Gamestop: BluBlaz - does email list bonus book?

[Rhodes]

When I pre-ordered BluBlaz the website listed a limited edition art book... when I got my email confirmation the book was not listed. And now when I check the website the book is gone.

Did folks who pre-ordered earlier get the book listed on their email receipt/confirmation?

[Senku]

Checking the confirmation email I recieved from GS doesn't say anything really about what I ordered.

So I checked my order history on GS's website, and they actually seperated the artbook from the game preorder. So it says "Premium, Aksys Artbook - Backordered" on one line, then "Blazblue: Calamity Trigger - preorder" on the other.

So I guess that means I'm still getting the artbook? Maybe they actually went through all the artbooks they had? Or waiting for Aksys to make more so they can put the bonus listing back up?

Hope this helps some.

[HitokiriShadow]

Checking the confirmation email I recieved from GS doesn't say anything really about what I ordered.

So I checked my order history on GS's website, and they actually seperated the artbook from the game preorder. So it says "Premium, Aksys Artbook - Backordered" on one line, then "Blazblue: Calamity Trigger - preorder" on the other.


Same situation for me.

[Rhodes]

hmmm Thanks.

I've had bonus items on back order from Gamestop before and I have never gotten it. An Artbook for one of the Alchemist? games for the PS2. If they run out they run out, since it says limited while supplies last.

Well I hope I get one cause if not I got burned for paying more, tax and shipping =(

Really hate gamestop. Well buying online better than in store since your never buying new there anyway... freaking opening all the packages and taking the discs out even thou they put all the stock behind the counter.

[AbeChinchilla]

Really hate gamestop. Well buying online better than in store since your never buying new there anyway... freaking opening all the packages and taking the discs out even thou they put all the stock behind the counter.

To rent out the new games to employees of all things. No wonder some of those "NEW" games have scratches on them.

[AbeChinchilla]

My order lists "backordered" on the artbook as well.

Can only assume that since the artbook IS on the order, we should be in the clear to get one.

Otherwise, fucking bullshit, GameStop! Pre-ordered the day after they announced the bonus.

[HitokiriShadow]

My order lists "backordered" on the artbook as well.

Can only assume that since the artbook IS on the order, we should be in the clear to get one.

Otherwise, fucking bullshit, GameStop! Pre-ordered the day after they announced the bonus.

That's what I'm assuming. It may be "backordered" just because they don't have any yet and they don't have a date set for it like the game.

If they really have gone through their stock and won't get anymore... yeah, that's bullshit and there's a good chance I'll never buy from them again if that happens.

[rainking187]

Preorder bonuses almost always say "Backordered" until they ship. Plus they list the artbook as available again, and people emailing GS are being told they got more artbooks in.

[AbeChinchilla]

Preorder bonuses almost always say "Backordered" until they ship. Plus they list the artbook as available again, and people emailing GS are being told they got more artbooks in.

Where are they listed as In Stock? It's not like the artbook has its own detail/item page...

It's bullshit either way. They shouldn't keep advertising the pre-order bonus if it's already sold out.

[Fieri]

From what I've read, they did run out of the bonus book at Gamestop but they were able to secure more of them. Supposedly all orders that were placed when the artbook was removed should be getting them as well so if it doesn't show up soon, you'll probably want to contact them.

[Rhodes]

Thought they were gonna mail the artbook out along with the game when it ships? Or are they sending the artbook out ahead of time?

[Leon_Belmont]

Thought they were gonna mail the artbook out along with the game when it ships? Or are they sending the artbook out ahead of time?

When it ships. No way they'd lose money giving em out early. Plus that usually turns out bad anyway.

[Fieri]

Thought they were gonna mail the artbook out along with the game when it ships? Or are they sending the artbook out ahead of time?

They are... I meant on the order :P

[Rhodes]

Ok well my order status online still shows the book as being back ordered. would that status change to reserved? or will it only change when the game ships?

[SunWuKong]

Well, looks like gamestop.com screwed my order one step further! When I checked my order status, I find out that they completely canceled my entire order! I contacted them and they have no fucking clue what happened!

Well, that's it with the rest of my business with them! I don't need their damn artbook! Hello tax free amazon!

[AbeChinchilla]

Well, looks like gamestop.com screwed my order one step further! When I checked my order status, I find out that they completely canceled my entire order! I contacted them and they have no fucking clue what happened!

Well, that's it with the rest of my business with them! I don't need their damn artbook! Hello tax free amazon!

Did you call them within 48 hours of placing the order?

I know it's a stupid "step" to placing a GameStop order, but still...

[boogiecat]

I hope my order wouldn't be cancelled..

[Rhodes]

wait you need to call them after placing an online order? i have never called em after placing one.

[SunWuKong]

Well, looks like gamestop.com screwed my order one step further! When I checked my order status, I find out that they completely canceled my entire order! I contacted them and they have no fucking clue what happened!

Well, that's it with the rest of my business with them! I don't need their damn artbook! Hello tax free amazon!

Did you call them within 48 hours of placing the order?

I know it's a stupid "step" to placing a GameStop order, but still...

There was no mention of calling in for confirmation in the order process or on my confirmation email.

[AbeChinchilla]

When I pre-ordered BluBlaz the website listed a limited edition art book... when I got my email confirmation the book was not listed. And now when I check the website the book is gone.

Did folks who pre-ordered earlier get the book listed on their email receipt/confirmation?

