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Blazblue: Continuum Shift II - 3DS/PSP/X360/PS3

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    Blazblue: Continuum Shift II - 3DS/PSP/X360/PS3

    Know we have a BB:CS thread already, however given this is semi-exclusive to the handhelds (at least until the 1.03 update + Trinity DLC hits consoles) and has a fancy 3D version, I thought it'd be an idea to kick off a separate thread.

    I've not spent masses of time with it yet, but first impressions of the 3DS version are not stellar. The 3D effect gives you a couple of layers in the background, and then a foreground with your characters, but compared to it's console big brothers (and even the PSP version of CT) each of these is considerably less detailed. The sprites seem pretty small on the screen, have considerably less animation, and if you don't get on well with the 3D (I am not finding it particularly easy to adjust to) it makes things look quite nasty. There's a fair bit of slowdown during certain moves, too, and some of the execution seems way off compared to any other version of the game (this could either just be BBCS2 changes or me being arse, however).

    Perhaps the biggest frustration is that by default, the d-pad is used for all control as opposed to the lovely nublet above it, and it is quite frankly ****e to play with - as of yet I have not found a way to change this over. Whereas SSFIV has the bottom screen with 'cheat buttons', instead on this you have a multi-page movelist that is there merely for reference. Whilst this does mean you do actually have to learn to play the game properly, the control handicap is extremely severe.

    In terms of what's changed since CS, there's the new characters (Makoto, Valkenhayn, and ultra-new Platinum who I am yet to try), there is a new, even more hilariously bad announcer ("weeble one"), you can gain medals (which seem to be in line with the achievements for the console versions) and there are a couple of new modes.

    So far I'm playing Abyss, and from what I can make of it it's like a beefed-up survival mode; you pick one character and keep fighting until you drop. As you do so, you gain reward points and your 'depth' increases as you get further down into Kagutsuchi. Every 20... metres?... (roughly 2/3 fights), you are challenged by a random unlimited character with increased stats; winning this gives you a choice of stat boosts you can take as a reward - you have 4 stat areas; attack, defense, heat, speed, as well as 3 'special' slots for extra attributes like "life regain up" "armour grinder" (chip damage increase) etc. Every 100 metres you are dropped back to a menu screen and given the option to take the money and run; presumably Arc have been watching a lot of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'.

    I still love the game, and it's still great fun, but so far I am not blown away and was in fact more impressed when I first tried the PSP version of CT. I'll give it some more time, and whilst I prefer the core game over SSFIV it's certainly not as polished for the 3DS.
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    #2
    I guess the PSP version is up to me. I haven't played CT on the PSP and due to Nintendo relaxed import policies (sarcasm tag needed) I cannot draw any direct comparison.
    From what I've read of Fuse's post it appears that the PSP has superior animations as I haven't seen any major differencies between the PS3 version and its portable counterpart, except for sprite resolution and many missing effects; backgrounds have lost a lot of animations and they are now 2D, but it's pretty impressive in how smooth it runs. If anything distortion gauges and instructions during challenge mode might be a bit hard to read and voices sound compressed a lot, with Bang probably receiving the worst treatment.
    Loading times with the game installed (600mb) are in line with the PS3 version but introductory "x VS y" screens cannot be skipped, but otherwise loading times aren't bad.

    Almost every game mode played now gives EXP and money, which are mainly used in gallery mode to respectively unlock extra content (like unlimited characters, color palettes originally available as DLC on home consoles) and then to actually "buy" it. EXP as the name implies increase the player's level which is used to determine which upgrades can be used in Abyss mode, which Fuse already explained.

    Legion mode is now Legion 1.5, where players have to conquer the "goal" tile, unlike the whole battlefield as in the original version. Rules are the same, except that there are Abyss-like bonuses to stats and new treasure tiles that...well, I don't know what they do, no written Japanese knowledge.
    Existing stories in Arcade mode have one extra illustration during the ending but it's the only thing that changed.
    Story mode follows the same progression as its home counterpart and the two extra stories are locked; I guess I'll wait the US version to play everything once again...I really hope there's an option to link PS3 and PSP save data to avoid this chore, but I doubt it.

    Misc thoughts about the rebalancing:

