If you prefer your fighting games adorable, you've probably been keeping an eye on BlazBlue: Battle x Battle, a four-player DSiWare fighter starring chibi versions of the characters from BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger. The ESRB just telegraphed plans by Aksys to localize the downloadable fighter -- under the strange title Blayzbloo: Super Melee Brawlers Battle Royale.
Why "Blayzbloo"? Arc System Works differentiated the DSiWare game from the original title by spelling "BlazBlue" in Japanese hiragana, rather than the English alphabet used for the main series. To preserve the change without using a different writing system, Aksys spelled it differently. It's pretty whimsical.
Speaking of whimsy, the ESRB description of the arena fighting game describes the following modes: "
last-man standing, hitting opponents to collect soba noodles, and capture-the-flag." We're contacting Aksys to find out when you'll be able to fight for noodles.
Ogre Battle 64 is a rare release on the Japanese Wii Shop, in that it's an N64 game. Remember those? It's also a good one! It's the sole new game on the Virtual Console this week, with the lineup bolstered a bit by Phoenix Wright's sequel and a rock-paper-scissors game.
The weird (but cute) Blazblue DSiWare fighter is out this week, ready to delight all the, uh, DSi owners looking for a four-player online fighting game. They're out there somewhere! Also on DSiWare: Burning Puzzle Flame Tail, a very odd, but interesting-looking vertically scrolling puzzle game from Mindware. Essentially, you control a structure with (of course) a flaming tail, snaking through rectangular structures and burning them.
Ogre Battle 64 (Nintendo 64, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points)
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All (WiiWare, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points)
Janken Party Paradise (WiiWare, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
ACT Series: English translator (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
ACT Series: Korean translator (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
Nari-chara Hitman Begins (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
Blazblue Battle x Battle (DSiWare, 1-4 players, 500 DSi Points)
Burning Puzzle Flame Tail (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
Like many fighting game fans, you really enjoyed BlazBlue last year, but you had this irking feeling that the game would be just perfect if the characters were only a little more ... kawaii. Good news! Your wish has come true. Arc System Works says that its DSiWare version of the acclaimed fighter is ready to go. BlazBlue: Battle x Battle, which features big-headed cutesie versions of the full game's fighters battling it out Power Stone-style, will be available on the DSi's downloadable store this Wednesday.
It looks, erm, interesting. Unfortunately, even if you were waiting to see a 2D franchise go 3D with hideously deformed versions of its characters, Battle x Battle is only available in Japan for now, so you'll either have to have a DSi from that region, or you'll have to wait until Aksys decides to release it here. If it keeps that 500 DSi point price, it might be worth a try.
It’s now official…BlazBlue Battle X Battle is due to hit DSiWare in Japan on January 27th, 2010. The game will cost 500 Nintendo Points, and there’s no word on a North American/European release at this time.
