BlazBlue II: The System Will Now Proceed to Thread #2.

[MoelVermillion]

What is this game/game series?

A 2D fighting game series developed by ArcSystems who previously made the Guilty Gear series as well as a few other fighting games (mostly one shots or pre-established IP games). Coming in December(?) the latest versions will be available in arcade, on PS3, on 360 and whenever its released on Ps Vita.

What is the gameplay like?

This I guess. Probably not always so one sided. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fx28NR5yDk)

What are the characters like?

Short answer: Animu as hell.

Long answer:

Ragna The Bloodedge

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_rg.png

A complete rush down character, most of his special moves consist of exotic ways to angrily throw yourself at the opponent. His drive ability is called Soul Eater and it regains him a small amount of health every time it hits.

Character Theme: Rebellion (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcduSQw-xio&feature=related)
Boss Form: Black Onslaught (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF5XOgWM5Os&feature=related)
Versus Jin: Under Heaven Destruction (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGsgDoFp6AM)
Versus Rachel: White Requiem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHc0Uxntstk)
Versus Hazama: Nightmare Fiction (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7Ph1T7n6vM)

Jin Kisaragi

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_jn.png
Jin is really your standard 2d fighter character, he can Hadoken, Shoryuken and Tatsumaki-Senpū. What sets Jin out from the rest of those characters though is that his Drive ability freezes opponents in ice giving him ample time to use a devastating combo. He also now has a counter attack super.

Character Theme: Lust SIN (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbVcYQM_dhY)
Versus Ragna: Under Heaven Destruction (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGsgDoFp6AM)
Versus Noel: Imperial Code (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULNNJxu3_5g)
Noel Vermillion

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_no.png
Guns aside most of Noel’s attacks have relatively low range. She moves and hits relatively fast and can do long damaging combos. Her drive ability is “Chain Revolver” and for the next few moves she is placed into a state where her regular attacks are replaced with moves designed to easily combo with each other.

Character Theme: Bullet Dance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpvs1a0oeeY)
Versus Jin: Imperial Code (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULNNJxu3_5g)
Versus Tsubaki: Memory of Tears (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppxQGsk1Y5w&feature=related)
Rachel Alucard

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_rc.png
Rachel is quite a versatile character, she can put up arena traps in the form of lightning rods, she can summon a pumpkin projectile that she shoots at people and a frog called George XIII that zaps people. Her Drive ability lets her blow herself/the enemy/George XIII and the pumpkin around on wind.

Character Theme: Queen of Rose (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEPhyoLYxhQ)
Versus Ragna: White Requiem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHc0Uxntstk)
Carl Clover

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_ca.png
Carl fights with himself and the puppet at the same time. Carl himself is weak however when he begins comboing attacks between himself and Nirvana (the puppet) he can be quite devastating. His Drive ability allows him to control Nirvana.

Character Theme: Marionette Purple (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAT5r_VT4FU&feature=related)
Bang Shishigami

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_bn.png
Bang is an amazingly hammy and highly visible ninja. He has rather short range on most of his attacks however he has amazing mobility that only gets better once you know how to use his bumper special. His drive ability is Burning Heart which are attacks with auto block properties that fill his Fu-Rin-Ka-Zan gauge when they hit.

Character Theme: Gale (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ8egaXNlZg)
Fu-Rin-Ka-Zan Theme: Beat a Nail With Your Hammer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_IVppjwpRg)
Hakumen

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_ha.png
Hakumen has very long range on his sword attacks and his drive button moves are also all counter attacks. His ground mobility is rather low though his air-dash is quite impressive. The most stand out thing about Hakumen though is his heat gauge which rather than being set numbers like everyone else’s it is divided into 8 Magatamas that continually fill throughout the match, all his special moves cost one or more Magatamas to use.

Character Theme: SUSANOOH (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcB6duc1moc)
Arakune

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_ar.png
A character that is supposed to be able to move in strange unpredictable ways (and even go nearly invisible) but his real strength comes from his drive. Whether they hit or are blocked his drive moves fill his “curse” gauge which when filled allow him to throw projectiles along with his other attacks allowing for seriously damaging combos and hard to escape pressure.