    * Tager feels a couple of frames faster when throwing and probably has more heat, though his 720 might have been slowed down.
    * Mu's damage has probably been toned down a bit but she releases the Stein Gunners faster. Standard moves seem to link faster, but I'm really unsure about this.
    * Haku-men 4C poke can now be cancelled into a Kokuujin: Shippu; probably Hotaru and Tsubaki can be linked to each other.
    * Makoto is a tad slower...I think.
    * Jin has some ice car cancels and its basic drive probably requires a bit more waggling to get free but unfortunately I'm so used to stick controls that the PSP's d-pad feel so clumsy that it's hard to do even basic 236 attacks.
    * Platinum seems a lot of fun to play with. Her animations are comedy gold and she has the ability to switch between multiple staff "modes" to change some of her attacks.
    * Lambda...oh I can seen people already whining about Lambda in CS2. Her standard drive might be a frame or two slower in recovering but her damage has been increased and combos that would have hit for 3000 damage points now can get to 3400 easily. Some combos have been completely reworked and starting from her third mission in Challenge mode, everthing changes.
    236+A performs as an old Act Parser, allowing Lambda to move to the opponent's back. 236+B and 236+C are essentially unchanged. 6C, however, has been completely reworked: it no longer slams the opponent to the wall (unless at the end of the stage), therefore no bounce to combo with D. Now all wall-bouncing attacks slam higher, just like her throw, which can be easily linked to a 2D-2D-6D-6D (etc etc); 4B makes Lambda land farther from her target: though the usual j-2C-2C-j-2C-2C is still an option, using her swords instead is a safer and more damaging option.
    236+D has been reworked once again, now hits 6 times and has a larger footprint, making things easier to hit. Slamming opponents with 236+B/236+C while caught in 236+D no longer makes them fly.
    As her wall-bouncing attacks now have a steeper bouncing angle, it's a lot easier to corner someone and inflict damage with 6C and C (x8), though it appears that damage dampens faster....it's still easy to trap enemies though.

    Of course all these impressions are with a d-pad and with AI enemies set to normal (still have to figure out where the difficulty switch is :P), so they might not be completely true.
    Final note: the AI seems less stupid, Tager in Score Attack performed a combo very similar to the one used by players online, which is great as the original CS made a terrible job with certain characters.

    Comment


      #3
      Complete the first Score Attack run...that was unexpected and disappointing.
      First, it appears that Score Attack no longer has its own difficulty setting but follows what is set in the options. Second, character order has been changed and not all characters are fought. Third, no Unlimited characters; even the final enemy (Mu) is is her normal form.

      Legion mode is a tad easier as character's health is resored after completing a tile, though some enemies might have improved stats; these characters will keep their improvements when recruited and conquering tiles will provide additional stat boosts.

      Getting used to the d-pad, though drives are difficult to pull off 100% of the times; 236236 drives are particularly painful.

      Comment


        #4
        Scratch the comment on full health regeneration in Legion - health is regenerated but not fully. The second stage features two goals but to clear the map it's only needed to conquer one and ratings went from D to C, plus a level down...conquering the map was extremely easy even when the enemy had superior stat boosts.

        Just finished the arcade mode with Platinum...she fits strangely well in the cast despite being made of enough sugar to give diabethes to the whole world.
        Platinum is a short to medium range character with an average health and damage but a bit on the fast side. She's a lightweight brawler that relies on a good range of moves and can perform in a variety of roles thanks to her drive, though she won't excel in none of them.
        The easiest combo I can think of is based on C attacks, it should be C, 6C, jC, jC, 2C.

        Her special moves include a trappling bubble (214 +A/B/C to have it fly up, straight or float), riding a giant pink hearth to an overhead attack (236+B), using her staff like a pogo stick (236+A, can merge into other attacks, think Noel's drive) and a special throw (41236+D).
        Trapping an enemy into a bubble inflicts a small amount of damage but it's essentially used to set up and reset combos or activate her drive.

        Platinum's drive is peculiar as it changes randomly between six different tools, each with a limited number of uses. Pressing the D button first will activate the first tool; the active tool can then be used for a certain amount of times; when depleted, the next D will activate the following tool. Tools are randomized, though there's a "next" icon above her drive gauge; for a tool to appear again there's no need to go through all of them once.
        The effects are as follow:
        * hammer (red): short range, fast and powerful. Probably hits overhead.
        * frying pan (green): short range (probably a bit less than the hammer), dusts the opponent. "Dokkan!"
        * baseball bat (orange): longer range than the hammer and frying pan, but still short range; slams the opponent to the other side of th screen. "Home run desu!"
        * "bullet bill" (white): long range, starts off slow (like Jin's ice sword). Cutest Bullet Bill ever, white with a smiling face and bink bow.
        * giant Jubei head on a stick (blue): medium range, releatively slow but powerful, has minimum range.
        * cat bombs (yellow): long range, thrown in an arched trajectory, explode upon contact with enemy or ground.

        One of her distortion drives enhaces the effect of her tools. The current tool is completely discarded and the following activated automatically. This distorion drive remains active as long as the active tool has charges left.
        Second drive is a short-range multiple hit attacks similar to Tager's Magna-Tech wheel. The first hit draws the opponent and has a fair number of invicible frames.
        Unfortunately no long-range beam attack to shout "starlight breaker!" with it, but, yeah, she's adorable and I'm quite liking her play style. Can't wait to have her on a console with a proper input method.

        Comment


          #5
          You can link a PSP-go to a regular controller.. still I would much rather have the option to use my stick. So I'll have to hope they get around to releasing her as DLC.

          Comment


            #6
            BBCS2 is being released 12th May 2011 on PSN and 10th May 2011 on XBL in Japan. Platinum as well as the game being updated to CS2.

            Comment


              #7
              And by the end of May the US will receive Platinum, CS2 balance patch and handheld ports.

