J-Stars Victory VS
J-Stars Victory Vs is a tag team Fighting game featuring characters from the various franchises of Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine. The game is meant to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Shonen Jump and was released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita on March 19, 2014.
Overview
First announced in the second issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine of 2013, Namco Bandai Games stated that they would be releasing the "ultimate Jump game." Previously named Project Versus J, it was made to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Jump.
Hironobu Kageyama, Akira Kushida, and Hiroshi Kitadani are singing the game's theme song "Fighting Stars." People who pre-order the game will receive the J-Stars Victory Book, a volume bound like a Jump Comics book and filled with information and visuals of Jump heroes over the years. A free augmented-reality (AR) app lets you see the Jump heroes in your surroundings on the PS Vita.
Gameplay
J-Stars Victory Vs lets up to four players battle it out against one another in a gameplay and graphical style similar to those of Dragon Ball: Zenkai Battle Royale. Fighters can move and fight in all directions of 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.
Characters
Playable Characters (39)
All the playable characters. At first, only Luffy, Toriko, Naruto, Gintoki, Goku and Ichigo are available at the start. The rest of the characters must be unlocked through the Story Mode or purchased at the Store.
- JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE
- TORIKO
- DRAGONBALL
- ONE PIECE
- NARUTO
- RUROUNI KENSHIN / SAMURAI X
- GINTAMA
- BLEACH
- KOCHI KAME
- YU*YU*HAKUSHO
- HOKUTO NO KEN / FIST OF THE NORTH STAR
- HUNTER X HUNTER
- CHINYUKI: TARO TO YUKAINA NAKAMA TACHI
- Taro Yamada
- MEDAKA BOX
- BEELZEBUB
- Oga Tatsumi with Baby Beel
- KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN! / TUTOR HITMAN REBORN!
- Sawada Tsunayoshi with Reborn
- JIGOKU NUBE SENSEI / HELL TEACHER NUBE
- ANSATSU KYOUSHITSU / ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM
- SAINT SEIYA / KNIGHTS OF THE ZODIAC
- DR.SLUMP
- BOBOBO BO-BO BOBO
- SAIKI KUSOU NO PSI NAN
- TOTTEMO! LUCKYMAN
- SAKIGAKE!! OTOKOJUKU
Support (13)
All the characters who appears as support (characters who appears on the screen, do something such as attack or recovers the player health, and disappear). None of the Support characters are avaible at first, they all need to be unlocked on Story Mode or being purchased via the Store.
- PYU TO FUKU! JAGUAR
- MEDAKA BOX
- BLEACH
- NISEKOI
- TO LOVE-RU
- GINTAMA
- KUROKO NO BASUKE
- SKET DANCE
- MAJIN TANTEI NOUGAMI NEURO / BRAIN EATER DEVIL NEURO
- D.GRAY-MAN
- HUNTER X HUNTER
- HAIKYU!!
- SAKIGAKE!! OTOKOJUKU
Miscellaneous
All the characters who makes a cameo appareance either on Story Mode or as part of some character's moveset.
- Babaa (Chinyuki: Taro to Yukaina Nakama Tachi)
- Ohara Daijiro (Kochikame)
- Keiichi Nakagawa (Kochikame)
- Reiko Katherine Akimoto (Kochikame)
- Don Patch (Bobobo bo-bo Bobo)
- Heppokomaru (Bobobo bo-bo Bobo)
- Beauty (Bobobo bo-bo Bobo)
- Tokoro Tennosuke (Bobobo bo-bo Bobo)
- Karin Sama (Dragonball)
- Kaio Sama (Dragonball)
- Kame (Dragonball)
- Nami (One Piece)
- Roronoa Zoro (One Piece)
- Usopp (One Piece)
- Sanji (One Piece)
- Tony Tony Chopper (One Piece)
- Shimaru Shinpachi (Gintama)
- Katsura Kotarou (Gintama)
- Otose (Gintama)
- Aoi Kunieda (Beelzebub)
- Hilda (Beelzebub)
- Alaindelon (Beelzebub)
- Sunny (Toriko)
- Coco (Toriko)
- Komatsu (Toriko)
- Leorio Paladinight (Hunter X Hunter)
- Beans (Hunter X Hunter)
- Kurapika (Hunter X Hunter)
- Tamamo/Kyōsuke Tamamo (Hell Teacher Nube)
- Kyōko Inaba (Hell Teacher Nube)
- Miki Hosokawa (Hell Teacher Nube)
- Shun Kaidou (Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan)
- Riki Nendou (Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan)
- Teruhashi (Saiki Kusuo no Psi-nan)
- Tetsuya 2 (Kuroko no Basuke)
- Taiga Kagami (Kuroko no Basuke)
- Riko Aida (Kuroko no Basuke)
- Kamiya Kaoru (Rorouni Kenshin)
- Sagara Sanosuke (Rorouni Kenshin)
- Myõjin Yahiko (Rorouni Kenshin)
- Hatake Kakashi (Naruto)
- Gaara (Naruto)
- Haruno Sakura (Naruto)
- Kyoya Hibari (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)
- Hayato Gokudera (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)
- Kyoko Sasagawa (Katekyo Hitman Reborn!)
