J-Stars Victory Vs

J-Stars Victory Vs is a crossover video game published by Namco Bandai Games for the Sony PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. It was released in Japan on March 19, 2014. It will be re-released in North America on June 30, 2015 and in Europe on June 26, 2015.

The game was first announced in December 2012 under the title of Project Versus J, in the second 2013 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump. It was made to commemorate 45th anniversary of Jump, and is presented as the "ultimate Jump game". This is the fifth crossover Jump game. It will be re-released for the western territories as J-Stars Victory VS+ for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita, with an additional Arcade Mode for the international release.

Overview[]

Context[]

The game logo.

The game was first announced in December 2012 under the title of Project Versus J, in the second 2013 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump. It was made to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Jump, and is presented as the "ultimate Jump game." J-Stars Victory Vs features main characters from Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, Naruto, Toriko, Rurouni Kenshin, Bleach, KochiKame, Gintama, Yu Yu Hakusho, Hunter × Hunter. The first three characters used to promote the game, Goku, Luffy, and Toriko, are also featured in a Toriko, One Piece and Dragon Ball Z Collaboration which aired on Fuji TV on April 7, 2013.

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. A team of two characters has the possibility to have a third support character in the battle. Fighters can move and fight in all directions of a 3D battle field, which is partially destructible. Characters have their own play styles too; for example: Goku and Ichigo are mobile fighters that specialize in battling in the air, Luffy and Toriko prefer to rush into combat and unleash barrages of attacks against their enemies, and Kenshin and Naruto specialize in fighting two opponents at the same time. 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. The meter on the top left is Player 1 team's Win gauge and the meter on the top right is the opponent team's Win gauge, the bottom left shows the controlled character's life and stamina meters, and he bottom right has a map of the stage.

Fighters can use regular attacks, power attacks, area-based attacks, and finishing moves:

Normal Attacks: Fast attacks that do not consume stamina. They are the main part of the battle, and all combos begin with them. Normal Attacks can be done airborne or while dashing. An example of a signature character move is Toriko's Knife.
Power Attacks: Slow, but powerful strikes that can deal grea damage and have a big impact if they connect and their power can be increased by charging them up. An example of a signature character move is Jonathan Joestar's Zoom Punch.
Area Attacks: Attacks that cover a wide area around the character. They use stamina but are very useful in close and mid-range battle. An example of a signature character move is Kenshin's Doryuusen.
Guard Break Attacks: Attacks that are able to damage the opponent even while they are blocking themselves. They use stamina as well. An example of a signature character move is Gon's Fishing Rod.
Special Attacks: Special attacks that have different characteristics depending on the character's specialty. They use stamina, but allow to hit opponents at longe range, do great damage, counter, perform special effects like stunning or access to a special transformation. Enemies can sidestep these attacks however. An example of a signature character move is Goku's Kamehameha.
Stamina Charge: Almost every character can full their stamina bar by using the charging command. Speed and amount of the stamina charging level depends on the character. Some characters are able to perform a special transformation when reaching a certain level of stamina. An example of a signature character stamina charge is Naruto's Chakra charge. An example of a signature character transformation is Ichigo's Hollow Mask.
Final Moves: Are super finishing techniques activated when the Voltage Meter fills up. It expands when team members deliver (or get hit with) attacks, and it packs enough wallop to decide the match if it can be pulled off. An example of a signature character move is Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Elephant Gatling & Grizzly Magnum.

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.