For many years now it seems I have been on an epic quest to find the perfect fighting game. Countless copies of games later and I still find myself being disappointed in one way or another – still searching, still waiting for that one fighter that has that certain something that separates it from the others and will make me claim that I have just found the greatest thing since sliced bread.
I was originally suspicious about this game... sure it’s based on some awesome characters, but will the sheer diversity of their licenses turn this game into a jumbled up mess? Or would it create such a delicious mess that Eton couldn’t help but be proud of it? I held my breath and JUMPed right in (pun intended)...
J-Stars Victory VS was originally released in Japan early last year to celebrate 45 years of the popular Shonen JUMP magazine and the 20th anniversary of the V JUMP magazine. Western fans have been eagerly awaiting an English release ever since.
J-Stars Victory VS+ retains the original features of the game, including Japanese voice overs, with the addition of a single-player arcade mode which was not present in the original release. The fighting system has also undergone some balance adjustments based on feedback from Japanese players.
The game features an impressive roster of characters from various manga and anime which have all appeared in the JUMP magazines at some point and throws them into one massive brawler with a unique atmosphere.
Diving right into the main story game, there are four scenarios to choose from initially, each with a different main character. The stories take place in the JUMP World, an original creation for this game, which features memorable places from each of the licenses used such as Konoha from
Naruto and Korin’s Tower from
Dragon Ball.
The overall story theme is a simple one: Korin has arranged a tournament, in which the characters have to roam the world, guided by a “mysterious voice” (which I like to think is Mr. Popo, because it amuses me more than it should) in search of a key item which has been split into three parts. These three parts are scattered across the world and are being held by three powerful warriors. The first one to gain all three parts becomes the champion of the tournament.
Movement on the world map is done via a ship, which you can use to sail to the various islands. Once you start earning experience points and items you can start upgrading your ship, which will give you various advantages on the main map, such as increasing speed and unlocking more destinations.
As well as main story missions there are side quests available for you to complete to earn experience points and items. You don’t gain a massive amount of experience after completing these quests, instead they seem to be just a nice distraction and a way of seeing and battling more of the characters that are in the game.
