E3 2015: ‘J Stars Victory Vs.’ Is The Anime Brawler We’ve Written Fanfics About!

Due to how licensing works, it’s rare that we get the crazy anime crossovers that Japan plays fairly often. When J Stars Victory Vs. was released for the PS3 and Vita last year, it was one of those times that we were thankful that those systems are region free, since there was no way this game was coming to the West.

Right?

By some small miracle, the stars aligned to make J Stars Victory Vs. + a reality for us Western and European fans. Pitting the likes of Goku from Dragon Ball, Yu Yu Hakusho‘s Yusuke, and Naruto from, well… Naruto, some of Shonen Jump’s biggest heroes and villains clash in this 3D fighting game. As I’m not one to pass up witnessing a miracle in person, I got to check out a demo of the localized build at Namco Bandai’s E3 booth and find out how it’s coming along.

Taking place in a variety of iconic locations from each series, battles consisted of two on two matches with a third character acting as support. Having a full 3D space to fight in, players will have to take cover behind structures, keep an eye on their opponent and attack fast, since each character will have a variety of ways to take down their opponents. Being able to lock on and dash towards your target closes what can be a considerable distance between you and your enemies down quickly, and making sure to charge your energy to unleash weak, strong and area attacks were the biggest keys to victory, especially when this power can ultimately unveil each character’s transformed state. Including Goku’s Super Saiyan, Naruto’s Sage Mode, and Kenshin drawing his sword, new, more powerful abilities become unleashed, destroying your enemies, (and the environment,) in the process.

On the subject of victory, winning is achieved in a slightly different way in Jump compared to most fighters. Rather than simply KO both teammates, your pair of fighters fills their win gauge every time they defeat an enemy. Three victories result in a win, so one partner can lose all three times and blow it for their team. It’s a good thing single player hands you a CPU teammate to blame when things don’t go well, but you might want to apologize in advance to your friend if you lose during a co-op match.

With the final version featuring over 50 characters from over a dozen series’, any anime fan, and ESPECIALLY Shonen Jump enthusiasts will want to mark June 30th on their calendar. J Stars Victory Vs. + will be available for PS3, PS4, and PS Vita with online and offline play, an adventure mode that ties these worlds together, and an arcade mode that’s exclusive to this “plus” version! Check back for more details on the rest of the roster, and our more in depth impressions once we’re able to play the full game!