Batman: Arkham Asylum

Every now and then I come across a game that simply feels right. Where I feel hard-pressed to think up any serious complaints against the game, and it contains a large number of elements so great and so well done, I wonder why they haven't been done before in this capacity (Or maybe they were done before, but weren't done right). I believe the last game I played that was like this was Valkyria Chronicles. That game had so many good things going for it, but Sega completely failed to advertise it, and thus pretty much no one played it.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is another of those games. It's a game where I don't mind whiling away the hours working at a particularly tough trophy, or where I'm having so much of a blast playing it that I simply don't really care what time it is, or when I need to stop. That's what happened the second day I played it, as I stayed up till 3am working at the 40 hit combo trophy, and enjoying every second of it.

So enough single minded praise for a bit, let's talk about the premise. The game opens just as Batman is driving the Joker back to Arkham Asylum in his Batmobile, having spent the evening foiling the clown's attempt to assassinate the mayor. You play as Batman, escorting the Joker deeper and deeper into the depths of Arkham. You can feel tension in the air as Joker continues to make jokes and be cheerful as usual. Naturally, you soon find that the Joker let himself be captured (as Batman suspects out loud). You watch as he attacks and kills both his captors, and reveals that his men, transferred from Blackgate prison due to a [rather coincidental] fire, have already begun taking over the asylum. Now everyone (including Batman) is trapped on the island, and there's no help coming. So put simply, Batman's spent a lot of the past couple of months rounding a lot of big super criminals and throwing them in Arkham Asylum. Now he's trapped on the island with all of them wanting a piece of him.

Fortunately, you've got the brains, skills, and tools to not only escape the island, but to put every criminally insane individual back in their cell in the process. Arkham Asylum is composed primarily of three things. Brawling, exploring, and sneaking. I'll explore each of these components separately, starting with hand-to-hand combat.

Rocksteady (the developer) has devised one of the most simplistic, satisfying, deep fighting systems ever for Arkham Asylum. I've spent a lot of time cracking skulls with this system, and it works so ridiculously well, I can't imagine how any game with close combat in it could possibly compare favorably anymore. It's completely off-balanced my scale on how I would compare combat systems. It's called the FreeFlow Combat system. At the most basic level, you only need to use Square and Triangle to do pretty well. Square is the attack button, you mash it continuously until you see a dude trying to attack you. Then you press Triangle to counter his attack. Eventually, you'll come across enemies that have to be stunned with O or dodged with X before you can attack them. If you want to get fancy, you can also quick-throw Batarangs with L1, and (once you get it), pull enemies with the Bat Claw by double-tapping R2.

At the beginning, you can get by fine enough just button mashing. But in later fights, you'll find that hordes of thugs won't let you just hit square all the time or rely on a simplistic strategy. As Batman, you need to keep an eye not just on the guy who's arm you're breaking, but on everyone around you. If you're not observant, you won't notice that guy on the fringe of the battle who runs off to rip a pipe off the wall to attack you with, or to break into the gun depository. At a more basic level, you won't notice the guy slowly making his way towards you, getting ready to throw a punch. An experienced brawler is paying more attention to the battle at large, than just Batman and the poor soul getting kicked in the balls.

But you can't just sit around, either, because another important element to combat is the combo counter. You'll need to throw three punches in quick succession before you go into FreeFlow mode, where you can easily direct Batman's attacks. From there on, you'll want to maintain your combo. Getting a high combo chain is the basic key to a high score and getting large heaps of EXP in one sitting. Every time you get hit, miss a punch, or stop attacking for about two seconds, your combo drops back down to zero. Unless you rely on heavy variation in your attacks, it's pretty difficult to get a high score without getting good at combos.

Occasionally you'll have to fight a boss. Even though (without spoiling much) these are generally famous enemies of the Bat from the comics, in my opinion boss battles are actually one of the lower points of the game. There's a Zelda-esque simple pattern to beating each of them, and but they don't really ramp up the difficulty each time you outwit them. So the battle becomes boring.

The alternative to facing foes head on is sneaking. These areas, where it's better to take a stealthy approach, are known as predator challenges. Of course, you're the predator. Again, this is a very well-designed aspect of the game. In predator challenges, the only goal is to take out every single enemy. How you do this is entirely up to you. There are usually numerous hidden pathways, hiding spots, and alcoves for you to hide in, as well as gargoyles that you can perch on to survey the area and plan your moves. As you systematically take out each person, the Joker will make comments directed at both you and his henchmen. The funny thing is, he often spends more time chiding, taunting and threatening them than he does Batman. For example, by the time you've taken out all but the last person, that dude is just completely terrified. He turns this way and that often, and looses off shots at even the slightest hint of your presence. Meanwhile, Joker will constantly insult and threaten him over the loudspeaker, definitely not helping his psyche. You almost feel sorry for the guy.

You have numerous moves and tools at your disposal for dispatching henchman. One signature takedown is to hang from a gargoyle and wait for someone to walk under you. Then you can immediately swoop down, grab him, and string him up from the gargoyle. Later on, goons will start wearing suicide collars, which alert the rest of the crew when someone is taken down. One of my favorite things is to dispatch a guard, then boobie trap his body with explosive gel. You can guess what happens when the others come to investigate. Another fun one is to take advantage of structural weaknesses to bury a henchman in falling debris. Besides gadget based attacks, you also have a number of physical takedowns. Sneak up behind an unsuspecting henchman to take him down cleanly and silently. Hang from a walkway and wait for someone to walk by you, then rise up and pull them over the edge, Assassin's Creed style. Alternatively, you could lie in wait behind a corner, and wait for your prey to walk up just close enough to pop out and KO him in a corner takedown. These predator challenges really are made of good stuff.