Has anyone's GameStop.com order status been updated yet?

They placed the charge on my card Thursday, the 25th... and I check today and both the game (360) and artbook are "BACKORDERED".

This is some fucked up bullshit. Don't charge my card if you can't ship the item!

... But I'll give them until tomorrow night before I start making phone calls (tomorrow being the "Ship" date).

[TheLaughingMan]

I hope this crap is sorted out by now...this needs to ship tomorrow, WITH the Artbook!

[bluesilo]

I didn't know this game was coming out so soon. But once I knew it was...it had my money. It looks awesome.

[Leon_Belmont]

When I pre-ordered BluBlaz the website listed a limited edition art book... when I got my email confirmation the book was not listed. And now when I check the website the book is gone.

Did folks who pre-ordered earlier get the book listed on their email receipt/confirmation?

Has anyone's GameStop.com order status been updated yet?

They placed the charge on my card Thursday, the 25th... and I check today and both the game (360) and artbook are "BACKORDERED".

This is some fucked up bullshit. Don't charge my card if you can't ship the item!

... But I'll give them until tomorrow night before I start making phone calls (tomorrow being the "Ship" date).

Calm down. They just jammed it in that status until it ships tomorrow. It's Gamestop. They don't break release date. If they did and companies penalized them, that'd be getting their core business penalized. If you count it as games and not "pre-owned" games of course. Their status system just sucks. It happened to mine as well as everybody's. There's plenty of crap status systems online. There's is just one of them.

[UEHacker]

Mine actually already shipped and should be here tomorrow, artbook and all. I suggest rechecking your order.

[AbeChinchilla]

Mine actually already shipped and should be here tomorrow, artbook and all. I suggest rechecking your order.

I just did right now. It apparently shipped tonight. Can only hope it's here by Thursday, which I will have the whole day off from work...

[Mank]

I missed the artbook. Gamestop.com is crap. You shouldn't differentiate between early and late preorders, you should just fulfill them all, especially when it's a dinky artbook that can't cost much to print. Ugh, wouldn't be an issue if it was just a darn in-store thing. Seriously, I'm a little angry after how much effort I ended up having to put into getting that order placed on their site (read: it's designed horribly, and apparently canceled doesn't COUNT as canceled. Ugh.).
Oh well, I'll have the game soon. It's in at a relative's house, but I may not be able to go get it till Thursday (had to have it shipped elsewhere to deal with the website). Hopefully the artbooks will show up real cheap at Otakon or something somehow (yeah, I'm crazy for hoping so, I know...)

[pi8you]

Mine actually already shipped and should be here tomorrow, artbook and all. I suggest rechecking your order.

I just did right now. It apparently shipped tonight. Can only hope it's here by Thursday, which I will have the whole day off from work...
Mine was delivered a couple hours after I left for work this morning, and shipping confirmation shows that I've got the artbook waiting for me too. But then, I did preorder very, very early. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be home from work for another 3-4 hours ;_;

(PS3 version, PSN pi8you if anyone wants to get it on)

[Grimmjow Jeagerjaques]

I got my pre-order yesterday, book and all.

[Senku]

My game and artbook still says "verifying" on their website.

Process it already, grr...

(I need to add some AoD folk on my PSN account when I get the time)

[pathos]

My game and artbook still says "verifying" on their website.

Process it already, grr...

Same boat here. I'm wondering if they've run out of the artbooks already :P

[pi8you]

Spent a couple hours with it last night, enjoying it quite a bit, though I'm learning to use an arcade stick at the same time (my SFIV stick showed up yesterday too, happy days!), so I'm dealing with a higher learning curve than normal.

The artbook's a little taller and wider than the Persona 4 book, but is much thinner, 16-20 pages or so- a page for each character(with large primary design illustration, a few sketches/designs, bios, and partial movelists) and a few more for story and locations. Ultimately it feels more like an expanded/larger version of those portions of the instruction manual than an actual artbook. The unlockable items in the gallery are going to be much more worthwhile, especially as they seem to be rather high res and let you zoom quite a ways in.

[Senku]

No change in the status of my game and artbook...

Should I wait till next week to contact them? Or should I bitch at them today before the weekend?

[AbeChinchilla]

I got everything Wednesday night. The credit card was finally charged presumably after the delivery confirmation.

This game is HARD to learn. Probably doesn't help that I'm on a controller still. This might push me to get an arcade stick though... next weeks' payday will be plentiful, so it's possible...

I'm going to main Rachel. Haven't really won many matches yet, but I get pretty close.

[Senku]

This game is HARD to learn. Probably doesn't help that I'm on a controller still. This might push me to get an arcade stick though... next weeks' payday will be plentiful, so it's possible...

Is it really hard to play with a controller?

Also, what difficulty level are you playing on right now?

[broodwars]

I just picked up my copy for PS3 at my local Gamestop, but I haven't had much time to poke around with it. Didn't get an artbook, but then again I didn't pre-order it. It was only after reading the reviews that it looked interesting enough to scrounge up enough trade-in value to purchase it.

[Westlo]

This game is HARD to learn. Probably doesn't help that I'm on a controller still. This might push me to get an arcade stick though... next weeks' payday will be plentiful, so it's possible...

Is it really hard to play with a controller?

