Tag Up, Throw Down

Believe it or not, it has already been two years since the launch of crossover anime fighter BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. Originally launching in May of 2018, Arc System Works' attractive fist-fest has reached a milestone of over 450,000 shipments and digital sales combined.

As a refresher, BlazBlue: CTB is a tag-fighter which collated a huge roster of recognisable stars from various video game and anime franchises. Featuring a bevy of characters from Persona 4 Arena, RWBY, Arcana Heart, Under Night In-Birth, Akatsuki Blitzkampf and even Senran Kagura, BlazBlue: CTB is one of the best "dream match" fighters on the market. It secured a devoted playerbase with its fast-paced comb?at, deep fighting system and great-looking, if chaotic, visual style.

To celebrate Arc System Works announced a sale on the BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle base game and a wide variety of its? DLC packages, but unfortunately t??his sale appears to be restricted to the Japanese PlayStation and Nintendo Switch stores.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Blazblue: C?ross Tag Battle shipments and digital sales top 450,000 [Gematsu]

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Be the Best

Players wanting to take on the world without leaving the comfort of their own home can now do so, provided their dreams of taking on said world pertain entirely to BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. The PS4 edition of Arc System Works' crossover fighter is running a beta for its all-new Tournament Mode, and you can be one of the first contenders to get in the ri?ng.

There are currently two beta tourneys planned, one on January 13 and a second on January 20. Interested players will need to be registered with and ESL account, then it's just a matter of booting BB:CTB??, going to the new "Tournament" menu, and registering your slot. As with other PS?N online tourneys, it's then just a matter of showing up online to play your assigned matches.

The new tournament mode should help the fanbase get a little more fun and enjoyment out of the excellent anime fighter, and will hopefully extend the longevity of the community and the game itself. For more details, check out the official announcement on the ArcSys website.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

(1/2) The PS4 version of BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle will be updated tonight with a new online mode, “Tournament†mode, for beta testing. Players can participate in the beta test by registering for one of the online tournaments either on January 13th, or January 20th.#BBTag pic.twitter.com/UipNdmHm9K

— ArcSystemWorks 「BLITZTANK STAN ACCOUNT 💀〠(@ArcSystemWorksU) January 10, 2020

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How did your favourite fighter fare?

This week sees the launch of Version 2.0 update for crossover anime fighter BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. The new update/expansion brings new characters and features to Arc System Works crossover title, as well as a huge list of balance tweaks, which are now available for perusal.

Version 2.0 - which launches on all platforms November 21 - consists of a free update for all players, which adds new scenarios, fighting mechanics, an updated UI and other cool new content. Also available is a $25 Character Pass, which adds nine new fighters to the BlazBlue: CTB roster: BlazBlue's Celica A. Mercury and Susanoo, Persona 4 Arena's Elizabeth and Tohru Adachi, Under Night In-Birth's boss lady Hilda, Senran Kagura's Yumi, RWBY's Neo Politan, and finally Akatsuki and Blitztank from Akatsuki Blitzkampf.

The patch notes explain new in-game mechanics such as "Rampage Time," "Cross Raid," and "Extra Assault," before delivering a breakdown of every single character's individual balance changes. You can read the full list of changes right here, to get yourself prepped for a whole new gen??eration of fisticuffs.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Version 2.??0 patch notes [Gematsu]

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Getting the band back together

We are just a little over a week out from the release of BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle's Version 2.0 update, which brings a posse of new characters to to the crossover fighter. Arc System Works has released two new trailers looking at BlazBlue: Central Fiction's Ce??lica A. Mercury and Susanoo, both of whom are getting set to join the rumb?le.

Celica A. Mercury, who made her playable debut in BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend, is the younger sister of Nine the Phantom, and was a kindhearted young nun who was murdered by BlazBlue villain Yuuki Terumi. Now regenerated as her younger sel?f, Celica continues to espouse her will for good, taking the fight to the enemy alongside he??r "Drive," Minerva.

Susanoo is the ultimate form of the aforementioned Yuuki Terumi, who fused with Susanoo Unit to become the preliminary BlazBlue antagonist. Susanoo's form combines cyber-mechanics with the visual style of Japanese wa?rriors such as the ninja and the samurai. As is to be expected with "Big Bads," Susanoo is a destructive force in the thick of the fight.

