BlazBlue: Continuum Shift patch, new character DLC coming in May

by JC Fletcher on Apr 17th 2011 3:00PM

Two updates are coming to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of BlazBlue: Continuum Shift in May -- one free (to you), and one paid. A patch is being prepared, intended to alter the game balance of the console versions to be in line with the arcade release of Continuum Shift 2.

It will also add new tutorials, new Challenge Mode content for every character, and tweaks and updates to the online mode and its interface. The patch also fixes a problem with Valkenhayn's Achievements in the Xbox 360 version. This won't cost you anything to download, but Aksys will still benefit financially -- the update also puts an ad banner on some in-game screens.

The same month, Aksys will release a new DLC character, Platinum the Trinity, who will have new Achievements and Trophies to unlock. This character will cost $7.99 or 560 Microsoft Points.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift (Platinum DLC)

Show full PR text

Hardcore Fighting-Game Enthusiasts Rejoice

Massive /BlazBlue: Continuum Shift/ Updates Coming This May

TORRANCE, Calif.–April 15th, 2011–Aksys Games, a publisher of
interactive entertainment software, is pleased to announce that the
hit 2D fighting game for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment
system from Microsoft and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment
system, /BlazBlue: Continuum Shift/, will be updated with all new
content and bug fixes, taking the system version to 1.03. The data for
system version 1.03 and Platinum the Trinity will be available in the
month of May.

In this update, the new character "Platinum the Trinity" will be
added for players to purchase for $7.99, or 560 Microsoft Points. This
game add-on will include all of Platinum's 24 colors, the Unlimited
version of Platinum, and new Achievements/Trophies to unlock as well.
Between the gender confusion and cool magical item based gameplay,
Platinum will be a joy to play for both fans of cute adorable things
and hardcore fighting game enthusiasts alike!

Also in this major update, the game balance will be brought up to
speed with the Arcade version of /BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II/,
including all of the character balance changes, additional system
mechanics, and game engine adjustments. This is topped off with brand
new Challenge Mode content for each character and a revised Tutorial
Mode section to help bring you back up to speed. With all of this new
additional content, there's no better time to get back into
/BlazBlue: Continuum Shift/!

*/BlazBlue: Continuum Shift/** Update Details*

-New character Platinum the Trinity added
-Game balance updated to /BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II/
-New achievements and trophies added for the character Platinum the
Trinity
-All Challenge Mode combos updated for character changes
-Updated Ranked Match interface and matchmaking procedure
-Improved measures for better online latency
-Improved countermeasures for disconnecting players in Ranked Match
-New simplified chat messages added for Player Match rooms
-Addressed an issue where Valkenhayn's achievements could not be
obtained (Xbox 360 Version)
-Added an ad banner to be displayed on certain game screens
-Various other bug fixes

Tags: aksys-games, arc-system-works, blazblue, blazblue-continuum-shift, dlc, microsoft, playstation, ps3, update, xbox

Reader Comments (46)

New... challenges... *twitch*

Now is sounding like a good time to jump in to BlazBlue. I have the first one sitting around but I'd rather learn through the second game's challenge mode.

....an ad banner?

Huh?

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

I'm with you on this one. An ad-banner? In a game which you *paid* for? This does not compute.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze why is it that fighting games, more than any other genre, are continually trying to screw the customer? really, an ad banner in a video game. go to hell Aksys.

Remember Soul Caliber 2 and Virtua Fighter when you played the game and there were a million unlocks on the disc you bought? I know my memory doesnt go back that far either?

Seag, save the genre and release Virtua Fighter 5 now please.

@Jack Kevorkian

The character DLC was already overpriced so an ad banner is the least of my concern. At least as long as it's not put in an obnoxious spot or god forbid in an actual match.

@Mechazawa Prime can you imagine an updating ad banner in an online match? jesus christ wtf is going on today?

I have bought more dlc than I care to admit but its getting ridiculous. Do developers want to go down the same path as Atari? Let's just hand the crown to Apple right now because they seem to be the only ones who actually ****ing get it.

@Jack Kevorkian

Apple? What? How does Apple "get it?"

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

I think people her are jumping to conclusions a little too fast.

