Luminos564

As is 5C being able to cause the paralysis effect. That ought to give him some more control over his opponent's movement since his Furious Action was hardly intimidating and Zio was very unlikely to hit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4s7Fi6BF3s All I really needed to hear from this title. Yukari and Junpei info is a very welcome bonus. Thanks a lot SoWL.

Well this is unprecedented news to wake up to. Dunno about anyone else but this made me dust off my P4A copy and immediately play off a few rounds. I mean, damn P4A was an unexpected project and this new version (consensus seems that it is a sequel as opposed to just an update) came out of nowhere. Bravo ASW and Atlus.

Yeah, between BBCP, GGXrd and the new Persona 4 Arena it seems that ASW is going out of their way to Astral Finish/Instant Kill as many wallets as they possibly can. Not that I mind it though .

Ah, is that right (genuinely didn't know)? Well, I'd make the argument that people vent their frustrations in various methods that help them "deal with it" and people that complain about those who are complaining and generally don't like a situation should "deal with it" instead but then we'd be going in circles so much, the universe would implode unto itself. So I'll drop this here. You have my thanks for explaining though. Right, that came out wrong on my part. When I mentioned "actual players" I intended to say say "to see someone playing (matches)" as opposed to pre-made trailers and clips. The reason I spoke of the arcade is because I very rarely ever see someone posting PSN/XBLA matches.

You know I never understood people's fascination with saying "deal with it" to another for situations that they have no way of improving. Were you under the impression that I could bend reality to my will or something? I already answered why importing isn't an option for me and have made peace with the fact that I will need to rely on the localization. All I was saying is that a concrete date is a little more reassuring to those who will inevitably have to wait. But meh, details. Actually, does anyone remember how long it took for the arcade version to be patched for the (then) console exclusive characters (u-12, Makoto etc.)? I'm kinda trying to gauge how long until we see actual players get their hands on Kagura and Terumi.

You know, this would go over so much smoother (least I think so) if they made their announcements with a concrete date. I know, I know busy, not-so-big company and all that, but at least a numbered month would have been more reassuring than say "Q1 2014". Even if they have to push it back due to unforeseen circumstances, you at least get the sense they're trying to do the best damn job possible.

I think it's a case of "well as long as I am not X my Y actions will be seen more positively". Anime fans (as in people that enjoyed the style of Japanese animation and media) were often the subject of public scrutiny. The often tossed around "otaku" and "weeaboo" come to mind. So now think what would happen if a gamer, who is already under scrutiny from various sources, is seen enjoying a game like BlazBlue which looks like (and is currently being made into) a Japanese animated series? They're probably thinking they'd be seen as all the worse for it. You could say that them claiming they hate 2D anime-esque fighters as a defense mechanism, though that's just my take on the matter.

Gaaaahhh! What black-hearted mistress of Satan unleashed this hideous creature on the Earth? *Shudders* It's like she's trying to suck out my soul through those gigantic, dead polygon eyes and trap it within that gel candy she calls hair.

Except it hasn't happened. Something is clearly preventing the FGC from flourishing in this regard. I cannot speak for others, but in my case, the initial request for help was prevented by a pervading sense of, for lack of a better term, "shame". Perhaps that first step is the biggest hurdle. As you said: there are players who are more than willing to help newer and inexperienced players develop, but neither they nor the players in question seem to be "meeting up" as it were.

But that's the thing: not every potential mentor wants to pass on their knowledge to another. They may not even care about whether or not their one FGC grows in number and are complacent with the current competition available. Likewise, people that are great FG players may not necessarily be great at teaching another (there is a reason why it takes years for someone to get their teaching degree after all). I agree that a participating, player-to-player interactions are the key to bettering other players and expanding the fold, but the question is: how can these individuals start doing this? The FGC isn't exactly a collective hive-mind that can move in one direction. Heck, some of us are still at each other throats on which FG is "teh breast evar".

Just gonna throw this out there, but maybe, just maybe, Capcom had a point when it stated that "there's a lot of fighting games out there". Granted they were wrong with using it as an excuse as to why their latest FG projects failed hard by their standards (see SFxT) but perhaps this is also one of the contributing factors as to why so many people do not delve deeper into their fighters. I mean, how would you manage the time necessary to get competitively good at one fighter, let alone 2 or 3 that are readily available for anybody? And that's not even including the time and attention needed to get another person on the "right" track to better understanding the FG(s) you know and love. Using myself as an example, I love FGs, especially 2D fighters. I started out with Darkstalkers 1 on PSX and bought GGXX on a whim when I saw it at a local convenience. I was never good at FGs though and any attempt at trying to improve has result in failure after failure (not necessarily match losses mind you). And I'll be the first to admit that I have no real clue how to apply basic terms like oki, pressure, mix-up and so on. Oh sure, I can look their definitions up but it isn't like I can use them in a match. In order to improve and appreciate all of what a game can offer, I'd probably need someone readily available for guidance. This is also just me we're talking about. Other individuals would likely be a unique case on their own. And that's where the problems lie I think. Somehow, I don't see anyone forming a school or program that deals with people wanting to improve in FGs. Admittedly, learning and practicing is up to the student but in order to facilitate that growth, a mentor/teacher is needed. Someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to give you encouragement, tough love, point you in the direction that will lead to eventual success all while maintaining the student's interest without them saying "Oh screw it, I am going to another (more flashy) FG". That is definitely asking a lot of any one mentor, who likely has a life outside the FG that they play. And the process becomes even larger once you realize that not every student is the same. One might get things down on the first 3 tries while another may need days, weeks or months. It becomes a pretty big project and I certainly can't tell you how a select few could manage the development of many, especially when the mentors have to manage their own time as well.

