Jaime | 
July 16, 2009 | 
This month Lens of Truth is giving away BlazBlue! Click to learn how to participate.
“Which version Blazes Blue and which version just Blew?”
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| Aksys Games |  |
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| Arc Systems Works | 1 | 1 |
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| Fighting | n/a | n/a |
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| Release: 06/30/09 | 7 sec | 5 sec | Release: 06/30/09 | |||||||||
| ESRB: T |
Low | Low | ESRB: T |
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Head2Head: BlazBlue – Calamity Trigger
Length: 00:07:56 Which version of BlazBlue wins this Head2Head? |
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Welcome back for another exciting Head2Head Edition. This time the Lens of Truth finally got the chance to sit and compare the two versions of the highly anticipated BlazBlue – Calamity Trigger. BlazBlue is the first 2D next-gen fighting game that we’ve compared, but let’s just say it was worth the wait.
BlazBlue – Calamity Trigger was developed by the staff behind the Guilty Gear series, and with that said, BlazBlue has some high standards to live up to! To start, the graphics in each game are remarkably close, especially the 2D characters. Besides the brightness and contrast differences, the characters nearly look identical. But BlazBlue isn’t just a 2D fighting game; it also has some 3D elements to it, like the backgrounds. BlazBlue – Calamity Trigger reminded me a lot of Marvel vs Capcom 2 when it first came out, and I was just as impressed with BlazBlue as I was with MVC2. The 2D sprites and 3D background look isn’t anything new, but when done right it looks great. This is one of those occasions.
The 3D backgrounds looked equivalent and if you weren’t comparing them side by side, I guarantee you wouldn’t notice a difference. At first, it seemed that the Xbox 360’s 3D background models had higher resolution texture maps, but at second glance they really weren’t. The Xbox 360’s textures are slightly sharper, due to the less agressive mipmapping, but the texture resolutions are identical. The games are so close it really comes down to which controller you prefer. I personally like the PlayStation 3’s controller when it comes to fighting games so I’m getting it for my PS3.
Roll over to see the differences.
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Roll over to see the differences.
In conclusion: Once again we see another team deliver a game that’s so close it comes down to which controller feels more comfortable in your hands. The graphics, load times, frame-rate and game play were so close it resulted in a tie. As much as I don’t like declaring ties, this is exactly what this game industry needs. Imagine, the only difference in a multi-platform game was the controllers and slight loading differences! Now as for the game, I personally loved it. I’ve always love the style of the Guilty Gear series and this is right on par with them. I definitely see this being one of my all time favorite fighting games next to X-Men Vs Street fighter and MVC2. I highly recommend buying this game unless you happen to win it in our game giveaway contest; regardless, it’s a win/win situation and you won’t be disappointed.
| G R A P H I C S | ||
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Tie! The characters are a perfect one to one match down to the pixel. PlayStation 3’s backgrounds look slightly blurry due to the more aggressive mipmapping, but overall there is no texture quality downsizing. |  |
| P E R F O R M A N C E | ||
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Tie! With all the textures, character animations, and effects, there’s never a slow down on either system. |
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| C O N T R O L | ||
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PlayStation 3 wins by having the superior d-pad and overall controller. I can’t tell you how many times we had to recapture the Xbox 360 version when we simply wanted to walk left. Sometimes we would jump, sometimes we would crouch. Every time we would curse. |  |
| L O A D I N G | ||
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The Xbox 360 wins by mere seconds. Keep in mind though, the PlayStation 3 required no installation, unlike other PlayStation 3 games. |
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| O U T C O M E | ||
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Tie! The PlayStation 3 has better controls, but the Xbox 360 has better load times. Both wins are so minute you will not be disappointed if you buy this game for either system. Congrats goes out to making a near perfect port and a beautiful looking game. | |
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Beautiful looking game! PS3 version all the way because of the superior controller. What’s the point of playing this on the Xbox 360 if you’re going to get frustrated the entire time.
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you loser, who plays with the d-pad anyway, true fight fans use an arcade stick, plus the 360 has better- sharper graphics on this
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but it doesn’t. it does have a ever so slightly richer colour pallet, but at the same time the ps3 version’s textures are slightly more visible because the 360 version has darker shades. so they tie out in graphics. since a couple seconds of loading is just gravy, i’d say the ps3 version wins because of the better d-pad. i always buy my fighters on ps3 because of that very reason. sure some poeple have fight sticks, but thats a pretty small minority. but outside of almost defult controller victory due to the ps3 hardware itself and not actually the game, its a straight up tie and both versions are nearly identical. all just comes down to that d-pad.
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yea but sometimes im too lazy and just grab a stock controller.. i would rather choose the ps3 one over 360. i own ssf2thdr on both systems, and sf4 and i play them on ps3 more than 360. rarely play the 360 one unless its against my friends who only have them 360.
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I totally agree.The pixel shading in the backgrounds are clearly superior in the 360 version.I don’t see how the reviewer calls the graphics on this one a tie?Yeah the characters are identical but the shading and lighting on the backgrounds are clearly better on the 360.PS3 controller is better but xbox wins on the background graphics here.