I don't see any reason why it's hard.. the only reasons I got a stick for SF IV is because stick is vastly superior for charge characters and not having six face buttons on a pad sucks for SF. Those two things doesn't affect Blazblue.. heck I'm superior on pad with qcf/qcb motions than I am on stick so I use pad for Blazblue atm.

[Geno]

I got everything Wednesday night. The credit card was finally charged presumably after the delivery confirmation.

This game is HARD to learn. Probably doesn't help that I'm on a controller still. This might push me to get an arcade stick though... next weeks' payday will be plentiful, so it's possible...

I'm going to main Rachel. Haven't really won many matches yet, but I get pretty close.I wouldn't call it that hard to learn, just hard to master. That said Rachel is one of the more difficult characters to use so hang in there. Also going from a pad to a stick takes some time to get used to, so keep that in mind. And if you plan on using the stick a lot, I would recommend going for the tournament edition street fighter stick because it's made from higher quality parts and can withstand more ware and tear.

Keep in mind the only experience I have with sticks is the NES Advantage, though I do get most of my info from people who have more experience with this sort of thing. Perhaps if the street fighter 4 TE stick was also compatible with the PS2 then I might have gotten a stick, but I'm currently content with a dualshock despite mild issues performing some moves.

[superdry]

For anyone who wants the limited edition PS3 version...go and pick it up soon as it's already out of print. Whatever is out there is what's left. Amazon scalperplace already has people selling it for at least $90.

I bought the game, but I have yet to crack it open as I don't really have anyone to play fighting games with and I don't like playing games online too much. That and I have a tremendous backlog. I think I'll try and play around with it sometime next week.

[broodwars]

I got everything Wednesday night. The credit card was finally charged presumably after the delivery confirmation.

This game is HARD to learn. Probably doesn't help that I'm on a controller still. This might push me to get an arcade stick though... next weeks' payday will be plentiful, so it's possible...

I'm going to main Rachel. Haven't really won many matches yet, but I get pretty close.

Yeah, this game can be utterly brutal with certain characters, even on Normal difficulty. It took me something like 20 minutes to finally beat V-13 and win Arcade mode with Noel. I didn't have a great deal of luck with the two previous matches before her either, and I had some trouble (though I still won on my first try) with Tager.

Incidentally, I strongly advise people getting into this game to start with Noel. Of the characters I've toyed around with, her moves are probably the most straightforward: her Drive pretty much just seems to slap a big "turbo" on her existing moves (with the exception of her above and back-flip drives), so you can just press the Drive and then go into combo chains.

[broodwars]

Man, there's some real balance issues in this game. Some characters, no matter how well it seems you use them, simply can't beat other cahracters without sheer luck on their side. I just went through Arcade on Easy with Rachel, and, despite having a pretty good grasp on her moves and slaughtering the first 8 challengers, I got my ass handed to me by Hakuman and V-13. Considering I've been able to slaughter both those fighters with other characters like Ragna, the issue's probably with Rachel. She's just too hard to use, and her moves are at all odds with each other. She's as slow as Tager with weak close-range moves and a Wind Drive that seems intended to keep her away from her attackers so she can pick away at them from long range or quickly fly in for a quick throw or shock...but both her distortion and astral drives require you to be at EXTREME close range. She's just a real mess of a character, but fun to use. It's just not so fun when Hakumen's chopping away at me from the other side of the screen and V-13 spends half the fight juggling me with her damn nearly-unblockable swords. I barely beat both those guys.

And I'm sorry, but Carl is completely useless and Arakune doesn't look much better. Controlling Carl is like controlling the Ice Climbers in Smash Bros., but with worse controls. And Arakune...well...I've never had issues beating him either and his moves look weak.

[Westlo]

Rachaels actually the second strongest character in the game after V-13.

Seems the tier list is roughly

Top tier - V-13, Rachael, Arakune
Mid tier - Jin, Carl, Ragna, Noel, Litchi, Taokaka
Low tier - Hakuman, Bang, Taiga

[broodwars]

Rachaels actually the second strongest character in the game after V-13.

Seems the tier list is roughly

Top tier - V-13, Rachael, Arakune
Mid tier - Jin, Carl, Ragna, Noel, Litchi, Taokaka
Low tier - Hakuman, Bang, Taiga

Rachael can be powerful if you can keep your opponents away from you, but it's very tricky to perform and I'm not sure there are many players up to that. And apparently her Distortion can be extended with those lightning rods I use as my main range attack, so that definitely helps. In many ways, she reminds me of Captain Olimar from Smash Bros., in that the key to success with her is micromanagement...but it also means she's a royal pain to use. What the hell's Arakune doing up there, though? I'm really surprised at Hakuman; Arakune; Bang, and Carl's placement on that list, though. Bang's pretty powerful with some decent speed, and Arakune can dish out some real damage without being as ungodly slow as Taiga. And Carl is just...Carl.

[AbeChinchilla]

Was totally kicking some ass last night as Rachel. :)

I love setting up and trapping opponents into Distortion Finishes. Yes, the lightning rods attract lightning from her Distortion Drive.

Her Drive, the wind stuff, really helps too. George the Thirteenth!!!!! SWORD IRIS!!

Does anyone know who did the English dub? Didn't catch any voice credits for the English version. I'm actually very pleased with the dub. Compared to Street Fighter IV, where I was grateful for the voice-by-character option.

Someone said it would take luck to win with some characters. I would have agreed a few days ago, but really, each character has their Drive and other unique qualities that give every single one of them a wild card, and the edge, and the ability to win.