And finally, there's exploration. Though you'll constantly feel propelled through the campaign, and rarely lost, the fact is Arkham Asylum is one big sandbox. At most points in the game you're free to explore and backtrack, either to solve riddles or just to see the sights. I say most because one of the villains, Poison Ivy eventually breaks out and wreaks havoc on much of the island structure. Gameplay wise, this could actually be a good thing, as it often forces you to take different routes when backtracking, because your normal way might have been blocked off.

The game provides incentive to stay observant with riddles and other secrets hidden all over the island. There are over 200 Riddler challenges to solve, from hunting down Riddler trophies to scanning the various Amadeus Arkham plaques left behind. Besides the latter example slowly unraveling an interesting side story, completing Riddler challenges not only net you a hefty XP bonus, but also unlock combat and predator challenges, patient interview tapes (all of which are quite amusing to listen to), and biographies for a bunch of famous and not-so-famous characters in the Batman universe. I know I learned quite a lot about Batman and his past through the character bios. If the campaign secrets aren't enough replay value, each combat and predator challenge also has it's own online leaderboard, including the ones in the Joker DLC.

Finding and these challenges is simple enough, but solving them might be another story, as many of them are real head-scratchers. A lot of the Riddler trophies and riddles are only accessible with the use of certain gadgets though, so it's nice that you can continue strolling the island after you've beaten the game.

Arkham Asylum is also visually crisp and impressive. The animation especially is very fluid, and it shows during combat and ingame cutscenes. It also makes notable use of depth of field blur effects, and overall a very dark (almost horrific at times) style, fitting for the Dark Knight and the tone of the game. The audio is also pretty good, with the Joker obviously having the best performance. Just like the Dark Knight movie, you can expect to hear a lot of deep woodwind instruments as you stroll through the ruined halls of various Arkham facilities.

Ultimately I found I was unable to find much fault in Arkham Asylum. It's just an excellently done game with great pacing, superb controls and gameplay, and impressive replay value. The PS3 version even comes with free DLC that let's you play as the Joker through several Predator and Combat challenges. Really, just go play it if you can. A 9.5/10.

Note: By the way, there's also an Alternate Reality Game going for Arkham Asylum. It involves the fire at Blackgate, and how one of the employees there thinks how incredibly strange it is. Visit ArkhamCityMunicipal.com to start.

New Computer!

Yep, I got a new computer, and it's awesome.  And the best part is, I built it from the ground up.  Well, sorta.  I ordered each individual part and put it together;  I'll put it that way.

With the help of a couple real thick books, one or two websites, and some real technically inclined friends, I was able to gather an amazing amount of information and theoretical knowledge about the field that is computer hardware and how to put it together.

Here's the specs:

CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 3.2Ghz Quad Core Processor

RAM: 4GB 1600mhz Corsair Dominator DDR3

HDD: 750GB 7200RPM Seagate Barracuda

GPU: 1GB Sapphire Radeon HD 4870

Disc Drive: Sony Optiarc DVD Burner (can't remember the precise write speed)

PSU: Corsair 850w supply

Case: Antec 900 gaming case

Keyboard: Razer Tarantula

Mouse: Logitech G5

Motherboard: Can't remember the exact specs.

Other stuff:

-NetGear Wireless N-Draft internal Wi-fi card

-Lacie: 250GB Firewire 400 drive

-LG 22" HD monitor

-OS: Windows 7 RC

Yep, it's good stuff.  Seeing as I'm mildly bored and feel like bragging once again about my feat, I figured I'd mesh together some info about each part, and my impressions.

Processor

Before:  This thing worried me, and was probably the most nerve-racking part of construction.  You see, I assumed that the processor (or some other part) came with thermal glue.  At the time, I didn't realize that the putty-like gray square on the bottom of the heatsink was in fact thermal compound, and thus had to stop for the night to go out and buy some in the morning.  I applied it, and continued on to finish the computer, but then it wouldn't turn on.  I freaked out, and after consulting with my buddies, we decided it might have to do with the thermal compound.  So I went BACK into the computer, and took of the heatsink (the heatsink is strapped on HARD; it was very difficult to strap on, and even more difficult to take off).  The few sparks that did go through the mobo (slang for motherboard) when i first pressed the power button had begun to melt the thermal compound, fusing it with the pre-applied stuff.  Long story short, the pre-applied compound was ruined, and I ended up having to completely scrape it off, and re-apply my own.  I eventually got the computer to work, and it had nothing to do with the compound, but that's another story.  In the process of re-applying the glue, I actually dropped the processor twice.  It was scary.  <=O

After:  Well, this thing is a beast.  I've yet to max out it's usage percentage (highest I came was 92% before it promptly dropped back to 30-40), even will running an internet browser, torrents, messenger, Guild Wars, steam (downloading an update), and anti-virus.  It's incredible, this computer pretty much NEVER lags.  And if it does, it tends to be more the program's fault than the computer's.

RAM

Before:  The memory modules look incredibly beastly.  They've got black spikes on top for heatsinks, and have a brushed finish.  At first it was very tough making sure they were actually fully installed, but everything worked out.  They say you should never force anything when it comes to computer parts, but I think it's okay to get a bit strong with your RAM, if it doesn't feel like it's in completely.  The good thing about RAM is that you can only put it in one way, due to the notch it has.

After: On average, I'm using up about 30-40% of my RAM on a constant basis.  This is with messenger, Opera (no torrents), Steam, DaemonTools, and Avast! running.  The two main culprits of RAM usage appear to be Steam (also a CPU hog) and torrents.  Highest RAM usage I've gotten to was about 75%.

HDD

Before: Installing the harddrive is simple in theory, but due to the insane amount of cables spewing from the PSU, it's really a huge pain.

