Bleach DS: Souten ni Kakeru Unmei is fun, but almost too addictive.
Gameplay: The is honestly the best part of this game....obviously. In case you didn't know, Bleach DS is a 2D fighting game similar to the Marvel vs. Capcom games. This game has very tight controls and is almost euphoric to play "oh yeah, yeah thats the spot, ooooooooooh" *cough*cough* sorry... I went a little too far there. Anyway the game responds to every button press. This game is not just your typical button masher though, there are a series of combos and super combos that take up special meters. These special attacks are pulled off by a certain button combination, or can be activated by the touchscreen with an easy press of your thumb. It takes tactics and skills to master this game, and be assured, it is not a pushover game (that is unless you are on easy mode...duh). On with the review....
Graphics: This game has a very nice 2D animated look. It isn't the best and you can't really make out the faces of the characters onscreen unless you look really well. It does not push the DS's graphical capabilities all that much although the character drawings in the title screen and cutscenes are very well drawn and are not pixelated at all.
Sound: The character attacks are all from the japanese character voices and are a nice touch. The attacks each have their own specific sound also. The background music is a bit....how do you put it.....stereophonic. Maybe my expectations are just too high though. There is also a nice little touch on the main selection screen because whenever you highlight the japanese option, someone on screen says the option you are trying to choose like for arcade mode the speaker would say "arrrrrcayduh mow doooooh!" (those last quotes were spoken in a japanese accent if you didn't know...)
Value: This game has a really good length and learning curve. The story mode takes a good while too complete and it teaches you the basics. You will spend many hours trying to unlock all of the characters. The arcade mode is also very fun and will also take quite some time to finish for all of the characters to get all of the level 2, 3, and 4 level cards. You can also construct decks which isn't really that excitiing but...well...it is something to do when there is absolutely nothing left to do. This probably won't be the case though because Bleach DS is online, yes thats right, ONLINE! This is what makes the game even longer although when you are matched up it might not always be an equal matching considering newcomers may have a lot of really good cards that would give them a very high advantage. Having a battle without cards is better in my opinion. This game also supports sing card multiplayer.
Overall: Awesome game, really good story (if you can read english), great cutscene pics, awesome multiplayer, and everything else you could ask for in a really good 2D fighter for the DS. In conclusion, BUY IT, BUY IT, BUY IT!