Expanded Sequel, Smaller Platform

This console generation, very few games have legitimately surprised me. The ones that have generally introduce new gameplay ideas or get me to take a second look at a new style of play. When the next generation inevitably comes, it'll be those games that I'll still remember. Blazblue: Calamity Trigger was one of those games. I can't say it did anything revolutionary, but it was a unique and satisfying package that convinced me to take another look at fighting games despite not caring about the genre for years. The style was memorable, the characters were varied, the fighting mechanics were easy to pick up and, unlike every other fighter, it had a story that intrigued me and kept me invested. Blazblue: Continuum Shift continued the trend and introduced more great characters and more intrigue to the plot while further balancing its fighting mechanics. To say that I'm a fan of Blazblue is an understatement.

Blazblue: Continuum Shift II for the PSP and 3DS is not a true sequel to the original Continuum Shift though. Instead, it's more like Super Street Fighter IV; the same game but with a ton of extra content thrown in to make it worthwhile. The question then becomes whether that is enough to make buying a second copy of the game worthwhile, let alone one that's on a portable system. The basic gameplay is the same as ever with players having a light, medium, and heavy attack along with a character specific special attack. Guards, guard breaks, and counters all come into play as there is a deep technical game here for the more intensive players. They'll be the ones to notice many of the minute changes that will alter their past strategies. The Beginner's Mode also returns as Stylish Mode. In this mode, each button performs one of the more visually impressive maneuvers and limits access to some of the more advanced techniques. The game will also help link these moves together to form combos. It's a button masher's paradise, but I still prefer the analog input from Calamity Trigger since it inspired players to learn the moves not available to them. Still this is a better option because of the lack of a second analog nub and also good for players who just want to jump into a simple and entertaining fight.

One of Blazblue's greatest strengths has always been its wide range of characters. No two play alike and that holds true for Continuum Shift II. The four new characters from Continuum Shift return and Continuum Shift II adds the three DLC characters. Even better, all the characters are unlocked from the outset so players can choose their favorite or try out the new ones right away. For those that haven't bought the DLC characters, they are just as fun and intuitive as the fifteen original. First up is Makoto, a brawler that specializes in throwing off opponents by making copies of herself. Platinum the Trinity is modeled after the prototypical magical girl, but her attacks are surprisingly powerful and varied. Finally, Valkenhayn is a werewolf that can change at will, allowing him to vary his attack strength and speed. As an added bonus, each of the new characters and Mu-12 receive arcade modes where some of the background and motivation is hinted at. Unfortunately, none of them have added sections in the Story Mode though that's understandable. All of the previous fighters have been balanced with each receiving or losing moves and certain combos gaining or losing strength. Eighteen total fighters may seem low compared to Super Street Fighter IV, but I don't believe that game has the same level of character variety as Blazblue.

Along with the new characters, Continuum Shift II offers several enhancements and new modes. Tutorial mode is the same and teaches players the fighting system, starting from the basics and slowly building to the most advanced maneuvers. The instruction can be dry and longwinded at times, but it did teach me several tactics that I wasn't aware of. Challenge mode works the same as Street Fighter 4's, tasking players to pull off increasingly complex combos with each fighter. Blazblue keeps things moving in their version rather than reloading the stage after each success. It includes a video aide which helps greatly in pulling off some of the later moves thanks to the demonstration. Legion Mode has also been upgraded slightly. Rather than allowing the player to choose the level of difficulty, Legion Mode 1.5 gives players a gradual increase in difficulty as they conquer each map. Players still select a character before being presented a map with several nodes and each node has one fighter or several that must be defeated in order to move on. Each victory allows the player to recruit one of the opponents and use them to work towards your ultimate goal of controlling every node on the map. Legion 1.5 also adds stat bonuses to the mix, allowing your team to be upgraded or having enemies already upgraded. It's a fun distraction with some slight strategy as far as which nodes should be conquered in which order.

Another completely new mode has been added as well: Abyss. In it, players are challenged to fight an always changing assortment of enemies in order to descend into the Abyss. The more noteworthy blows you land on an opponent, the quicker you can descend. Every 20 blows, you are challenged by a boss character and are awarded stat bonuses. Every 200 blows, you can save your progress. At first, I just chalked it up as another version of the same fighting system, and it is, but I also found myself coming back to it again and again. There's a great challenge to it and a strange drive to reach the bottom, which is 1000. Abyss Mode also ties into the game's overhaul of its Gallery Mode. You still unlock some of the artwork by playing through other modes, but everything you play earns you experience points and money. The experience points increases your level and unlocks new things to purchase in the Gallery and Abyss Mode. The money allows you to purchase stat bonuses for Abyss Mode and much of the previous DLC for Continuum Shift including character colors, Unlimited versions of the characters, and special artwork. The system greatly encourages to try everything and makes it feel as if everything you do in the game is rewarded. I'm already hoping it returns for the inevitable third Blazblue game.

