Storyline
From Compile Heart’s Cross Edge and Trinity Universe, to Bandai Namco’s own Project x Zone, to Omega Force merging characters from their different Koei Warriors releases into one title, crossover video games are not uncommon to find in the market nowadays. In my mind there are two major challenges when delivering such games, especially with regards to games which cover a wide breadth of characters. These are: 1) Delivering a storyline which stands out in its own right and is not just a means of having characters from different franchises come together for the sake of coming together, and 2) Making individual characters stand out to gamers both familiar with them and those who are not. Unfortunately, while a somewhat adequate game, I did not feel that Spike Chunsoft’s J-Stars Victory VS managed to pass these two challenges in my mind.
J-Stars Victory VS brings together characters from 32 different series published in the Weekly Shounen Jump manga anthology issues. From these series, 52 characters appear and are further split up into 39 playable units and a further 13 support units – although all playable units can also take on a supportive role. The game’s main storyline is split up into four individual chapters based on four of the major Shounen Jump franchises: Bleach, One Piece, Naruto and Toriko. Each of these chapters are primarily based on two characters from the main franchise and an additional guest character (For example, the One Piece chapter features Monkey D. Luffy, Portgas D. Ace and Pegasus Seiya).
This is where I personally met my first brick wall. As regular readers of The Otaku’s Study may have already realised, I have never reviewed any of these four manga/anime titles, and don’t personally follow them at all. Therefore, with a lot of emphasis being put on twelve characters in particular rather than being split between all 52, some like myself who prefer more niche anime/manga series might find themselves lost with some or all of these main characters. Putting a bit more time and effort into introducing these characters and delving into the “basics” of their personality / history might have also made characters unknown to a player more approachable. However, I envision that fans of these franchises would gain much more from the development of and storyline surrounding these characters.
With regard to the storyline of J-Stars Victory VS+, it is unremarkable overall. The main storyline takes place in Jump World, which amalgamates the locales of all 32 Shounen Jump franchises into one. Irrespective of which character arc you choose, the story involves your trio of characters participating in the Jump Battle Tournament – mingling amongst themselves, fighting against different teams of characters and seeking that which they desire. Although things don’t go perfectly and not without some drama, there wasn’t anything particularly special that helped encourage me to complete one playthrough – let alone four of what seemed to be quite similar arcs albeit with different characters. Rather than going down this route where players are left to simply traverse an overworld map as they head between battles, it would have been much nicer in my opinion to have a variety of unique tales which made better use of the 32 content-rich franchises available for the writers and other developers to use.
Design / Music / Voice Acting
The design of J-Stars Victory VS+ was average at best, with character designs being the only highlight in this game. With 52 characters to work with, each individual was well detailed and uniquely animated. The transition from 2D to 3D designs also seemed to go well, with each character looking like they fit within the one universe despite their differing apparel. These high points were countered by a fairly bland overworld map and large but otherwise unmemorable battle arenas.
Given the potential organisational chaos that might have ensued had they sought out the original English voice actors/actresses for the characters from all franchises, it is understandable that Bandai Namco opted to localise the game with Japanese dubbing only. With regards to the Japanese voice acting overall, there were no qualms from me, especially considering the years of experience many VA’s have had with their respective character.
Gameplay
J-Stars Victory VS+ features a rudimentary battle system, where parties of up to three members (Two fighting on the field and another as a summonable support) duke it out in a 3D arena. From there, each trio battles the other using a combination of light, heavy and special attacks until one party has been downed X number of times (Often 3). While each character have a somewhat different battle style compared to others, there was a need in my opinion for even greater diversification of individual battle styles. Even if they had to have sacrificed a few additional characters and reduced them to a supportive role, each character needed to have more moves at their disposal and ones which truly made them unique to play. The challenge also needed to be increased a bit, with most battles easy to win through simple button mashing.
While I get the whole “secret character” element adopted by fighting games such as Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. franchise for example, I expect at least a decent number of characters available to me out-of-the-box should I decide to begin the game by playing with a group of friends in a VS match. Many of the playable and support characters present in J-Stars Victory VS+ must be unlocked prior to their use. While some are unlocked through the J-Adventure mode, many must be purchased through J-Points which are acquired by successfully completing battles. Although it isn’t too big a chore to unlock them, it is frustrating having to potentially spend hours unlocking characters prior to having a roster which suits both players tastes. It was also disappointing to see that local play only supported two players, despite the option of four-player matches (2v2) online.
Personal Opinion / Final Words on J-Stars Victory VS+
Ultimately I found J-Stars Victory VS+ to be an underwhelming fighting game, which is a shame given the potential it had with combination of a strong market for the genre and it representing many major and recognisable franchises such as One Piece, Bleach and Naruto. While its design was solid, the overall experience I found was let down by a lacklustre storyline and average-at-best gameplay. That being said, as someone who is unfamiliar with the major franchises represented in this title, the storyline may be something more memorable to fans of them.
