Continuing in our series of exclusive BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2 features we were fortunate enough to chat to the game's director Toshimichi Mori. Mr. Mori's passion for the series is clear and he provides some fascinating insights into the development of the game and what the future holds for the series. We would like to thank him for his time and once again thank Arc System Works for their support and co-operation. Don't forget to check out our introductory feature if you're unfamiliar with BlazBlue.

Could you tell us a little about the BlazBlue franchise and how it stands out compared to other fighting games?

We deliberately set out to make a fighting game that felt very different from anything that had come before.

We wanted to make a fighting game that was entertaining on a number of levels - for people who don't normally like fighting games, for people who like to play on their own, for people who like anime and manga � while retaining the depth, individuality and exciting competitive play we've always strived for.

To do this we focused on a number of things, accessibility � making a fight system that anyone could pick up and play was important. We also focused on character design � making characters so unique, so unlike anything else, that there was no way anyone could say one character plays like another.

I also wanted to have a fighting game with a really deep story, it's something you don't see often and is an aspect that's very important to me.

The first BlazBlue game became incredibly popular almost instantly, and the franchise expanded very quickly. Are you happy with how BlazBlue has been received by gamers?

It has really taken us by surprise how well it has been received! We're really pleased by the range of gamer types that are enjoying BlazBlue. Of course it works as a hardcore fighting game for very serious, competitive players, but we're also seeing anime fans loving the story, lots of female fans, particularly cosplayers and artists, enjoying the characters � people seem to enjoy the world of BlazBlue, its universe, as much as the fighting gameplay itself.

Before BlazBlue, Arc System Works was famous for the Guilty Gear fighting games. Is there now a shift in focus away from that franchise and onto BlazBlue?

Guilty Gear is obviously still very important to us, but we are a small development team and BlazBlue has taken much of our time over the last few years! We are often asked if Guilty Gear will come back � I can say yes, you won't be disappointed, it will happen - but when? This I don't know.

How important is the story in BlazBlue and where does writing it fit during development?

It is absolutely central to everything in BlazBlue � I really wanted to make a fighting game that had a very strong story. For me 'a big tournament and everyone has to fight' is not enough!

I wanted to create a world that people could get involved with and talk about. I wanted people to have characters they like, and characters they didn't. To have characters that were good, but had bad elements to them. A fighting game is more fun when you're emotionally involved with the characters in the game, and understand why they are fighting each other.

I was also very concerned that some people feel they don't like fighting games � how can we get those people involved? I love anime and manga, and so I wanted to make something that could get those fans to try it � to take an interest in the BlazBlue world and characters. In Japan we have Visual Novels which are very popular, which are not so well known in the West. BlazBlue's story is very much in this style.

BlazBlue has a huge story. Every character has their own path through the story � with multiple endings depending on who you fight and if you win or lose. When you have finished those, you unlock a 'True' story, which explains more about the plot.

In BBCS2 for 3DS, we have also added stories specifically for Sector Seven � the science organisation in the world. And the NOL Academy � a kind of school for the ruling organization in the world.

Unusually for a fighting game there are very many hours of story to explore in BlazBlue so we hope you will enjoy it!

Can you tell us a little bit about the process of character creation? How many people work on developing fighters and are there any that don't make it into the final game?

This is the most complex part of BlazBlue. People often think that 2D fighting games are not as technically advanced as 3D fighters � but in some ways the opposite is true. When you make a 3D fighting game, you have a model, a puppet � all you have to do is apply the mathematics and physics to get them to move in the way you want.

With a 2D fighter, every movement, every subtle detail must be drawn, animated and refined � no matter how large or how small. It is a very difficult and very work intensive process - our fighters must be crafted very carefully.

The process of character creation begins with the conceptual stage � this takes about a year. Here we discuss what character types we'll have, how they'll fit into the story - we also discuss their likes and dislike, hobbies, motivations, allegiances etc, and then we look at ways of layering these details into character design. These things sound small � but in our view they are important, they help bring life into a character and help make them unique.

