Go grab it from the Japanese eShop

The Japanese eShop has updated and BlazBlue: Central Fiction Special Edition now h?as a Switch demo ahead of its February rele?ase (it's already on PC, PS3 and PS4).

All you have to do to start playing is log in with a Japanese eShop account, hit the search (magnifying glass) option, then select the bottom left option for "games with demos." Central Fiction should be the first title listed: just select the download demo button underneath the top-most "buy" prompt. The demo is quite expansive, allowing access to the tutorial, a limited glimpse at story mode and versus play. Es, Ragna, Jin and Noel are all playable: the rest are locked?. It won't break the data bank either as it's only 717MB. 

If you're remotely interested in BlazBlue or are eagerly awaiting the Switch version so you can play Central Fiction for the first time, just make a Japanese eShop a??ccount and learn how to play a few months before the game is out. It ?only takes a moment and will come in handy in the future (read: I'll be constantly telling you when cool free international stuff is out).

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No window yet

BlazBlue: Central Fiction closed ou??t the franchise's main Ragna arc back in 2015 in Japanese arcades, a year later on PS3 and PS4, and in 2017 on PC, and now it's back...in Switch form! That's at least one port every year, not a bad ratio.

Arc System Works announced the port live at TGS by way of a single screen, so we don't really know any details like launch windows or anything: but it's coming. Just know that it's the last BlazBlue game, and a massive undertaking for Arc System Works given the 36-fighter roster that basically left no stone unturned in taking into accoun??t its near-decade long history (at the time).

The Switch also got BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle earlier this year, and is set to host Dragon Ball FighterZ very soon. Arc is ramping up its Nintendo efforts, but all I want to know is: when are we getting Hard Corps on Switch?

Arc System Works [Twitter via Kamone1006]

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But not a pizza in sight

Revealed at the EVO tournament last month, Jubei, the redemptive, twin-tailed, fel??ine warrior will be arriving to raise hell?? in BlazBlue: Central Fiction on August 31.

As stated on the Aksys Games twitter, Jubei will be arriving alongside update 2.0, bringing a host of balance changes and tweaks to the popular anime fighter. These system changes were recently fan-translated into a Google Doc, which can be found right here.

Whilst the 2.0 update will obviously be free, anyone wishing to inflic??t cat-astrophe upon their opposition will have to make plans right meow to stump up $8 for the paws.

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Last chapter

It's been tough for me to get into BlazBlue.

My first ever Arc System Works fighter was the original Guilty Gear, and I've been a believer ever since. When BlazBlue rolled around 10 years later a lot of my crew was already inv??ested in Sol an?d their crew, and didn't have days to spend in the lab learning the ins and outs of his kinda-sorta counterpart, Ragna.

But ever since Central Fiction was announced, I vowed to give it a real shot and fully immerse myself in its world -- replaying each story and learning the basics of every character. It paid off, because Fiction really is a big sendoff for fans.

BlazBlue: Central Fiction (PS3, PS4 [reviewed])
Developer: Arc System Works
Publisher: Aksys Games
Released: October 6, 2016 (Japan), November 1, 2016 (US)
MSRP: $49.99 (PS3), $59.99 (PS4)

After all this fanfare the real question is whether or not Central Fiction delivers an end to the narrative, something fighting game franchises rarely, if ever do. And having played through it and the subsequent side missions, I'd say it does. Centering around Ragna the Bloodedge and a mysterious entity called "The Embryo," Fiction relies a bit too heavily on the "amnesia" trope for my liking, but quickly tu?rns it around with an appropriately jui?cy and action-packed, drama-filled arc.

Really, it has the added bonus of being an actual story mode and not just a glorified arcade gametype. There's lots of character interaction, hours of dialogue, and plenty of real slice of life type scenarios beyond the relatively serious big picture. It can get dark or silly at the drop of a hat, and playing through it really is just like watching a fully fledged anime season. Note, however, tha?t they never did settle that English dub situation, so all you're getting is subtitles for the western edition.

But given that this is going to be a lot of folk's first BlazBlue game, is it worth the investment? I'd say yes. I mean, you're ??going to be lost -- let's not beat around the bush. In fact, if you want a recap of the story so far, the game even warns you with a separate menu prompt stating "warning: this will run at least 30 minu??tes in length, do you wish to proceed?" Fiction isn't screwing around at all, and even with some over-the-top clarification, you'l?l still probably be confused unless you read several recap efforts.

The good news is a lot of that is built in, including a dictionary with lit??eral hundreds of entries to flip through.&??nbsp;The delivery system is convenient too, since you can skip cutscenes, or alter the text sc?roll speed to? "instant." And all the while you'll enjoy some incredible art, and a wonderful rockin' and beautiful soundtrack that feels appropriately sci-fi.

Combat is as smooth as ever with its three-button system and the "Drive"concept. Not only is the Drive button conceptualized as the "soul" of a fighter for lore purposes, but it's also a go-to move button that can be manipulated by directional inputs for more variation. Some characters are utterly defined by it (allowing one to cycle throu?gh elements for instance), and others are augmented by it. While there is an "Easy Automatic" setting for casual players that simplifies everything, the Drive moveset in general is a good middle ground that still provides a lot of complexities for hardcore fans to toy with.

