J-Stars Victory VS: US Release is a Dream Come True
Bandai Namco Games recently announced that the fighting video game, J-Stars Victory VS, will receive an English release in the US and North America later this year. Although the dialogue will remain in Japanese, the game will be translated into English with subtitles, which is tremendous. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first ever video game in the Jump Superstars video game franchise to receive an English, US release. The game looks like it will be the perfect summer follow up to the release of Dragon Ball Xenoverse XV later this month and is a dream come true.
Here is a quick way to describe the Jump Superstars series: It is like Super Smash Bros. except that it features the mainstream characters of the most popular Weekly Shonen Jump manga series. So, Jump Superstars combines characters from the likes of Gintama, Bleach, Dragon Ball Z, D-Gray Man, One Piece, YuYu Hakusho and many more. The roster for J-Stars Victory VS looks like a jam-packed, all-star lineup of Weekly Shonen Jump manga characters. It has not been uncommon to see the Dragon Ball Z and Naruto fighting video games to get US releases because those properties have sizable fanbases in the US. It is the same for One Piece. However, fans have only been able to get the Jump Superstars games as import releases. This will be a great chance for players to get an official localized release for the franchise. I have often seen the Japanese versions of these games set up and played extensively at anime conventions. It is almost surreal to finally see the latest addition of the franchise get a US release.
The best news about the upcoming US release of the game is probably the addition of a new gameplay mode for the American release. The US release will have a new single-player Arcade Mode. Not only that, but the franchise will make its next-gen debut on the PlayStation 4. In the footage I have seen so far, the gameplay looks similar to Dragon Ball Xenoverse XV. I really like the partner and tag team gameplay in J-Stars Victory VS.
The long wait for American fans who longed to see the game get a North American release has finally paid off. The additional gameplay mode for the English release is a nice bonus. J-Stars Victory VS+ hits the US, North America and Europe later this summer. The game will be available on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.