Celica A. Mercury and Susanoo join seven other fighters as part of the $25 Version 2.0 character pack, which will be available to purchase on all platforms November 21. All players will receive a free update that day, which will include a ??UI overhaul, a huge list of balance tweaks, new scenarios, and a run of bug fixes.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle DLC characters [Gematsu]

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Best Dancing Girl

Arc System Works has dropped its latest character trailer for BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle's Version 2.0 update, which is coming later this month to the cros?sover anime fighter.

The irrepressible Elizabeth is the assistant of the mysterious Velvet Room in Atlus' RPG Persona 3. Typified by her happy-go-lucky, somewhat naive, and regularly goofy personality, Elizabeth is, in reality, a tireless worker and dedicated to the room and its master, Igor. Elizabeth originally took to the ring in Persona 4 Arena, where she fought with an adaptive style base??d on the moveset of multiple other characters.

Tohru Adachi was introduced as a non-playable character in Persona 4. A young detective who is hopelessly out of his depth in solving the string of murders that form the backbone of the narrative, Adachi repeatedly spills the beans on the case to the Persona 4 protagonist party (the Investigation Team). Adachi was originally a DLC character in Persona 4 Arena.

Both Elizabeth and Adachi arrive in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle as part of the game's Version 2.0 upgrade, a $25 expansion pad that adds a total of nine fighters to the roster. A free-for-all update will overall the BlazBlue: CTB UI, while adding extra scenarios and applying a huge list of balance tweaks and bug fixes to the game. The update will go live November 21.

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

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If I wasn't me, I'd be her

Arc System Works continues to showcase some of the crossover stars headed to fighter BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle as part of its upcoming Version 2.0 update. Today's trailer looks at my personal favourite Under Night In-Birth character, the delectable Hilda.

Rocking clothing to die for, a stunning hairdo, and heterochromatic eyes, Hilda's beauty and cheerful appearance belies her severely dangerous nature, with plans of utter domination fueled by her untold levels of ambition and arrogance. Hilda made her debut as the boss character of Under Night In-Birth, before eventually joining the roster as DLC.

Hilda's power and vanity is on display in her fighting style, with devastating projectiles delivered at speed with a minimum of ef??fort and maximum disdain. While Hilda can struggle in hand-to-hand combat, her ability to control the entire battlefield with her fast specials makes her an incredibly difficult foe to close in on.

Hilda will arrive in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle as part of the upcoming character pack, which includes eight other fighters and will launch November 21 at a cost of $25. That same day will see the launch of Version 2.0 for all players, bringing a UI overhaul, extra scenarios, and a shopping list ??of bug fixes and balance changes to the game.

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

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Tanks a lots

Every now and then, a fighting game character comes along that breaks the mold a little, whether in shape, or size, or expected motion and movement. Characters like Skullgirls' Big Band, Street Fighter V's Abigail, Marvel vs Capcom's Sentinel or, as revealed here, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle's Blitztank.

Blitztank is the second "character" to arrive from military-based anime fighter Akatsuki Blitzkampf, joining comrade-in-arms Akatsuki. Things differ from the norm in that Blitztank is an actual tank. Straig?ht up. No somersaults, no crouching, no off-the-wall jumps, just?? a massive fucking tank, coming to roll over your head.

If that wasn't intimidating enough, Blitztank also has a terrifying skull adorned on its hood, giving opponents the dead-eye as it bombards them with ?explosive air and ground weaponr?y. Check it out for yourself in the trailer below.

Blitztank, along with pal Akatsuki and seven other DLC fighters, will arrive as part of the BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Version 2.0 update, which launches November 21 and brings new scenarios, balance changes and a UI overhaul. T??he technical tweaks are free-for-all players, but those wishing to get in the ring with Blitztank and friends will need to purchase the character expansion for around $25.

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

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For the glory of The Imperial Army

Arc System Works continues to drop its weekly character trailers for BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, highlighting the DLC guests headed to the crossover fighter as part of its upcoming Version 2.0 ?update.

