Author: Luke "Woocash" Siuty

As seven new characters just arrived in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, players are once again busy developing new tech as fervently as Elon Musk. Get ready to see new one-touch-death combos, powerful set ups, and pressure that won’t let the opponent get out easily. We’re taking a closer look at Yang, Carmine, Aegis, and Hakumen.

Obviously, comboing your opponent into the Astral Heat is a worthy goal to strive for, so if you need to a few pointers, check out the compilation above for Aegis, Vatista, Carmine, Naoto, Hakumen, Jubei, and Yang footage.

Aegis astral combo starting at 3 bars in mid-screen. I'm sure she has a combo that lets her astral with less meter but this is all I got so far. At least the combo looks cool? #TAG_AG #BBTAG pic.twitter.com/lS6v5ym2J2

— Kalibur@IWANTVESPERIA (@KaliburAlmighty) June 19, 2018

Kalibur optimized the Aegist Astral Heat combo by starting from even less bars.

Fairly easy Aegis 6.1k WIP Corner combo that gives cannon oki and still keeps the opponent in the corner.#TAG_AG #BBTAG pic.twitter.com/7cg63GmqX4

— Kalibur@IWANTVESPERIA (@KaliburAlmighty) June 20, 2018

Here’s a fairly straightforward corner combo with Aegis that will keep the opponent on their toes with a cannon attack once they get up.

Huh…that's a neat OS.
To explain, you slightly delay the j.A just barely so the opponent could DP, hold 4, and press A when you land.
If they DP, you block it.
If they block or get hit, you go into 4A string.
Characters the OS doesn't work on in the replies.#TAG_AG #BBTAG pic.twitter.com/13nTIlXvfd

— Kalibur@IWANTVESPERIA (@KaliburAlmighty) June 21, 2018

Kalibur is also finding out some useful Aegis option selects; visit his Twitter for more Aegis and Es tech.

こいつすごくない？ pic.twitter.com/93weh6LvVp

— まじろ (@flogslime) June 19, 2018

Looks like Jin isn’t the only one with really high solo damage. Keep in mind though that Carmine spends some health on certain attacks.

HE NEEDS IT
Reacting to tech makes this unblock ridiculous, catches everything and loses absolutely nothing #TAG_CR pic.twitter.com/sYqeIOO4qn

— Trevor Claggett (@Hi_Im_Sunfish) June 20, 2018

Here’s a pretty terrifying set up with Carmine that seems to cover defensive options quite well.

テイガーハクメン
ウェッジカタパルトから獣兵衛(16000)が死んでしまった#TAG_TG #TAG_HK #BBTAG pic.twitter.com/PzNV50vcNb

— GGR | TFB | min (@d2ftaxi) June 19, 2018

This deadly combo from Hakumen and Tager should finish off most characters in the game.

Hakumen/Yang 14.6k DP punish and THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DHC IN THE GAME #TAG_HK #TAG_YX #BBTAG pic.twitter.com/mybjbnXPTP

— Uri in the Lab (@UriFGC) June 19, 2018

Uri put together this aesthetically pleasing Yang and Hakumen combo.

無法 #PS4sharehttps://t.co/OZZPsYOjHF pic.twitter.com/xM8WOBpaYu

— さか (@sakasaka1234) June 19, 2018

At last, Hakumen can keep those pesky command throws off of his sanctimonious person.

追い詰めたハクメンには気をつけよう！https://t.co/4FIp3jweP9 pic.twitter.com/cV38FDj7Vl

— アリ子@狼鯖 (@Bisco_hk) June 19, 2018

Are you having flashbacks to other BlazBlue games yet? Hakumen shows he doesn’t need a partner as he kills his foes while in Resonance Blaze.

Yang safejump setup #TAG_YX #BBTAG #PS4share pic.twitter.com/Q5uDCu4ORA

— Gyorg_ (@MrBubbles237) June 19, 2018

Here’s a straightforward combo that sets up a safe jump for Yang in the corner.

If you’re more of a lover than a fighter, also check out these unique interactions between BBTAG DLC characters.

Sources: Victor Thammavong; @flogslime; @KaliburAlmighty; @Hi_Im_Sunfish; @d2ftaxi; @UriFGC; @sakasaka1234; @Bisco_hk; @MrBubbles237

Shoryuken offers a hands-on look at what’s in the BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Collector’s Edition package.

The BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Collector’s Edition has quite a few goodies in it, but is it worth your money? I decided to make an unboxing video to show you the contents up close to see for yourself!

A big box that showcases the colors of each franchise houses the Collector Edition items. Inside, the steel case is first. I’m a big fan of it; it has special art from the Japanese edition of the game. The colors on it are vivid and powerful, showcasing each protagonist: Ragna, Yu, Hyde, and Ruby. Obviously, it feels very solid; it’s a great way to house the disc.

