Sega is bringing its Shining series arcade fighting game entitled Blade Arcus from Shining to PlayStation home consoles, releasing this November in Japan!
Blade Arcus from Shining EX is said to have a very dense story that revolves around the two protagonists, Ryuga and Pairon. While they will be the focus of the story expect to also see many of your favorite characters from the Shining series weaved throughout, as well as the possibility of new Shining characters being added specifically for the console release!
The actual combat and gameplay during battles utilizes tag-based mechanics, where a player selects a primary character as well as a secondary character. Players can only switch between the two different characters during rounds, but can also call on their partner for help using 'Link Attacks'.
I have been a fan of NIS America's games since I was a child and I usually like them. This game is no difference. There is not much to say about the story and gameplay. But the Vs. battle is nice to play despite of the cute characters. Good for spending your short free time for several days.
If you've played any of the PS3 Gundam Vs. games, this is pretty much the same thing with some really nice graphics and a couple of mechanic tweaks. The good: Over 90 Gundam's to choose from with an additional 100+ to use as assists. The standard dashing moves have been upgraded a bit (you can now dash downwards at will). Weapon load outs and buttons are about the same as before. The game runs really smoothly and so far, the online net code has been stable. Online matches range from 1 on 1 to 3 vs. 3 and there are no problems or long waits finding matches. The entire thing is very quick with minimal downtime from playing. The Gundams all look fantastic and the music is superb (even on the standard version of the game). The negative: Arcade mode is really simplified with not as many paths as before which is a small bummer. The online ranked matches are not yet available (right now everyone is playing casual/non ranked but this is supposed to be coming soon. There is a DLC tab which is greyed out, how many mechs and what their cost will be is still a mystery. That said, if you loved the arcade action of the first few games in the series, you will have a blast with this one.