Being the fighter fan that I am, I had to pick this game up. Rest assured, I was not disappointed.
#1: The Story:
Fighting games tend to avoid going in depth with any story elements, sometimes to the point that they're nonexistent, but if anyone says that this game doesn't have an in-depth story, they are lying. You'll notice some conversations between characters during fights and in the Arcade mode, but there also exists a story mode that outlines the events of both games. The story takes place in the year 2200, and is focused mainly on the abrasive protagonist Ragna the Bloodedge, and the maniacal scientist Yuki Terumi. Terumi is plotting behind the scenes to destroy the entire world, and pretty much everyone is coming after him to prevent such a catastrophe. I won't go into much more detail (because the review would be obscenely long), but the story is consistent and even interesting. There are a couple flaws with the story mode though. At times there is way too much dialogue between battles and it gets kind of boring. There are also spelling errors within the game. They even misspell the protagonist's name! That is just unbelievable. All in all, the story is well constructed. All of the events of both games mix together seamlessly.
#2: The Gameplay:
Okay, let's get this out of the way. This is a two-dimensional fighter, but it is NOT like Street Fighter. In fact, if you had any sort of strategies you used in Street Fighter and you expect them to work in this game, just forget about it. It is nothing like Street Fighter. Blazblue is a fast-paced fighting game that's easy enough to learn, but takes time and a lot of patience to master. A lot of games have long tutorial sections that treat the player like a moron and assume that they have no idea what they're doing. This is one of those games where that is optional. Maybe you played the first game and you're used to the game, you don't have to go through that. Let's assume I'm a complete idiot like today's games assume I am. I'm jumping right into this game with no idea what to expect. Oh hey, there's a thing that says 'Tutorial'. I'll look at that then. See? The characters in the game all have completely different movesets, strengths and weaknesses. Some characters will be faster, have more health, have more damaging attacks, or be easier to use. You will NOT get away with projectile spamming in this game. There's only one character who has any moves that are really spammable, and they won't get you very far most of the time. You will get rushed and beaten down. Also, combos and juggles are a lot easier to perform than in Street Fighter because you have a different kind of control over your character. A lot of attacks cancel into dashes or jumps, so you can juggle your opponent a lot if you know how. Special moves are relatively easy to perform, but if you're new to fighting games or not used to the quarter circle or half circle-type movements with the D-Pad, there is an option to change the controls so that performing special moves is easier. Characters have also been rebalanced compared to the first game. Some characters were a bit underpowered in the first game, but all that's been fixed. There are also Unlimited characters, which are basically overpowered boss characters that offer you an opportunity to be an a$$hole towards your friend, but even then they have weaknesses. The game can range from pathetically easy to punishingly difficult, depending on a lot of variables, but it's consistently enjoyable and victory never seems out of reach.
#3 Design and Presentation:
Blazblue has sprite based characters with fully rendered 3D backgrounds. The two mix together surprisingly well, creating an interesting contrast and making it all seem somewhat believable. The sprites are well drawn and well animated. While some people might be put off by the anime look of the game, it's not as bad as some other Japanese games, which tend to put more of these elements in than most people can stand (being a fan of Japanese animation, even I have limits for that). This is also a very flashy game. The effects for all of your special moves are candy for your eyes, and the combinations you can do can go from simple into the realm of the ridiculous. The music in this game just kicks a$$. While you might focus more on not getting your head handed to you during the gameplay, you have to appreciate how far they went with the musical score. Like with Guilty Gear, the music was composed by Daisuke Ishiwatari, who always goes the extra mile with the music. Every theme in the game is distinct and perfectly fits the situations occurring within the game. This is also one of those games that's designed to challenge the player, so don't get too upset if you can't beat a certain boss or character. It forces you to practice and keep playing so that you get better at it. The overall design and presentation is something to be admired.
Blazblue Continuum Shift Extend is an impressive improvement to the previous game with a lot of rebalances and changes across the board. It all comes together to make a fighter that you'll be occupied with for quite a while.