BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle - Additional Character All-in-One Pack (PlayStation 4) Review

Whatever the case with how this crossover fighting game has been (mis)handled, there is considerable appeal in the purchasing of this pack that combines all of the available downloadable characters for BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle. Blake and Yang of Team RWBY have been free to download since the beginning, so it isn't really fair for this to be advertised as a 20-character package. With that in mind, the actual paid-for DLC fighters totals 18, which are split into six separate packs of three if you desire to only pick up certain ones.

The full list of characters in this all-in-one pack includes: Platinum, Jubei, Hakumen, Izayoi, Mai, and Nine from BlazBlue; Kanji, Aegis, Naoto, Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Labrys from Persona; and Orie, Carmine, Vatista, Merkava, Yuzuriha, and Mika from Under Night In-Birth.

A great line-up that should cover most people's wishes for each series on show, but it is a shame the RWBY cast only locks in at four characters. Factoring in the blank spaces on the RWBY row, and the need to scroll along to see the hidden faces available for the other franchises, the character select screen looks pretty ridiculous. It really needs an update to display all fighters ready for picking at once… like pretty much every other fighting game.

The bizarre thing when it comes to pricing is that the deluxe bundle including the main game and character pack bellows in at £49.99. Buy each separately, though, and you fork up £48.98. Erm... What are deluxe bundle buyers being rewarded with, then? Well, aside from the privilege of handing over a bit of extra cash to Arc System Works... absolutely nothing. Not even the alternate character colours are included as an incentive to pick the full pack up, which remain as their own DLC outside of any bundle whatsoever. It seems in this day and age, deluxe bundles don't mean they include all available content.

What is offered in this character pack for £13.99 is pretty impressive when looked at as its own thing...but when you remember the base game that it is tied to, it is more difficult to see the value. That is unless, of course, the main game goes on sale. Pick Cross Tag Battle up once it hits a discounted rate alongside the character pack, and the worth becomes much greater. This is a game that deserves to be played with many of the unique DLC characters in this pack, but only at the right price.