"And you thought the japanese version was good..."

I, like many others, was an importer of the japanese Bleach DS of which Blade of Fate (BoF) is the english port. As such I was one of the many players heralding Bleach DS as surprisingly one of the best anime based fighting games ever, arguably comparable with the best fighting games ever regardless of license. It was high praise indeed but it was warranted. When I learned an english version was to be released I was happy for sure, but I did already own the japanese version so how much it would effect me I didn't forsee. I planned to purchase it, but I wondered if it would just end up collecting dust as I'd already played the japanese version for hundreds of hours.

And then I got it... and what I found was everything that made the japanese version great and so much more. They took an already fantastic game and tweaked and polished all its corners. Bleach:BOF truly is a master piece that any bleach or fighting game fan should behold.

Story: This time around I actually got to read the story and I have to say its quite well done. It basically follows the soul society arc but with lots of little changes here and there to increase the number of battles. Some of the dialogue is pretty ackward or ridiculous but even those times resulted in laughs for me so I wasn't complaining. Ichigo's story is the longest but pretty much everyone relevant gets something for story which is nice. As some one who recently got bleach wii as well I've seen how to do story the wrong way and this defiantly does it the right way. If you like Bleach you'll probably like it, if you don't like bleach... eh, nothings too overly long, but there is significant dialogue after ever fight so just be prepared to skip through dialogue alot (and watch for red text which is special win conditions characters tell you about).

Graphics: Relatively unchanged from the japanese version they are still spot on, everyone looks like themselves and most of their moves are still nice and flashy. Theres tons of nice anime still frame cutscenes during story mode and to be unlocked. Very nice job overal.

Sound: All the voices have been replaced with the english VAs, so if you don't like the english VAs thats bad news, but overal I've felt the english VAs have done a pretty decent job and most of them fit their characters pretty well. They have left the awesome japanese intro sound intact which is a very VERY nice move on their part, I was very afraid it was going to get the axe like so many japanese video game intros. The rest of the music and sound effects appear to be the same as well which is a good thing cause the sound was pretty solid in the japanese version.

Gameplay: The battle system is just as deep as it was in the japanese version, easy to learn, hard to master. However as great as the japanese versions balance was, this one has taken things to another level. Several key flaws in the system that were commonly abused have been corrected, air blocking no longer makes you invincible as ground attacks can still hit you. The human characters who couldn't keep up with the others because of lack of flash step now have a human version of flash step added to allow them to be just as competitive as the rest. Abusive specials and supers like soi fons ninja calling and Byakuya's sword calling can now be disrupted forcing players to think before using them instead of just spamming them like mindless animals. The card system is still left as iits cool and unique self but a handful of cards that were over powered or abusive have been nixed or re-balanced. The list goes on and on. They didn't just port this game, they really took the time to tweak and improve its handful of flaws to create a now nearly flawless game. Its worth mentioning though that the character still retain their very unique styles, with only a few exceptions almost no characters play like each other, everyone feels different which was one of the biggest strengths of the original.

Replay Value: All fighting games have alot of replay value due to multiplayer, and with online play this game has even more replay value then most. But if you don't like playing others this game also has an enormous amount of single player content. Tons of story mode campaigns, each unique. Arcade mode with special prizes for every character, tons of unlockables in a shop you buy with money you earn in the other modes, tons of cards and outfits, and sounds and art to collect. Theres a challenge mode where there are tons of cool combos for every character and you go through trying to pull off the combos that it leads you through step by step. The really is just a ton to do in this game, and if you enjoy fighters it can keep you busy for a very long time.

Final word: What can I say, they took a great game and made it better. If you like fighting games, give this game a chance, if you like bleach, give this game a chance, if you like bleach and fighting games, buy this immediatly, you won't regret it. Heck even if you own the japanese version like me I suggest buying this game, they really did improve it enough to warrant a second purchase in opinion.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/15/07

Game Release: Bleach: The Blade of Fate (US, 10/09/07)