This new trailer showcases Akatsuki, of niche fighting series Akatsuki Blitzkampf. This military strategist disappeared during a mighty battle of the Arctic Circle, only to turn up alive and well some 50 years later. This short video doesn't give us much to go on regarding Akatsuki's fighting style, but we can see one of his supers: a powerful dash combo akin to Iori Yagami's "Kin 1211 Shiki: Ya Otome" from the King of Fighters series

The Version 2.0 character expansion pass is expected to cost around $25, and includes Akatsuki along with eight further characters, a new scenario, and other content. A free update on the same day will overhaul CTB with a new UI and a huge list of balance changes. The Version 2.0 update will launch November 21.

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

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Don't just eat the chocolate part

Arc System Works has released a trailer for the next character headed to crossover fighter BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. Joining the roster from anime series RWBY is the t??roubleso??me, but highly fashionable, Neo Politan.

Bedecked in beautiful Victorian garb coloured to match her ice-cre?am nom de plume, Neo Politan is anything but vanilla. Despite her classy and charming appearance - of which I'm insanely jealous - Neo has no problem getting into the thick of the fight, laying a beatdown ??on her opponents with her trusty parasol. Neo has the ability to dash-teleport across the battlefield in the blink of an eye, and can even counter a strike into suddenly disappearing and then reappearing behind her attacker. Nothing personnel, kid.

Neo Politan will arrive as part of the huge "Version 2.0" update that is coming to CTB on November 21. Costing around $25, the expansion will include nine new DLC characters, along with a new scenario and a selection of character colours. Free-for-all will be a patch that will overhaul CTB's UI and mechanics, along with bug fixes and a laundry list ??of balance changes.

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

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VELVET, OH VELVET...

Arc System Works took the opportunity this weekend to reveal the lucky fighters chosen for Version 2.0 of its anime fighter BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. The furious five will be pa??rt of the nine-character DLC pack he??aded to all platforms in November.

As you can see in the wild trailer below, the crossover fighter will be welcoming BlazBlue Central Fiction's Celica A. Mercury and Susanoo, Persona 4 Arena's Elizabeth and Tohru Adachi, and finally Under Night In-Birth's super-classy lassie Hilda. These five characters join the previously announced Yumi from Senran Kagura, RWBY's Neo Politan, and Akatsuki and Blitztank from Akatsuki Blitzkampf.

The Version 2.0 expansion for Cross Tag Battle will include an overhaul of the game's UI and menus, along with a plethora of balance tweaks, a new scenario, character colours, bug fixes and other content. The technical upgrades will be available as a free download to all players,?? but the character pack will set you back aroun?d $25 when it officially drops November 21.

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

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Nine new characters in total on the way

It leaked prior to Sunday's big BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle finals, but Arc System Works did confirm on the Evo stage that Version 2.0 of the game is on its way and bringing with it nine new characters for the anime fighter. Fans of RWBY should be excited to know that Neopolitan is on her way as are two new franchises is in t?his massive crossover project.

First, from Akatsuki Blitzkampf, Akatsuki and the Blitztank will be added to the roster, the latter being one of the more strange characters to join title. I mean, it's a big, fucking tank. Second, from Senran Kagura, a franchise that shockingly hasn't put out its own 1v1 fighter, is Yumi based on her appearance in Senran Kagura Estival Versus.

Here's to hoping Yumi's inclusion will lead to Senran best girl Renka making the roster as well. The nine characters are part of what's being call?ed Version 2.0 Content Pack, which will also feature a new scenario, characte??r interactions, and colors. Launching the same day will be the Version 2.0 patch which will provide major balances for the roster. Both the DLC and free patch will launch on November 21, 2019. 

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is now available fo?r PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC.

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It's Teddie Time

For all of you waiting for a quartet of new fighters in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, it seems that the wait is almost over. A??rc System Works has announced that Character Pack 7 will finally be arriving on all platforms on May 21.

This set, which has been promoted for quite some time now, includes four more fighters from a selection of popular anime and fighting game brands. We have Seth from Under Night In-Birth, Naoto Kurogane from BlazBlue, Teddie from Persona 4 Arena and Heart Aino from Arcana Heart. Heart Aino is one of the big stars here, being the first character from her brand to appear in the cr?ossover title.

Also included are the latest wave of balance changes that launched with BlazBlue: CTB's arcade release in Japan. Players who have picked up the previous six Character Packs wil?l be able to bag this one for free. For everyone else, ??it is expected to cost around $10.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

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I Got Next

Arc System Works has announced that the arcade release of their crossover fighting game BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle will be arriving ??at locations across Japan? from next week.

