JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle

Simply put, this is the fighting game every JoJo fan dreamed to play and it's a great example of how to take inspiration from the best games out there and add something of yours.

Fans of Versus Fighting or 2D fighting games in general, do not miss the gem called Jojo's Bizarre Adventure All Star Battle, even if you don't know a thing about the series or the manga. Like Street Fighter 4, CyberConnect2's title will appeal to newbies and veterans alike thanks to its arcade stick and its smooth gameplay, but it's also filled with subtleties that require skill if you get into it. Top all this with brilliant direction (awesome graphics) and a base roster of 32 characters with many interesting game modes (besides the useless campaign mode which has a despicable business model) and you'll get an explosive mix. A very nice game to pick up while waiting for Ultra Street Fighter IV, set for this summer, and which is going to be another update of Capcom's fighting game.

One heck of a good time. It feels like a lot of love and care was put into the game, in an attempt to make it appeal to both hardcore fighting game fans and anime fans, and it does! If you are looking for an awesome fighter with some unique systems, check this one out.

Cyberconnect2 offers us the first game of the franchise that arrives to the West. Many playable modes, astonishing visuals and a vast array of characters to play. Without a doubt, the best JoJo's Bizarre Adventure game.

A great fighting game that will appeal to fans of the manga and veteran players of fighting games.

Pick it up if you’re looking for a fighting game that’s a little different and packed with personality.

An incredible homage to one of the best manga ever created. A solid beat'em up, not technical as a Street Fighter but deep enough to please the fan of the genre.

A fun if slightly shallow fighting game for most, JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure fans will absolutely adore All Star Battle. For that select few, this is a must have.

A visually ballistic and staggeringly polished fighter that offers great lip service for fans of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure while also delivering a game with enough flair to appeal to both determined and casual fans of the fighting genre. And if there’s one thing people will remember about All Star Battle, it’s that it’s stylish. Mission accomplished, Cyber Connect 2.

A really good fighting game based upon the characters created by Hirohiko Araki. Full of fighters to choose from, game modes and nice humourous touches.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventures: All-Star Battle is not a perfect fighting game by any means and shows how inexperienced CyberConnect2 still is in that department. However, it's fun and bizarre as much as the series itself and it delivers tons of fan service by totally understanding its source material.

Obviously there are better options if you're looking for a fighting game, but this game is a must-have for fans of the franchise.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle is a great fighting game, featuring an amazing roster, well-implemented mechanics and the same charm of the fascinating manga by Araki. Its only weaknesses lie in the field of content, which is particularly noticeable in the simplistic story mode.

A cartoony fighting game based on the world of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure? That sounds really promising for people who are already fans of the manga but everyone else are going to be confused because they don't know the source material and the game doesn't explain it well enough. The end result is a decent fighting game that has a big roster of goofy characters and a nice looking cell-shaded style but a weak story mode and laggy online experience. [June 2014]

A loving uppercut aimed squarely at the jaw of manga nuts - but it might leave fighting fans frustrated. [July 2014, p.77]

Fighting game fans should endeavor to at least try All-Star Battle before dismissing it on the grounds of not knowing anything about JoJo's universe. On the other hand, JoJo's fans have ample reason to support Namco and CyberConnect2 by picking this one up.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All Star Battle is a remarkable game. Not because of its generic combat system, but because of the noticeable passion developer CyberConnect 2 has for the manga in which the game is based. It's a must-have for any JoJo fan; any layman who's interested should start reading the manga before playing the game.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle is a nice game full of action and great battles. The colorful and cartoonish design adds to the game play experience. Sadly enough, the story is quite difficult to follow if you are new to the franchise.

Overall, despite its shortcomings, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle is a colorful spectacle that both fans of the anime and future fans of the anime will want to pick up and experience, even if just to watch a man use only his upper body strength after hopping off his horse to hold his own in combat. It's funky, gorgeous, and oozing with style.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure once again makes a very stylish fighter but it still doesn't match up well against the competition of fighters out there.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle is as baffling a fighting game as you will ever play. With a large cast of eccentric characters and some of the most stylish moves you'll ever see, Namco Bandai have finally released a good anime game. It's not without a few problems, but JoJo has enough charm to warrant taking the risk.

JoJo’s exhibits a flagrant disregard for rules - both visual and mechanical - and for that, I truly love it.

All Star Battle might not win any new fans for the franchise but will make existing ones happy. [07/2014, p.71]

An oddball mixture of zany visuals and anomalous personas that pays respect to both hardcore fans and Hirohiko Araki's singular vision.