There are about 90 people here at Arc so we're quite a small team, we all have to work very hard � but it also has its benefits. Because we are so small � everyone can have a voice � can contribute to how a game takes shape. If you have an idea you can just come out and say it, and the team can take it on board. But someone has to say yes or no at some point � so there were lots of arguments � and some fighters didn't make it, and many characters went through a number of different looks and styles before we settled on their final look.

When we worked on Guilty Gear � this next stage was very difficult. With the concept stage complete, the process of animating and creating the sprites began. When you work with many different artists, inevitably there are slight stylistic differences from artist to artists � bringing all these together, unifying and animating and adjusting for difference was very time consuming. The prospect of doing this with high resolution sprites would have been daunting.

In the four years prior to BlazBlue, I had developed a new system to make this process easier and we used this for the first time with BlazBlue. Once the concepts are finalised, we make 3D models of all the characters. These are used as reference for all the artists so we can keep stylistic variance to a minimum.

It's not just a case of using the 3D models and tracing them back into 2D. This would not be attractive. One of the benefits to sticking with 2D artwork is that we can give our characters a warmth that 3D fighters can't match.

We manipulate and tweak each and every sprite. For example, we slightly elongate the legs in kicks for certain characters � or we enlarge the fists at the point of impact, or we add flourishes and details to expression or movement, to help bring out a characters personality more.

In the end, each character consists of over 1000 separate sprites � so you can hopefully imagine the amount of work that's involved in BlazBlue!

Continuum Shift 2 is the first game in the series to be developed for a Nintendo console. What would you describe the difference is developing for a Nintendo console compared to others?

All consoles have their differences to work with certainly � the most obvious challenge we faced with 3DS was reworking the art and assets at different resolutions and working with different memory and capacity etc. Development aside, the most exciting prospect for us working on 3DS is that it gives us an opportunity to show our game to new players � we're looking forward to seeing how they react to what we've created!

With the 3DS having a fairly slow launch, and Sony's Vita being even more expensive, is there a worry among developers about the future of handheld gaming systems?

The technology landscape is always changing � mobile phones for example are becoming a popular gaming device so handheld gaming will always be around. At Tokyo Game Show both Vita and 3DS had lots of support from developers � it will be interesting to see how the future works out for them.

Have you incorporated any of the 3DS' features, such as StreetPass and SpotPass?

We have not added this support, we wanted to work on making an accurate port of BBCS2.

What kind of approach did you take to make use of 3DS' stereoscopic 3D? �Do you think it's a big deal in a 2D fighting game?

Yes, this was interesting for us! A 2D fighting game in 3D � how would such a thing work? In some ways, we had tackled this problem when we developed the game first time around.

How would we get 2D sprites to work against 3D backgrounds � this original problem proved a very big challenge for us. We spend over a year trying to get it right and went through many different revisions.

In the end we used a combination of 3D models and 2D layers in the background, and used lightnig and shading techniques to blend them together. The result were backgrounds that had unique feeling of depth and focus � when 3DS came along, the 3D feature really amplified this feeling, which was an interesting and fortuitous outcome!

With the detailed 2D sprites layered in front of the 3D backgrounds, you get a very unique effect which is very striking!

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift 2 joins many other fighting games already released on 3DS. Do you think the game is unique enough to appeal to people alongside the likes of Street Fighter and Tekken?

Anyone who plays BlazBlue, on whichever format � the main thing that people always talk about is how it's different from any other fighting game they've ever played. One thing no one can accuse BlazBlue of being is ordinary or familiar!

This uniqueness in gameplay comes down to the drive system. In BlazBlue, you have 3 attack buttons - weak, medium and strong. This simple system is easily comboable and makes BlazBlue very accessible. You then have the fourth button � 'Drive'. This button is key to your characters unique abilities. With Jin it uses his Ice attacks, with Rachel you can control the direction of the wind. For Carl it controls Nirvana his puppet or with Arakune you can attack with insects.

Every character in BlazBlue is completely unique � and many have likened the characters as individual games in themselves, in that they have their own stystems and styles and take some time to fully explore.

