Got it yesterday and was able to do a couple of online matches, so very quick first impressions.
First...how do ArcSys manage to make menu worse at every iteration of the series? Calamity Trigger was cool-looking but not exactly user friendly, the Continuum Shift games where a good compromise between look and friendliness, Chrono Phantasma...hugh. Menus are useable but just downright ugly.
On the plus side no longer "I'm saving, so stand still for few seconds" boxes, saving is done in the background. Loading times appear to be on par with CS Extend with installed data, only that Chrono Phantasma doesn't have an install option (or I wasn't able to find one).
Character rebalancing aside, the biggest thing is the completely revamped multiplayer aspect. Lobbies can now accept up to 64 players, and all players can have customised avatars, based on game characters, with their own colour palette and even accessories, like bunny ears or ribbons. The player's image on the D-Card is customisable as well, no longer tied to your main. For ranked matches, you choose your character and set your status (active/inactive), then you're free to wander around the game menus and play certain modes (like arcade or practice, unfortunately no story or secondary single player modes). When an opponent is found, a box pops up with the opponent's name and you're free to accept the match within 10 seconds by pressing start. There are essentially no loading times between single and online matches, and everything feels very slick...if you can forget to godawful-looking menus. No, I don't really like CP's menus.
I think that the biggest complain I have about CP is that one of the new characters, Kagura, must be unlocked by either purchasing the DLC or beating story mode, the same thing that happened with Mu in the first Continuum Shift. Really bad decision, if you ask me.
The system has been updated in various way: characters can enter an OverDrive status (effect varies based on character), which replaces the neutral stance burst (uses one burst); the Guard Crush meter has been removed, and now characters can perform a Crush Trigger to break the opponent's (uses 25% heat); the burst is always one, but it's more similar to Guilty Gear, as it recharges over time after being used; no more golden bursts, combos tend to be shorter, and the impression is that all characters have less life and matches are faster.
The online code seems good enough, connecting to Japanese players shows the usual slowdowns before the match, but everything runs pretty smooth after few seconds. I can't comment on how many people are playing right now due to the largely different time zone.
As for the new characters...well, I've only tried Terumi (included as a free DLC characters in preorders), and while he shares similarities with Hazama (they're the same person, in a twisted kind of way), it plays at a closer range, with moves able to drag opponents in close, but I've only played a match with him. I've played against one Bullet online, and she's very fast, with close range combos.
On character rebalances, I can only write about Nu. Yes, mad yandere stabby girl is back, and she plays more like the CT Nu rather than the CS Lambda: 236D is the same as CT (no longer a trap with multiple hits), 214D is faster even when charged, like in CSE 5C no longer needs to be mashed and it's really fast (I'd say almost twice), her overhead is still very slow and now punishable with a low attack; the Cavalier moves (236A-B-C) can only be accessed by switching modes (22A), though I still have to figure out excatly if there are other differencies between the two modes, Cavaliers aside.
Oh, a Platinum's 5A now randomly switches between rock, paper, and scissors...so frigging cute (unsure if it was in CSE as well).
Voices and BGMs have been completely redone, and while I'm kinda torn on the new BGMs: they ditch a lot of violins/keyboards/whatever in favour of guitars and a heavier sound, but some really lose their effectviness (like Mu's and Platinum's themes); other songs are much better (selection screen), but I will have to listen to the complete soundtrack to have a well-defined position; BGMs for new characters are cool though.
Nu's German is kinda painful, especially with her "Do-rai" (drei, two). Platinum's male voice is less effective than in CSE, and once again Haku-Men sounds scruffier than before. One of Litchi's exclamations when hit sounds out from a porn movie, and the annunciator goes crazy when selecting Tsubaki or Amane.
First...how do ArcSys manage to make menu worse at every iteration of the series? Calamity Trigger was cool-looking but not exactly user friendly, the Continuum Shift games where a good compromise between look and friendliness, Chrono Phantasma...hugh. Menus are useable but just downright ugly.
On the plus side no longer "I'm saving, so stand still for few seconds" boxes, saving is done in the background. Loading times appear to be on par with CS Extend with installed data, only that Chrono Phantasma doesn't have an install option (or I wasn't able to find one).
Character rebalancing aside, the biggest thing is the completely revamped multiplayer aspect. Lobbies can now accept up to 64 players, and all players can have customised avatars, based on game characters, with their own colour palette and even accessories, like bunny ears or ribbons. The player's image on the D-Card is customisable as well, no longer tied to your main. For ranked matches, you choose your character and set your status (active/inactive), then you're free to wander around the game menus and play certain modes (like arcade or practice, unfortunately no story or secondary single player modes). When an opponent is found, a box pops up with the opponent's name and you're free to accept the match within 10 seconds by pressing start. There are essentially no loading times between single and online matches, and everything feels very slick...if you can forget to godawful-looking menus. No, I don't really like CP's menus.
I think that the biggest complain I have about CP is that one of the new characters, Kagura, must be unlocked by either purchasing the DLC or beating story mode, the same thing that happened with Mu in the first Continuum Shift. Really bad decision, if you ask me.
The system has been updated in various way: characters can enter an OverDrive status (effect varies based on character), which replaces the neutral stance burst (uses one burst); the Guard Crush meter has been removed, and now characters can perform a Crush Trigger to break the opponent's (uses 25% heat); the burst is always one, but it's more similar to Guilty Gear, as it recharges over time after being used; no more golden bursts, combos tend to be shorter, and the impression is that all characters have less life and matches are faster.
The online code seems good enough, connecting to Japanese players shows the usual slowdowns before the match, but everything runs pretty smooth after few seconds. I can't comment on how many people are playing right now due to the largely different time zone.
As for the new characters...well, I've only tried Terumi (included as a free DLC characters in preorders), and while he shares similarities with Hazama (they're the same person, in a twisted kind of way), it plays at a closer range, with moves able to drag opponents in close, but I've only played a match with him. I've played against one Bullet online, and she's very fast, with close range combos.
On character rebalances, I can only write about Nu. Yes, mad yandere stabby girl is back, and she plays more like the CT Nu rather than the CS Lambda: 236D is the same as CT (no longer a trap with multiple hits), 214D is faster even when charged, like in CSE 5C no longer needs to be mashed and it's really fast (I'd say almost twice), her overhead is still very slow and now punishable with a low attack; the Cavalier moves (236A-B-C) can only be accessed by switching modes (22A), though I still have to figure out excatly if there are other differencies between the two modes, Cavaliers aside.
Oh, a Platinum's 5A now randomly switches between rock, paper, and scissors...so frigging cute (unsure if it was in CSE as well).
Voices and BGMs have been completely redone, and while I'm kinda torn on the new BGMs: they ditch a lot of violins/keyboards/whatever in favour of guitars and a heavier sound, but some really lose their effectviness (like Mu's and Platinum's themes); other songs are much better (selection screen), but I will have to listen to the complete soundtrack to have a well-defined position; BGMs for new characters are cool though.
Nu's German is kinda painful, especially with her "Do-rai" (drei, two). Platinum's male voice is less effective than in CSE, and once again Haku-Men sounds scruffier than before. One of Litchi's exclamations when hit sounds out from a porn movie, and the annunciator goes crazy when selecting Tsubaki or Amane.
Comment