Fighting seemed to be the real theme at AX 08, and leading the pack was Aksys Games.
At the forefront of their lineup was Blazblue: Calamity Trigger. This is the latest project from the team that brought the world the amazing Guilty Gear series. The first thing you notice about this game is just how damn good it looks: Running at 720p with amazing hand-drawn sprites, this game take the artwork of Guilty Gear to the next level. Stages are truly vibrant and alive ? one stage, set in a garden, had a flower bed taking up a large chunk of the arena, and as players moved in this space, rose petals fly up in tiny clouds with each attack. Particle effects and lighting on the characters’ attacks and projectiles breath even more life into this title. BlazBlue is a visual masterpiece. Blazblue also plays very similarly to the team’s previous endeavors. This is a game for the elite of the fighting fans. You will have multiple gauges to keep track of, as well as very critical timing for juggles and combos. The quirky nature of the game is very charming, with over-the-top attacks and very crazy characters. My favorite was a gothic lolita who fought using some sort of demon/cat/umbrella creature as a weapon.? No word about any kind of release date on this title, but with BlazBlue yet to hit Japan’s arcades it maybe a long time before we see this game on domestic shores. No info about a console version in any territory either.
A game that had misfortune of being shown next to BlazBlue was Battle Fantasia. Another fighting game, this one uses 3D character models fighting in two dimensions. The game looks and plays great, but was sadly being overlooked in favor of BlazeBlue. This game stars a completely absurd cast, including a steam-punk viking, a magical bunny, and a boy who fights with a magical chainsaw. This characters differ wildly in statistics, with some of the larger character moving at a literal crawl but hitting enemies like a Mack truck with each blow. Smaller character are much more agile, but will need to land three times as many hits to take down opponents. The game has an almost antique look to it, with a color pallet full of golds and browns, as well as vibrant watercolor-styled menus and HUDs. Battle Fantasia will be hitting the Xbox 360 in North America later this year, but no word on whether the PS3 version will make the leap to the states.
Aksys showed off some amazing games. It’s hard to say which stood out as my favorite ? BlazBlue’s amazing artwork, or Battle Fantasia’s humor and charm. Hardcore fighting fans won’t have to wait much longer till the latest masterpieces from famed developers ARC System Works start hitting North American outlets.