- Hammer (Pyu to Fuku! Jaguar)
- Hamidento (Pyu to Fuku! Jaguar)
- Billy (Pyu to Fuku! Jaguar)
- Sasuke Tsubaki (Sket Dance)
- Sõjirõ Agata (Sket Dance)
- Moe Yabasawa (Sket Dance)
- Kon (Bleach)
- Yoruichi Shihõin (Bleach)
- Kisuke Urahara (Bleach)
- Saori Kido / Athena (Saint Seiya)
- Aries Mu (Saint Seiya)
- Libra Dohko (Saint Seiya)
- Koenma (Yū Yū Hakusho)
- Botan (Yū Yū Hakusho)
- Genkai (Yu Yu Hakusho)
- Sawamura Daichi (Haikyuu)
- Nishinoya Yuu (Haikyuu)
- Kageyama Tobio (Haikyuu)
- Hitoyoshi Zenkichi (Medaka Box)
- Shiranui Hansode (Medaka Box)
- Yu Kanda (D Gray-Man)
- Leenalee Lee (D Gray-Man)
- Lavi (D Gray-Man)
- Katsuragi Yako (Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro)
- Shinobu Godai (Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro)
- Eishi Sasazuka (Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro)
- Tadaomi Karasuma (Assassination Classroom)
- Nagisa Shiota (Assassination Classroom)
- Irina Jelavic (Assassination Classroom)
- Senbei Norimaki (Dr.Slump)
- Gatchan (Dr.Slump)
- Turbo Norimaki (Dr.Slump)
Battle Stages
- Alabasta (One Piece)
- Namek (Dragon Ball Z)
- Konohgakure (Naruto)
- Vegetable Sky (Toriko)
- Dark Tournament Stadium (YuYu Hakusho)
- Soul Society (Bleach)
- Hall of the Flaming Hell (Rurouni Kenshin)
- Katsushika City (Kochikame)
- Yoshiwara Paradise (Gintama)
- Athena's Temple (Saint Seiya)
- Penguim Village (Dr.Slump)
- Thunder Echo Needle Battleground (Sakigake!! Otokojuku)
Reception
The Japanese magazine Famitsu gave the game 32/40, with all four reviewers giving the game 8/10.
Trailers
File:J- Stars Victory VS Gameplay Trailer
Gallery
Trivia
- Despite not having any specific interaction between each other, Jonathan and Joseph have certain dialogue said depending on the oppose character:
- Jonathan to Lala: "Hehe...shush, don't say another word. Ahh girls are so cute".
- Jonathan to Bobobo: "Forever descend into the darkness of history!!".
- Joseph to Taro Yamada: "You do say some interesting things... Come over here so I can beat you up!".
- Joseph to Kirisaki Chitoge: "Are you ignoring me, that kinda pissed me off... Ok, let's get a more extreme response from you shall we...".
- Joseph to Boa Hancock: "That...that woman's eyes... It's similar to a pig farms eyes...so cold...so cruel...".
- Joseph to Akainu: "Huh? Are you talking to me? Who the hell are you? Exactly what are you talking about? Is something wrong with your head?".
- Incomplete data for Jotaro Kujo and DIO (alongside Yoh from Shaman King and Dai from Dai na Bouken) was found within the game's disc, suggesting that the two either are going to be added as downloadable content or were planned for inclusion before being scrapped during development.
- With J-Stars Victory Vs.+ was announced for some early 2015 internationally, it is possible if both Jotaro , DIO and most of the characters who were planned to be a DLC (like Shaman King's Yoh Asakura) will be added as default character.
- In the game's 3rd trailer, both Jonathan and Joseph appear as the rivals of Gintoki Sakata (from the GINTAMA franchise). With their battle named "Kettou vs Amatou" (Kettou meaning "family lineage" and Amatou meaning "a person who loves candy").
- Interestingly, both Joseph and Gintoki share the same voice actor, Tomokazu Sugita. They even make a joke about it, where Joseph says "Your next line's gonna be: Hey, where do I know you?" and Gintoki replies "Hey, where do I know you...WHAAAT?".
- Also in the 8th trailer, Gintoki returns Joseph's trick by saying "Joseph...you're next line gonna be: My... special trick..." and Joseph replies "My... special trick...!!"
- The TV anime first opening, Sono Chi No Sadame, appears as part of the game's special edition, called ANISON SOUND EDITION, that contains several famous songs from the series in the game, that can be listened to during the gameplay.
- In the game's 8th trailer, several characters makes a special dialogue to each other. During Jonathan's part he says "Let the darkness of history sink to the depths!!" and Bobobo (from BOBOBO BO-BO BOBO franchise) replies "The history of the Afro will always sink!".
- Interestingly, both DIO and Bobobo share the same voice actor, Takehito Koyasu .
- Unlike the some other characters in the game, both Jonathan and Joseph's attacks heavily features Japanese Sound Effects (SFX) commonly seen in manga. This was presumably done to capture the series's unique use of onomatopoeia and match the style of the anime.
- Both Jonathan and Joseph are the only characters from the same franchise to appear on game's cover.
- Some characters state are taken from their most popular sagas instead of their current ones at the moment the game was launched. This includes Seiya (from Sanctuary Saga), Yusuke (from Dark Tournament Saga), Ichigo and Rukia (from Aizen Saga) or Goku and Vegeta (from Cell Saga) for example. Some others are taken from their current anime saga at the moment instead of the current manga saga. This includes Joseph Joestar (from Battle Tendency Saga), Toriko and Zebra (from Four Beast Saga) or Gon and Killua (from the Chimera Ant Saga), Naruto, Sasuke and Madara (from Ten-Tails Saga).