combos galore
If there's anything I really enjoy in fighting games that's chain combos and this one's full of 'em! In other fighting games, like Street Fighter (which I really enjoy as well) it's not so much about learning to rely on getting your normal hits in, as much as destroying your opponents with (overpowered, at times) Super moves. BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II balances this out as there's a Heat Pressure Gauge which can be used either for a Super Move or for a "Cancel", the latter allows for longer Chain Combos. This Pressure Gauge can be used twice once it's full and performing a mere Move Cancel will deplete 50% of its energy. So it becomes immediately apparent that you cannot abuse Super Moves and that's *good*. And even if you learn to perform long Chain Combos, there's always a considerable amount of damage scaling put in there to balance things out ;)
There are also powerful Astral Heat finishing moves (those use up 100% of your Heat Gauge), but you cannot use those unless you're at less than 25% of your total health which I think is cool because it makes them ever so much special.
You can connect hits in the most crazy and unimaginable ways and at first this may seem a bit confusing but there's always Practice Mode for you to give your fingers a workout! The tutorial is very well made, fully voiced and is great for newcomers (or not) to the genre. There are Damage Cancels, Move Cancels, Parrying, Special Defence, Air Combos... you name it, it's got it all, making this stand out from your regular run-of-the-mill fighting experience. Oh, and, there's no more cheesey tactics like the ones you see in games like SSF4, i.e. standing in one place and jumping upwards all the time, waiting for your opponent to kindly land his face on your jumping kicks... in this game you *have* to employ fair play (in other words, be aggressive) otherwise you get a penalty in the form of increased damage taken when you get hit etc.
Story-wise it's very interesting so far, there's some funny dialogue going on (and some foul language to boot, heheh) and it's nice to have some sort of scenario as it makes the whole experience seem like an interactive action comic book, at times.
The 3D effect is quite nice, even though it's a 2D game in setting, it makes the characters look more lively. Of course if you make lots of jerky movements while you play you may need to turn the 3D effect off, as you won't be able to focus. But if you follow Rachel Alucard's advice and stay relaxed while you play, you'll be able to perform even the most difficult combos without too much hassle, even with the 3D effect on ;)
There's also lots of different options for you to choose from, adding to the game's longevity. The only downside is that there is no online Vs. Mode, but, oh well...
If you're into fighting games, you're going to love this one.
