My Thoughts On The New BBTAG Character DLC

Locked away from the core game at $4.99 a pop, character DLC packs #2 and #3 along with their equally inclusive three additional characters each definitely have an impact on the state of balance within the updated roster. Initially BBTAG was comprised of a base roster of what I like to call equally exploitable characters. By that I mean these are the types of characters everyone cheesed back in the early BlazBlue, UNIEL, and P4A/P4AU games. They are factually characters of certainty that guarantee victory in most cases. Back in the day, of course. While that was an early concern of mine I felt it was balanced in that all the characters were either able to get in easily, or were so zoning heavy that they could hold their own at a distance. Exploitable, but not so much in the traditional one-sided sense.

Fast forward to the second, and third DLC character packs (which are fairly priced in comparison to the older games' DLC), and you begin to see some questionable things. By that I mean nearly all of the included characters are on a level of exploitation that barely any of the base roster members touched. Vatista, for example is a tiny anime android girl from UNIEL who can deal damage via screen covering lasers. Her electric ballet display (as I call it) has her dancing out damage in hard to read, and counter ways. Of course she comes complete with her own anti-air options as well. Carmine which is also from UNIEL returns and has his own brand of cheapness that comes in the form of manipulated blood which can be thrown at a distance via projectiles, or summoned from the ground for a surprise attack. This leaves a lot of guess work for the opposing player. Something akin to the Eddy situation in Guilty Gear. Along with those two characters Jubei also returns with his cat scratch fever antics. A play on Taokaka's felonious fighting style. He flies around whipping about his massive claws in furious feline fashion much like Taokaka did. The biggest difference being his big size, and extended reach. His onscreen movement can be truly erratic at times as well.

From the Persona lot Naoto the gun wielding detective returns, and is surprisingly more effective at getting in and dealing damage than she was in P4A and P4AU. She can zone hard with her bullet projectiles, and even clear distances with a lunge attack that can lead into a cross combo. She even has an anti-air special for dealing with those pesky players who like to jump in. Overall she is a very versatile addition to the Persona side of things. Also returning to the forefront from the P4A/P4AU universe is Aegis in all her glory. Aegis seems to return without bullet projectile limitations though. If memory serves me correctly in P4AU she had a limited amount of bullets to use in her attacks. When they were spent she had to rely only on her melee attacks. In this case Aegis is an uninhibited bullet hell machine. She has anti-air projectiles, full screen specials, and EX that also utilize her various guns to great effect without a bullet meter to worry about. Range itself is not a problem with Aegis, and neither is CQC due to her accompanying persona.

Lastly, Hakumen returns in what can be best described as his most flashy, and effective incarnation yet. His usual specials are tied to 'SQUARE', 'TRIANGLE', and 'CIRCLE' respectively. The thing about Hakumen is that in the right hands he is a parry punish beast, and ranged fighter. He can also get in and out quite easily. His sword gives him range, and most of his other specials further his ability to advance while dealing damage or aid in his catching an opposing player off guard with highs and lows. Combos for Hakumen can be both aerial and ground based, and sport a sort of Stylish application this time around. Making it easier to perform specials, and special inclusive combos. Most of his combos start off with a reaching special, and are followed up with a string of other complimentary special attacks. I've personally gotten some high numbered combos with Hakumen, and with his ability to cover stage space easily it makes him a more formidable foe. That being said Hakumen is still a little technical in build.

The Verdict ...

Overall I find this latest release of characters concerning. It honestly feels like they offer a pay to win easier solution. Players without them will no doubt notice a disadvantage in most match-up situations. Even if the player using the DLC characters only has one of the new roster members on their team. For the asking price though Aksys Games and Arc System Works did good. It beats paying $7.99 for a single DLC character. If that is any consolation at all. If you are intent on sticking it out with BBTAG I think the DLC packs might be a smart buy for you. If you aren't truly into it though skip it. As I've said before the online is plagued by players manipulating the network connection purposefully, and using mods to look good as well as to troll. This is something to weigh when it comes to deciding on paying for additional character DLC.