Character Theme: Thin RED Line (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuVCUhcU--w)
Versus Litchi: Weak Executioner (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeN4_gkoGfw)
Iron Tager

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_tg.png
The game’s token grappler, he has by far the lowest mobility in the game and a very large hit box. He has a couple of seriously high damage input grabs and can magnetize opponents to pull them around the field.

Character Theme: MOTOR HEAD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbItpwfqfEs)
Litchi Faye-Ling

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_lc.png
Her drive ability allows her to switch between her Rod in Hand and Rod Placed states, she has different moves depending on which one she is and the rod flies around as a projectile during most switches. Mastering her rod allows you to play a seriously versatile game.

Character Theme: Oriental Flower (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaTUNsIBrUM)
Versus Arakune: Weak Executioner (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeN4_gkoGfw)
Taokaka

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_tk.png
Taokaka is primarily a rush down character, she uses her claws as her primary weapon and her Drive ability can launch her around the screen in unpredictable patterns. She does fairly low damage per attack so you really do need to learn some long combos for her.

Character Theme: Catus Carnival (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig9CKXtBims)
Hazama

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_hz.png
Has a short range on most of his attacks and bad dash mobility however his drive ability Ouroboros is one of the most versatile things in the game to compensate for that. His drive is a chain that can be fired nearly across the whole screen to either attack the opponent or pull himself into the opponent.

Character theme: Gluttony Fang (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fZOoeHFG6s)
Versus Ragna: Nightmare Fiction (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7Ph1T7n6vM)
Boss Form: Endless Despair (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuAu-iyeo94)
Tsubaki

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_tb.png
Can spend time charging herself to make certain moves more powerful. Has some easy to use Multi-hit specials that can be made stronger if she expends a charge level.

Character theme: Condemnation Wings (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZukz8CzYB0)
Versus Noel: Memory of Tears (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppxQGsk1Y5w&feature=related)
Lambda-11/Nu-13

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_n1.png
http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_ny.png
A zoning heavy character who can throw a lot of high range projectiles with her drive and heavy attack buttons, she can also rush in with some of her specials and normals so it is best to learn when to hang back and when to run in.

Character theme: Awakening The Chaos (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0dPJig2lBs&feature=related) (Same as Nu's)

Mu-12

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_mu.png
A zoning character who uses her drive button to set up turrets, she can then send a laser bouncing around between these turrets or explode them on the spot for high primer chip, damage and frame advantage. A lot of her normals are set up to work with her zoning game and she has a bit of trouble up close.

Character theme: Sword of Doom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHDlch4YUD0&feature=related)


Makoto

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_mk.png
Makoto is a squirrel girl who was Noel and Tsubaki’s friend in the military academy. Most of her attacks have short range however she hits for big damage and is fairly mobile, she also has a parry and a projectile. Her drive is called impact and is a gauge that goes up and then down again and you need to release the button when the gauge is in the sweet spot.

Character theme: Alexandrite (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI7Yj6MSj3M&feature=related)

Platinum The Trinity

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_pt.png
Platinum is a funny character who can equip different weapons with her drive button. Each of these weapons is a useful tool that fills a different role in your movelist however the order you get your weapons is random which means you need to learn how to adapt your play style.

Character theme: Active Angel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKLjvEXMKzQ&feature=related)

Valkenhayn Hellsing


http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/cmn_ch_a_vh.png
Valkenhayn is a werewolf and Rachel Alucard’s butler. He can transform into a wolf with his drive button where he gains high mobility and the ability to chain large combos but he is more vulnerable as among other things he loses his ability to block.

Character theme: Howling Moon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU00FYxWUN4&feature=related)

Relius Clover

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab170/tsythe4th/ReliusCSArt.png

Just hit arcades in the latest patch and will be released for consoles in the "extend version" in a few months. Seems to play like the old Joe Joe's Bizzare Adventure fighting game or like the upcoming Persona 4 fighting game which may or may not have so far just been a giant beta test for Relius' gameplay.


What do I need to know about this crazy system?

