Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

"An underrated fighter that lives up to it's name....."

JoJo no Kimyouna Bouken: Miraihe no Isan, also known as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in the US, is a 2D fighting game by Capcom that was released in Japan on November 25, 1999. It is a port of the popular Arcade game which ran on Capcom's CPS-III hardware. This review is based on the Japanese version.

The first time I played JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (JBA) was in an arcade a few years ago. I saw some images of the game on Capcom of Japan's website and I was curious to see how this manga based game would end up. Upon seeing the game in operation I was completely enthralled by the vibrant graphics and smooth animation. The sound and gameplay blew me away. I was very fond of the game since that moment, so I was ecstatic to hear that the game would be ported to the Dreamcast. And fortunately for fans of 2D fighting games, the port is 110% arcade perfect. JBA is actually two games in one: it contains the original JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and also includes the upgrade, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future, which was exclusive to Japan. Heritage for the Future features smarter and more challenging A.I., recolored and tweaked visual aesthetics (such as recolored life gauges and flashier super move effects), new stages, new characters, more moves, and refined gameplay overall.

Graphics: 10

Until this day, I cannot get over how detailed and how colorful JBA's graphics are. Seeing how it was originally developed for the arcade on the powerful CPS-III hardware, JBA's beauty is no mystery. JBA's wonderful graphics are ARCADE PERFECT. Nothing is missing or left on the cutting room floor. The characters are EXACTLY like they appear in the manga and the OVA, down to every last detail. The animation is extremely fluid and smooth. Watching the characters perform special and super moves is like watching scenes from the OVA. There is lots of flash in nearly every aspect of this game. Super moves incorporate panels from the actual manga in the backgrounds, and the effect is stunning. You will be hard pressed to find more visually impressive graphics in a 2D fighter after witnessing Black Polnareff's Zettai ni Maken no DA! and Hol Horse's Saikyou no Konbi in action.

Watching this game in motion is like being pulled directly into the OVA's atmosphere. One aspect that I really love is the scaling. The fighting stages cover a rather large area, and the game ''zooms out'' when two characters are at the furthest edges of the screen and the camera ''zooms in'' when both characters are in close proximity (fans of SNK's Samurai Spirits series know what I am talking about). The effect is pretty cool without being distracting, and it lets you view a the expansive battlegrounds. The only 2D fighting game to rival JBA's aesthetics are the Street Fighter III games. I only have two minor gripes, though. Like other reviewers have stated, most of the game's backgrounds are kind of sparse. You usually fight in deserted, desolate places with little activity in the background. However, this is just a trivial complaint in the grand scheme of things. My second complaint is that JBA is not compatible with a VGA adaptor. This really bites, because a game this beautiful would kick ass if it were viewed in higher resolution on a VGA monitor.

Sound Effects and Music: 10

The sound effects and voice samples are excellent. Just like the graphics, they immerse you into the world of the OVA. They are clear and intelligible, and the attacks and battle cries are superb. The best part is when you activate your Stand and your character calls out the name of their Stand.

The music is well done overall and is appropriate for this type of game. I wish a few tracks had a little more impact, but they are very good in their own right. Each character has their own unique theme, which is really nice.

Control: 10

As usual, the control in Capcom games are flawless, and JBA is no exception. The response is fluid and every special and super move is easy to execute.

Gameplay: 10

JBA sports an unbelievable amount of depth that is unfortunately overlooked by critics who try to pigeonhole it as a ''typical Capcom fighter''. JBA eschews Capcom's traditional 6 button layout in favor of a deceptively simple 4 button layout (Light Attack, Medium Attack, Hard Attack, and a Stand button). The most innovative aspect of JBA's gameplay is the Stand mode. The Stand is hard to describe accurately, but can basically be described as a psychic extension of your character. For most characters the Stand may resemble something a bit more ''human'' (like Jotaro's Star Platinum or DIO's The World Stand). Other Stands are a bit more bizarre and are not so obvious (like Joseph's Hermit Purple, Hol Horse's Emperor, and Chaka's Anubis Stand). When your Stand is off, you can only perform simple basic combos, you receive guard damage from special attacks, and although you have access to Special Attacks, they are not that powerful. However, upon activating your Stand, your Special Moves increase in power, you can easily perform devastating Chain Combos, you no longer receive damage from guarding Special and super moves, and you gain various other abilities to add to your arsenal. A common added benefit of activating your Stand for many characters is the ability to double jump in mid-air. Other basic moves that you have access to are a dash to get closer to your opponent and the ability to recover in mid-air. You can also attack independently of your Stand or control both of them simultaneously.
You can also ''program'' your Stand to perform a barrage of attacks. Your Stand will then perform any attacks you have input, while you are free to attack via the main character. However, you must be cautious in using your Stand, as there is a small gauge underneath your life gauge that monitors your Stand use. When your Stand receives too much abuse and the gauge is nearly depleted, you can be Stand Crushed. At this time you will be temporarily vulnerable and your Stand will be inactive for a short period until the gauge refills itself. There is an enormous amount of depth in JBA due to the mechanics of the Stand system.
JBA is truly ahead of it's time. There is enough variety in gameplay that allows beginners a to have a good time and allows veterans to exhibit their skills with complicated combos and advanced techniques.

Presentation: 10

This game is 100% faithful to the manga and anime. Capcom did an amazing job in preserving the original source material. All of the character's personalities shine through. The layout and look of the menus are well done, and the Story mode is superior. The Challenge mode in Heritage for the Future is excellently done as well. This game effectively throws you into the world of the manga and OVA. This game might draw a few weak comparisons to Capcom's other fighting series, Vampire, due to the unorthodox characters and massive bloodshed in the game. JBA is excellent and stands in a class by itself.

Replay Value: 10

JBA contains enough replay value to last you many times over. The excellent Story mode is enough to make you play multiple times, as there are interesting scenarios and endings for each of the characters. There are a good number of interesting hidden characters to unlock in both JBA, and even in more in the upgrade, JBA:Heritage for the Future. The Challenge Mode in JBA: HFTF lives up to it's name, and you will spend many hours trying to unlock all the characters. There are Survival modes to test your skills and a very interesting Alessi mode, where all the characters are pint sized brats. There is also an Internet mode, which unfortunately for those of us in the US, is exclusive to Japan. And of course, there are the standard Versus modes, where you can challenge your friends for hours on end. And taking into account that JBA has incredibly DEEP gameplay, you will be playing this game for a very long time.

Overall: 10

This such an amazing product. If you are a hardcore fan of 2D fighting games, and open minded as far as character designs are concerned, then you should definitely buy this game. This game is so good that it actually got me interested in the JoJo mangas and OVA's. This product was interesting enough for me to purchase Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken: Ougon no Kaze for the PS2, and I wasn't disappointed.

JBA is an underrated fighter that deserves to be played once by all who claim to love 2D fighters. To own a Dreamcast and not play this game is to experience regret first hand.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/01/03