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

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(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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Digimon World Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the ultimate game! THE coolest ever.Your mission is to raise and train your own Digimon to save the Digital World by returning Digimon whohave "lost their hearts" to File City.There are days, years,many new Digimon (at least from the ones I know) and awesome battles! About a MILLION times better than Pokemon.And you won't get tired of iteither.Only one flaw... There is no Mega Level Digimon. (BesidesHerculesKabuterimon, but he's listed as an ultimate and even the Game'sGuide doesn't tell you how to get H-Kabuterimon.)If you're hoping it'slike the T.V. series...Don't hope... It's noting like it.But Its stillawesome.If you like Digimon and own Play Station, BUY THIS GAME RIGHTNOW!Plus, I implore (strongly encourage) you to also buy the Game guide. I will help you a LOT!I read some reviews and saw that this would be apretty cool game, but when I first played it, it blew me away! WOW!

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Inuyasha - Feudal Combat Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm yet another one of those legions of Inuyasha fans, so when I saw that an Inuyasha fighting game was out, I was quick to pick it up.Since it was basically under the radar (it got virtually no attention from any American gaming mag or media), I had no idea it was out until I saw the commercials on adult swim.Needless to say, that was a great marketing tactic, because it got me to grab the game the next day.So was it worth it?Eh....

The game itself looks great.Though the arenas are very small, they're gorgeous and lively.And although I utterly despise cel-shading graphics, I think they work quite well for the characters.Though the use of realistic backgrounds tends to make the cel-shading look out of place, its still a very beautiful game, graphics wise.

The roster is rather small, as it encompasses only the main cast of characters and no others.You get a total of 14 characters, 3 of which are variations of Inuyasha.The only character that is not in the regular cast (until the later episodes) is Bankotsu.The characters DO look great, however, and Naraku is in his latest form (not yet seen on the American dubbed adult swim episodes as of this writing).Perhaps the most unique aspect about this game is the team combat feature which, though very flawed, makes for some interesting matches.

Pairing teams of characters should be obvious in some respects...Inuyasha works great with Kagome or Kikyo, but pair him up with Sesshomaru or Naraku and you won't have a good pairing.The system goes from Bad - Normal - Good - Great.Depending on your characters, the rating will start at a certain level when the match begins.For example, if you have Inuyasha and Kikyo, the rating will start at Good.If you pair Inuyasha and Miroku, the rating will start at Normal.If you pair Inuyasha and Naraku, the rating will start at Bad and be difficult to raise.The ratings can be raised during battle by simply performing team cooperative attacks, or by rescuing your partner when he/she is being pummeled.This system does have its flaws however...

For starters, the rating system is poorly implemented.For whatever reason, the moment your pairing hits 'Great!', it will immediately level down back to Good.I can never get the system to stay at Great with any pairing of characters for more than a split second.If your partner gets hit at all, for any reason, it will start leveling down.Half the time its a chore just to keep the rating at Good since the CPU opponent tends to target your partner alot.This game also has quite possibly the worst, most stupidest and useless AI I've seen in a while.Your CPU controller partner will usually do nothing but stand all the way in the corner doing nothing, or spend the entire match getting killed.Nothing is more annoying that hearing Kagome screams 'Help Inuyasha!' 15-20 times in a row because she just won't do anything to help herself.

The mission mode allows you to level up certain pairings of characters for use in battle mode.This is a very helpful option since you can maximize the power of teams.Even teams that normally wouldn't work well together, such as Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, can be leveled up enough to become compatible.Since your attack power, health and speed all go up, the characters become even more powerful than they already are.This helps keep the rating system in your favor...characters who have leveled together tend to get their rating to go up easier, though there is still always the problem of the 'Great!' rating fading away in the blink of an eye.Some missions are difficult, such as one mission where you must keep your partner alive, who will die in one hit.The CPU opponent is specifically targeting your partner, who now decides to be in the middle of combat rather than staying all the way on the other side of the arena, as they normally do.Of all times it would've been helpful for your partner to be useless, they decide to get right in the middle of things.Very frustrating.But that aside, the mission mode allows you to get your custom team very powerful.This can be fun if you decide to play with a friend and compare your custom teams.

Other features in the game include Co-op Finishers.Don't confuse Finishing Moves with bloody fatalities, these Finishing Moves are your character's Super attack.For example, Inuyasha's Backlash Wave, Kagome/Kikyo's Sacred Arrow, Kagura's Dance of the Dead, etc.If you manage to get a 'Great' rating with your team mate, you can do combined finishing moves which deal mega damage and look simply awesome.Nothing like finishing a match with Inuyasha' Backlash Wave swirling around Kagome's Sacred Arrow.By increasing partner stats in the Mission mode, you can make co-op finishers so powerful they take away an entire lifebar in one swipe.

There are other issues in the game that needed attention.The camera is awful, usually swinging around in such a position that you can't see what's going on.The targeting system is terribly flawed, especially in mission mode where you sometimes have to destroy environmental objects to proceed.The teammate AI is frustratingly stupid, and usually winds up costing you needless deaths.Soemtimes the teammate will just stand in a hazardous area, like Naraku's miasma, and just not move.The game also tends to be extremely unbalanced.For example, Shippu is easily the most powerful character in the entire game!Because he is so small, about 98% of the attacks in the game from any character go right over his head.Other issues include a severe misrepresentation of power...Inuyasha's Windscar is a regular attack that does pathetic damage.More care could've been taken in observing the characters from the show.The arenas are also very limited, and terribly tiny.The fights feel very claustrophobic without much space to move, especially such arenas as Naraku's castle.

Overall, Feudal Combat is a fun game that is flawed and could've spent more time in development.It also could've used some more characters and arenas(there are only 6 arenas!).Perhaps in a future game we will see an expanded cast.If you have ever played any of the DBZ fighting games, then Inuyasha will feel similar.Diehard Inuyasha fans, definitely pick it up.Casual Inuyasha fans, give it a rent.General fighting fans will want to overlook this one.

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Product Description:
Unleash your inner demon! Choose your partner and fight your way across feudal-era Japan. Team up with friend or foe as you battle out the storylines from the TV series!

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InuYasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale Review

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(More customer reviews)What this game is not:The next Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat.
What this game is:A fun anime-themed fighting game.
If you are looking for a game that is just plain fun to play, and you are an InuYasha fan, this game is for you.Complete with original Japanese voice work (subtitled of course) it's just a blast to play.It is very much "old school" in style, and if you've ever played anything like Gundam Wing Endless Duel or the *original* Street Fighter II, this is very much along the same idea.Yep, this game is vintage sprite-based action!
You can either play 1 on 1, 2 on 2 (think tag team), against a friend or the computer, and there's even a story mode where you have to gather the jewel shards while fighting battles along the way, playing as either Inu-Yasha or Kagome.In VS mode some of the taglines are priceless... for example when you defeat Shippo, sometimes he'll say something along the lines of "I hope you are proud of yourself for beating a kid!"^_^;
So if you want a good time without having to spend days memorizing a bunch of new finishing moves, give this game a try.

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Product Description:
Led by a magical legacy, a fearless warrior and his loyal friends do battle with fierce enemies in this anime-inspired adventure.

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