There's a system guide here(1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X33WyuV1ON8) 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T13eaoRacnQ&feature=related)) for BBCS, its probably very slightly out of date for BBCS2 but it will give you a good idea of what's going on.

What resources are there for this game?

For learning the game I reccomend Dustloop (http://www.dustloop.com/forums/content.php) as the resource for English speaking players.

There are also the standard fighting game sites/news sites however these will be far less specifically useful than Dustloop.
Shoryuken (http://shoryuken.com/)
iPLAYWINNER (http://iplaywinner.com/)

Does anyone here play online?

I have no idea but here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Alz4yOQD-5OmdFBFRGVNZzBQRFpIUG11d3VPc1N2a3c&hl=en_US#gid=0) is a google spreadsheet you can try putting yourself into if you want to find out.

Old thread here or something: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157798

[Kuroimaken]

WACHAA!! Ohithere.

[Airk]

To port over the discussion from the last thread - I understand your opinion of DLC is colored by the fact that you basically can't get it, but assuming that companies continue to produce complete games and then ADD to them via DLC, rather than producing incomplete games and then COMPLETE them via DLC, it still just kinda comes off as sour-grapes that you're opposed to people getting new, good, worthwhile content just because you can't.

[Kuroimaken]

I'm not disputing that may well be the case, but you almost sound like you've never been disappointed with a game you had high expectations for only to learn that it is woefully short unless you shell extra bucks for the DLC.

[Airk]

I'm not disputing that may well be the case, but you almost sound like you've never been disappointed with a game you had high expectations for only to learn that it is woefully short unless you shell extra bucks for the DLC.

You are correct. That is because I never HAVE had the experience of a game where it felt incomplete without the DLC. Either I'm super smart and do my research (Heh, unlikely), super lucky, or, in what I consider the most likely option, this doesn't actually happen very often. At least, not in my sphere of games. I suspect the biggest perpetrators of this sin are western developers under certain big name labels. ;)

[Zevox]

You are correct. That is because I never HAVE had the experience of a game where it felt incomplete without the DLC. Either I'm super smart and do my research (Heh, unlikely), super lucky, or, in what I consider the most likely option, this doesn't actually happen very often. At least, not in my sphere of games. I suspect the biggest perpetrators of this sin are western developers under certain big name labels. ;)
I've never had that happen to me either, for what it's worth. Then again, I am cautious about what games I buy - if I'm not sure I'll like them, I rent them or try a demo first. Which means that most games that aren't sequels to games I already know I liked a lot get that treatment.

Of course, I also can't think of any games I've been interested in but not bought off the top of my head that would fall into that category either, so yeah, maybe it's just a problem with specific developers and/or genres whose games I just don't play.

Zevox

[Airk]

I'm right there with you; I'm HUGE on demos. A good demo can absolutely sell me a game, but a lackluster one will take it right off the radar. Don't have a demo? Odds are I'm not buying your game without extensive research.

But...yeah. Truthfully? I think the "Releasing incomplete games and 'finishing them' with DLC" thing is more a FEAR than a reality. It seems plausible, but I'm just not aware of ever hearing about it actually happening.

[Kuroimaken]

Just because it never happened to you doesn't mean it ever will. There are such things as poor reviews, after all. (Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls got a 6.0 on Gamespot, for example, despite being a fairly solid game, even though it's Nintendo Hard, which I understand is a turn-off for some gamers. Not that Gamespot is a good reference, mind you; I was using it to illustrate my point.)

I feel for the people who bought Force Unleashed II, for example. That game is just DREADFULLY short (a friend of mine lent it to me). No one so much as bothered to try writing a slightly longer script for it. (Not that I expected it to be a great game, but FU I was at least entertaining.)

[Zevox]

Just because it never happened to you doesn't mean it ever will. There are such things as poor reviews, after all. (Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls got a 6.0 on Gamespot, for example, despite being a fairly solid game, even though it's Nintendo Hard, which I understand is a turn-off for some gamers. Not that Gamespot is a good reference, mind you; I was using it to illustrate my point.)
Never heard of that game, so I can't comment on it. You'll notice neither of us ever mentioned reviews though - in my case at least that's because I mostly ignore them. If I'm interested in a game but not sure I want to buy it, I rent or demo it, not check reviews. First-hand experience will always trump reading other peoples' opinions from where I'm sitting.