When you combine the simple attacks with the drive system � not to mention the mobility options of dashes, and air dashes you have a fighting system that's extremely deep.

We're always excited about future consoles might hold. Have you gotten hold of a Wii U development kit yet? Any big ideas for that system?

We don't have anything planned for WiiU at this stage � but of course we will always look at all systems and see what opportunities and audiences they can offer us.

You're developing new BlazBlue titles at an impressive rate. Are there any others in the works?

We'll, the story has yet to be concluded � so yes, I will continue to work on BlazBlue until the story's end!

Capcom's Street Fighter and Namco's Tekken series are joining forces for a cross-over game next year. If there's one other series you'd want to see BlazBlue cross-over with, what would it be?

Lots of people ask if we'd ever make a BlazBlue vs Guilty Gear � as a concept it could be fun and lots of people seem to want it to happen! But for me, right now, BlazBlue's universe needs to stand on its own. I think that bringing another game into the universe would break it somehow � sometimes I think cross over games are not always a good idea for the universe of a particular game or series.

You are working on a Persona fighting game with Atlus, would you like to work on other creators' properties like this in the future? Maybe with Nintendo characters?

People have looked at what we do at Arc with BlazBue and Guilty Gear and have started to sit back and take notice at the quality of our art and our visual style. This is very flattering and we have been approached by Atlus and also Konami for Hard Corps. If companies would like to use our services it is we will of course be open to that � I'm sure we will we work with other companies and properties in future.

You've already announced BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend for the Vita. Are you planning on bringing any of the extra features to the 3DS version, like you are with the 360 and PS3 versions of the game?

At the moment BBCS2 on 3DS is the most complete version of BlazBlue available � whether we bring Extend to 3DS we couldn't say. It depends on how successful BlazBue proves to be on the console.

How important do you think revisions are to a fighting game versus direct sequels?

One thing that's important to note is that when you have a fighting game as deep as BlazBlue - you get a very strong community surrounding it and lots of competitive play. When you have a game payed at a high level for an extended period of time, revisions are necessary to fuel that community.

Rebalancing, new characters � in high level play, a small difference is a very big difference! So revisions are important, they keep the scene healthy and growing � which is particularly true of the arcade scene.

Now of course, if we made revisions to an arcade version people will want to see these come to console also, and would be angry if we didn't supply them! We try to balance these revisions that are in demand from the hardcore community and also the full or direct sequels too, so we keep both happy!

Fighting games are popular once again on the market, what's your take on this? Are you afraid this "trend" will go away soon?

Gaming trends rise and fall all the time � it's an inevitability. We're happy that fighting games are popular again certainly! I think it's the responsibility of fighting game developers to look beyond the core fighting gameplay. To expand the entertainment outside that, which is why BlazBlue's story became such an important focus for us. The other important part of this is to support the fighting game community as much as possible and help it grow.

The fighting game community is very social � one of the few gaming communities that go out of their way to promote play together in the same location rather than online. This is growing all the time.

People say that the arcade is dead in the west, but they don't mention that the fighting game scene is growing � where people come together at a location to fight side by side. In this sense, the spirit of the arcade is still alive in the west. As long as these great communities exist then there is a future for fighting games.

Lately there's been a lot of talk about the differences between Western and Japanese game development, which many say is getting stale and unambitious. What is your take on the matter? When developing, do you make any effort to adapt the games to the Western market?

I think developers should focus on what it is their doing. What do they want to create, how can they make their games entertaining, how can they bring creativity and uniqueness to what they do? If this is the focus then good, entertaining, and original games will follow.

When I develop games I think about what I like, what I want to do, the kind of experience I want people to try. I want to make a game that I would like to play myself.

In the case of BlazBlue � I love anime and I love fighting games � I wanted to combine the two things. I wanted to make a game that anime fans or fighting game fans would love no matter where they came from. This has been my focus � not where those fans lived. Geography is not as important as making a great game.

Which BlazBlue fighter would you like to battle against yourself and do you think you could win?�

It would have to be Hakumen! I came up with the idea of this character when I was still in school � so he is my favourite. Would I be able to beat him? Ha, he's pretty badass.