After: I haven't told anybody this because it isn't really a big deal to me (As it stands, I've yet to use up more than half of my 250GB external, even though I've had it for a couple years now), but this drive actually only has 700GB on it.  I coulda sworn I ordered one with 750GB.  It performs pretty quick though (faster than my old IDE drive, at least), so I guess that's cool.

Graphics Card

Before: Jesus, this thing is huge.  I was actually planning to buy a second one and try CrossFireX later on, but as it stands I'd be hard-pressed to install anything else in the computer (besides more RAM or HDDs), let alone a SECOND one of these beasts.  It takes up two PCI slots, and has it's own fans and vents.   It has a black and blue color scheme, with blue LEDs.

After: But it sure shows results.  I tried Batman: Arkham Asylum on this computer, and it actually looks better than it does on my PS3 version!

Disc Drive

Before: Probably the easiest thing to install.  I just slid it into the topmost slot, plugged it in and was good to go.

After: Haven't tried burning anything, but it played my Oban Star Racers DVD just swell.

Power Supply

Before: Oh my god, this thing has so much guts hanging out of it.  I have the power supply to blame for my computer being a horrible mess of cables inside, only half of which are actually connected to anything.  It was all I could do to tie what cables I wasn't using away to the side.

After: At this point, an 850w power supply is probably waaaay overkill (I was future-proofing for the possibility of a second GFX card), so of course I'm having no problem powering the various components in my computer.

Case

When you look at the incredible size of the case, this thing looks like it'll be huge.  But it's actually pretty much the same size as the tower of my last computer (an old Dell Dimension).  The case is also pretty heavy, as expected.  It's got a really flexible design, so you can re-arrange the fans, and optical/harddrives.  There's 9 5.25" drive bays, and you can also install up to three hard drives in every set of three bays (or a fan).  As for interface, It's been lackluster so far.  There's two USB ports and one Firewire port on the front, as well as two audio ports.  There's also a HDD activity light, a reset button, and of course a small rectangular power button.  There's no power light, but one isn't really necessary, because each of the midsize fans have a bright blue LED on them that lights up when the computer turns on.  Seeing as, by default there's two medium fans situated in the bottom two 3-bay sets, you can immediately tell the computer is on by the ambient blue glow.  The LEDs really are a pretty feature, in my opinion.  On the top, there's a small depressed area where you can deposit iPods and such that are syncing with your computer, and, more importantly a HUGE fan.  This fan takes up just half the space of the front.  This is good for cooling, but I have one large concern.  If you sit your computer under or beside a desk, and have a habit of eating at your desk, you need to be extremely careful, because any liquids spilled on the tower will go right through the fan grating on the top and hit the circuitry. Coincidentally, the case has a black color scheme with blue LEDs..just like the graphics card.

Keyboard

Really, this is a pretty impressive keyboard.  I would have liked backlit keys (some of them actually are backlit), but I try not to do much heavy computing in the dark anyway, so it's a minor complaint.  This keyboard apparently has all sorts of fancy capabilities for hardcore gamers, like programmable "blank" keys on the left and right, and the ability to store up to 100 profiles.  I paid more attention to the practical parts of the keyboard, though.  The hyper-response keys work nicely, though the letter space is a bit more cramped than I'd like.  There's also shortcuts on the edges for music and other stuff.  Besides the solid and simplistic design, what I like most about this keyboard is the pulsating blue Razer symbol on the hand rest.  Well, no actually that's not it, though I do love that.  What I like most is the fact that you can remove the keys, making it easier to go after dust and such.

Mouse

I actually had this mouse long before I got the computer.  It's a pretty fancy mouse, and a practical one, with a side leaning middle button, and two side buttons.  It's also ridiculously easy to grip, and has some sort of wierdly smooth plastic that lets it glide across even mildly rough surfaces.  It also comes with an assortment of small weights you can use to customize the feel of the mouse.  Now that's fancy.

Motherboard

Before: The motherboard was the first thing I installed, and initially the most intimidating part of the computer to install.  I was still deathly afraid of static shocking it to death, so I handled it somewhat timidly.  But installing it was ultimately a breeze, and this thing looks pretty cool.  I like it's color scheme, which is primarily blue, by the way...with blue LEDs.  It's got power and reset buttons for those hardcore technicians that need to run a computer without a case, and dual LAN ports (capable of bridging them).  

After: The integrated sound is pretty damn good.

Wi-Fi Card

Before: Easy install.  It comes with an external antenna you can either attach to a wall or sit somewhere higher up.

After: Yeah...I hate wireless.  Only reason there's a card for it in here is because my mom insisted on buying one.

Monitor

Pretty fancy looking moniter, wtiih a piano-black finish (like the keyboard), and an interesting touch interface.  I'd have preferred buttons, but I appreciate the clean and simple look the lack of button gives this monitor.

Operating System

I had actually originally planned to install Windows XP, but learned it was 32-bit, and decided to just go with W7.  It's a pretty slick OS, I really love how well many programs are integrated.  I almost didn't mind using IE, simply because of how tightly integrated into the OS it is (making it that much more intuitive to use).

So yep, I'm pretty darn satisfied with this rig.

No More Heroes

I haven't played anything on me Wii in several months now. It's a bit disheartening. So, I decided to order a couple Wii games to get back in touch with the little guy. Unfortunately, however, I found it difficult to get into the swing of things. Maybe motion controls just don't sit well with me.

No More Heroes was one of the two games I decided to try out for Wii. I had heard some mildly good things about it, and it seemed like an interesting game. I was right; this game is chock full of various interesting ideas and concepts. Presentation-wise, I'd probably give this game a 9 or 10. But it seems the developers poured all their creative juices into the conceptual work, and had little left to use for the actual gameplay. I think No More Heroes is most fung during the cutscenes and dialogue, to be frank.

