"The masters of 2D take you on a bizarre adventure"

With JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Capcom breaks away from more conventional 2D fighters.

Inspired by the Japanese manga series, this game consists out of 2 arcade games. (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and the Japan-only sequel, Heritage for the Future) Back in the day, despite this being one of the more unconventional fighters coming from Capcom, it was also a test of sorts for what the DC was capable of. Being originally designed on Capcom's “CPS3” arcade board, expectations were high for a possible port. It succeeded in almost every single area, delivering 4 characters on screen with little to no frames cut out, and everything moving along fluidly. In a way, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was the game that calmed the minds of fan's over the world that the DC could handle a near perfect port of Street Fighter 3.

The main game:
Starting out, you first get to pick a game (Bizarre Adventure or Heritage for the Future). From there on you get a slew of modes for both games, though I will focus on the Arcade mode in this review. First you get to select a character, of which there are plenty to pick from. For instance there is the pint-sized bulldog on JoJo's team, and the mischievous cowboy Holhorse on Dio's side of affairs. If you are in any way familiar with the original series, this should be a dream come true. The fighting in itself isn't derived from SF as some might think, but opts for an entirely new and fresh approach. This game uses three attacks; light, medium and heavy, and to make the fight a bit more interesting it uses a fourth button to activate the so called “stand”. Each character in this game utilizes one such “stand” which would be best described as “an overpowering, mysterious, psychic inner persona”. They all have unique appearances, as well as move sets that make for some pretty interesting battles. The little doggie Iggy for instance uses a stand called “the fool”, but don't let the name fool you, it makes the doggie even more menacing than he already was. Holhorse uses one with a more impressive name, his is called “emperor”. Describing these only works so and so well, you have to see it to get a good understanding about them.

Graphics:
This game was built on Capcom's “CPS3” arcade board which was quite capable of putting on screen 4 characters at a time (two fighters and two stands). The big question here was, how successful would the DC be in bringing this over intact? Well rest assured, next to near perfect! The fighters each have their own distinct animations, really bringing the manga alive. Look closely when they are in neutral position and you can even see them breathe. The stands are all done just as good, each differing in appearance making for a roster to keep you going for quite some time.

Sound:
The music on offer suits the game well, blazing guitars were meant for fighters after all. Overall it manages to do just that what music is meant for in a game; to create atmosphere, not merely a few dime a dozen tracks that manage to bring down the lasting value of the average fighter that comes out nowadays. The music is clean and tightly composed, reeling you even further into this bizarre adventure. All the sound effects one would come to expect in a game like this are there. The “clank” and the “thud” and the ”kapowie” noises are all there. The little doggie barks like it should, Holhorse's gun sounds just like the weapon of choice our gunslinger wields should sound. I'm running a bit out of steam here; while all incorporated well, there isn't really any significantly bold to mention about the effects.

Conclusion:
A solid fighter, and a welcome fresh breath in comparison to the less than genre breaking outings on offer. The stand fighting system makes for some intriguing as well as unpredictable matches. This is one of those fighters where, when one invests enough time into it, skill can really come into play. Button bashers can have their fun as well (though perhaps not when pitted against a more seasoned player). Either way, whether you are a player that sticks with the arcade mode, or one that lives for the versus fights, you really can't go wrong with this title!

Graphics: 8
Sound: 9
Gameplay: 9
Replay: 8

Two arcade gems stuffed on one shiny GD-rom, throwing just about all the excuses one might have for not owning this game out of the window.

Final Grade: 9

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/31/06