At the moment, there is not much listed for a North American release save for some skydiving sports game and the next thing after that is Lightning Returns FFXIII (in February). December sounds like a good idea (right now anyway) and would indeed capitalize on the holiday rush. The question is: can they actually meet that deadline to reap the profits? Nothing wrong with being hopeful or a bit naive. The problem only comes once you refuse to accept facts in favor of "blind hope" or refuse to learn from your past naivete .

I am much more welcoming of spoilers, untranslated or otherwise. I have to feed myself some new piece of information regarding the game at some point. The announcements that ASW puts out every few months is hardly enough. It's why I go and spoil all the events in the newest Tales games for myself since they very rarely get localized and if they do, they're years apart from their JPN release. Anyway, someone mentioned December is what the Aksys+ASW duo is aiming for? At the risk of sounding smug; I'll believe that when I see it. It would be good news but I am really not getting my hopes up for it. Would like to be proven wrong on the matter though...

All this talk of Roman Cancels makes me feel a bit ashamed since I can never recall a time when I actively tried to use it. Especially the False Roman Cancel from earlier installments. I understand the idea behind it, but I just couldn't be bothered to look for that one specific frame where I could cancel out a move before it hits. Matter of fact, I don't use Rapid Cancels in BB either (a habit I better learn to drop I know). Though, for Xrd I guess I am gonna have to start at some point as according to interviews, ASW wants the RC back into the spotlight with that time slowing effect.

So...much...hype! Man what a happy, happy day. Thanks for all the info ElvenShadow. Now if I could actually see it in action, then my day is complete. Lastly, holy crap May looks far too adorable now. It's like I can't look at her for too long otherwise I'll start making melting. This might be a problem in the future.

So, the loketest will start (if it hasn't already) soon. Cross your fingers for early footage of the game. Man, it's been so long since GG moved on from the XX days that I still can't believe we're getting another.

Maybe it's just me but they really didn't show anything spectacular from Kagura in those clips. I dunno why but it felt lackluster. Still, I suspect he'll be a wrecking machine in the right player's hands. Kagura may be a Story Unlock but the arcade doesn't run on console rules.

Brain: "Hey, Luminos you should go to dustloop today" Myself: "Why? It's not the 9th yet. What's in it for me?" Brain: "Videos of both Terumi and Kagura" Myself: "...bitchin" Alright, video quality aside, I like what I was seeing. Pretty stylin' Terumi. Damage looks low, even with his Distortions, the last one barely breaking 3.2K. It also looks like he doesn't actually drain meter, or at least, Haku-men's in this case. I guess they just made it so that he only increases his own meter as opposed to stealing from other characters so long as he hits them. I am honestly OK with this.

While I would enjoy seeing as many characters as possible for the loketest on the 9th, I think what they've got so far is still good. Didn't BB's initial loketest have only 3 characters (Ragna, Jin and Noel)?

Hmm you're right. I forgot he actually HAD clothes of any kind that covered his upper body. I think my main issue was the helmet. I realize they gave him a redesigned pickelhaube but it still looks off to me. Must be the fact that his face is covered up and shrouded in shadow when I'm used to seeing it. Still, after thinking on it the design does look pretty impressive. On the subject of returning characters, I am about 75% certain that Robo-Ky is getting the boot. Slayer might as well if him returning to his dimension is canon. All I ask is that Dizzy and Zappa return at some point.

OK, who let Kokonoe into Potemkin's dressing room? Come on, speak up. Your silence only further prolongs his suffering ! Joking aside, I don't hate the design myself. It's just, really out there for him. Especially when compared to the other returning characters who retain their basic look from last time (even if Chipp looks like he's trying to pull his best Polnareff impression). Then again I suppose the robotic look fits for him since, IIRC, Zepp is supposed to be this big, science trumps magic country so it could always be the case of making their best soldier. But still, the redesign really took me by surprise.

I mentioned it earlier, but while the song is rather catchy, it doesn't exactly mesh well with the more antagonistic characters. The song is just a tad too upbeat and heroic, speaking of justice and not giving up etc. Such qualities however don't apply to monstrous characters like Arakune, Azrael, Hazama/Terumi or Relius. Though the song is a real nice fit for characters like Makoto, Noel/u-12, Bullet, Taokaka and possibly even Bang though for him I'd rather have someone like Masaki Endoh providing the hot-burning passion.

So, I've been listening to Faylan's Blue Sanction recently, which as most of you are aware is the new Astral Finish song. At first, I wasn't too keen on it as it sounded a little too "subdued" to me. Not something you'd want to hear for punching the opponent into dust (and the piece of rock they were flying on at the time). But after listening to it for a while, I gotta say it really grew on me. Of course, it does run into the occasional oddity like for say during Hazama and Relius' Astrals which are notoriously "evil" yet the song is more "positive". Perhaps for the next BB, ASW could give a "good" and "evil" Astral song depending on the character's affiliation (for example: like the victory theme music in FF: Dissidia)? I put it in quotations as our heroes are not exactly the most heroic bunch (Ragna, Jin, Haku-men etc.) and some villains are genuinely endearing and victims of circumstance (like v-13).

Word. Otherwise we'd only see combos off of 5A and 2A. Personally I like seeing good players get rewarded for using riskier moves.