[Gatts]

I received the game on Friday, flipped through the artbook and proceeded to dominate normal arcade mode with Rachael on my first play through. The game seems to have a good learning curve, but the AI on normal is horrible. It falls for pretty much everything you do.

After screwing around with it over the weekend, I'll probably try to main Carl, but I don't really have time to get in depth with the game right now.

[Norenia]

Does anyone know who did the English dub? Didn't catch any voice credits for the English version. I'm actually very pleased with the dub. Compared to Street Fighter IV, where I was grateful for the voice-by-character option.

Ragna the Bloodedge: Patrick Seitz
Jin Kisaragi: David Vincent
Noel Vermillion: Cristina Valenzuela
Rachel Alucard: Mela Lee
Arakune: Spike Spencer
Litchi Faye-Ling: Lauren Landa
Carl Clover: Michelle Ruff
Iron Tager: Jamieson Price
Taokaka: Julie Ann Taylor
Bang Shishigami: Tony Oliver

Hakumen: David Vincent
v-13(Nu): Cristina Valenzuela

[Geno]

Rachaels actually the second strongest character in the game after V-13.

Seems the tier list is roughly

Top tier - V-13, Rachael, Arakune
Mid tier - Jin, Carl, Ragna, Noel, Litchi, Taokaka
Low tier - Hakuman, Bang, Taiga

What the hell's Arakune doing up there, though? I'm really surprised at Hakuman; Arakune; Bang, and Carl's placement on that list, though. Bang's pretty powerful with some decent speed, and Arakune can dish out some real damage without being as ungodly slow as Taiga. And Carl is just...Carl.

Arakune has a lot of mix ups making him quite unpredictable. His curse also makes it easy for you to trap your opponent, he has the most options just watch the bonus disc. Carl has a throw loop which can trap your opponent. Hakumen should rise he has a lot of potential, though I do find it nice that the character I'm maining isn't top tier. My one guess to his low ranking would be his garbage supers, which are extremely difficult to hit with.

[broodwars]

Hakumen should rise he has a lot of potential, though I do find it nice that the character I'm maining isn't top tier. My one guess to his low ranking would be his garbage supers, which are extremely difficult to hit with.

Yeah, the character I tend to do best with (Noel) isn't top tier either, so that's a nice bonus. As for Hakumen's supers, he seems to have the same problems that Ragna has when it comes to range (though Hakumen at least can do some decent damage with his sword wave).

[Senku]

Rachaels actually the second strongest character in the game after V-13.

Seems the tier list is roughly

Top tier - V-13, Rachael, Arakune
Mid tier - Jin, Carl, Ragna, Noel, Litchi, Taokaka
Low tier - Hakuman, Bang, Taiga

Who decides these things anyway?

And why does everyone else go along with it?

[broodwars]

Rachaels actually the second strongest character in the game after V-13.

Seems the tier list is roughly

Top tier - V-13, Rachael, Arakune
Mid tier - Jin, Carl, Ragna, Noel, Litchi, Taokaka
Low tier - Hakuman, Bang, Taiga

Who decides these things anyway?

And why does everyone else go along with it?

I'm guessing it's just a consensus of "these are the guys people online are using the most". People tend to go along with them because they think they can't take on the characters most used without also using the most-used characters, since there's that perceived "usefulness" to the top tier.

[Senku]

I'm guessing it's just a consensus of "these are the guys people online are using the most". People tend to go along with them because they think they can't take on the characters most used without also using the most-used characters, since there's that perceived "usefulness" to the top tier.

It kinda makes me want to pick a bottom tier character to main, but then that would mean I actually put stock into this "perceived consensus"; which I don't want to. I'll play the game, pick who I like, and have fun.


And to play the game, I actually have to receive it first. Well I called GS customer service today, and apparently there was an issue processing my order; but I never received an email saying as such. They said that they'd process my order again, so we'll see if they can get my game thru their system this time. Looks like I should have called them last week; would've had this thing fixed by now.

[Gatts]

I'm guessing it's just a consensus of "these are the guys people online are using the most". People tend to go along with them because they think they can't take on the characters most used without also using the most-used characters, since there's that perceived "usefulness" to the top tier.

Tier rankings are normally determined by ease of use vs. power of character. It has nothing to do with popularity. For example Gil from Street Fighter 3 is the highest tier character and is one of the least used (mainly because he's banned from usage). Omega Rugal from the King of Fighter 98 is another example of a banned highest tier character.

As an example of the other end of the spectrum, you have Ken from Street Fighter 4 who is mid-tier, but is very popular. His ultra is difficult to link and his focus attack has very little range which pushes him out of the higher tier ranking. Meanwhile Zangief is high tier due to the power of his moves and very easy learning curve, however you'll rarely find a tournament with a Zangief champion since is has a very distinct weakness vs. certain characters (Sagat for example...who is another high tier character).

Anyway, long story short, there is actually a bit of play testing that goes into tier rankings and once people find out the combos and glitches of certain characters, their tier rankings will change. After that it's just a matter of how easily their combos can be implemented into actual gameplay instead of just training mode.

[rainking187]

Really liking this game. I still suck, but if any AODers want to add me on PSN my name is rainking187, naturally. I know there's a thread for PSN IDs, but I don't know how often it gets checked, and I just noticed it existed like a month ago, so just throwing that out there.