At it's core, No More Heroes is basically a mindless hack n' slash game. It follows the exploits of Travis Touchdown, a fairly typical nerd and otaku (a type of nerd that typically specializes in knowledge regarding anime, manga, and toy models). The backstory of the game is only skimmed over, but from what I understand, he somehow met this hot diva by the name of Silvia Christel, who challenges him to rise to the top of an assassin's organization by defeating each of the top 10 assassins. He agrees, primarily only because Silvia hints that she might "do it" with him if he makes it.

And so Travis uses his beam katana (which he won from an internet auction) to slay each ranked assassin, one by one. Silvia's "organization" requires some hefty fees to register for each ranked battle, though, so between events, you'll spend some time doing odd jobs around town to make enough money to register for the next battle. You might also use your hard-earned cash to upgrade your weapons, buy some new duds, or beef your stats.

Once you've got enough money, you register for the next battle, seek out the target assassin's hideout, hack up his minions for 15-30 minutes (with one or two special battles thrown in to shake things up a tad), and then Silvia calls you using the Wii remote speaker, mostly to tell you how certain she is that you will be slaughtered in the upcoming battle (with a couple passing words of encouragement thrown in as well). You confront the assassin, and Travis engages in a [often] totally random and nonsensical, yet amusing conversation oozing with stereotypes and pop culture with the target, before you fight him/her. After he or she is defeated, Silvia appears, flirts a bit, then leaves. This process is repeated several times, until you beat the game.

Of course, there's a more indepth story in here somewhere, but you won't realize it for some time. And unsurprisingly, what few plot twists there are in this game, really might throw you for a loop.

No More Heroes is a strange game, really. Sometimes it's mind-numbingly repetitive and boring, yet at other times it's exciting and over the top. Unfortunately, there's more repetitiveness than there is over-the-top-ness.

In battle, you use Travis' beam katana and pro wrestling moves to come out on top. Travis' beam katana will be your weapon of choice most of the time, and it really does slice and dice enemies in a satisfying manner. Downed or stunned enemies must be finished via either a parting stab, or a brutal slice. Either method causes a huge amount of blood to erupt forth, not unlike a fire-hose. Enemies come at you in crowds, and die easily enough, so you'll quickly find yourself getting used to your vision being partially impaired by blood flying everywhere. To give yourself a bit of style, as well as break out of simply swinging your beam katana everywhere, you have various wrestling grapples and throws at your disposal. Stunned enemies can be thrown using a variety of motion commands. It's impossible to kill an enemy this way, but it does leave them downed, so you can insta-kill them with a quick stab (this doesn't work on bosses though). Your beam katana also runs on a battery. Occasionally you'll need to stop and press 1 to start waggling your remote with fervor, to recharge the katana as quickly as possible.

When you're actually in the assassin's hideout, the game's not so bad. The hack n' slash aspect is often shaken up by special events, such as enemies in one room inexplicably lining up in a straight single-file line, so that you can bat a ball at them and kill each one in one go, or the sprinklers activating, shortening out your beam katana.

Each boss is very interesting, and usually quite a bit of fun to fight. They're often unique reincarnations of various popular character archetypes. Like for example, the samurai Shinobu. Anyone who's seen their fair share of anime knows that a katana wielding schoolgirl is one of the more common character types we've seen out there (and popular, at that). Maybe the fact that she also has an afro is a jab at Afro Samurai. I dunno.

My beef is with the money gathering aspect. Everything about this part of the game is boring and uninteresting. This may not be a fair jab, but, this being a game and all, I'm not sure why I should have to do menial minigame tasks to get through the game. Games are supposed to be fun, and the developers surely could not have thought that these odd jobs were fun.

The graphics are also somewhat of a mixed bag. The quaint town of Santa Destroy is uninteresting and a horrible attempt at an open world. But I think part of the concept of Santa Destroy was for it to be a very uninteresting place. On a technical scale, the graphics quality in No More Heroes varies somewhat. I personally think they're not bad, but the framerate does dip occasionally (particularly when there's a LOT of blood flying). Fortunately, the style used for the visuals saves what shortcoming the technical quality might have. It's slightly cell shaded, but I also liked how they did Travis' cheap motel apartment, and while the grunt enemies look largely the same throughout the game, the bosses all have unique duds. The music and BGM is also interesting, though most of it is ultimately forgettable. Like I said though, I really enjoy the dialogue.

I'm not sure how much the average person would get out of No More Heroes, but if you consider yourself a connoisseur of anime and videogames (and particularly the culture surrounding them), you may be able to relate to many of this game's concepts. I got a kick out of quite a number of them, but I really don't think this game is for everyone. Even given the outstanding ideas present here, I feel the gameplay is too lacking to merit a recommendation. A 6.5/10.

Hand's On: Playstation Keypad

For those times when my PS3 was my only portal to the internet (besides my iPod Touch), I decided I would like a keyboard to be able to carry around easily. So, I looked to the Playstation Keypad.

I actually think this thing is a little overpriced, as are many of the "Official" PS3 accessories. But alas, it's not bad.

The keypad is a small platform that mounts right onto the PS3 controller. Please note that it does NOT feed off of the controller, and has its own battery, as well as a mini-USB port (just like the controller one) to charge it with. The PS, Start, and Select buttons aren't actually electronic, and have small nubs on the other side to push their actual corresponding buttons on the controller. This way, you can still play games perfectly fine with the keypad turned off.