@Colin Apple does not have $120 video games and handheld video games that cost $250 + $40-50 for a game.

Everyone is rushing to charge as much as humanly possible while Apple is rushing away from that price model. Guess which company has more customer goodwill? Guess which company cant keep their products on shelves and have lines outside their door everytime they make a fart?

They are going to completely take over the handheld space and then they are going to develop and release a console and then they are going to dominate that space internationally. Watch it happen.

all because of Aksys. lol :)

@Jack Kevorkian

Thats a hilarious joke. That Apple will dominate anything but pick up and play timewasters? That they could remotely compete in a market where even the market leader who has software closest to that model, is selling the least software?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh wait. You're serious, let me laugh harder

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

You apple fanboys are simply amazing. Look at software numbers for the wii and HD twins (Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of the random quircky japanese stuff that lands on the wii), The wii has the largest install base, but the worst software sales. Why? Because the market that drives the industry is more interested in the more traditional titles. Outside of Nintendo's core titles, nothing sells on the wii, even with it sporting all manner of pick up and play titles, many of which are priced rather respectively at this point.

I'm not saying the ridiculous prices found in aspects of the industry is healthy either as I think we're headed straight for another industry crash with the way budgets are going, but thats besides the point when it comes to what software is relevant to the console space to keep it going at all.

@Jack Kevorkian

An iPhone 4 costs 700 dollar or something.

Games better be cheap.

@Jack Kevorkian

Ah, I see. Yeah, no, Apple doesn't get gaming at all. They completely ignore it. The rise of the iPhone as a gaming console was almost entirely due to the devs capitalizing on the bizarre economy of the app store.

Apple is in the same position as Zynga. They have such a fanbase and a lot of brand awareness that the traditional console gaming market just seems pitifully small in comparison. iPhones sell millions because everyone uses a phone. A console would do less so because not everyone plays video games.

@zerokku I'm actually a fanboy of both Apple and MS. I work for MS though so I have to buy and side with them on everything.

You are wrong though. You are also stupid. Probably ugly as well.

@Jack Kevorkian
So, I could report you and get you fired?

@Mechazawa Prime Yes I'd much rather pay another $40 for 3 new characters and balancing than pay $22 for it through DLC. I do agree the colors, voices, ect. are BS and should have been unlockables though. About ads, you guys act as though the ads will be loading as you're fighting someone online. We also don't even know what the ad-banner will be displaying as far as ads, for all we know it could just be Aksys/Arcsys games or DLC info, or yes it could indeed be Charmin ads (ah... so soft!).

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Guys, Guys, GUYS! Your forgetting the REAL issue here...
There's an ADVERTISEMENT in a PAID game!

@Mechazawa Prime

Perhaps there was a print mistake and the character cost $.79 so the ads are to make up for the development costs, you know, consultant fees from Kojima and Spielberg

Isn't this the game where it costs like $50 to get all the DLC?

@Perfidious Sinn I think it's like 2 characters plus this one so I'd guess like 24 bucks

then again maybe there's non-character DLC, too. Yeah, I think there's extra costumes and extra colors. So you're probably right.

@Perfidious Sinn

5 dollars per DLC character and nearly another 5 for new character colors. So about 20 bucks assuming this other character is also 5. Overpriced indeed.

@Perfidious Sinn

It will be $21 for all 3 characters when this releases, but you don't need to buy them to play against them online. There are also character color packs, but I wouldnt pay money for colors. I'm not sure of the price for them, but its just a way for them to make some easy money in a very competitive genre.

Just like SSF4, Blazblue: CS was released at $40, the 3 DLC characters bring it up to just over $60 and that includes some comprehensive balance changes taken from a compeletely new arcade release for free, and honestly how will ads on menu screens affect the experience in any way. Some people are acting like in-game advertising has never been done before.

@Perfidious Sinn Not to mention announcer packs. I bought Jin's announcer pack when it came out, which is better than the default one. Plus it's Jin. I couldn't get a game in a decent amount of time online so I shelved the game a couple weeks after release.

F the challenges.

About time.

Maybe this will encourage all my friends to play again, they kind of rage quit because they were no match for my SOVIET POWER which is imbued into Tager.

