BlazBlue Continuum Shift

[briareos_kerensky]

The whole package does feel like a cash-in on CT's success.
A link to the PS Store on the main menu, a lot of DLCs already available and even more announced/leaked only enhance this feeling.
On mere graphical terms the interface is uneven and the various menus have a completely different style from what the arcade version tried to build (colors, fonts, style), plus they aren't exactly easy on the eye.
The content is there, it's kept together by a crappy and lazy menu.

More impressions on the online problems in the following days.

[briareos_kerensky]

I'm starting to see a pattern on how online works...the first two matches are always laggy and then everything goes up to full speed without a hint of lag if not during the match presentation.
My network config did change from the last time I played CT and now I'll try to see if the same happens with it, it might have been a router issue all the time. Curious though, the biggest changes between then and now are just two open ports for my NAS.
Oh well...online is still great (when it throttles up to full speed, at least for me) and I'm really enjoying playing with this new Nu. She's still defenseless at close range (and probably much more than before) but her expanded moveset is great, able to blast opponents away to fully use her long-range moves.

It also feels that there are a lot of new players...I do remember that opponents in the 10s were much better. I also felt that against the majority of them you just need to break their rhythm to get an easy kill: a level 14 Rachel pummeled me during the first round but then I was able to overcome her by just pressing the player with the new Act Parsers, dashes and maChine guns (I claim copyright and trademark on this).

Unfortunately seems I'm struck being P2 all the time (just like in CT), meaning that it's Lambda's BGM and stage over and over again. I really wished that Arc Sys would randomize stages and BGMs in ranked mode, but no luck ;__;

There's also a new D-Card with more detailed stats...19 pages in all. It's somewhat harder to get favourite character, player level and disconnections with a glimpse but so far no ragequitters, and I recognize I've been a bit of an a** sometimes by repeating the same combo over and over, but, hey, not my fault if you fall for it all the time...and no, it was not D spamming, although some players still seem able to fall down for this old trick.

[Largo]

[briareos_kerensky]

Worst thing of the challenge mode is that you face Bang all the time and he shouts at every frame change.
All other characters saw their in-battle speech reduced, but not Bang...now he's more annoying than before.

Also, discovered that in challenge mode you can switch between techniques names and buttons you have to press, without having to go through the sample play or matching on-screen indications and move list names.

[fuse]

Doing challenge mode in Japanese is an absolute pain in the ass. It took me nearly an hour to do tutorial mode, let alone this Think I've already resigned myself to picking up the PAL copy when it inevitably goes to £20... especially so if it comes with any of the DLC.

[briareos_kerensky]

Challenge mode has a sample play option (first voice in the menu) and if you press FN2 (IIRC) it swaps between move names and buttons you have to press.

[fuse]

Cue much forehead-slapping.

I'd found FN1 did the sample, but didn't think to try FN2

[Paddy]

Do you aim to kill us, Largo?

[briareos_kerensky]

Cue much forehead-slapping.

I'd found FN1 did the sample, but didn't think to try FN2

And I never found out that FN1 would start the sample play without going to the menu :P
Oh well, many mysteries will be revealed now that the US version is on its way...

[briareos_kerensky]

Some impressions of the US version.

There's a version 1.01 out for PS3 users. X360 users will get the patch when downloading Makoto, the first DLC character, in August (apparently because MicroSoft allows only three patches for third party games).
Version 1.01 fixes few animation bugs and seemingly improves network performance for PS3 users.
Choosing version 1.00 in player matches will lock out Makoto, which will not come with a story mode, will not be added in legion mode but will be featured in score attack.
Apparently if you don't buy her you won't be able to see replays not even fight against her online...let the milking begin.

Installing the game takes a while but cuts considerably load times and I thought it would have been a good chance to take a look at the instruction manual...a eight page manual. In black & white. Pretty poor.

I focused on story mode.
When I played with the Japanese version I only had a vague idea on what was going on, and I'm pleasantly surprised that I got the most out of it...years of fansubbing are finally paying dividends.

I was totally unprepared to Ragna's alternate storyline...

->Open Spoiler<-

so, he dies and ends up as a ghost on a boat crossing the river Styx.
Rachel is there too, as well as Tager. Everyone's dead. Story goes that Ragna fell, hit his head and then Tager fell on him, exploded and caught Rachel in the explosion.
And Ragna is afraid of ghosts.
Then Nu shows up. She's dead too.
Now, the boat where everyone is on is attacked by pirates: Jin, Hazama and Carl. The boat figurehead is Ada and the sail is Arakune.
Nu says that the pirates are carrying a precious treasure, the Crimson Grimoire...a giant red tuna which HMS Ada (actual boat name) captured because it's fishing boat.
The tuna is exchanged with the Azure Grimoire (Ragna's arm); Nu, Rachel and Tager eat the tuna, Ragna wakes up.

Storyline complete.

I was able to complete Noel's story arc in less than two hours, no need to die at every match...from what I've understood each character has a bad ending, a true ending and a WTF ending.

->Open Spoiler<-

Hazama is the only person that can enjoy Noel's cooking...and Nu shows up again, not Lambda. I guess that you can get only one psychotic little girl with giant swords per game.

Kokonoe holds a little show if you reach the bad ending, giving some cryptic hints on what to do to get the complete the storyline in the best way possible.

Teach Me! Miss Litchi! returns, this time you get a gallery image if you answer correctly to the pop quiz at the end of each episode. Old episodes featured in CT are available too, but having unlocked them in CT won't unlock them in CS, you still need to watch them, even with the skip function active.

[eastyy]

if the xbox us version is region free may get this...still weighing it up....really liked the previous game but still not sure if it really adds enough .(and the dlc character is a bit of a cheek)

[Dennoman]

It's not region free. Thank Zen United for that. Pricks. I hope it will at least be out in October as they promised.

[eastyy]

what did zen united do ? oh what about the usa version ?

[Dennoman]

what did zen united do ? oh what about the usa version ?

Well basically if Zen United publishes anything, you know it's going to be region locked. They did it together with pQube for Europe on Calamity Trigger so I was 99% sure it was going to be region locked this time 'round as well, and now I'm 100% sure since it's been confirmed by multiple sources.

[Largo]

My games been shipped, prepare to be wangernumbed bk