Along with Bleach: The Blade of Fate for the Nintendo DS, Sega has taken its first attempt at bringing the popular Bleach anime series to the western world. As we’ve seen with Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, the Wii can offer a whole new perspective to the anime fighter with endless options for innovative control schemes. Now, it’s Bleach’s turn to cash in, but can we expect anything more than your typical generic anime-based title? Single Axis Action One of the first things you’ll notice is that Shattered Blade offers 3D arenas with the ability to easily run or dash in any direction using the analog stick on the nunchuck. This is always a welcome addition to any 3D fighting game, but unfortunately, most of the action in Bleach takes place on a single axis. There’s no efficient way to sidestep, other than to dash to the side of your enemy. This rarely offers any tactical advantage however; you’ll eventually feel forced back onto the same axis as your opponent, whether you want to be there or not. After noticing that the sidestepping game in Bleach isn’t quite up to par, I was hoping...

In case you haven’t noticed by now, Bleach is the next big anime franchise to hit the States, following other major titles likes Gundam, Dragon Ball Z, and Naruto. And what goes along with popular anime franchises? You guessed it - a plethora of incredibly bland and generic video games. Every now and then you can find a true gem amongst these fanboy trophies, but for the most part, anime-inspired games appeal to a niche market only. Sega and developer Treasure (the group responsible for Gunstar Heroes, Sin and Punishment, and Ikaruga) take their first stab at cashing in on the popularity of the Bleach anime with Bleach: The Blade of Fate for the DS. Intuitive Soul Reaping If you’ve ever played a 2D fighting game, you’ll pick up Bleach’s control scheme very quickly. In addition to the standard light, medium, and strong attacks, Bleach adds a “flash steps” button. Using flash steps effectively allows you to execute a teleport dash to either close the gap between your enemy and yourself or sneak in behind him. Of course, your usage of flash steps and other special moves is regulated by a meter at the bottom of the screen, which...