Professor Jump and I took the Jumpmobile down to Santa Clara to check out some of the latest Bandai Namco SJ video game offerings. They’ve got quite an otaku-friendly lineup scheduled to come out, including two Shonen Jump games! 

One Piece: Burning Blood

One of the releases we were most exited about is One Piece: Burning Blood. Developed by Spike Chunsoft, the makers of J-Stars Victory VS+ and other fine games, this game lets you duke it out with 40 different characters from all throughout the One Piece universe. The combat is fast and fun. It’s a pretty straightforward system, much like J-Stars, so if you’ve played that game, you’ll feel right at home.

One cool aspect of the game is that when you charge up your super attack some characters transform into their more powerful versions. Chopper transforms into a giant reindeer monster, and Luffy goes into his bouncy, yet terrifying Gear Four form. Both are amazing to behold as the game’s character models and backgrounds look fantastic. Another fun feature is that you can fight with three characters and swap them out at any time. This gives matches more variety, and some characters can do team up attacks together.

The game is definitely for fans, and the developers included some of the great humor the series is famous for. For instance, when Sanji fights women, his eyes turn into big hearts, and can no longer use his powerful kicks to damage them! Also, Boa Hancock’s ability to turn men into stone doesn’t work on Luffy. The designers are clearly big One Piece fans, and their love of the series comes through in spades. 

Look for this game, and our full review, in late May!

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven

This game is a trip! I mean, of course it is because it’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, but it begins with the end of Stardust Crusaders. Then it’s a brand new story! And some of the people who died suddenly come back! Whaaaaaa? It is kind of bonkers to watch the end of Stardust Crusaders in an in-game cutscene, then go to an entirely different direction. But apparently, the story was supervised by Araki Sensei himself.

After I had got over the fact that we’re in some crazy video game timeline, I was able to focus on the game itself and especially the combat. The game features 2v2 fighting that allows up to four people to play. If you’re playing alone, the computer will control the other player for you. The level we fought was fairly big and allowed you to hop from rooftop to rooftop. Luckily, if you don’t make the jump, which I didn't several times, much to Professor Jump's amusement, you’re magically put back on one of the roofs. You can also break objects on the battlefield to get combat bonuses, or even pick stuff up and throw it at the bad guys.

The fighting will give you that magical JoJo’s feeling, especially when the Stands start coming out and everyone starts yelling their patented battle shouts. The combat is fun and emulates the craziness from the manga and anime well. And if you’re all charged up, you can pull off super moves with your teammate unleashing what can only be described as “pure madness” up on your opponent. Much like many anime games, the combat system isn’t overly complicated, but there's enough to it to be entertaining.

This game also feels like it was made with fans in mind as it's filled with little details that should elicit a warm response from those who love the JoJo’s world, and I am definitely one of those!

Look for this game, and our review, later this summer! 

Wanna hear Professor Jump and I talk about all things related to Shonen Jump? Then listen to the Weekly Shonen Jump Podcast! 

by Urian Brown