Metareview: Bleach: The Blade of Fate

Somehow, we just never see a lot of news on the Bleach games. There never seem to be many screenshots or videos -- probably since the games for the DS and Wii have been out for so long in Japan already -- that the glowing reviews for Bleach: The Blade of Fate just seemed to come out of nowhere. Treasure's effort is being hailed as a rival to the import classic Jump Super Stars, and as for English-language DS fighters, apparently, there is no comparison. Fan of the anime/manga or not, if you like fighters, it sounds like this may be one you don't want to miss.

IGN -- 85%: Despite a few dropped matches and a little Wi-Fi slowdown, IGN reviewers struggled to find anything negative. "Treasure lives up to its reputation in delivering system-pushing presentation ... Bleach is hands-down the best fighter on the system. We aren't fans of the anime, we've only seen a few episodes in preparation for the game's coverage, but Bleach still won us over, as it plays extremely well, has tons of options, and pulls off some seriously impressive 2D work on DS. The sheer amount of extravagant attacks and system-filling combos should be enough to win over fans of the anime, but the core gameplay is where Bleach wins over the rest of us, delivering a stronger fighting mechanic than nearly any pocket battler out there."

Modojo -- 80%: Modojo checked out the Japanese import earlier this year and found a solid experience. "The character's fighting styles differ substantially and give the game a real flair that other fighters often lack. The fighting has tournament level depth, and advanced players could spend hours working on juggling air combos, jump and guard cancels, and super attacks ... Overall, Bleach: Souten ni Kakeru Unmei succeeds where most other handheld fighting titles fail. It offers an inspiring, deep combat system, a replay value extended greatly by the games connection features, and a wonderful experience for anyone already enamored by the anime or manga."

NintendoWorldReport -- 80%: Despite some issues with the card system, they found the Japanese import worth playing. "... Bleach DS features a card system that pretty much breaks the game in multiplayer. In single player it's harmless and even seems "cool" at times. However, level four cards are hard to earn, and this where the system completely unbalances multiplayer games. It's no longer a game of raw fighting skill, but a game of who has the best cards and can stack them in his favor ... Despite the detrimental card system, Treasure has put together a pretty solid title that can appeal to fighting game fans as well as Bleach fans."