[pathos]

And to play the game, I actually have to receive it first. Well I called GS customer service today, and apparently there was an issue processing my order; but I never received an email saying as such. They said that they'd process my order again, so we'll see if they can get my game thru their system this time. Looks like I should have called them last week; would've had this thing fixed by now.


Heh, I finally gave up on it getting shipped, and just cancelled the order and went out and bought it locally. I would have liked to have gotten the art book, but not enough for me to, you know, pick up the phone.

Now, I just have to find the time to play the game. Especially with KoF coming out in a couple weeks.

[Senku]

Hey! what do ya know, my order finally got processed and shipped yesterday. Just have to wait several more days...

If anyone is interested, ANN's gaming column reviewed BlazBlue. It seems that he likes the game overall, but didn't buy into the lengthy story mode.

[broodwars]

Hey! what do ya know, my order finally got processed and shipped yesterday. Just have to wait several more days...

If anyone is interested, ANN's gaming column reviewed BlazBlue. It seems that he likes the game overall, but didn't buy into the lengthy story mode.

Having played through the story modes for over half the cast now, I can't say I blame him. It really is a mess narratively-speaking, and "completing" the stories is more tedious than fun since it requires you to do a lot of things players normally wouldn't do (like deliberately losing).

[Fieri]

And to play the game, I actually have to receive it first. Well I called GS customer service today, and apparently there was an issue processing my order; but I never received an email saying as such. They said that they'd process my order again, so we'll see if they can get my game thru their system this time. Looks like I should have called them last week; would've had this thing fixed by now.


Heh, I finally gave up on it getting shipped, and just cancelled the order and went out and bought it locally. I would have liked to have gotten the art book, but not enough for me to, you know, pick up the phone.

Now, I just have to find the time to play the game. Especially with KoF coming out in a couple weeks.

Would you have gotten the artbook this late? Those lucky enough to attend AX was able to pick up the artbook for $10. ;)

[pathos]

Having played through the story modes for over half the cast now, I can't say I blame him. It really is a mess narratively-speaking, and "completing" the stories is more tedious than fun since it requires you to do a lot of things players normally wouldn't do (like deliberately losing).

I'm a little curious how story mode matches up against, say, mk vs dc, length wise. Can you save your place during it like you could in mk vs dc? Well, I guess I'll finid out tonight anyway.

I actually started playing last night, but mostly training mode, then arcade mode, and just a few characters.

My only thoughts so far, other than liking the game.

1 V-13 is CHEAP. I got through arcade mode using her almost solely by using right stick - right. Occasionally something would finally jump over it, and then I'd use right stick - up. I had to use regular attacks maybe 3 times during the entire playthrough. I'm sure even mediocre players would punish me for that, but the ai never could :P

2 Rachel is hard for me to play. Between the slow walk speed, never could make her dash, really crappy ranged attacks, i was having a hard time. I did start to puzzle out her drive, and how it works. I think I'll really need to break out the strategy disk for help with her though.

[broodwars]

Having played through the story modes for over half the cast now, I can't say I blame him. It really is a mess narratively-speaking, and "completing" the stories is more tedious than fun since it requires you to do a lot of things players normally wouldn't do (like deliberately losing).

I'm a little curious how story mode matches up against, say, mk vs dc, length wise. Can you save your place during it like you could in mk vs dc? Well, I guess I'll finid out tonight anyway.

I never played MK vs. DC, but the best comparison I can make to each character's story mode is one of those old "Choose your Own Adventure" novels. Each character has a little vignette (about a half-hour long at best if you actually read and listen to the dialogue on a given track) that may or may not have anything to do with what I can discern "the main plot" being. While each character's story modes have them running into most of the other characters, none of the character's stories impact the other so it's more like the Arcade mode with longer dialogue sequences. You get a little text and VO, then there's a fight. If you win, you move on to another fighter and if you lose you usually have to restart from your last save (yes, there is a save before every fight). I say "usually" because there are often alternate plot tracks or alternate endings if you lose to particular characters. You also on occasion get a prompt to choose your track.

Story mode works in theory and there's certainly enough text to tell a decent story, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to any of it if you try to piece all the characters' stories together and try to make sense of the opening cinematic. Frankly, if they really wanted to tell a story with this mode they'd have been better off with a Smash Bros. Brawl-type Adventure mode where there's one story and you can play as different characters along the way with varying tracks. Some characters have rather amusing vignettes, but overall it just feels like the mode's there for the sake of upping the play-time (especially if you want to "fully" complete each character's story mode for the unlockables in the gallery and the "true ending").

And yes, V-13 is an utterly cheap character, though Hakumen certainly has his moments as well (I was just playing through Arcade with Tao yesterday, and it took me quite a few attempts to beat him because he can wack off half your life bar in two hits and Tao's attacks barely scratched him. Oddly enough, I slaughtered V-13 after that).

[Gatts]

2 Rachel is hard for me to play. Between the slow walk speed, never could make her dash, really crappy ranged attacks, i was having a hard time. I did start to puzzle out her drive, and how it works. I think I'll really need to break out the strategy disk for help with her though.

You need to make use of Sylphid (her D attack) during your combos. While you are doing the combos, do D and forward, the wind with increase the range and speed of your dash. It's pretty easy to get a 30+ hit combo with Rachel after you get used to using Sylphid with her C attack.

