Flash Fightin' in BlazBlue Continuum Shift II [Review]

30 Nov 2011 at 09:30:00 by John Robertson
Systems used to review this title: (PSP)

Aside from those games that have exited Capcom’s womb, the world of Japanese 2D beat ‘em ups is all but impenetrable to anyone not in ‘the club’. Crazy characters, over-the-top visual effects, incomprehensible narratives and a stubborn resistance to water down their content to appeal to newcomers makes these, arguably, the most elitist of all videogames.

It’s in this arena that Arc System Works excels. Having brought us the Guilty Gear and BlazBlue series (as well as the criminally overlooked Battle Fantasia) they’re a name associated with highly focused and top-notch fighters with fans of the genre, but are unknown to everyone else. Their design style means they’ll never be as popular as the must-please-everyone Capcom, but that’s exactly what gives Arc their distinctive personality and personally I hope they never bow to mass market expectations.

Despite the digit at the end of its name, BlazBlue Continuum Shift II isn’t really a sequel at all. It’s a tweaked and slightly expanded edition of 2010’s home console fighter BlazBlue Continuum Shift. This new release comes with all of the post-release DLC fighters of the original and the new ‘Abyss’ mode.

Just why Abyss didn’t feature previously is a mystery, because it’s probably the game’s most enjoyable mode; rewarding repeated playthroughs and thus appealing to the self-improvement nature of the best of us.

Playing like a mash-up between a traditional beat ‘em up survival mode and Gears of War’s ‘Horde’ mode, Abyss challenges you with defeating as many opponents in succession as possible. Reach specific points and you’ll engage in fights against characters with heightened defence and attack abilities (I don’t like to call them ‘bosses’ because they’re regular roster characters made artificially more powerful). Win these special fights and your own stats will see an increase.

It’s a simple mode but a fun one. The ability to improve your own character adds a new dimension to the same moves and even makes weaker ones a viable option in the right situation. You’ll want to make sure that you stay up to scratch with the standard edition of your most frequently used characters, though. It’s all too easy to become accustomed to the improved version and pay the price when you go back and play other game modes.

What isn’t new is the gameplay, which is virtually identical to that of the home console editions. Action is fast and intense, the combo system simultaneously punishing and rewarding. Almost every move can be chained into another, the best option usually involving sticking to light and medium attacks while throwing in heavy attacks towards the end.

As ever, precise timing, positioning and an in-depth knowledge of your character’s moves are required to pull off anything worth boasting about. To facilitate longer combo chains, movements are sudden and exact, allowing you to achieve your preferred range (based on your character’s weapon) with a couple of flicks. It’s also useful for backing off in a hurry before you’re caught in an onslaught yourself.

The combat onslaught has got nothing on the visual onslaught, though. While by no means as crisp or impressive as the graphics of BlazBlue Continuum Shift, the quality on offer here is easily enough to satisfy the PSP’s screen. Other than a few dodgy backgrounds and some very obvious pixelated outlines on certain characters, the graphics are satisfying and run at a constant frame rate.

Less satisfying are the multiplayer options. It seems that online multiplayer is a difficult nut to crack for many a handheld game, especially when it comes to providing the kind of stable infrastructure required for a fighter; the frame-by-frame timing making anything less than a virtually lag-free environment unacceptable.

Arc System Works have sidestepped the problem with Continuum Shift II by simply not including it. While the decision is understandable, it’s one that doesn’t sit too well. While local ad-hoc multiplayer is an option, the somewhat niche appeal of these games makes finding a friend with a copy difficult.

Long term appeal would have been greatly improved with an online component, as would the diversity of gameplay. Playing against the CPU is all well and good, but it lacks the variety of human players and gets old much more quickly.

As it stands though, this is a very accomplished fighter that offers well executed gameplay and some enjoyable modes. The PSP is well and truly on its last legs, but they’ll always be a place for niche games that don’t rely on hulking processors and other extra bits of technical fluff.  Then again… BlazBlue on PS Vita is sure to be interesting.

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