I feel for the people who bought Force Unleashed II, for example. That game is just DREADFULLY short (a friend of mine lent it to me). No one so much as bothered to try writing a slightly longer script for it. (Not that I expected it to be a great game, but FU I was at least entertaining.)
Force Unleashed 1 was really short as well. That's part of why I haven't even gotten around to renting the sequel yet - it left with me with little in the way of expectations.

Zevox

[Kuroimaken]

Never heard of that game, so I can't comment on it. You'll notice neither of us ever mentioned reviews though - in my case at least that's because I mostly ignore them. If I'm interested in a game but not sure I want to buy it, I rent or demo it, not check reviews. First-hand experience will always trump reading other peoples' opinions from where I'm sitting.


Force Unleashed 1 was really short as well. That's part of why I haven't even gotten around to renting the sequel yet - it left with me with little in the way of expectations.

Zevox

That actually explains a lot. Well, around the west it's only been released on the PSN, and even so it had next to no ads about it, so I'm not surprised. I basically only caught wind of it (and even so I got the Twin Pack edition in Japanese. Yes, it was easier to find) because I got curious about the series back when I had a PS2 and someone gave me the game for my birthday. It turns out it's a fairly long, old, traditional series in Japan that's credited by many for being the series that essentially cemented how JRPGs were and/or looked in many respects.

I don't think any game is as short as Force Unleashed II. The game has literally four hours of gameplay if you rush through it. Three and a half, methinks, if you skip the cutscenes.

[Kuroimaken]

Never heard of that game, so I can't comment on it. You'll notice neither of us ever mentioned reviews though - in my case at least that's because I mostly ignore them. If I'm interested in a game but not sure I want to buy it, I rent or demo it, not check reviews. First-hand experience will always trump reading other peoples' opinions from where I'm sitting.


Force Unleashed 1 was really short as well. That's part of why I haven't even gotten around to renting the sequel yet - it left with me with little in the way of expectations.

Zevox

That actually explains a lot. Well, around the west it's only been released on the PSN, and even so it had next to no ads about it, so I'm not surprised. I basically only caught wind of it (and even so I got the Twin Pack edition in Japanese. Yes, it was easier to find) because I got curious about the series back when I had a PS2 and someone gave me the game for my birthday. It turns out it's a fairly long, old, traditional series in Japan that's credited by many for being the series that essentially cemented how JRPGs were and/or looked in many respects.

I don't think any game is as short as Force Unleashed II. The game has literally four hours of gameplay if you rush through it. Three and a half, methinks, if you skip the cutscenes.

[Airk]

Sorry, I still haven't gotten over my many years long mental roadblock that insists "Game with Star Wars Label=Bad." :P

I know there are a couple good ones out there, but the ratio just isn't in favor of the game buyer. ;)

[Kuroimaken]

Gotta agree with you on that one.

KotOR is supposedly really good though.

[Airk]

That is indeed the rumor! I haven't actually tested it personally though.

[Zevox]

Sorry, I still haven't gotten over my many years long mental roadblock that insists "Game with Star Wars Label=Bad." :P
Oh, there are plenty that are at least decent. KotOR is great, and its sequel was good for an unfinished/rushed game. TIE Fighter was great, and X-Wing vs TIE Fighter was good. Empire at War was okay, with good space battles. Galactic Battlegrounds was a pretty good RTS. The Rogue Squadron games were good for the first game or two, before they got stale. I hear from those who enjoy shooters that the Battlefront series and Republic Commando were good. Heck, even the first Force Unleashed is enjoyable enough if you get it cheap or just rent it.

Zevox

[MoelVermillion]

Relius' theme is pretty badass just throwing it out there. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj7LMpvGR0Y)
Jin Vs Tsubaki (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXhoqOJ7dS8&feature=related)
Carl Vs Relius (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5Pa7Rh1L5E&feature=related)