It's probably a bit different for me since I use an arcade stick instead of control pad when playing, so executing the combos is a bit different (I don't have shortcuts on the D-pad). It actually should be a bit easier to get the combos off with a controller.

[Sensuifu]

Having played through the story modes for over half the cast now, I can't say I blame him. It really is a mess narratively-speaking, and "completing" the stories is more tedious than fun since it requires you to do a lot of things players normally wouldn't do (like deliberately losing).

I'm a little curious how story mode matches up against, say, mk vs dc, length wise. Can you save your place during it like you could in mk vs dc? Well, I guess I'll finid out tonight anyway.



There are points where you can save it, usually right before a fight. As for the story (per character), it's much shorter than MK's (if you don't count branching). The difference is that the characters don't fight through as many opponents as you would in MK; BUT completing their stories will take longer due to the branches (you need to lose on purpose to certain characters to advance on a different path). Basically it's a doujin-esque fighter with the narrative style you'll find from the genre. Good thing it's no where as long as MeltyBlood.


I actually started playing last night, but mostly training mode, then arcade mode, and just a few characters.

My only thoughts so far, other than liking the game.

1 V-13 is CHEAP. I got through arcade mode using her almost solely by using right stick - right. Occasionally something would finally jump over it, and then I'd use right stick - up. I had to use regular attacks maybe 3 times during the entire playthrough. I'm sure even mediocre players would punish me for that, but the ai never could :P

Nu is cheap. She's the most spammer-friendly character there is, but you still need to time her air attacks to make them worth anything. But almost any character can be played one-handedly (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p6UhxNMCHI). :P Maybe except for Carl.


2 Rachel is hard for me to play. Between the slow walk speed, never could make her dash, really crappy ranged attacks, i was having a hard time. I did start to puzzle out her drive, and how it works. I think I'll really need to break out the strategy disk for help with her though.Haven't used Rachel as much yet, but she's a breeze to use compared to Carl. I'm using Noel as my main so far; made some nifty little combos (though seemingly useless in vs gameplay due to the tech rolls everyone performs). I'm used to how she plays because she's almost a replica of Ciel (my main fighter) from Melty Blood. Not only are her distortion drives almost identical to Ciel's supers, her character movement has nearly the same feel, motion, and timing Ciel has. As for Rachel, she easily reminds me of Len/White Len of MB. Carl reminds me of Hisui & Kohaku but much more difficult to handle. I've yet to do his throw infinite, but I've got his pop-up+Nirvana's air clap down. He could easily be the cheapest character (in a pro's hand) if you're caught inside his airthrow infinite.

[Geno]

Having played through the story modes for over half the cast now, I can't say I blame him. It really is a mess narratively-speaking, and "completing" the stories is more tedious than fun since it requires you to do a lot of things players normally wouldn't do (like deliberately losing).

I'm a little curious how story mode matches up against, say, mk vs dc, length wise. Can you save your place during it like you could in mk vs dc? Well, I guess I'll finid out tonight anyway.



And yes, V-13 is an utterly cheap character, though Hakumen certainly has his moments as well (I was just playing through Arcade with Tao yesterday, and it took me quite a few attempts to beat him because he can wack off half your life bar in two hits and Tao's attacks barely scratched him. Oddly enough, I slaughtered V-13 after that).
Keep in mind the Hakumen and V-13 you fight in arcade mode are stronger than the playable versions (though you can unlock the boss versions of them, they can't be used online). And believe me Hakumen is not cheap his whole playstyle relies of figuring out your opponent. His attacks also come out quite slow, which them quite easy to block or dodge. Furthermore he has no real combos that don't use up his magatama. So pretty much he's the high risk high reward character.

[pathos]

I never played MK vs. DC, but the best comparison I can make to each character's story mode is one of those old "Choose your Own Adventure" novels. Each character has a little vignette (about a half-hour long at best if you actually read and listen to the dialogue on a given track) that may or may not have anything to do with what I can discern "the main plot" being. While each character's story modes have them running into most of the other characters, none of the character's stories impact the other so it's more like the Arcade mode with longer dialogue sequences. You get a little text and VO, then there's a fight. If you win, you move on to another fighter and if you lose you usually have to restart from your last save (yes, there is a save before every fight). I say "usually" because there are often alternate plot tracks or alternate endings if you lose to particular characters. You also on occasion get a prompt to choose your track.

Story mode works in theory and there's certainly enough text to tell a decent story, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to any of it if you try to piece all the characters' stories together and try to make sense of the opening cinematic. Frankly, if they really wanted to tell a story with this mode they'd have been better off with a Smash Bros. Brawl-type Adventure mode where there's one story and you can play as different characters along the way with varying tracks. Some characters have rather amusing vignettes, but overall it just feels like the mode's there for the sake of upping the play-time (especially if you want to "fully" complete each character's story mode for the unlockables in the gallery and the "true ending").

MK vs DC had 2 story choices. MK or DC. You'd start off as one character, fight a few battles, then move on to the next character, rinse and repeat. Mostly they were telling 1 story, just from the MK side of the DC side. I don't remember the exact count, but each side had something like 10 or 12 characters, and during 1 playthrough, you'd use all but maybe 2 from that universe.

It was great for storytelling purposes. But, honestly, there was very little reason to replay story mode after beating both 1 time. 1 side took me a good part of a night to playthrough though. They were very long.