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I thought the same thing. The texture detail is better on the 360 version when you scroll over the screenshots. I also thought the color and contrast ratio was better on the 360. This one should have gone to the 360.
Graphical comparisons should not include controller differences, since not everybody uses the same controller. I have a modded 360 controller with custom D-Pad and thumbsticks, and I also have an arcade-style stick/gamepad for PS3 and 360. I just want to know which version objectively looks better.
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not sure if its the contrast or the console. But with those screenshots i thought 360 looked better easily.
not sure how its a tie. Must be contrast, otherwise 360 looks way better.
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Interesting tie. At first I was tempted to vote for Playstation 3 to be the winner because of the controls. But then I thoght about how frustrating it can be when you have to wait for loading time and thought it must be a tie.
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PS3 doesn’t have the superior controller it has the superior D-pad. 360 has the overall superior controller from the triggers to the analog sticks.
Anyways 360 version for me.
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360 version for me because of the sharper graphics and better thumbstick support. Not to mention the online.
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Both of them have online modes, and from what I’ve read they are identical.
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ps3 has a superior Fighter Controller, thats what I think he said.
I love the ps3 L1 and R1, but R2 and L2 I prefer 360s triggers.
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If I’m not mistaking I heard this is one of the few Blu ray disc games you can use Remote Play with, so you can play on your PSP if you have one. That gives the PS3 version the edge for me. But it seems both are great choices.
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have you ever playsed a game through remote play? sure you can play the ps3 version on your psp, but its like playing a youtube video
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Actually we have confirmed that Lair can be played through remote play with your PSP. There are other features of remote play that most people don’t even know about. But that a whole other topic.
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emmerin:
You are not that smart. You see when you wrote “true fight fans use arcade sticks”. Not every true fighting fan likes arcane sticks, like myself. So no, you’ve got it all wrong. And im pretty sure ALL true fighting fans cant afford some extra edition for an arcade stick.
And for the average loading time, the list says its two more seconds on the PS3 versions. Is those two tiny seconds something that can judge wether one or another version is better? Nonsense..
As i’ve always thought and always will, fighting games should be played on the PS3 and no crappy PC or 360.
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PC crappy? PC versions tend to look way better than any console version and have a fully customizable control input.
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Truth, but do they make arcade sticks for pc? I’ve never seen one. I’m sure they do…I don’t see why not..
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Think about it. Arcade sticks are nostalgic but archaic; the quickest and fastest way to hit up/down/left/right is with a d-pad, you idiots. The only advantage is with the face buttons where it’s easy to hit 3-4 buttons at the same time with the arcade style.
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That’s nonsense Commando. All fighting games were meant to be played with an arcade stick. How well can you do Zangief’s spinning pile driver motion on a d-pad…..Not at all. Besides saying the arcade stick is archaic is ridiculous..if this were the case then we should get rid of the wheel because it was invented so long ago. Remember Commando if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
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Speed only goes so far; input accuracy and hand fatigue are also a factor. Try doing double-fireballs or opposite-side motions (like sonic booms) for a while, and a stick’s advantages become pretty apparent.
Also, if speed really was that much of a factor, wouldn’t people be using them in arcades and for competitions? They don’t, because sticks are superior for this type of gameplay.
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I chose the PS3 cause of it’s extra feature that lets you play it on the PSP. The dpad on 360 isn’t even a factor for me because you should be playing on a aracde stick or a fightpad for fighting games on 360. Anyway, I bought the 360 version mainly because of LIVE.
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lol i have both and trust me on a hdtv ps3 looks more detailed ……
360 version looks dark as hell u can’t c the background all that well.
sorry 360 fans , is a good system but is starting 2 show is age.
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You’re full of it. I have both consoles and all I can say is that you don’t have a clue what you are saying.
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Hey LOT according to your briefs on the two system the 360 can run on 1080i or 1080p. Is it native resolution or upscaled?
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haha yea i hate how people dont realize the 360 is only 720p and upscales to 1080i/p.. thats like saying playing a dvd in a upscaled dvd player makes it HD-DVD.
i had a crap load of customers who bought HD-DVDs and said, “why doesnt it play in my dvd player? i have a HD TV?”
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The native resolution of BlazBlue is 720p and is upscaled to 1080i/p on the Xbox 360. This upscaling is done with the Xbox 360’s GPU – Xenos. The PlayStation 3’s GPU lacks the ability to upscale and requires additional software engineering to make it happen. This is why we list all resolutions as supported on the Xbox 360 and some on the PlayStation 3.
Also to note, the PlayStation 3 version of BlazBlue had an error on its packaging. They stated the game supported 1080i. This was a typo and confirmed by Aksys Games.
BlazBlue 1080i Errata
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Thanks for the confirmation Corey! I wish consumers were informed of that 360 was upscaled since in a way i could deter a person who owns both consoles from purchasing it on the PS3.
