"Super Smash Bros. Meets Anime!"

Let me get this straight. You're telling me there's a game where you can fight as Anime characters? And it's good? Your not just saying that because you're a fan? Skeptical, I invested in an import. I wasn't completely sure of the details until days later. I awoke days later, no, weeks, out of breath holding my DS which had died on me. After charging it I decided to write a review. You bet. This review.

Summary
Storyline: Basic storyline. You are to save the J-Universe. Collect characters. And fight until you collapse in exhaustion. The main focus is that you travel to planets, not compelling story-telling. It's very much apart of Gameplay.

Gameplay: The best I've seen in years. It's rare nowadays to see a good fighting game other then one without the word 'Tekken' or 'Smash Bros.' in front of it. But without a doubt the strangest combination of Fighting and Card type ever conceived.

Graphics & Sound: While nothing special, the sound and graphics are great. Fighting games don't really emphasize next-gen graphics (or try to while taking away from gameplay) so just go with it.

Controls: A well mixed touch screen/control combo that are dependent on neither. We even have shortcuts so we don't have to use the touch screen during hectic fights.

Storyline and Gameplay
There's not much to say. About the plot that is. Simply put, the universe in danger and you are recruited by the Jump Pirate to save it. You start through several Tutorials, about moving, attacking, jumping, and how to use the bottom screen. After ten minutes or so you travel across the J-Universe and approach the Galaxies. Here's a good place to start. Like I said, the main focus are the planets you travel to. These are worlds from popular Manga's, Japanese graphic novels, such as Yu-Gi-Oh, Dragon Ball Z, and Naruto. It's great for fans. Better for gamers. Galaxies are separated into categories, such as the Adventure Galaxy, Fighting Galaxy, and God Galaxy. In each Galaxy we have three planets based on the theme of the Galaxy. Like in the Fighting Galaxy we have Dragon Ball Z, or in the Adventure Galaxy we have One Piece.

Does this work? To put it short, yes. But this is a good long review examining the very depths of Jump Ultimate Stars. Or maybe I'm just waiting for my DS to recharge? The way it works is similar to Kingdom Hearts if you've ever played it. You start at a simple planet, Earth, going through the instructions, and end up at the end of the universe. Going back and forth between planets doing tasks. Tasks are different assignments you must complete in order move on. But it gets more in-depth then that. Each mission is separated into categories and many sub-categories. For example, if you've ever played a fighting game you know about Death-matches? This is the most basic form, often seen in any fighting game you come across. To defeat the other player. Then we have the others, Point Matches that rely on you defeating your opponent and gaining points within a certain time. Matches that forces you to use certain characters for a special reason. Matches that demand you not be hit by the enemy or make sure your teammate doesn't. The list goes on. So what makes this special? If you complete a certain task under special circumstances you get extra points, plus acquire special characters. Sound good?

The system of battle is reflective on Manga in general. We have Power of super-warriors in Dragon Ball Z. Knowledgeable skills in Yu-Gi-Oh. And last but not least, the Laughter brought on by BoBoBo-Bo Bo-BoBo. How do we mesh such different, not to mention strange, points into one? Simple, make a system that works! Say you have a character who has Power as an attribute, most character's in Dragon Ball Z do. Now say that character faces Yugi from Yu-Gi-Oh who's attribute lies in Knowledge. He's going to get his butt kicked. Now for a moment imagine instead of Yugi, we have a character from BoBoBo-Bo Bo-BoBo like Don Patch who's attribute falls under Laughter. That Laughter Attribute is going to overpower Power like Power did to Knowledge! Get it? Alright, but take away the Power character and replace him with Yugi. Now when you face Knowledge and Laughter, Knowledge is going to be one doing the butt handling. It's hard to put down on paper, but it works. If you're familiar with Fire Emblem's Weapon Triangle, it works very closely to that.

Now how do you get these new characters? And heck, what's the deal with the pictures on the bottom screen? This is deck. Like taking apart Manga strips and pressing them together with others. There are three basic types, Battle, Support, and Help Characters. Each character picture is placed on a grid. And when combined with each other they make a strong offense.

Battle Characters are what you play as in battle. Whether it be Naruto, Luffy, Goku, or even Ichigo, a Battle Character is the backbone of every deck. You never receive a Battle Character other then the ones at the beginning of the game, rather you have to evolve them from the rewards you receive in battle. Battle Characters have a wide variety of moves and abilities depending on how far you go with each one. They also take a lot of space on the grid, but you need at least one in your deck. They may drain a lot from your rewards, but hey, what else are they used for?

Support Characters are not Battle Characters. More like special attacks used only in battle. It may be Goku's Kamehameha Wave or BoBoBo-Bo Bo-BoBo throwing random weapons at you. At the end of their attack they disappear. Why is this? Because Support Characters are meant to, well, Support. If used properly they can add to a combo or strategy with fantastic results. While not as big as Battle Characters they take up their share of the grid, so bring only one or two.

Help Characters are the most common. You receive them as rewards for completing special tasks during missions. What do they do you ask? Help Characters, like Support Characters, do what they say. They help. They add attributes to the player that help, like increasing one's maximum special attacks Gauge (or J-Soul Gauge.) Not all Help Characters can evolve into Support or even Battle Characters though. Some never move beyond being Help Characters while some simply unlock in-game worlds. The ones that are usable take only a single space on the grid and never beyond. So you'll always know that even though Help Characters are the smallest, they pack the biggest punch!

There are a myriad of modes to choose from besides J-Universe. Tournament battles to fight against other characters, training mode to test out new decks, and even WiFi mode to fight against online foes. Cool huh? Get out your friend codes here!

Graphics & Sound
Sadly, the buzz has worn off. A lot of the characters in this game weren't meant to be put in such small sprites. The tip-off here is Kakashi's overall color, where a green vest used to mix so well in the Naruto series. Now, it looks like he's a toad from Mario. Needless to say not all characters have mixed well into their new sprites. Now the sound, the slamming, punching, kicking, and crunching won't put you off. It does a good job pumping you up at the beginning and venturing into the J-Universe. It does its best not to stand out. My only complaint is the 'scrunchy' graphics when these characters deserve so much better.

Controls
Controls make or break a Fighting game. The good news is that you have no worries when it comes to this. Sure you might use the touch screen now and then, but the main attacking always comes from the D-Pad and X, Y, A, B. You move with the D-Pad while the buttons use Low, High, and Special attacks. When mixed together they have the potential to perform astonishing combos. Use them. Because this is the bread and butter of fighting games.

Overall
My only complaint are the bad sprites. Which only occur in a few Battle Characters and is easily overlook-able. What's the verdict? This game is otherwise flawless and perfect on every imaginable level. The king of portable fighting games! Which will stand the test of time long after their Manga's are forgotten. And heck, it just might convince me to read some of them. My DS is done charging, so I'll leave you on this note. This is the best fighting game on the Nintendo DS. And on my top ten best things to import list. If you have a DS then get it. Case closed.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/03/08

Game Release: Jump Ultimate Stars (JP, 11/23/06)