You need to make use of Sylphid (her D attack) during your combos. While you are doing the combos, do D and forward, the wind with increase the range and speed of your dash. It's pretty easy to get a 30+ hit combo with Rachel after you get used to using Sylphid with her C attack.

It's probably a bit different for me since I use an arcade stick instead of control pad when playing, so executing the combos is a bit different (I don't have shortcuts on the D-pad). It actually should be a bit easier to get the combos off with a controller.


I actually normally use an old Hori stick I've had forever. Its old enough that it's the old 6 button variety though. Still gets the job done for most games. I didn't really plan on playing to long last night, or I'd have broken it out to start with. I'll have to play with both, probably, until I decide if not having the right stick gets compensated by crappy d pad.

[Senku]

Would you have gotten the artbook this late? Those lucky enough to attend AX was able to pick up the artbook for $10. ;)

For me, when I called GS I made it a point to ask if I'm still receiving the artbook. The girl I talked to said that they still had one for me, but we'll see if I actually get it in the mail.

[Gatts]

I actually normally use an old Hori stick I've had forever. Its old enough that it's the old 6 button variety though.

If you are talking about the Hori EX2 (http://www.amazon.com/Xbox360-Fighting-Stick-EX-Xbox-360/dp/B000V02P6Q), then that's the one I use. I've been thinking about getting one of the SF4 sticks, but it's not really a priority at the moment. Maybe after KOF comes out where I'll prefer to have four buttons in a line.

[pathos]

I actually normally use an old Hori stick I've had forever. Its old enough that it's the old 6 button variety though.

If you are talking about the Hori EX2 (http://www.amazon.com/Xbox360-Fighting-Stick-EX-Xbox-360/dp/B000V02P6Q), then that's the one I use. I've been thinking about getting one of the SF4 sticks, but it's not really a priority at the moment. Maybe after KOF comes out where I'll prefer to have four buttons in a line.

Thats it, although its the limited edition DoA one, with Kokoro on the face. Got it off ebay a couple months after DoA came out, so, about 6 months after the 360 debuted?

Hrm, this one

http://www.amazon.com/HORI-Xbox-360-Alive-Arcade-Stick/dp/B000E0S0OO/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1247082903&sr=8-13

I've looked at several other sticks since soul caliber came out, but just never been able to make myself hit the purchase button.

[mighty_vespa]

If anyone is interested, ANN's gaming column reviewed BlazBlue. It seems that he likes the game overall, but didn't buy into the lengthy story mode.

Todd Ciolek's "X Button" is one of my favorite gaming/anime columns; I look forward to it, every Wednesday. His take of BlazBlue was interesting though and not altogether unexpected.

I really want to play this game. But I gotta wait, until my checking account says it's okay to splurge on a next-gen system. Right now, it's telling me to go kick rocks. :anger200:

[Chacranajxy]

Hmm... I'm glad that Aksys sent me a free book with my review copy, because those things are apparently worth hella on Ebay.

Been lovin' this game.

[Senku]

Whelp! I got my game and artbook today, and I hope this is the last time I have to order something exclusive through GS's website. (as I haven't had any big problems with their B&M stores)

Let me start by saying the actual game box is fine. Both items were shipped to me in basically a glorified bag with a thin layer of bubble protection. ("Express Pad Pak" from UPS) It has very little in the way of "structure", to protect the contents. I don't know if GS choose to use this packaging, or if they just left it up to UPS to choose, either way it was a very bad decision. Some time during transit, the package fell and landed perfectly on of the of corners of the bag, damaging the top-left corner of the artbook. (wish I had some way of posting a pic right now) The corner is completely creased and bent... Badly.

It's not torn anywhere, or so bad that it is a complete loss; but I'm still pretty pissed. I'm wondering if there's anything I can do about it...

oh yeah, the game; I'll get to it tonight sometime. I think I might watch the bonus disc first.

[Fieri]

Whelp! I got my game and artbook today, and I hope this is the last time I have to order something exclusive through GS's website. (as I haven't had any big problems with their B&M stores)

Let me start by saying the actual game box is fine. Both items were shipped to me in basically a glorified bag with a thin layer of bubble protection. ("Express Pad Pak" from UPS) It has very little in the way of "structure", to protect the contents. I don't know if GS choose to use this packaging, or if they just left it up to UPS to choose, either way it was a very bad decision. Some time during transit, the package fell and landed perfectly on of the of corners of the bag, damaging the top-left corner of the artbook. (wish I had some way of posting a pic right now) The corner is completely creased and bent... Badly.

It's not torn anywhere, or so bad that it is a complete loss; but I'm still pretty pissed. I'm wondering if there's anything I can do about it...

oh yeah, the game; I'll get to it tonight sometime. I think I might watch the bonus disc first.

Nothing you can do about it. But yeah, it was pretty bad the way GS packaged the artbook with the game. You're lucky in comparison to others. They actually have torn artbooks.

[Senku]

Don't know if anybody has looked at their bonus disc yet, (for LE buyers) but I had an issue with mine. And the issue being... it doesn't work at all. Apparently the disc not working is not uncommon, I've seen similar complaints mentioned on several different forums.

I emailed Aksys support about the problem. They responded very quickly, had some tips to try (to get the disc to work), and said to send them the faulty disc if it still didn't work. Needless to say mine was still broke, so I sent them my disc several days ago, we'll see how long it takes to get a replacement.