As I said before, I came into this game with no knowledge of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series and it had no effect on me other than wanting more from the series. I would urge fans of the Dragon Ball Z or Naruto fighting games to check this out, if they want something similar or if they have been burnt out on the other two.

CyberConnect2 created the ultimate game for fans of the show, with JoJo's Bizarre Adventures: All-Star Battle. With the forty characters and five different fighting styles the game is as extravagant as you might expect. Unfortunately it's also very unbalanced and the story mode disappoints when it comes to appearance. The micro transactions in the campaign are also quite repulsive.

Underdeveloped game modes and poor balance won't stop you from enjoying JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All Star Battle. Whether you're a hardcore fan or just looking for something new in the genre, make sure to pick this one up. The magic will fade, but the journey up to that point will be unforgettable.

While JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star absolutely looks the part, it falls short of its potential with its poor implementation of the story mode and online multiplayer.

Is it perfect? Far from it, but the sheer level of chaos that comes from playing it made it fun overall. With great artwork, bonkers fighting styles and a lot of replay value (even if I didn’t understand one of the modes), it is a game that should at least be tried, just to have seen and played it.

If you’re really into JoJo, or really into fighting games, or both, you’ll be able to see through the messy design, pick out the good stuff and have some fun with it. Otherwise you’re likely to be beaten and bewildered.

Once again, this is a game for the fans, and only the fans, but I think that there has been a genuine job here to do right by the fans. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle is not a classic game by any means, but it's leagues ahead of most other anime or manga fighting games.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle has some shortcomings with its story mode, overall content and that awful microtransactions malarkey, but there’s no doubting that there is a solid fighting game at its core that anyone can have fun with.

The game stumbles when you add in the micro-transactions found in the online-only Campaign Mode and the $2 price tag for each of the 14 DLC characters. Hardcore JoJo fans also need to watch out for the dodgy name localizations of the music-themed cast.

If you approach All-Star Battle as a fighting game first and foremost, you'll discover a satisfyingly complex combat system with a few lacklustre modes. Not a 10, then, but this Jo is far from average.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventures: All Star Battle is a fun and visually stunning fighting game from CyberConnect2. The free-to-play elements are simply wrong for a full price game and its basic gameplay is not enough for fighting games veterans, but if you like the original manga this is a must buy. Hands down.

The lack of a tutorial, a stunted story mode, and the inclusion of a poorly judged free-to-play component drains some of the colour from the experience, but as soon as you land that special heart attack, you'll quickly forget all about its shortcomings.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle is an enjoyable fighting title if you are looking for a casual experience. However, from a competitive standpoint, it lacks a solid combat system and almost all the bizarre fighters are unbalanced. It's a shame because this is a good looking adaptation of Hirohiko Araki's manga.

All-star Battle is strictly for fans, unless you want Japanese culture to slap you in the face. [July 2014, p80]

In the end, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure All Star Battle flashes a lot of style but lacks the substance that prevents it from being a great fighter.

Overall, I find JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure very hard to recommend for most people. If you’re buying it because you loved the Capcom classic and don’t really like the license, then avoid this game.

Does little to open the door for anyone other than JoJo vets. [July 2014, p.80]

Brilliant presentation, flawed execution. Add [10 or 20 points] if you like Jojo's. [Issue#249, p.68]

It's a mile-long love letter to the fans. [Issue#148, p.120]

The latest take at JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a fair and accessible fighting game that offers something different from the crowd.

A unique fighting game with an avant-grade character design due to it staying true to the manga source material. It is a fun game for fans of the manga, and also for fighting game enthusiasts looking for something new. Non-fighting fans won't get much out of it other than learning about the world of Jojo and his bizarre adventures.

Once the glitz and glamour fade and you dive a little deeper into this game, the cracks begin to show. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle is packed with style, but simply lacks the substance to back it up.

All-Star Battle's incredible presentation far outclasses its slower one-on-one gameplay and adequate modes. Diehard JoJo fans will be in heaven, but the uninitiated will lose interest once the invigorating shock of the fabulous visuals wears off.

Suitably outrageous and undeniably fun, but even fans of the source material will be disappointed at a fighting game that values spectacle over substance.

A nice fighting game. It is rather interesting on the gameplay side, but fans of the manga will be especially pleased to see that this adaptation is visually stunning! The game's DLC policy is abusive, though.

It looks stylish and gives the slick Street Fighter 4 from Capcom a run for its money. Unfortunately the art design is the only area where JoJo is a competition. Cause behind the façade hides a rather generic beat-em-up.

Nice to see Bandai-Namco is bringing back some classics; maybe we can see more intense action and story next time.