PQube Giving BlazBlue A European Release in Q1 2010

Author: Vince | Date: August 14, 2009

BlazBlue_White_Logo Whilst we were at the Insert Coin expo last month we had an opportunity to play the 2D fighter that has taken Japan by storm, BlazBlue, and after playing the game we can understand why. The game has already been released on the PS3 and xbox 360 in America and Japan where it has been described as the “game that every self-respecting console fighting fan should play”, and thanks to PQube the game will now be seeing the light of day in Europe in Q1 2010.

The European version of the title will be fully localised into English, German, French, Italian and Spanish and will include additional content including a character strategy guide and music soundtrack from the now sold-out US Limited Edition plus new gameplay content not available anywhere else in the form of new characters and moves.

More BlazBlue information and a full screenshot gallery after the break.

Once again Arc System have brought fast, intense 2D fighting with highly stylized characters that has helped propel the Guilty Gear series to the heights it enjoys today, but now that beautiful artwork will be presented in full HD. All the sprites are hand-drawn and the stage backgrounds are a mesmerizing mix of hand-drawn images and 3D models.

The 12 gothic styled characters have a basic assortment of punches, kicks and heavy slashes (similar to Guilty Gear), but the most notable difference is the Drive button, which is a character-specific, skill-based attack that changes depending on directional input along with other factors. Besides these basic techniques each fighter also has an assortment of super moves at their disposal, but the games user-friendly controls make it accessible to even the most inexperienced players of 2D fighters.

The home console versions also feature a story mode that was not present in the arcade version, an overview of the plot is available here, and a robust, lag free online mode that supports 6 players, 2 fighting and 4 spectating.

From what I’ve played of the arcade version and seen of the console versions BlazBlue should be a definite purchase for any fan of the 2D fighting genre.