With the type of visuals that emulate the best in manga and anime, a cast of weird characters and online play,”Blazblue Continuum Shift II” is the best fighter on the PSP this year.
Its look will remind many of “Darkstalkers” and “Guilty Gear.” Uber colorful and bizarre, the game fits right in with the aforementioned titles. However, the graphical edge has to go to this title due to the 3D backgrounds and amount of polish in the cinemas. When combined, “Blazblue Continuum Shift II” is one of the best looking 2D fighters on the PSP.
Considering that, it would be too easy to write this game off as a clone of other successful titles. That’s not the case at all. How it differentiates itself is through a more strategic gameplay approach. Focusing more on melee attacks and opportunistic abilities that force you to second think every jump, this game offers a different gameplay experience.
For example, one character blows bubbles that stay on the screen for a few seconds that her opponents can get stuck in. Another character places little boxes in the air that his enemies cannot touch, in fear of bouncing around the screen like a pinball. Place a few of these things on screen and that’s exactly what’ll happen. Overall, the fighting style in this game is nearly impossible to compare to anything else.
Because of this, “Blazblue Continuum Shift II” is a heck of a lot of fun and can be challenging at times to anyone used to simply hurling fireballs and delivering hurricane kicks.
While the game should be loved for its attempt to be different, it ends up hurting it at times. A few of the characters, albeit beautifully designed, aren’t nearly as interesting to play with and lack the punch of some of the stronger and speedier ones. The game isn’t nearly as fast as other 2D fighters and some of the characters slow the game down too much.
Nevertheless, there’s enough enticing characters in the game to warrant multiple plays and push a solid pace throughout.
Another blemish is the story. Through the course of playing this game, don’t even try to understand the story. While Aksys has done a solid job here with the translation, it’s so wacky between the demonic forces and cursing that it’s best to focus on the gameplay and graphics instead.
But have no fear. Like a super model with a fun-loving personality and no common sense, you’ll enjoy every second you have with this game regardless of not understanding what it’s all about.
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