The rest of the game modes consist of holdovers from Continuum Shift: Arcade, Versus, Story, Training, Gallery, and Network Battle. Unfortunately, Versus Mode has been reduced to nothing more than a standard computer battle making me wonder what the point of keeping it was since it's essentially only practice. It could have its uses, but there's no way to adjust the difficulty and challenge yourself. Still, every mode comes together to provide plenty to do in the single player portion of the game, but there's nothing truly different between each option. They are merely different setups to fight and hopefully improve the player's skill for the multiplayer. 

Of all the modes though, Story is the one that will keep players entertained the longest. Continuum Shift II keeps everything the same as Continuum Shift and picks up a few days after the events of Calamity Trigger and the end of the constant repetition of the time stream. The world is an uncertain place and the characters who are aware of the shift are trying to prepare as best as possible. However, many of the fighters are still recovering from the events of the first game, but a new threat has emerged in the form of Hazama. He and two other mysterious people are preparing to take control and bring chaos to the world. These actions directly affect all the other characters as they rush to stop him or take care of their personal quests. Overall, the story is much easier to follow than in the previous game. It attempts to catch new players up with what came before, but terms will often be said with little to no explanation within the story itself and will likely leave new players lost. The game tries to solve this with fun little "Teach Me Miss Litchi" segments which try to explain many of the terms of Blazblue's story. But what truly makes the story so much easier to follow is that each character only has a canon ending, a bad ending, and a joke ending rather than a myriad of small possibilities. No longer do players have to purposefully lose in order to see every outcome.

The major problem with the Story mode isn't the story itself but how it's told. There are roughly twenty hours of entertainment to be found in Story mode. The reason I say entertainment is that players rarely do much of anything during this mode. Instead of actively participating, players sit passively as character portraits talk back and forth with little visible action. Fights break things up every so often, but they're short affairs and no different from any other mode. Important moments are punctuated with a short animated sequence and while there are more of these than in Calamity Trigger, they still aren’t enough. That's not to say the story shouldn't be experienced. Many new revelations and characters are introduced and the series has finally gained a proper villain in the form of Hazama. This is a guy who revels in being evil and causing misery. He does horrible things, but he's so entertaining that it's easy to actually like him. Every scene with him immediately pops and becomes supremely interesting. Continuum Shift II also adds two extra stories. One explains how Noel met all of her friends at the academy and the other shows the early events of Kokonoe's time with Sector 7. Neither have any fights associated with them and can be viewed as half hour movies, but the small tidbits will be fun for fans. Nothing momentous is revealed concerning the overall plot, instead these serve as development for some of the less prominent characters.

Throughout the game, I kept wondering how the developers squeezed so much more content into a smaller system. The only thing that has been downsized is the graphics. Blazblue is well known for its gorgeous 2D art, and it still looks good despite the system limitations, but there is a notable dip in quality. The backgrounds are now static and characters are less defined. All of the levels from Continuum Shift make it into this port as well. The graphical quality isn't quite all there, but it still looks good and the sheer amount of content makes it all the more impressive. Like the graphics, the music is just as good as its console counterpart with all of the DLC characters receiving new songs. The music has a rock-tinged feel or sometimes goes for a sweeping orchestra when the mood calls for it. All of the voice actors have good performances, whether it's in story mode or just small character moments during fights. Players have the option to use the English or Japanese language track to suit their tastes but in both cases, the actor playing Hazama steals the show. However, you will likely want to use headphones with the game since voices are sometimes hard to understand or are drowned out by the music when listening through the speakers. Though not as strong in the port, the graphics and music still draw you into this world.

There are very few fighting games on portable systems that have as much content as Blazblue: Continuum Shift II. Everything from last year's release and all of the DLC that followed along with a new mode and experience system is squeezed into the package. If you love Blazblue, there's no reason to think that you won't stay entertained with this, especially if you've never played Continuum Shift before. The single player content actually feels stronger than the version of the game on PS3 and 360. Unfortunately, that's not quite the case when it comes to the multiplayer.

No fighting game can last if there isn't someone for players to test their skill against and, unfortunately, Blazblue Continuum Shift II limits those options. There is no online mode to speak of instead relying on ad-hoc multiplayer. It's great if you have other friends with PSPs or 3DSs and a copy of the game, but if you're like me and don't, then you're out of luck and Continuum Shift II will be a single player experience. This means I can't give an accurate account of what multiplayer is like. It's a shame too because otherwise I'd be willing to call this the definitive version of Continuum Shift. As it is, I'd still recommend the console version if you want to experience the game against other people. For those just looking for an excellent fighting game on the go, Continuum Shift II is well worth a look.

Note: This game was reviewed on the PSP version.