Has anyone played Bleach: The Blade of Fate for the DS?  It somehow slipped by my radar when the localized version came out in October, but I've heard nothing but good things since it came out in Japan like two years ago.  (And now I understand that they're nearly up to the third game in the series, forthcoming this year.)

I'm not familiar with the anime series -- never even seen a single episode -- but the prospect of a fighting game by Treasure akin to the likes of Samurai Shodown or The Last Blade has me most intrigued.  Opinions?

I have played this game.  It plays very well as a fighter, especially over Wi-Fi.

The basic gameplay works like this:
Each character has about 3-4 trademark special attacks from the series, and 1-2 super attacks.  Each character has two other meters (3-levels for each meter): one for defensive moves and one for offensive moves.   There are also two planes on the field, like the original Fatal Fury.  All characters have the ability to air dash and air block.  As with any fighter, some characters are better than others, and after playing most of them, some of the characters have a sameness feel to them. 

Another special feature is the card deck.  You configure your deck pre-battle.  The deck contains cards that affect you or the enemy's attack, defense, movement, etc. for a short time.  You will be able to obtain or buy new cards.  During the match, you activate the card by touching the the touch screen.  This is obviously hard to do with a stylus, so you have to use your thumb. 

The game also has an alternate button scheme.  Instead of hitting the buttons to attack, you can use the touch screen for some of them, including special moves (so you don't have to do the controller motion)

In story mode, you go through all the major characters.  All except Ichigo's is linear.   Ichigo's storyline, which is the first one you play, has branching paths.  In order to go down the correct branch, you have to win story battles under certain conditions.  Sometimes, in any character's story mode, you'll fight 1 vs. 2 or 2 vs. 2 battles.

Voice acting is from the English dub, and it is decent.

There are some really tough players on Wi-Fi.

In conclusion, while most anime-based games suck, this one does it right.

Sold!  Gonna have to pick the game up this week; I'll be lending some impressions soon after.  Thanks Stephen!

Have fun beating the crap out of people the Bankai way.

Do not pick up the Bleach on the Wii.  That one was NOT done by Treasure, and it shows.

Apparently, Bleach DS did well enough in Japan that a sequel was made, but upon looking at the gamefaqs reviews, I think Treasure had trouble topping itself.

Dang. That's the only one I have, although I am only borrowing it, so that's a good thing. I've always wanted to try a good fighting game on the Wii to see what kind of wacky controls they come up with. Still, although I love Bleach, I have little love for fighting games...kinda wish they'd bring over a regular ol' slash-em'-up action adventure. Can you imagine just having to slice through Hollows galore? Mindless sword/gunfighting appeals to me sometimes. ^_~

Picked up the game today, and I played a bit of Story and Arcade Mode.  Pretty excellent fighter; it looks great and controls equally well.  It really feels like a conglomeration of several existing fighters, including Samurai Shodown and Last Blade for the weaponry, the aforementioned Fatal Fury-like front/back planes, and CAP-VS/Guilty Gear's multi-hitting aeriel combo system.  All that, AND it's portable! 

Haven't really attempted to learn the card system yet, but the one-touch special move feature could really come in handy; I must resist abusing this power.  ^_^   Don't think I'll be engaging in any Wi-Fi battles anytime soon, but two-on-two fighting sounds like a wild experience.  I'm still doing Ichigo's storyline - kinda stuck in a bit of a loop with the same three opponents (Renji, Kenpachi, and Byakuya), trying to nail down the "conditions" you need to progress on the right path. 

Also.... was that a BOAR that ran across the screen?? o_O

Well, when you go on-line, it's possible that your opponents are using those shortcuts.  I can't remember if they can be shut off in a match.

You might want a FAQ for that.  The conditions are not tricky, but you will be spending a while trying to go through a lot of possible conditions.

One of the characters you can unlock uses the boar as a special move.

Hahaha! Bet I know who THAT character is. If so, then wow, they DID put in a lot of people in the game.

It's probably who you think, although I'm not familiar with Bleach.  It should be noted, however, that when you go through that person's story mode, the boar is initially missing.  So that special move does not work. :-)

Even though I was not a Bleach fan, I found the gameplay solid for a fighting game and worthy of Treasure's heritage.

Even better, as I've just found out, is that Bonnie the Boar is actually an unlockable, playable character.  Hardcore!

I finished Ichigo's storyline, and I'm now working through the rest.  Why is Episode 2 blocked out, though?  Is that a secret episode?

Forgive a series newbie like myself, as this question is aimed at both Schala and Stephen (Schala who knows of the story series, and Stephen who knows more about the game) -- but not every character has the ability to use Bankai, correct?  I can understand if the story dictates as such, but they're so cool to pull off and watch that I wish everyone had the power.  ^_^

Momo's a lot of fun to use, probably because she seems insanely overpowered.  I'm always in awe when she unleashes her 90+ hit "Red Flame Cannon" combo. o_O

No, not everyone can. As it's said in the anime, Bankai is a second-level move that can take years to realize and fully master. Achieving Bankai is usually a requirement for becoming a captain (although I think the only captain who hasn't been able to do so is Zaraki...don't know if he's in the game). Aside from that, there are many people whose Bankai we haven't yet seen in the anime, and I don't know how many have been revealed in the Japanese manga yet.

Speaking of Bleach, was anyone else annoyed when Adult Swim got to around episiode 50 a month or two ago - when it was getting really, really good and they went right back to the first episode? Grrr....

The episodes correspond to other story characters, not a particular sequence, so it means you may have to finish other character's story before it unlocks.  I unlocked about 1/3 of the characters before I stopped playing, but that is how the story mode operated. 

Also, Ichigo has two paths (both lead to the same ending).  If Ichigo's story file just says "clear," you didn't go fight all the characters in his story.  It has to say "complete."

Not every character has a bankai move in the game.  If you look at a character's movelist, you will discover who has a bankai move, and who does not.  Schala provided the storyline motivation.  In Ichigo's case, he is somewhat of a prodigy, so he mastered his bankai without taking years.

Also, be warned that the anime version diverges from the manga some time after episode 50.  From what I read, the anime was trying to follow the manga, but when they ran out of manga episodes, the anime did its own stuff, and some fans felt these fillers were terrible.  Better to read the manga to start.

Just a heads-up that Amazon has a "Deal of The Day" going on for Bleach: The Blade of Fate.  Today only, $18.99; can't beat that.

http://www.amazon.com/Bleach-The-Blade- … 7HJ9H334F1

I've exhausted the game to hell, and I'm now ready for the second game.  "Dark Souls" is on its way, slated for a Fall release.

I take it that you liked it if you played it exhaustatively.