The keypad does not come with a USB cord to charge with, so you'll have to use the one that should have come with your PS3 (or any others you might have). When you first flip the on switch on the right side, nothing happens. When not in use, the keypad sits in standby mode and doesn't generally use much charge. Since the on/off switch isn't especially conspicuous, and the keypad really does act like it's completely off when not in use, I can see it being quite easy to leave it on by mistake. Fortunately, the battery life is fairly generous. I don't have any estimates, but it didn't falter once throughout an intense 2-3 hour chat session in PS Home, and it hasn't yet failed to flicker to life whenever I press a button while the switch is on. It connects to the PS3 just as any controller would. You turn it on, and press a button, and it will search for and, within a few seconds, connect to the system. Just as with a controller or PS headset, you can instantly pair it via a USB cable. By the way, you can actually use this with other bluetooth devices that support wireless keyboard functionality. Be that a computer or a cell phone, I thought that was a nice piece of info.

Typing on the keypad is a mixed bag. It's not especially difficult to reach the keys, but, (unsurprisingly), its not a miracle pad that will allow you to play games while typing. Besides the regular alphabet and numbers, you use the shoulder buttons to access much of the punctuation tools, and most of the more advanced symbols. Really, it works similarly to a calculator in that respect. This takes some getting used to, but what keyboard doesn't require a bit of practice time before you're up to speed? However, unless you use this thing on a very regular basis and thus are used to the full layout of the symbols, you will find it difficult to type anything particularly eloquent with this thing. For quick jots and notes, it's quite excellent, but this is no replacement for a full sized keyboard.

The keyboard also has two shortcut keys. One takes you directly to your message inbox, and the other opens the XMB to the Friend tab. I don't actually use the inbox much (I'm more in the habit of using the "Message List" option on friends), so I didn't make much use of these shortcuts. But they were a nice thought, nonetheless.

I thought the keys were spaced decently, though I did mistype a couple characters on a mildly frequent basis.

The other major features of the keyboard is touchpad functionality. I don't have any idea how they made this work, but it does, to some extent. You just press a little button near the bottom of the pad, and that converts the entire board into a touchpad. You just run your finger over the keys to move the cursor. It's quite a bit wonky until you calibrate it, but I was just fine using the analog sticks. It's a nifty feature, but just like the touch buttons on the PS3, I think Sony went a bit overboard adding it in.

Overall, the PS Keypad is a decent pad. Yes, decent. After spending about two weeks using it, I still don't think it's worth its $40-50 price tag, but it's not a horrible device. Average, I suppose.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger

Wow, shame on me. I haven't updated in a month. But hey, it's really because I haven't had much to talk about. Been playing mostly some FF 10 and 12 in the gap; already wrote about X, and I don't really feel like writing about 12..

Anyway, onwards to the post. A great game, if I do say so myself. Fortunately, I don't, because this game jumped to near immediate critical acclaim. Not gushing reviews quite up with the likes of Metal Gear Solid 4 or Grand Theft Auto 4, but the game is widely adored, nonetheless. Unfortunately, unlike Street Fighter IV, very little hype was built up for the game, and thus it could almost be classified as a sleeper hit.

I had strong reservations about buying this, especially at full price, especially because, I'm simply no good at fighting games. This is my first "hardcore" fighting game since Soul Calibur 3, and I was pretty horrible at that game (never could understand the meaning behind the button symbols). I ended up buying it, however, for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it is the spiritual successor to Guilty Gear, a series known for its beginner friendly battle mechanics. Furthermore, I found myself drawn in by the game's quirky trends (once again akin to Guilty Gear) and terms, beginning with the name itself; "BlazBlue"..? What the heck is that? And then there's such eccentric names as "Astral Heat" and "Guard Libra". It was all very fascinating.

The final reason I finally gave in was because of the Limited Edition offer. That is, the first few runs of the game are all automatically upgraded LE, which includes not only the game, but also a two disc soundtrack and an instructional Blu-Ray disc with various tips and strategies (all wrapped in a nice box with special artwork) . I figured, if I was going to buy the game, I might as well get the disc and see if that helps.

I ended up not needing the disc. BlazBlue is so easy to pick up, I was surprised and very satisfied when I got actually managed to beat a couple people online.

Like any fighter, there's a fair amount to pay attention to during a battle.

At the top of the screen, you can see the character icon and name of your fighter, as well as their health bar (yellow/gold) and barrier bar (red, blue or yellow). In the center is the timer, and directly under it is the Guard Libra (not shown in the pic..for some reason.). The Guard Libra helps keep the battles moving at a brisk pace by punishing those who like to sit around blocking attacks. Each time you block an attack, the GL bar moves closer in your direction (the more powerful the attack, the further it moves). If it fully hits your end of the bar, your guard will crack, leaving you stunned for quite a while (not unlike the guard break system in Super Smash Bros). However, you do have an alternative block that will not budge the Guard Libra. This is your barrier, which is also simply a more effective way to block. Using your barrier consumes energy from your barrier gauge, however, and should you fully deplete your barrier gauge, you will enter "Danger" status for the rest of the round. While in this state, your defense is significantly lowered, and you are unable to use barrier. You also have a last resort defensive move called Barrier Burst, which fully depletes your barrier gauge in one go, and knocks your opponent back. While it's not a move you want to use often, it'll force off your opponent if you think [s]he's getting a bit too close for comfort.

At the bottom of the screen is each character's Heat Gauge. Once you have certain amounts of energy in this bar, you can perform special Distortion Drive attacks, which are often quite flashy, and do an impressive bit of damage. Each character has their own unique set of Distortion Drives, as well as a secret Astral Heat. By running your character through Arcade mode (not necessary with Ragna, v-13, or Rachel), you can unlock his/her's Astral Heat, an spectacular show of brutality and awesomeness. During the final round of a match, if you have 100% heat and your foe has less than 20% of his health left, you are able to attempt an Astral Heat. Should it connect, your victory will be assured.

