J-Stars Victory Vs is a fighting video game that combines the universes of several Weekly
Shōnen Jump manga series, including former series and some that have been transferred
to other magazines.
It was released by Namco Bandai Games on March 19, 2014 for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation
Vita.
History The game was first announced in December 2012
under the title of Project Versus J, in Weekly Shōnen Jump's second issue of 2013.
It was made to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Jump, and has been presented as the "ultimate
Jump game."
J-Stars Victory Vs features characters and settings from various Jump manga, both past
and present, ranging from older properties such as Dragon Ball, YuYu Hakusho, and Kochira
Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo, current long-running series such as Naruto,
Bleach, One Piece, and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, to newer series such as Medaka Box, Assassination
Classroom, and Beelzebub.
The first three characters that were unveiled and used to promote the game were Son Goku,
Monkey D. Luffy, and Toriko.
Also in December, it was announced that fans could vote for some of the characters that
they want to be included in J-Stars Victory Vs. Naruto Uzumaki joined the list of playable
characters in March 2013.
Several other characters were announced over the following months via the "Weekly Shōnen
Jump" and "V Jump" magazines, as well as characters' transformations which would be available as
special moves.
A limited edition "Anison" version of the game includes the theme songs from the player
characters' television series, such as "Cha-La Head-Cha-La" and "We Are!", as music that
can be played in-game during battles.
The game's own theme song is "Fighting Stars", performed by Hironobu Kageyama, Hiroshi Kitadani,
and Akira Kushida.
The game's adventure mode also features other non-player characters from the various series.
Plot The game's story mode, "J-Adventure," takes
place in Jump World, an amalgamation of the different characters' universes.
As the story begins, each of the characters is preparing for the J Battle Festival, a
tournament held every 45 years in which heroes compete to determine who is the strongest.
The narrative is split between four different chapters, each focusing on a different character
exploring Jump World, building a team to compete, and working to achieve their own personal
goals.
The Motion Chapter focuses on Luffy, Ace, and Seiya; the Hope Chapter on Naruto, Yusuke,
and Gon; the Research Chapter on Toriko, Zebra, and Goku; and the Pursuit Chapter on Ichigo,
Oga, and Hiei.
Gameplay J-Stars Victory Vs lets up to four players
battle it out against one another using a gameplay and graphical style similar to those
of Dragon Ball: Zenkai Battle Royale.
Fighters can move and fight in all directions on a 3D battle field.
Players should learn the lay of the land and formulate a battle plan with a character suited
to it.
A defeated character comes back after a set amount of time passes.
To win the battle, all three sections of the WIN gauge at the top of the screen have to
be filled; the gauge fills one section each time an opponent is defeated.
Fighters can use regular attacks, power attacks, area-based attacks, and finishing moves.
Regular attacks are the main part of the battle, and all combos begin with them.
Power attacks leave the user open, but they have a big impact if they connect and their
power can be increased by charging them up.
Area-based attacks allow to hit opponents over a wide area.
By using different techniques, the player can lead his team to victory; learning each
character's different power, range, and effects is the first step towards being unbeatable.
Playable game modes include "J-Adventure", a single-player story mode divided between
four campaigns in which players explore a world map, battle various opponents, and collect
in-game cards to power up their characters; "Victory Road", a single-player battle mode
in which players must complete certain predetermined objectives during battles; and a free-battle
mode which supports up to two players in local offline play and up to four players via online
multiplayer.
Characters The game features 52 characters from 32 different
Jump series.
39 of these characters are playable, while 13 of them can be summoned by players to provide
support.
Playable characters Support characters
Reception The game was given a review score of 32/40
by Famitsu.
Following its first week of release, the PS3 version of the game sold 118,240 units in
Japan while the Vita version sold 97,821 units.
Japanese sales tracker Media Create reported that the PS3 version of the game sold through
86.55% of its shipment, while the Vita version sold through 89.25% of its shipment.
For a multiplatform release, the Vita version did well, Media Create say.
References
External links Official website