Sega have been releasing a few fighters on the Wii recently, one of the most recent being Bleach: Shattered Blade. So what does this game bring to the world of anime fighters that isn’t already there? Read on and I will try to enlighten you.
At the beginning of the game you are given the choice of Episode Mode, where you try to defeat opponents, as well as Arcade Mode, Versus Mode and Training Mode, which all explain themselves really. There are also a few other choices on the menu such as the Urahara shop, where you can buy unlockables with any credits you earn throughout the game and the Gallery where you can view character models and listen to music that you have unlocked.
Playing the game itself is pretty simple stuff, swinging your Wii Remote down will result in your character chopping, Slashing is done by swinging it left or right and stabbing, well you get the picture I’m sure. The nunchuck control allows for character movement and using the Z button will enable you to guard against attack, there are also a few advanced moves included in the game, for example combining the C button with the control stick will enable you to perform a Flash Step, this basically allows you to move faster and further than normal. You can also perform critical attacks on an opponent should you manage to perform any three basic strike moves while holding down the A button.
Although the controls are simple enough, unfortunately the game starts to feel a bit repetitive after a while, this is because there is only so much Wii Remote waggling that you can do before you get the urge to turn the game off and try something else. Since there is not really a lot of variety in the fighting the action certainly doesn’t really stick out as anything memorable.
The only real saving grace to Bleach is the Bankai power ups, as you give or take damage your Bankai bar will fill up, you can also increase it faster by shaking your nunchuck. Once you manage to fill the bar you can then unleash a Bankai power up and reek havoc on your opponent. Since unleashing a Bankai power up dramatically enhances your abilities you become almost invulnerable to attacks, therefore you will almost certainly win any fight you are in the middle of, unfortunately though this can also be a double edged sword as should you opponent fill their Bankai bar up first you will probably be looking defeat in the face.
Although there are plenty of game modes to keep you busy in single player, since the opponents you fight against feel very similar to each other you will not really find any saving grace each time you progress, therefore it stands to reason that the multiplayer modes are the most fun.
Presentation wise the game looks good enough, it is presented in 420p and the animation runs smoothly, the environments are certainly nothing groundbreaking but there are some nice effects during some of the fights that might make you sit up and take notice.
Bleach: Shattered Blade is a bit of a disappointing effort in my eyes, there is a real lack of depth to the game, meaning that once you have played through it for a few hours you will struggle to find any reason to put it back in your machine, well unless you have a mate over and you just feel like a Wii sword fight. If you must try this game then you may want to rent it before purchase, after all there are bigger and better fighters on the way to the Wii very soon.