I hereby coin the phrase 'NEOGEO Sneak Price' NGSP: where a game that is released incomplete for retail, charges the player a total amounting to NEOGEO game prices to unlock the full features.

Watch for it in Websters 2012 edition.

@Trilancer

Wow, a whole lot of ARC employees down voting anyone who complains, I guess they think its normal to charge $+1 for games these days.

I really hope they do the same thing that Capcom did for AE, but better:

Release CSII to retail for 360/PS3 after already giving the free patch to the existing playerbase. Release it for ~$40. Give us the extra characters and colours rolled onto the disc.

I would pick that up day one.

@Alexisonfire

Actually, that's pretty much the 3DS and PSP versions you are talking about. And I think they both have extra content the patch doesn't have (I think, not sure)

@Bluebreaker

None of my friends own PSPs.

The 3DS version doesn't have online.

@Alexisonfire
PSP one doesn't have online play either: http://www.siliconera.com/2011/03/25/differences-between-blazblue-continuum-shift-ii-on-nintendo-3ds-and-psp/

@Alexisonfire
I hope they do the same also. I think the 3ds and psp will have 1 extra mode and i think a story mode for the 3 character i'm not sure.

@The Aquacharger

At the time I read that article, I was only thinking about getting the 3DS. Must have glossed over the lack of online for the PSP...

@Alexisonfire
I figured you knew because there's a commenter by the same name who says "Wait. Wait. Neither has online?

Well... goddamnit. " about 3 weeks ago it says too.

@The Aquacharger

Well, then I guess I just forgot. Finals and all...

*snaps fingers*

@Alexisonfire
Understandable. Didn't mean to sound like a dick though.

Eight dollars for a single character?

Christ, you can get entire games for less than that on XBLA/PSN/Steam.

Does that purchase come with a cotton ball to dab on your bleeding asshole?

@Urethra Alfredo Good point. I think I'd rather be raped by awesome Steam savings than by a gigantic Tager.

It's about time. Been wanting Platinum more than anyone..after the ruined Rachel. This is FAR better than releasing another 40-60 dollar version of the game...all the whiners can shove it. Look at guilty gear series.....at least they arn't repeating that by releasing a completely "new" game with 3 new characters for full price every year. 24 dollars of DLC characters is FAR better

@Kougeru

Uh...you're not including the base purchase. I never paid more then $30 for a new copy of any of the Guilty Gears (except my precious LE for the Dreamcast).

Seeing that BB:CS is now $30 on Amazon, this whole event would cost more than just releasiing a whole game.

BUT HEY...banner ads. Who doesn't like banner ads?

@CaptainProtonX 30 dollars+24 i what my total payment for this game will be. Actually less, because my friends and I share our characters via PSN (ps3 ftw). 54 dollars total payment. still cheaper than paying 30 dollars for Continuum shift last summer then another 30 this summer. You're only thinking about new customers that waited almost a year to get the game.

@Kougeru

Yeah, cheaper.. by $6.

I'd rather spend the extra $6 to get the new CD + box.

Anyways, I really doubt they're going to release the game in a disc-format -- they have yet to announce it (AE disc-format was confirmed the same day the patch was confirmed) and also the game just isn't as popular (i.e. "free" patch -- nice little incentive to get previous players back into the game without worrying about $$$).

In any case, I'm definitely picking up Platinum when she comes out. Had a lot of practice with her in the PSP version (

@Narmo23

Wow, sorry for this double-post.

1. "$$$" = players not worrying about having to shell out more cash for the updated version.

2. "I'm definitely picking up Platinum when she comes out. Had a lot of practice with her in the PSP version (Remotejoylite ftw!)" was what I meant to say. Don't know why the last part got cut off..

I was tempted to buy this, but then I realized I'd be getting more content at a lower price if I just bought the 3DS version.

@Fuzunga

Without Online play, from what I understand.

Also without arcade sticks, if you're into that.

@Acosta02

Lack of arcade stick doesn't hurt as bad as SFIV since BB is a 4 button fighter, not 6.

But lack of online is unforgivable.

It's funny that what's happening now also happened on the SNES, except now it's more than just one company.

Lesson learned; never buy a fighting game from Capcom or Arc until 1-2 years and 3 editions later, when the complete games are actually released.