October 2016 – Page 19

The impending release of BlazBlue: Central Fiction in November brings up a topic that has reached meme status over the series’ tenure. The “when’s Extend?” groans about inevitable half-way editions began plaguing internet boards and articles’ comment sections when the second game, BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, received a repackaging that contained all the previous downloadable content and revisions. Those console releases often were not too far from arcade announcements of the new editions, which effectively rapid-cancelled much of the hype for the seemingly already-outdated version.

Shortly after the series’ inception, home console versions of BlazBlue started to feel like TV show reruns, mainly because the astute western fans, always on the prowl for the latest Japanese videos, started to see newer versions of the game in overseas arcades faster than they could learn all the combos for one or two characters at home. Calamity Trigger, the first game, was backed by great marketing; it stood out with English voice-acting and a packaged combo video for every character. BlazBlue made its mark on the market.

While Calamity Trigger released in the US on June 30th, 2009 (just five days after the Japanese console version), Continuum Shift–the second game–released barely four months later, first hitting the arcades on November 20th that year. Looking at arcade releases alone, the time between Calamity Trigger and Continuum Shift is longer. But when new characters, like Hazama and Tsubaki, changed combos and rebalancing information shows up on YouTube and forums, the latest game overshadows the current one–even if it’s a continent and 100-yen-per-game away.

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Continuum Shift distinctly felt like an “era” because it was so overdrawn. In the US at least, when coupling “Continuum Shift II” and the Extend version, CS’s nearly four-year tenure takes the credit for the majority of the groans and predictions about Extend expansions. Speaking from my own experience, and having talked to many players in the scene, the players usually conveyed a typical sentiment: “I got tired by Extend,” or dropped off to different games.

For me, the problem with Extend versions wasn’t as much on principle. They weren’t priced as high as a typical video game release, and the desire to stay up-to-date was always motivating. The issue was more in practice–having to learn new combo routes, taking in all the balance changes and relearning match-ups became more and more problematic–and tiring–over time. Arc System Works pumping out new BlazBlue versions wasn’t as much of a problem for the wallet, but having to re-learn the game every year or so contributed strongly to an overall fatigue of the series, which had detrimental effects to the community. As a side note, enticing fans to buy DLC characters (Platinum, Makoto, Valkenhayn) and then including them for free a few months later with Extend was not the most consumer-friendly tactic.

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Sure, Arc System Works occasionally patched the game, for free, to 1.1 versions, or the “II,” as seen with Continuum Shift. But in the past, releasing patches for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 involved paying Sony and Microsoft as well as navigating a complex certification process. Seeing as the game used to be on both platforms, this could have been part of the reason ASW dropped Microsoft’s console (not to mention the typically poor sales of the device in Japan). As the arcades are a big part of the income pie, it’s obvious why reinventing the game is a priority. Patching was expensive, so it’s a better move to sell a new game with changes and new content. Now, Sony no longer charges for patching (possibly part of the reason why you see 50 GB day one patches on AAA game releases). But Arc System Works can’t just patch all the time for free, either. What can Arc System Works do to rectify this cycle?

As Toshimichi Mori, the creator and producer of the series, explained in an interview, there won’t be a BlazBlue: Central Fiction Extend–though he would like to do a balance patch. While Mori is known for occasionally misleading his fans, this would be definite step in the right direction. Abandoning the concept of Extend saves headaches and confusion from customers, and if the balance patch doesn’t bring major combo changes, it’s likely going to have a positive effect on the lifespan of Central Fiction. Those who stick with it from the beginning should feel more rewarded for learning its robust 35-character cast. Street Fighter V’s plan for keeping the same version as a “content platform” makes more sense, even if that content was bare early on–a problem not shared by Central Fiction.

Another helpful measure, introduced with Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, is an early-access demo available to those who pre-order a PS4 version. Even if it’s just a month or two before the release date, a demo with Versus and Training mode made an enormous difference for the international scene. For instance, CEOtaku ran their entire BlazBlue tournament on Central Fiction instead of Chronophantasma Extend, a game mostly abandoned by some scenes. A demo is pro-consumer and it rewards people for pre-ordering while also tending to the competitive scene, which is the lifeline of any major fighting game now.

As the era of BlazBlue is possibly coming to an end, at least in the mainline fighting games, let’s hope it ends on a better note than its past titles. Fighting games are a riskier business than some other genres since they rely a lot on the community. The line between angering it and keeping it alive can be very thin. Central Fiction has good chances of winning back a strong following, and let’s hope that Guilty Gear Xrd continues to hit its stride, to resonate better and better with its audience.

Source: Metacritic