Live Review: BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
Arc System attempts to beat Capcom at its own game
Joining rooms (aside from the connection issues) is also extremely easy, as a selection of six icons will immediately let you know what options are currently available in any given lobby. Therefore, a quick glance will instantly tell you where suitable opponents are waiting.
Perhaps the greatest aspect of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is undoubtedly its excellent lobby system. Available for up to six players, you can have up to four people watching bouts, and then it’s simply a case of choosing how your rotation system will work. You can either allow the best player to continue his reign, or simply let the loser to have another crack – it’s a wonderfully tight little system that really brings home the spirit of the arcades.
Indeed, there’s something immensely satisfying about hanging out in a room with five other like-minded gamers, sharing strategy tips, riling each other when a particular combo gets pulled off, or simply having a catch-up. It’s a wonderful touch that all future online fighters should implement.
Even with the excellent array of options and impressive online lobbies, it would all be for nothing if the netcode itself wasn’t up to scratch. Fortunately, there’s nothing to worry about here at all. While the introduction of characters sometimes resulted in slowdown, all the matches we’ve played so far (a good 120 bouts) have been free of any major lag. Admittedly, you’re never going to get perfect lag-free games online due to the nature of the support, but BlazBlue’s is particularly polished and hosted some truly cracking bouts. Even when we were in a room of six players and watching or participating in matches there were never any in-game issues. It’s a really impressive achievement on Arc’s part that is only really dampened by the fact that it’s so hard to actually connect to the games in the first place.
Street Fighter IV still rules the roost, but BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is a truly cracking effort and a great
start for Arc. Here’s hoping a patch comes out soon that fixes those connectivity issues.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Written by: Sam Bandah
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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.