BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable Review for PlayStation Portable (PSP)

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable box art

System: PSP	Review Rating Legend
Dev: ARC System Works	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Aksys Games	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: March 10, 2010	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-2	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Teen	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

Legion is actually a playable mode and works a lot like the story mode in Dissidia: Final Fantasy. You begin with one character, and a large board with shapes on it. Each shape represents a "territory," which contains one or more enemies to be defeated. Once you defeat enemies inhabiting a given square, you can add them to your roster and use them in subsequent battles if your main character should fall. The only catch is that if one of your team members falls during battle, they won't be able to fight again until you reach a "healing" space on the playing board. The Legion Mode isn't as exciting as the Story Mode, but it does provide quite a challenge for experienced players, and it has three different play boards.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable screenshot

Aside from the amazing battle system, the other feature that the original BlazBlue became known for was its marvelous graphics. While other fighters use 3D visuals, the original BlazBlue followed in the footsteps of the King of Fighters series and kept with a 2D style that featured hand-drawn pixel-based art. Although the visuals are not replicated in as much detail on the PSP version, the pixel-based art is still solid, and the animations are fluid throughout. The animated cutscenes are also reproduced faithfully on the PSP. The only real issue with the visuals is with the menu design. Some of the menus have text that is too small to read on the PSP screen. However, this is a minor complaint and doesn't detract from the overall visual scheme.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable is a solid port that is on-par with its console predecessor. Although the visuals have been downsized and the online mode is missing, the new content added to the portable version more than makes up for these few shortcomings. If you are looking for a great fighter on the PSP, BlazBlue Portable is definitely worth checking out. If you have already played BlazBlue on the bigger consoles, the portable version is still worth it for the extra content. But no matter what, make sure you are prepared for the challenge! BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Portable may be on a smaller screen, but the difficulty level has not decreased!

By Amanda L. Kondolojy
CCC Staff Contributor

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.9

Graphics
Pixel-based graphics look great on the PSP, though much of the detail from the console version is missing. Occasional lag occurs.

4.0

Control
Controls are very precise and require a lot of precision. Directional controls also feature lag at times.

4.0

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Background music is enjoyable and both English and Japanese voiceovers are available.

3.7

Play Value
The loss of the online mode is regrettable, but the new Legion and Shop modes make up for the loss and add some extra hours to the gameplay time and customization options.

4.1

Overall Rating - Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

12 unique combatants to choose from, which now include Unlimited versions for all characters! Choose a character that represents your own fighting style, like the lightning-fast Taokaka or the wickedly powerful Tager.

Drive your way to victory! Use the unique "Drive Attacks" specific to each character to decimate your opponent.

Control the elements, like wind or ice, or even absorb the life-force of your opponents.

Multiplayer battles via Ad-Hoc Mode - Battle with up to four players in a single room and play with custom rule sets. Two people will fight each other at a time while the others spectate.

Legion Mode - Build your army and conquer the map! Have up to 20 members join your party.

Shop Mode - Use in-game currency to purchase illustrations and Unlimited characters.