GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

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Intuitive controls
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Refreshing take on 2D fighting
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Impressive transition to PSP

Cons

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Character balance hasn't improved
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Will kill your fingers
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Animations have been cut down

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Even on PS3, BlazBlue isn’t as brutally input-intensive as Street Fighter, making intuitive control possible on the notoriously fiddly PSP – turning the most haphazard d-pad stabs into something eerily, almost psychically close to your exact intentions.

The HD sprites have been lovingly redrawn with low-res replicas, and not a move, mode, or character has been lost from PS3. You’re rewarded with unlocks and bonuses no matter how you choose to play, and it even rips a few treats from the forthcoming Continuum Shift update.

Aside from beat-‘em-up staples like Arcade and Versus, there’s Legion Mode – a finger-fracturing slog through countless blade-wielding brutes who’ll join your cause if you defeat them, culminating in an arthritis-inducing 5-on-5 scrap. It’s a perfect complement to the original, decent portable combo practice for experts, and a perfect introduction to a top series for game-shy PSP owners.