The arcade edition of the kinetic fighter, which stars characters from franchises such as Persona, Under Night In-Birth, RWBY and Arcana Heart, will feature the latest balance edition of the home version, along with upcoming roster additions Teddie, Seth, Aino Heart and Naoto Kurogane, ?all of whom will be arriving on PC and consoles as paid DLC next month.

Of course, many of you reading this live in the western world, where arcades have sadly become quite the thing of the past. Still, it's good to see modern fighting games still getting coin-op releases somewhere, keeping some semblance of the arcade community pumping into 2019 and beyond. But hot damn do I have some melancholic memories of? that golden era.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

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It's almost Teddie Time

Having released a selection of trailers for the four new characters headed to BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Arc System Works has announced that this wave of roster additions wil?l arrive as paid DLC in the anime crossover fighter in May.

The four new pugilists are Seth from Under Night In-Birth, Naoto Kurogane from BlazBlue, Teddie from Persona 4 Arena and Heart Aino from Arcana Heart, the latter being the first character fr?om her franchise to make an appearance in the gorgeous-looking tag fighting title.

This quartet of characters will be available to purchase mid-May and will also be patched into the arcade edition of BlazBlue: CTB, which is scheduled to launch in Japan late next month. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

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Arcana Heart star joins crossover fighter

Arc System Works' has released the final character trailer for their wave of DLC fighters coming to BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle this Spring. Sweetie-pie Heart Aino will be the first character from niche series Arcana Heart to mak??e an appearanc?e in the anime crossover fighting game.

Young Aino - who is described in this trailer as "shockingly innocent", whatever the fuck that means - is a high-spirited and super positive young teen. Renown for her energetic spirit and friendly demeanor, Heart Aino is highly c??apable whether in the heat of battle or preparing delicious sweets at her parents' bakery.

In the trailer below, you can see Aino favours close-quarters fisticuffs, using an array of dashes to close in on the opponent, before laying in a beatdown with fists, feet and her trademark ribbon. Heart Aino will be made available to purchase this Spring alongside Under Night's Seth, Persona Arena's Teddie and BlazBlue's own Naoto Kurogane.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

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Putting the edge in 'Edgelord'

Arc System Works has released a trailer for the next character coming to anime fighter BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. It features Under Night In-Birth's mo??ody assassin character Seth, who will be added to the roster as paid DLC.

Super Serious Seth is a fashionable young teenager who skulks around the Under Night universe, having been hired by a mystery employer to take down various powerful opponents. Seth wields a set of twin shorts swords collectively known as Th??e Eliminator. Though he stands with extreme stillness and stoicism, Seth fights with bursts of lightning speed, aided but unpredictable delayed projectiles.

Seth is headed to Cross Tag Battle as part of the next wave of DLC which also includes Persona Arena's Teddie, Arcana Heart's Heart Aino and BlazBlue's own Naoto Kurogane. All four characte??rs will be made available for the home and arcade version in Spring.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.

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Chaotic fighter gets another rabble-rouser

Arc System Works has released a trailer showcasing the next in the loooooong line of DLC characters headed to their crossover fighting title BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. The next big-haired boy throwing down alongside their anime brethren is BlazBlue's own Naoto Kurogane.

Servant to Goth Loli Raquel Alucard, Naoto became a playable fighter in 2015's BlazBlue: Centralfiction, and was even the protagonist of his own manga series; BlazBlue: Bloodedge Experience. Sporting gear that makes him look like a homicidal Kingdom Hearts character, the young teen is nevertheless a formida?ble opponent in battle.

Naoto will be made available to the arcade and home versions of Cross Tag Battle in Spring, alongside ??fellow debutantes Seth, Teddie and? Heart Aino. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC, Xbox One ????and Nintendo Switch.

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Arcana Heart joins the fight

This weekend, Arc System Works announced a new batch of characters coming to their crossover fighting title BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. The new scrappers will be added to the arc?ade version of the game - which launches this Spring - and will be made available as paid DLC for the home edition.

