There are some things in life many of us just aren’t meant to understand. Prime examples are nuclear physics, the female psyche and why drinking bacteria from those little plastic bottles available in your supermarket fridge cabinet is actually good for you. At the top of that list would proudly sit manga. Then take that and do something whacky, like put it in video game form? Well then it just gets crazier. Going into the review of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle completely blind and unfamiliar with the subject matter was truly an experience.
Those unfamiliar with manga at all could easily be forgiven in thinking that this was just an extremely poor translation of a Japanese video game, especially considering its often confusing script. Apparently the line, “do you know how many breads you have eaten in your life?” is quite well known and popular with fans of the series, while outsiders will be left scratching their heads. Throw in a little displaced potty mouth and you are set for aural adventure. Actually… that should probably read visual adventure.
To borrow from the title of the game, the most ‘bizarre’ scene one will come across while playing JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle would certainly be the fight between a crippled man and another gentleman… who is mounted on a horse. Okay, they both begin on a horse, but knocking a man who cannot stand from his saddle then having your beast beat down upon him with thunderous hooves? Where the hell is the sport in that? Not only is the fight extremely tough if you play the part of the cripple, but this gross mismatch could have many players questioning the ethics of the game overall.
You just have to remember that it IS manga.
All oddities and quirks aside, JoJo’s is an average fighter. Those adept in structuring combos will be sure to prevail against button mashers, both online (should you be able to find competitors) and locally. Some moves consist of numerous button and D-Pad/Joystick motions to successfully. The bad news there is that the PlayStation controller design, no matter which generation, has never been the best for fighting games. Linked combos build the ability to use two types of special moves named Heart Heat and Great Heat attacks. There are some massively outlandish sequences to enjoy, if you can pull them off. Fighters will also execute some strange poses when blocking, which look totally ineffective, but capture the uniqueness of each character perfectly. These positives are let down by lengthy load times between battles.
Full marks have to be given to the visual appearance of JBA: ASB. The cel-shading adds to the appeal of the game whilst closely aligning itself with its manga origins. The bright and vibrant colourings really bring the game to life. The character images are clean and move fluently on screen, although for a fighting game many of the cast don’t appear to be putting much force behind their attacks, this could also be attributed to their physical appearance. Quite often, if it wasn’t for the voices, it’s extremely hard to decipher the gender of these characters…
… not that there is anything wrong with the fairer sex
… I don’t want to upset our female readers
… where the hell is a segue when I need one?
Those with a bit of music knowledge may also find the names of the characters slightly familiar. The creator must be a huge music fan, with character’s named Dio (as in Ronnie James) Robert E.O. Speedwagon, Lisa Lisa (Cult Jam), Vanilla Ice and Iggy (Pop). Characters also have moves with names based around music, including Red Hot Chili Pepper, KISS, Purple Haze and Heaven’s Door.
Playing through the campaign mode earns gold which can be used to enhance characters in various ways prior to fights beginning. This is helpful when fights begin with factors like ‘enemy regenerates power’ or ‘player begins with 50% health’. Through the course of the game players are also awarded statues and images for the gallery, another attempt to pump longevity into a game.
If fighters are you’re genre of choice, then either you’ll be able to forgive the script and just enjoy the game, or you’ll already be familiar and accepting of the style of game that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle offers and be more than happy with the final product.