BlazBlue's controls are also simple to pick up. In clockwise order starting with Square (or X on the 360), each button is labeled A, B, C, and D. A attacks are weak but very quick pokes and jabs essential for breaking combos, catching people off guard, and overall just being one annoying mofo. C attacks are more powerful and have better range, but are of course a little slower. B attacks are the middle ground. D is related to all your character's Drive abilities. Various moves (and usually the Astral Heat and certain Distortion Drives) are also mapped to the right stick. This feature, known as "Easy Specials" allows you to pull off many of a character's specials quickly and easily, without having to memorize long button combos. However, use of the right stick is banned in the majority of online matches, so there's an incentive for more skilled players to learn the actual button string behind each right stick move.

Each character has their own unique Distortion Drive ability that also often complements their personality. For example, Jin is a very cold and unemotional fellow, so it's only natural he'd be able freeze opponents and manipulate ice with his Drive ability. Taokaka's Drive ability lets her literally bounce and and tear all over the screen, reminiscent of her spontaneous personality.

Given the Guard Libra, Barrier Bar, and how lithe many of the characters are, battles move at a very fast pace. Generally, blocking would only be done to defend against rushdowns (an enemy's attempt to pressure you into messing by being extremely aggressive) and specials. In this game, a good offense is also a good defense. The better you are at countering and keeping your opponent off his/her feet, the better you will do in BlazBlue. The way I see it, the key to a great battle is combos. Some characters are better attuned to them than others, but combos are a vital aspect of gameplay in BlazBlue.

BlazBlue is also packed with content. Besides the typical Arcade mode (where you pick a fighter and then go through several rounds with other characters, which often reveals a bit of plot info towards the end), there's also Score Attack, where you compete against other players to get the best score, Versus, (Just a quick match with you vs another player, or you versus the computer), and Training, where you can hone your skills under a variety of parameters (or even with a friend).

BlazBlue also features a full featured online mode. Here you can view the leaderboards for each character, and overall. You can play a quick ranked match, or join a room with up to 5 other people, and chat with each other, fight, and watch others in the room fight. You can also host your own room, finely tuned to your own rules. For example, you can choose whether to ban or allow such things as Easy Specials and Astral Heats, and also choose whether or not to enable voice chat. You can also send invites to people on your friend list (or anyone, if you know their PSN ID or XBL tag) to join your room. If you're the type of guy who likes to study both your own and others' techniques, BlazBlue provides for that as well via the Replay Theatre. With this nifty feature you can record your own battles, as well as watch others'. By bringing up a person's D-card (an ID card that shows their favorite two characters, and their win/loss ratio, among other things), you can download a replay of their last battle. I like to skip all the way to the top of the leaderboards for my favorite characters and watch replays of those players' recent battles.

But that's not all. BlazBlue also has a story, and a surprisingly in-depth one at that. So deep, in fact, that even after completing some of each characters' story paths AND seeing the True Ending, I still didn't fully understand what was going on. The Prologue is quite enigmatic, showing a conversation between two scientists at a facility right before they are seemingly sent to oblivion by a huge satellite beam attack from above. It takes place in a world recovering from the onslaught of a powerful being known only as the Black Beast. The Black Beast appeared seemingly out of nowhere, it's only intent being to destroy anything in its path. None of mankind's weapons seemed to do anything against it, and it seemed humans would end up on the brink of destruction. All hope appeared lost, until six powerful warriors gathered together, and, with their combined power, defeated and sealed away the Black Beast. Those six are known as the Six Heroes. One of the Heroes, a powerful mage, taught mankind how to use magic. Thus the war against the Black Beast became known as the First War of Magic.

Fast forward a few years. Three siblings; Ragna, Saya, and Jin leave a peaceful life in the countryside, until their home is burned down. Saya is killed, and, with Jin's help, a strange man kills Ragna too, after slicing off his arm.

It wasn't long until disagreements over how this new power should be used, and who should have control over it arose, leading a Second War of Magic. The two sides? The Novis Orbus Librarium, a budding corporation that functioned somewhat as an international police force, and held control over much of the magic, versus the Ikaruga Corporation, a group of rebels who instead saw the NOL as a future dicatorship. It was during this war that an older Jin, now known for his lack of emotion and enthusiasm, rose as a hero and very talented combat officer.

Fast forward once again to the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagatsuchi, where about 95% of the story takes place. This is a city of many colors, layers, and people. All of the characters converge here because they've heard that the infamous Ragna the Bloodedge was spotted there.

BlazBlue's story plays out not unlike a visual novel. If you already know what a visual novel is, you can skip this paragraph. For the uninitiated, it is quite literally a novel supported by a near-static image in the background. Characters are fully voiced and have a variety of facial expressions, but you might find yourself spending a lot of time just reading the text box (especially in the case of Arakune, who is near-impossible to understand vocally). Occasionally you might be given a choice of how to proceed. Each character has multiple story paths to take (often with multiple endings), and these choices dictate which path you will end up on. Whether or not you lose a battle or win with a Distortion Drive also makes a difference.

The thing with the character stories in BlazBlue, is that they're not entirely canon. It's best to think of them more as an excellent way to introduce you to the characters (and their histories), background, and setting of the actual overall plot, before the game actually lets you see what really happened. The problem with the character stories is that, while it's impossible for them all to be fully canon (that is to say, relevant to the core plot), it's important that you keep them in mind anyway, because like I said before, they still offer up vital clues and help you piece together much of the story even without seeing the true ending. This means you'll find yourself picking and choosing what to believe and what not to believe. The multiple endings and branching story paths don't help either.

Even after seeing the True Ending, you'll still likely find yourself scrambling for more, only to be disappointed when you find that there is none.