You still get a regular retail box of the game with that fancy “Evo 2018 main lineup” sticker. It’s nice to have a regular box, though there’s no instruction booklet, so it feels a little redundant; and that feeling is furthered because the standard edition of the game comes with a mini soundtrack CD (seven tracks). However, the Collector’s Edition comes with a 15-track disc that has all of those tracks from the mini CD, and more. We can hear each version of Crossing Fate (just in case you haven’t heard enough of it yet), even the short version used in the opening. It’s good that the disc has the mix track of each RWBY character as that equals to multiple tracks from the show.

The acrylic “figures” are flat representations of each protagonist. To be honest, these are surprisingly nice. They stand securely on their flat stands. I get the feeling that multiple figures were out of Arc System Works’ budget (or maybe they could have you choose one, but more options still equal to higher operating costs). It’s nice to have each franchise represented.

Finally, the artbook is a bit of a letdown; not particularly because it’s relatively short (52 pages), but it’s mostly filled with standard “stock” character-select art of the base roster. It does have very cool sketches of the RWBY characters, showing how their attacks and poses were animated. I also love the section at the end that shows sketches of partner introductions.

All in all, it’s a good Collector’s Edition, even though CDs are a bit old-school now. I would maybe like to get a poster instead of the mini-CD that comes in the regular game box.

Thanks to Arc System Works for providing the Collector’s Edition to Shoryuken; you can get your own at the Arc System Works online shop. Check out our BBTAG video review as well!

The cast of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is quite large, encompassing all of the past characters in the series, as well as bringing in “Echo” fighters. It’s quite the large cast to go over, but top Smash player TSM|ZeRo managed to do it in a stream.

While the video below is indeed very long, ZeRo moves relatively quickly through each character, giving you the lowdown on their major changes and his general impressions. So if you’re wondering what he thinks of your favorite character, scroll a bit below to view timestamps for the video. Keep in mind that this is based on just a demo, and that the game is bound to drastically change during ongoing development.

Don’t forget to check out the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate release announcement, or our own impressions from E3, as well as footage of ZeRo in the Smash Invitational.

Source: ZeRo (YouTube)

If you’re looking for some quality Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 gameplay, look no further than Tension Pulse, an exciting and ongoing series originating in the United States. Carried through the fairly-reliable Steam servers of the game, the online first-to-seven sets often do themed events, too. It’s also a great chance to learn more about the game, as the entertaining live commentary is often insightful as well. Catch up on the recent episodes below:

The latest episode was all about mirror-matches! It’s an opportunity to see how players who are experts in their character deal with someone who may use the same tricks as they do. But also, there’s enough room for individuality in Guilty Gear so that two people often end up playing the same character in a very different manner. See how Haehyun and I-no players duked it out in the video above.

The previous episode focused on doren2k, one of the best Jam players in the US, who is moving to Japan for a year. Multiple players showed up for tense and funny matches, including a Jam mirror match with sweetxjam. doren2k displays great fortitude as he continuously fights various players over two and a half hours.

Finally, reaching back to May, the above episode focused on players who attended Combo Breaker 2018. Check out sets between kayloud’s Millia and Essay’s I-no, BxA|dot_Nova’s Jack-O’ and DreadedRuffian’s Sin, and UYU|BeautifulDude’s Zato=1 and DaveO’s Sol.

Source: Mdesilva

Though BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle didn’t have an E3 2018 presence, that doesn’t mean players weren’t busy figuring out new ways to deplete health bars. If you still can’t escape from daunting neutral or need some combo ideas, here’s a couple of general tips as well as videos showing off synergy between Jin, Weiss, Nu-13, and Yukiko. And, if you’re a fan of Es, keep scrolling for a complete tutorial linked below.

First up, rooflemonger goes over some semi-advanced tips to elevate your game. If you’ve mastered the basics, check out his tips regarding damage optimization, backdashing, and more.

The first half of video focuses on Jin, showing his high-damage solo potential. But it also displays team combos, showing off their synergy in a variety of situations (like Reversal Action punishes, which prevent the opponent from using Cross Burst). We get to see some combos into the Astral Heat, and then the latter half focuses more on Weiss.

Who knew Yukiko can find some use after all? Even though she’s still a very weak character overall in BBTAG, she does bring some unique synergy to her partner. The video shows practical combos that set up good zoning situations for them, and even allows time to heal up or Fire Boost for increased damage.

If you’re all about Es, check out this complete tutorial above to get yourself familiar with the various aspects of her game.

For more helpful information on the game, check out our previous BBTAG video roundup.

Sources: HurtboxTV; BLUELINKBR; rooflemonger; Knewaccount Gaming