Headed to the complex fighter are Naoto Kurogane, representing BlazBlue, Seth, representing Under Night In-Birth and the oddly perverse Teddie from Persona 4 Arena. Further surprise came from the reveal that the Arcana Heart brand is being added to the list of franchises (or "Fates") joining Cross Tag Battle. Poster girl Heart Aino will be the?? first fighter guesting from Examu's niche fighting series.

The new fist-throwers are expected to join the roster this Spring. You can see the guys 'n' gals in action in the trailer and gallery below. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is available now on PS4, PC, Xbox O?ne and Nintendo Switch.

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Clearly the pink represents Kirby

During the finals for BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle at EVO 2018, Arc System Works showed off a new trailer for the crossover fighter. Detailing the previously announced Character Packs 4, 5, and 6, the trailer was also confirmed that all th??ree packs would be released on August 6 in North America. Furthermore, the trailer teased more content on the way, in the form of a fifth franchise.

You can check out the reveal trailer below.

While the exact pairings for each pack were not specified, there is enough information to take a somewhat accurate guess. If we recall that previous packs only had one character per franchise, and how t?he characters are arranged alongside the reveal date, the contents are the following.

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Live now along with two other character packs

Arc System Works recently launched BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle before the heat of E3, and they did it across three platforms: PC, PS4, and Switch. Yep, they actually did it, without a delay, day and date with the other versions. To see an EVO fighting game not named Smash on the Switch is a nice feeling, and Dragon Ball FighterZ is going to be following it up in the future.

Anyway, regardless of which edition of Cross Tag Battle you prefer, new DLC is ou?t. Character Pack 2 ($4.99 - Aegis, Jubei, Carmine) and Character Pack 3 ($4.99 - Naoto, Haukmen, Vatista) are live, as well as free Yang Xiao-Long DLC.

Get a look at it all in the clip below and grab Yang -- even if you aren't planning on getting Cross Tag yet.

Yang [PSN]

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2B and not 2B

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle may have just hit store shelves, but that doesn't mean the game is finished hyping up players. In an interview with Forbes, BBCT's producer Toshimichi Mori may have dropped a hint at some possible DLC that will come to the fighter. Along with expressing this love for RWBY (which he also did in 2016 to Forbes), Mori is a self-proclaimed NieR fanatic and would love to see 2B and 9S i??n Arc System Works' latest ??fighter.

The quote comes from a bit where Forbes writer Ollie Barder asked Mori what he had been playing lately. Mori purchased another copy of NieR: Automata on Steam, recently, and had been rediscovering the title. He then jokingly stated, "Hey, we should release 2B and 9S on BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. Yeah, that would be good. I would want to play that. Should I ask them [Square Enix]? Haha." Later in the interview, Mori did stress, "2B and 9S would be amazing additions. Why didn’t I think of that sooner? I s??hould try asking him t?hough, really."

As for RWBY characters, Mori seems keen to add Penny and?? Adam. His ex?act quote:

Oh yeah, I love RWBY. I think it's a great property and has a great story. So my love for RWBY hasn't changed at all. That's a really difficult question. I mean, I'd love to see Penny in the ?gam??e. Penny and Adam. Definitely.

The rest of the interview concerns the design process for making a game and whether or not curtailing to fan requests is wise. It is particularly insightful when Mori mentio?ns how a developer should focus more on creating the game they want instead of a game that fans are clamoring for. I suppose that is a hard decision in any medium, though gaming tends to have the loudest fans shouting for virtually everything.

While I, person?ally, don't think we'll be seeing 2B in the game anytime soon, it is fun to specul?ate on her inclusion.

Toshimichi Mori On How 'RWBY' Ended Up In 'BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle' And His Love For 'Nier' [Forbes]

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Or, Persona X BlazBlue X UnderNight X RWBY

Arc has quietly been juggling a lot of properties, both in and out of their jurisdiction, for some time. Just when you think all they have up their sleeve is fighters, bam, Hard Corps: Uprising, a collaboration with Konami, hits you. Then just one year later, bam, a Persona fighting game with Atlus' help.

They even have recent Dragon Ball portable and console fighters under their belts, and now they're just letting it all hang loose for a full-on massive crossover event in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Switch)
Developer: Arc System Works
Publisher: Arc System Works, PQube Games (EU)
Released: June 5, 2018
MSRP: $49.99 (base), $69.99 (digital deluxe)

If you couldn't tell by the title this is primarily a BlazBlue fighter. 13 combatants (three are free DLC) hail from the series, compared to the seven each from Persona 4 Arena and Under Night In-Birth, and the four from RWBY.