As expected of a game supposed to succeed the Guilty Gear series, BlazBlue has a very distinguished and interesting cast of characters. While they are few in number (I think there's only 10 playable characters), they all play differently, act differently, and are simply all very unique.

Ragna is arguably the main character of the plot, and he is directly referenced and mentioned in nearly every other character's story path. Why he is alive once again is a bit of a spoiler, but he's been traveling to each Hierarchical City and completely wiping out the NOL branch stationed there. His power and combat ability is legendary, and in an attempt to stop him, the NOL has placed the largest bounty in human history on his head. He is a SS-Class criminal, and also known as "Death" or "Grim Reaper". Rumor has it that Ragna also carries a powerful artifact known as the Azure Grimoire around with him. Ragna is a very angry person, and extremely easy to piss off, but he's not a bad person at heart. Furthermore, he seems almost oblivious to the fact that he is the most wanted criminal in the world. Ragna's Drive ability is Soul Eater, which allows him to steal health from his opponent.

Jin Kisaragi is Ragna's brother. He rose to fame as the "Hero of Ikaruga" for his display of combat skill. When he heard Ragna had been spotted in Kagatsuchi, he immediately left to go find him. In doing so he disobeyed direct orders, and the NOL is now focused on retrieving him. Jin is at least partially insane (I think so anyway), which could be due to his sword (a katana, by the way), Yukianesa, which allows the wielder to manipulate ice, but is rumored to drive them off the deep end. He displays little emotion or enthusiasm (besides ice cold killing intent) unless he is talking to Ragna. I'm honestly still not sure whether Jin wants to save or kill Ragna. For all I know, he could be bipolar. Jin's Drive ability is Frost Bite, which allows him to use ice to freeze his opponents, opening them up to further combos.

Noel Vermillion is a Lieutenant in the NOL. She rose in rank quickly for her surprising amount of talent for combat. Noel is somewhat shy, and is also having a bit of an identity crisis. She knows her parents are foster parents (and loves them dearly all the same), but doesn't remember any part of her life before they took her in. Other characters have a striking tendency to look down on her for her clumsiness, cute appearance and soft personality, but she is a capable combatant, and was consequently placed under Jin's direct command. Jin hates her, however, for her resemblance to V-13. Likely to her disdain, however, she is the one sent to retrieve Jin when he goes AWOL. And thus she arrives in Kagatsuchi. Noel also has a slight inferiority complex, especially for her breasts, which are so near nonexistent that she has been mistaken for a boy on occasion. Noel wields Bolverk, a pair of twin pistols. Her Drive ability, Chain revolver, is a great gateway to setting up long strings of combos.

Rachel Alucard is a powerful vampire, and head of the noble Alucard family. Though in actual gameplay battle, she of course plays on an equal footing as other characters, she is arguably the most powerful playable character in the game, if the story is any evidence. Rachel is also the only one who seems to know the entire story. She looks down on EVERYONE but her butler and Kokonoe (Tager's creator), seeing them as little more than pieces to a puzzle she claims she cannot interact with. Though she left her castle claiming to be bored, she is a little more connected to the story than she lets on. She travels with a large shapeshifting cat named Nago, and a squishy red bat named Gii. Despite how badly she treats them, they remain loyal to her.

Rachel herself doesn't do much physical fighting. Instead, Gii and Nago do most of her bidding. Rachel's Drive ability Silpheed, allows her limited control over the wind, allowing her get around quicker and also initiate good rushdown attacks.

Hakumen is a mysterious and somewhat enigmatic individual who was also one of the Six Heroes. Canonically speaking, him and Rachel are likely the most powerful playable characters in the game. However, unlike Rachel, who fights only when she feels like it, Hakumen is quick to slaughter almost anyone who stumbles onto his path. Like (and yet unlike) Bang, he is a devout follower of his own brand of justice, which involves slicing up evildoers with a blade long enough to make Sephiroth proud. I'm still not sure what in the world Hakumen has to do with anything. His Drive ability, Zanshiin, allows him to counter attacks (like Ike or Marth from Super Smash Bros). He is also the only character in the game who doesn't actually have a heat gauge. Instead, he uses a different kind of energy, though it works in a similar way.

Next up is Taokaka, a member of the Kaka clan, a group of cat-people genetically engineered from Jubei, one of the Six Heroes. Taokaka is extremely upbeat, spontaneous, informal, forgetful, and, simply stupid. Though she is a capable fighter, Tao is lazy and only likes to eat meat buns and sleep. She wears a large coat and hood that shrouds her real face, revealing only red eyes and a mischievous grin. Her unpredictability carries into her combat style and Drive ability, which allows her to literally jump all around the screen at lightning speed, giving her a good mixup/rushdown game. She is good friends with Litchi (who she calls Boobie Lady), and overall friendly to everyone she meets (except Arakune, who she despises for attacking the Kaka Village).

Next is Iron Tager, known simply as Tager. A hulking cyborg who is very uncomfortable for me to play as, Tager, despite being a complete beast in combat, is actually a very mellow and reasonable person who hates wanton violence. At least half of the battles he gets into are either caused by unfortunate coincidences, or he tries to reason with his opponent instead. Tager participated in the Ikaruga War (aka the Second War of Magic), but was killed. He was rebuilt with mechanical parts by the scientist Kokonoe, and now works for Sector 7, a group rebelling against the NOL. Overall a simple person, Tager just does his job. No more, no less. He is acquainted with Litchi and Arakune, and makes passive attempts to persuade Litchi to return to Sector 7, but to little effect. His primary mission throughout the story is simply to retrieve Hakumen, who Kokonoe pulled from the supernatural Edge dimension.

