Review: Jump Superstars (Import)
This game sparked my interest the first time I saw it. "A fighting game for the DS, that can't be good" I thought. And what is worse Jump Superstars is a licensed game, and we all know the reputation that licensed games have. Can jump superstars break the mold? Or will it continue the downward spiral of bad licensed games?
Story:
Have you ever wondered "what if my favorite anime characters were to cross universes and fight, who would win?" well in Jump Superstars it happens! Ever wonder if Ruroni Kenshin could beat Ronolo Zolo in a sword fight? Try it out. Think Naruto can beat Goku, do it! Or Bo-bobo Vs Luffy to see what can stretch farther, Luffy or Bo-bobo's nose hair. That is right if a character has appeared in Shonen Jump comics they are featured in this game
Graphics:
The graphics are only slightly better than what you can be done on the GBA but still it passes for what it tries to achieve. Each character is highly detailed and looks to their look in their respective worlds. And when I say each character I mean dozens of characters from each series. On a side note the FMV opening is one of the best I have seen on the DS, and if you get bored with it you can skip it or doodle on the touch screen.
Music:
The music is average, but the characters sound is good, and the effects are true to the characters, and their respective abilities. Know that if you are expecting the sound effects that were featured in their respective anime series that it won't be here since this is a Manga License not the anime license.
Control:
Control wise the game is simple to control and play. Fighting can get frantic especially when there is more than one opponent in the fight at one time. If I were to liken it to anything I would say this game is very reminiscent of Super Smash Bros. but different in that you can design your own team using the team design mode. What I found amazing is that despite the fact that I know absolutely no Japanese that the controls and menus were so intuitive and easy to use that I had no trouble at all navigating them, and within 2 or 3 days was using the controls and manus as if I could read the text. All is not perfect though, it can be annoying to activate a support character with the stylus in the middle of a heated battle but otherwise it becomes second nature after a while.
Design:
Like I stated above the games menus are easy to use and are very intuitive as well, which I an example of how well this game is designed. I also like how the team design is, in that you can have anyone on your team but they can only be on there once, and other characters are there only to support a character, or to provide some comic relief, but you have a limited number of open slots to fill up your roster, so filling up your roster with the right balance adds a good level of strategy to the game, especially for certain situations. One game cart multiplayer is a blast to play especially with friends that didn't know this game existed. The only other fault that I have with this game is that in mission mode you need to have a translator to know exactly what is required of you in most missions, but that is to be expected of an imported game.
Anime fans this game is for you! And it is well worth the steep import price. DS owners should get this import because it will never be released in the states (too many licenses to acquire)
Graphics
8/10
Game play
9/10
Sound
8/10
Fun factor
10/10
Tilt
10/10
Average score
9.0
Jump Superstars:
Pros:
Fun game
Fun multiplayer
A lot of anime favorite characters
Awesome FMV
Easy to use
Intuitive
Cons:
Touch screen menu can be a pain
Needs an English translater