Jump Ultimate Stars for Nintendo DS (Japanese Language Import) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm not going to get in to the nitty gritty of how the game plays and such since it's essentially the same as the original.I do have a full review of the original game if you feel like learning the ins and outs of the game, I encourage you to read that review and others for a more in depth look at the game.

PROS:
+ There's more characters and series featured in this game.On the plus side there seems to be more of a diversification of usable characters.In the previous game it seemed as if there was more of a focus on the popular series (Naruto, Bleach, Dragon Ball...) featured in the game were as this one seems to have some more obscure things taking a front seat.

+ Koma Evolution vs. Koma Completion.I'm not going to lie, in the original game having to fill in the blanks was down right annoying without having a fluent understanding of Japanese.I have a decent grasp on Japanese and it still grated my nerves considerably.In this game you simply earn the one square koma via certain objectives and from there you can purchase the larger versions of the given koma by spending points which you earn from fighting.They also use this system to unlock new levels, new evolutions for other koma, questions for the quiz mode, info about various series, unlocking new worlds, and a couple of others I'm probably forgetting.This is probably the best addition in my opinion.

+ More intuitive menus.This is probably arguable, but I like the ways the menus are layed out and the way you can sort and access your deck building options much more in this one.The filters for deck building are better organized and use more English which makes for a much more pleasant deck building experience.

+ The comboing works out a lot better in this game in my opinion.Only certain characters were particularly good melee fighters in the original but here it seems that just about every character has at least one respectably useful combo now.

CONS:
- While some may like the decreased difficulty, and that really doesn't take away from the game, it does as a side effect make for a shorter game.Fully clearing the orignal was quite a task and in this itteration it's far more feasible.

- It seems to me, and I'm pretty sure on this but can't entirely prove it or back it up, but special moves in general have been nerfed.Just about anything can knock you out of a special move now which generally I wouldn't care about but the AI as always spams support characters which at the very least will require you to basically relearn or evaluate how and when to use specials.

- The levels are far more annoying in this game.This is probably my major gripe with this game.There's tons of new environmental hazards and a large number of the level layouts are just stupid and lack good brawling areas.In some instances the level is a greater opponent than the character you're actually fighting.

- The AI seems to either be incredibly intelligent or obtusely stupid.Characters seem to have a bad habit in this game of avoiding fighting you the player, but don't hesitate for a second to brawl amongst themselves.This is particularly annoying because the AI seems to "kill steal" you far more than was the case in the original.This could just be my perception of things due to the general down grading of special skills so maybe I'm just used to whomping the computer a bit harder.

GIVE OR TAKES:
+/- The way you travel around is now series to series in a planet to planet kind of way.Personally I don't like this method quite as much but I can't really call it a knock against the game since some people will probably really like this.I really like the way the map looked and everything in the original and having planets floating in space just seems kind of bland.

+/- Some of the general challenge of the game is gone.It's easier to unlock all of the pieces, and navigating the map is more simple.I'm not positive but I think some of the harder objectives have been removed and some of the original hard objectives are now considerably more easy, especially the avoid getting hit ones.

+/- Some characters have been sufficiently retooled to the point where characters you liked from the original are no longer going rub you the right way.Naruto stands out in my mind, the Rasengan isn't as quick as it used to be and doesn't launch nearly as much but then you have characters like Kenshin who now have some far more practical specials.

And there you have it, my quick thoughts on the original vs. the new version.It's a great game but I'm kind of torn between which game I like better.I highly recommend this game as long as you are willing to deal with the Japanese in any way you see fit.

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Product Description:
Jump Ultimate Stars is the sequel to one of the best selling games of 2005, Jump Super Stars. It is the second collaboration between Nintendo of Japan and Jump magazine, this time incorporating 300 characters from 40 Shonen Jump properties.The "Koma" battle system will still be used in this sequel with the original 4-by-5 grid and touch screen support. However a number of improvements have been made, including calling support characters into battle via L/R button, without using the touchpad. Characters can now cling on to ledges when falling adjacent to them and some of the stages include areas that can be reached by destroying walls, even the floor and ceiling.As another major improvement, Jump Ultimate Stars now supports Wi-Fi battles, which allows gamers all around the world to combat against each other.

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