As usual we have to talk about the pricing scheme, because someone is going to point it out and use it as an excuse to ignore the rest of the review. In case you haven't heard, RWBY's inclusion warranted controversy as they were immediately billed as "one of 20 DLC fighters." I asked Toshim??ichi Mori to clarify the issue myself, and he agreed that the message was muddled.

In response, Cross Tag Battle's price was shifted to $50, with an "everything included" edition for $70 and a free DLC for the first two weeks. There's a simple formula for t??his one that you can ??follow along with at home without a calculus degree. Do you think [x] characters is worth [x] amount of money? It's your choice. Anyway, onto the actual fighting system!

You have your standard two-button system with auto-combos (a recent staple of many fighters), ground and aerial recoveries, powered up EX moves, your basic stuff. But Cross Tag moves us into the arena of 2v2, and swapping is as easy as pressing the X button on PS4. You can also call them out from the sidelines for three different assist moves (R1), and initiate clashes, or double combos. Alternatively you can all in an assist during a super, which keeps the damage going and tags out safely mid-??ability.

If you drop to one fighter you can opt for a Resonance Blaze powe??r-up, which is a sort of X-Factor that lasts 15 seconds, enhances chip damage, allows more skill cancellation, auto-fills meter, and recovers your red health gradually -- it also unlocks your instant-kill if you have enough meter to pay for it. There's a catch too, as the more partner skills you use, the greater the blaze's power will be.

After all these years of playing a litany of tag fighters, I've sort of swayed into the favor of 2v2. I like the intimate feel of just managing one swap and the tempered challenge of picking duos with good synergy. It's also arguably easy to balance as the assists aren't game-changing (in 3v3 joints folks will often pick one member to use just for assists, with no intention of actually fighting with them). It's enhanced even more in Cross Tag given the sheer enjoyment of pairing up? some of these duos like Rag??na and Noel.

To navigate all of this madness Arc once again utilizes the hub from Guilty Gear Xrd (which was brought back for the more popular Dragon Ball FighterZ), allowing p??layers to frolic around as a cute little avatar in a mini-game world. It's a glorified menu (you can even just bring up the quicker UI with the press of a button), but it's a nice little touch that adds some character ??-- especially when said avatar gets tired of your nonsense and falls asleep.

On top of online play (which we couldn't fully test, but will keep you updated with by way of news updates) there's the story-like "episode mode," a training module, versus play, tactics (read: a mission mode that doubles as a tutorial), survival, and gallery extras. Dual Japanese/English audio is in, and yes, you can even set individual languages for fighters in combat.

My only gripe here in terms of gametype delineation is that I really think the tutorial should be brought out into its own thing to better onboard players of all skill levels. There's going to be a lot of newcomers coming in due to the involvement of any given franchise, and having a tutorial even close to as good as Arc's own Guilty Gear Xrd: Rev 2 would be beneficial. The mission-baked one right now is far too dry, also requiring players to awkwardly "end missions" by p??ressing R3 (function two) instead of dynamically flowing into new concepts or presenting fun new ways to approach fundamentals like movement.

Yet, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle pretty much speaks to everyone,? even if a few of its core mechanics aren't as refined as several of Arc's other works. It has a wide array of cast members from several universes, a pointed 2v2 focus, and a sufficient amount of stuff to do if you aren't the online competitive type. I sincerely hope this set??s the stage for more experimental "all-star" types of fighters from Arc, as they have a seemingly limitless well of ideas to draw from.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Nifty Collector's Edition on the way

Arc System Works have finally given European fans a day to mark down on their calendars. June 22 will see their anime crossover fighter BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle arrive on Euro shelves.

European PS4 owners can catch a taste of the chaotic action right now, as an open beta for the game is live a??s you read this. The beta closes on May 20 when it will be replaced by the four-character demo cu?rrently available in other territories.

Rice Digital are also releasing a European Collector's Edition, known as The Phantom Field Edition. Available on PS4 and Switch, this release contains a copy of the game, the official soundtrack CD, an art book, four character posters and a neat satchel or... umm... "Battle Bag". It can be pre-ordered here at a cost of £80.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle launches on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch in Japan on May 31. It will follo??w a few days later?? on June 5 in North America, with Europe to follow on June 22.

