4/5 ★ – RawMetal's review of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle.

System: PlayStation 3 Started: 2013 Ended: August 3, 2016 Flashback Review The very first time I heard about this Japanese franchise was through a Capcom game available for the Xbox Live Marketplace. I only tried out the demo version but never had the chance to purchase the full game on Xbox 360. A couple of years later, a friend of mine, who was a big fan of the series, introduced me to it. In 2012, the anime adaptation was released, and he recommended it. It caught my attention that most of the characters and Stand abilities are named after rock bands, from Dio to Pink Floyd. Basically Manga's version of Guilty Gear. Then, he showed me the final battle between Jotaro Kujo and Dio from the anime. I didn’t understand what was happening at first, but it convinced me to check out the series by starting with Part 1. Then came the Internet memes, especially the “To Be Continued” meme that appeared with the opening guitar riff of Yes’s Roundabout. Seeing that meme, it shows that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a pretty popular franchise in Western regions. With the JoJo craze going strong, my friends and I played the JoJo fighting game, All-Star Battle. My friend had the Japanese version, so we played, and eventually we got the international version released in 2014 with English subs. It features an all-star cast from all the JoJo story arcs from Parts 4 to 7 and even the main JoJo protagonist from Part 8 while it was ongoing. All-Star Battle is a 3D fighting game. You might compare it to the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi games, but the ring felt more enclosed and had stage hazards. You can play through single-player mode to unlock more characters by completing story modes for each JoJo, featuring memorable fights, and you do perform signature moves that often reflect real battles from the manga. Successfully performing these moves earns you in-game currency to unlock additional content. Looking back, All-Star Battle was a fun fighting game and arguably the best JoJo game until the upgraded version, All-Star Battle R, was released in 2022. This game boasts the largest JoJo character roster, surpassing the Capcom game at the time. Seeing all your favorite characters from every story arc in one game is incredible. The game also captures the manga’s aesthetic perfectly; every menu screen feels like a manga page. During fights and load screens, character panels appear on-screen, including artwork directly from the manga. It’s impressive how they managed this, especially considering the game is in 3D. You can even perform taunts based on what characters have actually said in the story, demonstrating that the development team clearly knows and respects the story and characters. However, All-Star Battle isn’t a highly competitive game. It feels more like a party game, meant for fun rather than serious fighting. I remember there’s a button that allows you to perform auto-combos with minimal effort. Some characters are quite cheap, particularly those with ranged stand abilities, like Kira’s Sheer Heart Attack. The game is clearly designed for JoJo fans and casual players rather than fighting game enthusiasts. A minor nitpick: I didn’t like that some characters with similar appearances, but different abilities are selectable separately like Dio Brando from Part 1 and DIO from Part 3 have their character selection space, or Yoshikage Kira and Kosaku Kawajiri from Part 4. If you’ve watched or read the series on that one, you’ll understand what I mean. With those nitpicks out of the way, All-Star Battle is still a great fighting game for dedicated JoJo fans and newcomers alike. However, if you’re not into 3D fighting games, the Capcom game might be a better fit. I remember All-Star Battle was expensive even used, but I managed to find a copy at GameStop for a reasonable price after a long drive to get there. Now, with the release of All-Star Battle R, the original version’s price has dropped. Resellers immediately adjusted their prices. The new version features more characters, including the main antagonist, Tohru, from Part 8. It’s definitely better to play the upgraded version for the full experience.