Central Fiction also adds in the concept of doubly discouraging turtling, by enhancing your Burst Gauge and damage output with the Active Flow system. In other words, if you guard or run away a lot, your meters will drop, just like in the past (and in Guilty Gear). But if you're overly aggressive, you'll now reap the benefits in Fiction twofold. This funnels into the new Exceed Accel move (of which every character has one), which does extra damage if you're in Active Flow. They're small additions, but welcome ones that fit naturally within the confines of what BlazBlue is trying to accomplish.

Beyond the already impressive campaign, there's multiple challenge modes (including the multi-tiered Grim of the Abyss, which is reminiscent of the Bloody Palace from Devil May Cry or the Dark Realm from Onimusha), in-game cash to earn for new colors, and a little home-building system for online lobbies. It's not nearly as cool as Revelator's world lobbies that sport the fishing mini??-game, but it's the next best thing, complete with adorable little chibi avatars and 32-person lobbies.

There's also seven new characters (two are DLC and one is an unlock), my favorite of which is Hibiki. He's a lightning-quick fighter that utilizes a clone-based Drive attack, allowing him to either swap places with the clone or send it off as a projectile of sorts, giving him a sick amount of mixup potential (plus I'm a sucker for characters with full-screen punishes for casual matches). Naoto's fisticuff monk style and Hades' zoning abilities are a little too familiar and fit nonetheless, but Nine's witch design is classic Arc, and she comes equipped with an eye-opening elemental skillset -- different stocks to use and micromanage out of the corner of your eye. She's stylish as hell, all the way do?wn to her teleport dash and witch hat.

If BlazBlue: Central Fiction is the end (and I don't think it will be), it's a fitting one. It packs in prett?y much everything past games have offered, and then brings in several gre?at new characters and one of the biggest stories in fighting game history.

_{[This review is ba?sed on a retail build of the game purchased by the ??reviewer.]}

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Sub-bull dub-bull toil and trouble

Update: I've been informed that the petitioners do not want Aksys ??to delay the game's release, as was initially reported. The petition is asking for an English dub to be distributed as DLC. The headline and some of the body of the article have been updated to reflect this change.

_{BlazBlue cosplay photo by SherryMichaelis on DeviantArt.}

Fans of the BlazBlue series of fighting games have begun a petition asking developer Aksys to patch the upcoming BlazBlue: Central Fiction in?? order t??o make sure the game has an English language vocal track available sometime after the game's launch. 

The move comes after Aksys reported on Twitter that the game would be delayed by 6-8 months if English voices were to be added, rather than placing?? subtitles over the Japanese language tracks that have already been recorded. 

@aksysgames Basically boiled down to- game now w/ no dub. Game 6-8 month?s later w/ dub. We made a tough decisio?n, but stick by it.

— Aksys Games (@aksysgames) August 24, 2016

Surprisingly, many of the game's fans have responded by letting Aksys know that they don't mind waiting a few months to get a game that's easier to understand. Some of the actors who have provided the character's voices in previous games in the series have joined the cause as well. Patrick Seitz, one of the voice actors from previous BlazBlue titles, encouraged fans to join the discussion on his Facebook page.

A petition may not be enough to get the game an English dub since adding one would most certainly cut into Aksys' profits. On the other hand, fighting game fans tend to be very loyal to a franchise, and it might be worth it to Aksys in the long run to eat the cost of an English language dub. Dubbing the game would certainly make it more accessible outside of Japan and would increase the potential ?to expose the game to a wider ??audience. 

There may be some hope -- Aksys replied through its ??Twitter to severa??l fans, letting them know that their voices are being heard.

@aksysgames 2. An English dub is possibl?e, but sometim?es devs need extra convincing. Petitions, fan pages, etc all help. Fan communities

— Aksys Games (@aksysgames) August 26, 2016

Our tipster wrote in that this is a very story-heavy game, and it seems reasonable that having a version in one's native language would? help to make it easier to enjoy. If you're interested in helping try to get the game an English version, you can check out the petition page, linked directly below.

Support the dub for BlazBlue: Central Fiction! [Change.Org -- Thanks to Nicholas for the tip!]

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'A Brand New Blue!'

Aksys Games has announced plans to localize BlazBlue: Central Fiction (the fourth main entry in the series) for a North American release across both ???PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 sometime this winter.

In addition to a new (probably incomprehensible) story, this one includes new mechanics, game modes, and five new playable characters (Hibiki Kohaku, Bloodedge Experience protagonist Naoto Kurogane, Nine the Phantom, Hades Izanami, and Es from Xblaze), bringing the roster to a total of 33.

While Arc System Works hasn't announced a E??uropean release window just yet, the fighting game will be released on PlayStation systems this fall in Japan, where it debuted in arcades last ??November.

The post ?BlazBlue: Central Fiction hitting PS4, PS3 this winter appeared first on Destructoid.

Only in Japanese arcades at the moment

BlazBlue: Central Fiction, which was announced back in July, is still coming along. The game will fully launch in Japanese arc?ades tomrorow, but not before developer Arc System Works dropped a new character on the fanbase -- N??ine.

Design-wise she really brings it, with a flowing animated cape, slick teleportation animations, and plenty of unique tricks like pl??anting seeds in the ground to disrupt enemies. I'll definitely ??give this a shot if it heads overseas.

The post BlazBlue: Central Fiction is looking hot appeared first on Destructoid.