              Comment


                #8
                In BBCT arcade mode there was the possibility to fight Unlimited Ragna if a condition is met (IIRC 10 or more Distortion Finishes without losing); I don't recall any match like that in BBCS, so I was kinda surprised when Unlimited Mu showed up after Unlimited Hazama in BBCS2 arcade mode; to trigger this battle I haven't lost a round but was below 10 Distortion Finishes.
                Never fought with or against Unlimited Mu! It's like fighting the Vic Viper! Options...erhm, Stein Gunners don't stop firing when Mu is hit and they even chase you around, changing facing and moving across the screen. She gets a third Distortion Drive she likes to spam and some of her basic moves change...but holding back with most modes to avoid redoing everything when the US versions are out.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by speedlolita View Post
                  BBCS2 is being released 12th May 2011 on PSN and 10th May 2011 on XBL in Japan. Platinum as well as the game being updated to CS2.
                  Wait - second edit - BBCS2 is already out on PSN in Japan, and has been for ages - are you talking about the full console version?

                  If so, is it a patch for the disc based game or is it a standalone downloadable game?
                  Last edited by Darwock; 30-04-2011, 03:42.

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                    #10
                    what about the xbox version ?

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                      #11
                      Time to change the title and add the home consoles, the CSII patch is available for both consoles though Platinum still has to reach the PS3; the PS3 patch was available from the 17th of May, but blame Starcraft II, I was only able to play online today.
                      I've already noted down a few changes based on the PSP version but the bigger screen and better controller let me see other things...like Tager's magnetism that now works two ways, it doesn't only drag the opponent toward Tager, it pulls the two together; I think that his throws do not have an higher priority, but since Tager connects with his opponent first, many counters are now invalid.
                      A few tweak on his A.I. means that he now spams Gadget Fingers until his meter is full for a Emerald Tager...however, if magnetized the CPU is hilariously bad in handling things and jumping will make you fly to the other side of the screen.

                      However the first thing players notice is the banner right below the user name in the main screen...I knew that Aksys was going to add advertisments but I thought they would have been limited to online screens. Right now the banner shows ArcSys' logo and, well, it's ugly. Really really ugly.

                      Ranked matches have been changed.
                      Chose ranked match and you need to select your character; then you can chose from the usual options (match, custom match, match and wait (training), match and wait (arcade)); when an opponent is found the usual recap page is shown and then you can chose your character's color palette, all other characters are locked and unselectable.
                      Ugh. Why? At first I thought they tightened search parameters and only players with similar level and/or PSR would be matched, but my second fight was against a level 22. I was struck with Lambda and the match was pretty much one-sided.
                      To change character you need to quit to the network menu and select the new character. It is possible to cancel the current match (something I did when I was matched with a level 5 and once again I was with my main), but I liked how you could take on weaker opponents by chosing your sub or any other character and you couldn't cancel a matchup you didn't like. Now that matchups can be cancelled, searching for a ranked fight felt like good old Calamity Trigger: with Lambda, level (53) and PSR (121) showing, 3 players of various levels turned me down. Just great.
                      I don't know if these changes have been made to limit ragequits or to make the ranked experience more similar to official tournaments, but to me this is a step in the wrong direction.
                      It won't change my love for BlazBlue, but, really, sometimes developers really like non-friendly menu structures.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Do we know if the PSP version is coming out here? I see the US version is out on the 31st.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Best thing about home BBCS2? The standard BBCS announcer.
                          Worst thing? Re-learning how to deal with Ragna and Tager. I'm starting to manage Tager but Ragna is a complete other story, his rushdown capabilities have been improved and he's probably a frame or two faster and with more invulnerability frames. Inferno Divider is a major offender, passes through Distortion Drives too and has enough range to hit the opponent on match start; Death Spike is used in many combos and while his bouncing attacks have been decreased in number, he can box opponents to an angle faster and keep them there.

                          However I should put the new ranked system in the worst spot, being struck with Lambda when I'm always paired with players in their 20s (or even a level 1 player) means I have to cancel the match most of the times...yes, I'm using worse players to get used to Ragna. Unfortunately a lot of players just cancel the match if they see Lambda in the recap card; it's CT all over again, people would cancel the match if they saw Nu. I hope ArcSys will deliver a patch to bring things as they were in the ranked matchup system, though chances are slim.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I still barely get a game on PS3, little less hard on 360 but I usually get hate mail saying I was just spamming C with Hakumen.

                            I mean, have they TRIED playing Hakumen? Lol.

                            I've seen a few guys play Ragna yeah and he's got a lot more damage potential now with little to no meter use. Noel is another to watch out for too..

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by speedlolita View Post
                              I still barely get a game on PS3, little less hard on 360 but I usually get hate mail saying I was just spamming C with Hakumen.
                              You're right, they should spam 6B.
                              Haku-men's 6B should be his Astral, too.

                              Noel is another to watch out for too..
                              I can see her getting more players, she's faster and probably has a tad more HPs. I think she also gets the Negative Warning much earlier than before, one I've fought tonight started to backdash right at the start of the match and got it within the first five seconds.

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