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360 version for me.. i have a fight pad..
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Well it seems that xbox360 version has little more details in some parts of the 3D enviroments. character sprites are excatly the same on both. x0 version is little darker too. Odly the ps3 version doesnt support 1080i resolution O__o
Ps3 has the superior D-pad, but true figter doesnt play with D-pad. But for normal gamers like me, ps3 D-pad is a win. Plus on that the ps3 version has Remote play so you can play BB on your psp when your not on your ps3. The quality is good and theres no lag present due to that the ps3 streams its so good and fast, give it a try.
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Politically correct comparison.
The control difference is significant enough to warrant a PS3 win.
I own neither console but have a 360 controller for my PC and it sucks!
Even if you have a different pad for your 360 you still have to make an extra investment for these games while the PS3 controller plays very well out of the box.
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No, you have it backwards. This was a diplomatic conclusion to appease fans of both sides, but not in the way you are saying.
It is clear the 360 has a bit of an edge in the graphics and that is what these comparisons are about–they are technical comparisons giving us the objective facts about the graphical performance of games so that we can make informed buying decisions.
The question of controller preference is very subjective and really doesn’t have anything to do with the technical, graphical performance of the two versions. A controller can always be changed by the user, the graphics cannot.
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I always find it ridiculous to compare visuals and say one is crisper, deeper blacks, etc…
Surely if you tweak your LCD or Plasma’s settings then you can balance all that out. I’ve recently had a closer look at my Bravia’s X-Series settings (especially the DRC pallete) and now my games look MUCH MUCH better than they used to! Blazes Blue also looks way better than any of these screenshots too.
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Your TV is a huge factor on how the image is reproduced. The same thing can be said about your computer monitor. Just remember, the screen shots you see here are captured directly from the PS3/Xbox 360. Each screen shot is exactly what was output (minus some jpeg compression)from the console, however the image will be displayed different from monitor to monitor.
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Very close in terms of graphics. I went with the ps3 version due to
-remote play
-bonus Blu-ray disc (instead of dvd)
-ps3 controller’s d-pad
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360 all the way! The graphics are sharper and runs every reolution! I also prefer using analog sticks as they mimic fight sticks and is an easier way to play for me. I do have a DOA fight stick as well and use it when I don’t have friends over. Stupid cord!
Also, I want more DOA!
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I can’t imagine playing any fighting game with the 360’s clunky controller. And seeing as how I’m not into the whole stick scene, it’s ps3 for me.
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Isnt darker and more Vibrant usually better though? honestly, do you think well ever get to a time where both versions are always the same?
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PS3 sticks or any other stick that uses USB should work fine with PCs, and most can be automatically recognized as a Game Controller by Windows(dunno how Macs are for this). I got a Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 stick partly because of this, and I think the Hori BlazBlue sticks should be fine too. Try checking the Shoryuken forums for stick compatibility.
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I kinda like the PS3 visuals better. 360s seems too vibrant.
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I am sorry lens of truth, but i dont agree on this one. Loading should not carry more weight than controls.
“mere secounds” put the aweful 360 controls to draw with the vastly superior sony dpad.
Controls are what make a game and i for one would gladly wait a couple of secounds to play a game which controls alot better.
The 360 d pad is the living devil for fighters(imagine mortal kombat-*cringes), the buttons are also bad for bashing as they are not flush.
PS3 wins in my book.
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Hmm…the texture detail seems sharper and more delineated on the 360. I also like the richer colors and deeper contrast of the 360 version. I am sorry, but I would have given this one to the 360. Not a huge difference, but the difference is there. The PS3 version is still a great looking game though.
I’m starting to realize why I rely more on Digital Foundry’s comparisons. They are much more in depth and less wishy washy. Their comparisons are more precise and in depth and they tell it like it is.
I do, however, gain some valuable information from your comparisons, so thanks for that. Keep up the good work, but try to be a little more accurate and not so concerned about stepping on any toes. People in your position can’t be concerned with how people will react. Your job is to report the facts as they are. Some people are mature enough to value the facts, others will be offended. Asi es la vida.
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ive been playing both, i own the ps3 ver. my friend has it on 360.. and we both like it on ps3.
we found some weirdness though… if you change the language on the ps3 version to japanese, the game loads faster! like 1 to 2 seconds, instead of the 4 or 5 seconds on english voice.
very strange.
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a 2D fighting game like guilty gear, yeah.
Stick or D-Pad that is the question.
I always had played fighting games in arcade machines that’s why i am more comfortably with the analog stick (except in DBZ Burst Limit that’s why i have it on PS3 XD), but the PS3 D-Pad is comfortable for fighting games too.
So im going to buy the 360 version by the sharper backgrounds in this game.
regards
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The inclusion of remote play for the PS3 version makes that version the winner to me
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…How is this a tie, and Tekken 6 isn’t?
Ok, I’ll agree it’s a tie, but how comes controls wasn’t mentioned in Tekken ?
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