Another character is Litchi Faye Ling, who I've found I am absolutely horrible with. Litchi is a well-endowed woman who is liked for her kindness and maturity. She is fairly level headed, and has a motherly personality, especially towards Taokaka. Despite this, she can be flirty at times, especially during battle. Litchi used to be an assistant for Kokonoe at Sector 7, but left to find and aid Arakune. Like Tager, she doesn't like resorting to fighting, but is a capable fighter nonetheless. When she's not hunting down Arakune, she runs a clinic in Orient Town. Litchi uses a staff in battle, and her Drive ability involves the various things she can do with it (and make it do independently). She plays a little like Karl in that use of her staff in combination with her own moves is a crucial part of her battle strategy

Arakune, the thing Litchi has been looking for, is exactly little more than an abomination. I'm not sure how personal his connection with Litchi was when he was human, but he used to work at Sector 7. But his insatiable thirst for knowledge led him beyond the boundary, and he ended warped into the disgusting specimen he is now. Arakune essentially looks like a sentient blob of black tar with a white mask glued on. He is unable to speak properly (parts of his audio dialog are muted, making it near impossible to fully understand what he is talking about), and is insane. His only motive, besides attaining more power and knowledge, is simply to stay alive, by constantly absorbing others. This is what led him to attack the Kaka village. He eventually decides to attack Ragna as well, hoping to take the Azure Grimoire from him. Arakune plays a little like V-13, and tends to stay away from his opponent, and use his insect Drive ability to do damage from afar instead.

Last in the line of characters at all relevant to the core plot is Nu, otherwise known as V-13. She bears an uncanny physical resemblance to Noel, (albeit in a younger body) and is even more emotionless than Jin when it comes to character interaction. When talking to anyone besides Ragna, she talks in a flat computer cyborg voice, and prefers to obliterate anyone who stands in her way. When around Ragna, however, she gains the cheerful and bubbly personality of a young girl infatuated with an older guy. Despite how nice she sounds, however, she is bent on killing Ragna, so she can fuse with him (and possibly re-summon the Black Beast). Like Ragna, she possesses an Azure Grimoire, but the authenticity of hers is questionable. If you've seen Noctis from FFV13, or Sora's Final Form from Kingdom Hearts 2, you'll have an idea how V-13 fights. She summons multiple swords to attack her opponent from various directions in battle, making her excellent for pushing them into a corner, or keeping them off balance. It also makes her a natural at air combos. Her ability to control and wield multiple swords at once is also her Drive ability.

Yet another character in this already quirky bunch is Bang Shishigami, a self-proclaimed ninja, vigilante, and [self-proclaimed] Hero of Justice and Love. Bang is a very amusing person to watch, as he's somewhat clumsy, and manages to stumble into many misunderstandings. He has an intense crush on Litchi, and is quick to attack anyone who even appears to be threatening her. He has a large tendency to jump the shark on many matters, and is pretty big on exaggerating, as well. His devotion to justice is not so unlike that of a Power Ranger (or Kamen Rider, for that matter), which makes him all the more humorous to play as and watch. However, he can be serious when the situation calls for it, and his intentions are always pure. Bang was a resident of Ikaruga during the Second War, and it was during this time that Jin arrived in his city. Jin and his men slaughtered many of the civilians, and personally killed Bang's sensei, Master Tenjo, in cold blood. Bang attempted to stop him, and recieved the cross-shaped scar he now has from Jin's Yukianesa, before being frozen. He has pledged to get revenge on Jin, and carries a large nail on his back as a memento of his master. Bang utilizes ninjutsu during battle, and is particularly skilled at fire attacks. Landing enough attacks with his drive button fills up his 4 gates bar, which, once filled, allows him to power up, increasing speed and attack strength.

Last, and easily least (in my opinion), is Karl, who is almost entirely irrelevant to the plot, from I can so far tell. Karl is a young boy, who walks around with a large mechanical doll he refers to as his sister. His only relations are to Noel and Jin, who spent some with while the three of them were in school. I'm not sure whether he's insane (as is suggested to Noel), or if the doll really is talking to him, or maybe a reincarnation of his real older sister, who apparently died. Karl is a dedicated vigilante, and arrives with the sole purpose of eliminating Ragna the Bloodedge, and taking his Azure Grimoire. In battle, his Drive ability, Automaton, involves controlling his puppet. Karl's fairly weak by himself, but getting caught between him and his doll (or just trying to take on the doll) is asking for trouble, as it opens up all sorts of mixups, and overall bad pwnage.

The graphics in this game are rather top notch. Who knew hi-res sprites could look so good? The game runs fluidly and simply performs great. There's no mandatory install, but there is a 14mb patch you'll need to download. The soundtrack is also an interesting mix of metal and j-pop. It's surprisingly refreshing. I personally love the opening song, Ao-Iconoclast, and was disappointed to find that it is not included in the two disc soundtrack. The game also features a fairly extensive Gallery feature that let's you view various illustrations encountered in the story, as well as special art that includes a small comment from one of the staff members that worked on the game. You can also view movie clips, such as the opening for both the console and arcade versions. Furthermore, the gallery features the full library of music you'll hear in BlazBlue, as well as the ability to listen to each and every soundbyte (except for the voice tracks from the story mode) from each and every character, in either English or Japanese. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, the game is in dual-audio, so you can choose to keep the English language (which was done well, by the way), or listen to the characters in their original Japanese voices. Unfortunately, there's no custom soundtrack feature (meaning you can't listen to your own music), but with audio options as expansive as this, it's a minor complaint.

Overall, I think BlazBlue was done quite well. There's a lot of stuff to do, see, and hear, and the story is out of this world. It's a game that's easy to pick up, and tough to master, and yet very balanced, which are all great assets of a fighting game, I'd say. This game is worth the full $60 price tag, even without the bonus discs. A 9/10.