighting games of today. I’m amazed how each alternate colour costume you pick looks gorgeous on the characters, unlike, oh say, Gouken from SFIV whose every single alternate colour is some form of grey skin and darkish robe? Oh, and the voice acting is pretty good, too.

Hated

Difficult to Master: So I’ve said its easy to pick up and perform combos… but mastering it is a totally different story. Down block is no longer ‘the ultimate defence’ since every character has a number of moves which hit high and low. And once a good player catches you in a combo, just put down your controller and go make some coffee, your character is going to be flung around for quite a while. Still, not everyone will classify this as a “hated” part of the game.

Controller: The tiny arcade stick that comes with the game is just silly. In fact, this is a game which I personally found easier to play on a standard controller rather than an arcade stick. I think this is because the game does not support input shortcuts and it is just easier to make full joystick movements with the standard controller.

Multiplayer: As usual, Australia draws the short straw when it comes to multiplayer. It’s frustrating when the screen chugs slower than a herd of turtles wading through butter…

Overall though, it is a pretty balanced and awesome game with interesting mechanics. Sorry if I have been making many Street Fighter comparisons, but hey, SFIV is king at the moment, and it is only fitting that other games challenge its position.

Reviewed by: Gary Kew

You can have your Reader Review published on Kotaku. Send your review to us at the usual address. Make sure it’s written in the same format as above and in under 500 words – yes, we’ve upped the word limit. We’ll publish the best ones we get and the best of the month will win a Madman DVD prize pack.

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