Live Review: BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
Arc System attempts to beat Capcom at its own game
//Publisher: Zen United //Developer: ArcSystem Works //Number of players: 1-6 //DLC: Yes
You’ve got to hand it to Capcom – it has really breathed new life into the beat-’em-up. Super Street Fighter IV has just been released, titles like Marvel Vs Capcom 2 and HD Remix are available to download on Live Arcade, and it’s opened the floodgates for a slew of contenders, all wanting to take the Japanese giant down.
The latest combatant to step up to the mark is Arc System Works’ BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, quite possibly the prettiest 2D fighter you’re ever likely to see on next-gen hardware. After wowing us offline with its motley range of bizzaro characters and solid fighting mechanics, we were eager to see how it would stack up online. We’d be lying if we weren’t concerned that a small niche publisher wouldn’t be able to create the tight netcode needed for a proper online experience.
Problems immediately arose when we tried to just jump into a quick match. Try as we might, it was impossible to get into a game due to the connection constantly resetting. Regardless of whether we tried jumping into a Ranked or Player match, the end result was always the same: lengthy waits and gnashing of teeth while we watched the on-screen ticker constantly tell us that we couldn’t connect.
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So no focus on the gameplay itself, but only on the lobby and connection?
…Right.
Read this review in the magazine – a couple of points I wanted to bring up though; I can’t say I’ve had any of the connectivity issues you speak about in your Live Review. Have always been able to find match after match on Ranked or Player, without having to create a room. Occasionally I have had to wait approx 30 seconds, but even then it’s connected to a match quite easily after that.
The other thing that’s mentioned in your magazine review is about unlocking Unlimited versions of the characters. In your review you say that players would need to purchase the Unlimited forms of most characters at 400 MS points each, because “…only Ragna, Rachel, Hakumen and V-13 can be unlocked in the main game.” However, you can unlock everybodys Unlimited form in the main game by completing Arcade mode with them.