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Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang, also known as 'RWBY'

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is nearly here, and it will bring? Arc System Works into the full Switch fray when it actually hits. As of right now the Switch edition is set for the same June 5 release as the PC and PS4 versions, which is a big deal when it comes to the viability of the system as it pertains to fighting games. 

For now Arc is giving us a closer look at RWBY, the team from Rooster Teeth that's making its way in a??s DLC. To re-iterate Blake and Yang will be available to download for free, a consolation prize of sorts for th?e original muddled DLC message that rocked the internet a while back, while Ruby and Weiss will remain part of the base game.

For those of you unaware, RWBY is a western style anime that debuted in 2013 that features hunter heroines battling evil creatures. The reason they're in? Toshimichi Mori, creator of BlazBlue, is a huge fan of the series.

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Mysterious sound files discovered

Since Arc System Works' crossover fighter BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle launched its demo and beta, clever modders have been digging around in its data to hunt for secrets ??and surprises, already uncovering the game's potential DLC list.

This is really something else though. Sound files of the game's announcer shouting out character names include callouts for "Asuka" and "Yumi." While both these names are common in Japanese fiction and media, it's of note that they are also the names of two popular girls from the notorious Senran Kagura series.

Some fans have obviously gotten quite excited at this news, could a fifth franchise be joining Persona, RWBY, BlazBlue and Under Night In-Birth in this battle royale? However, letting the air out o?f the hype is an official spokesperson for the game who, on the official Steam page, passed off these soundbites as "leftover data" from brainstorming sessions. A video featuring the soundbites h??as since been pulled from YouTube.

Still, it's out there on the information superhighway now, so folk are gonna run with it. I don't care too much for the Senran Kagura titles myself, but I'm all for more brands joining this punch-up party. It's a shame "Asuka" likely isn't the badass WWE superstar. The Empress of Tomorrow should be in every video game.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle launches on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch in Japan on May 31.? It will follow a few days later on June 5 in North America??, with Europe to follow sometime this Summer.

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Character spoilers, I guess?

Over the weekend, players got a chance to get their mitts on Arc System Works' upcoming crossover fighter BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle during a open beta. Of course, wily h??ackers have managed to mine the beta for info, seemingly unveiling the ga?me's DLC roster.

Cutting Room Floor admin Ehm tweeted out their findings once they got into the game's code, dis?covering?? a series of initials that correspond to character brands and names. Simple guesswork is all that's then required to ascertain the characters supposedly headed toward the anime fighter, post-release.

From Ehm's findings it looks like BlazBlue's Izayoi, Mai Natsume and Nine the Phantom, Persona 4 Arena's Akihiko, Labrys and Mitsuru, and Under Night In-Birth's Merkava, Mika and Yuzuriha will all be asking for your pennies in the month's after Cross Tag Battle hits the shelves.

Of course, none of this is official, but it looks pretty snug, so there's little reason to doubt it. The BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle beta closes today, alth?ough there will be an offline demo  made available to download on PS4. This demo ??will be available to all, although only digital pre-order customers will have access to the same 20 characters from the beta.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle launches on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch in Japan on May 31.?? It will follow a few days later on June 5 in North America, with Europe to follow sometime this S?ummer.

Data-mined beta reveals DLC for Blaz?Blue: Cross Tag Battle [VideoGameChooChoo]

The post Rumou?r: Data-mined BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle beta r?eveals DLC roster appeared first on Destructoid.

EAT IT

If you're into making dubs, Arc System Works just dropped the first look at the BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle English dub on Twitter (wh??ich you can watch below).

This is significant as BlazBlue: Central Fiction, the last major BlazBlue game, did not have an English dub. Fans petitioned for one and rallied even weeks after i??ts launch for a DLC update: but one never came.

I'm happy to see a lot of the same cast back, and once again, options are great! BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle will be released on PC, PS4, and Switch on Ma??y 31 in Japan, and June 5 in the US. The European release is still not dated, and it's not entirely clear that the Switch edi??tion will launch on time.

Fates will intersect. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle launches June 5 on PS4. pic.twitter.com/WoIbFMhuhJ

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) April 11, 2018

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