So, check your bonus disc if you haven't already. If you don't care then... :shrugs:

[Spirit Of The Stage]

Got this game (limited edition) via import on Friday (mainly due to not knowing if the UK was gonna get it) and must say, I'm loving it. I've only used three characters so far, trying to get 100% in Story Modes for them (and failing though have got I think most of the Alternative Truths and Main Ends for the three). Of them, Arakune is by far my best character (though the only others I've tried are Bang and Carl) - I'm looking forward to trying out Rachel, she seems to be my type of character I like using in beat em ups.

I had to swallow my pride and drop it down a level on arcade mode when I used Carl as whilst the bonus Blue-Ray disc can obviously show him as a strong character, I just found him very fiddly to use - Arakune is excellent however in zoning and using his bugs to wrack up damage so I can see why he's top tier though I've hoping prior to Ayacon (where hopefully they'll have it) I've had a good understanding of all the characters to properly have some good games (like with SF4, curse the fact my room is too small to include my internet collection as this is a game I'd love to play online...)

And also, I must say it has an excellent dub as well - Mela Lee as Rachel and Spike Spencer as Arakune in particular highlights - is it not a coincidence that Mela played Shinku in Rozen Maiden and that Rachel is not too disimilar to her? :)

[pi8you]

Don't know if anybody has looked at their bonus disc yet, (for LE buyers) but I had an issue with mine. And the issue being... it doesn't work at all. Apparently the disc not working is not uncommon, I've seen similar complaints mentioned on several different forums.

I emailed Aksys support about the problem. They responded very quickly, had some tips to try (to get the disc to work), and said to send them the faulty disc if it still didn't work. Needless to say mine was still broke, so I sent them my disc several days ago, we'll see how long it takes to get a replacement.

So, check your bonus disc if you haven't already. If you don't care then... :shrugs:
Hmm, mine seems to be cooperating, though I'm a bit surprised at how much artifacting there is in the video, like they just upscaled the DVD version :\

[Leon_Belmont]

Don't know if anybody has looked at their bonus disc yet, (for LE buyers) but I had an issue with mine. And the issue being... it doesn't work at all. Apparently the disc not working is not uncommon, I've seen similar complaints mentioned on several different forums.

I emailed Aksys support about the problem. They responded very quickly, had some tips to try (to get the disc to work), and said to send them the faulty disc if it still didn't work. Needless to say mine was still broke, so I sent them my disc several days ago, we'll see how long it takes to get a replacement.

So, check your bonus disc if you haven't already. If you don't care then... :shrugs:
Hmm, mine seems to be cooperating, though I'm a bit surprised at how much artifacting there is in the video, like they just upscaled the DVD version :\

Shoot, I didn't even think they upscaled it. Just put the same thing a bluray disc. It's definitely not an incentive for the PS3 version, but the controller is so it was still a no brainer for me.

[AbeChinchilla]

Hmm, mine seems to be cooperating, though I'm a bit surprised at how much artifacting there is in the video, like they just upscaled the DVD version :\

Do you have both?

The DVD version with the 360 looks like it was upscaled from a streaming video. How about that?

[boogiecat]

Im really surprised that they've dubbed this game in english(the english voice option was good)..Oh well i've picked the Xbox 360 and PS3 Limited Edition versions of it which is great.

AFAIK there's also a Blazblue arcade stick for the Playstation 3:

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-4jgc-71-zl-77-2-49-en-15-blazblue-84-j-70-3c2g.html

[Fieri]

Im really surprised that they've dubbed this game in english(the english voice option was good)..Oh well i've picked the Xbox 360 and PS3 Limited Edition versions of it which is great.

AFAIK there's also a Blazblue arcade stick for the Playstation 3:

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-4jgc-71-zl-77-2-49-en-15-blazblue-84-j-70-3c2g.html

And shipping runs about $50-$70. ;)
My stick is waiting for me in Japan......

[Sensuifu]

Im really surprised that they've dubbed this game in english(the english voice option was good)..Oh well i've picked the Xbox 360 and PS3 Limited Edition versions of it which is great.

AFAIK there's also a Blazblue arcade stick for the Playstation 3:

http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-4jgc-71-zl-77-2-49-en-15-blazblue-84-j-70-3c2g.html

And shipping runs about $50-$70. ;)
My stick is waiting for me in Japan......

woah, I can't remember spending that much on shipping for something like that, but I guess that's about right. I do pay around $20+ just to import a game, and probably double that if I were to proxy bid and something that's considerably light...:depressed:

[Senku]

Been meaning to update this:

This past Tuesday I received my replacement bonus disc from Aksys Games. Popped it into the PS3 and it works fine. :) They also sent me an "artwork" folder (http://www.aksysgames.com/wp-content/gallery/merch/bb_pp_folder.jpg) that has the characters from the game in chibi form. (I guess for my troubles) So, not too bad a time dealing with the bad LE disc.

As for the game, just barely finished beating arcade mode with all the characters, time to work on the story mode. (minus Carl, as I never want to play as him again)

[pi8you]

Hmm, mine seems to be cooperating, though I'm a bit surprised at how much artifacting there is in the video, like they just upscaled the DVD version :\

Do you have both?

The DVD version with the 360 looks like it was upscaled from a streaming video. How about that?

I don't have both, its just that it looks like that must have been the top of the quality that was available and just sort of stretched it. They might as well have given the PS3 a DVD too, for all the quality on it, but then they couldn't take advantage of the BR marketing hype.