Anime fighters, when executed well, can be something truly special. The cell shaded animation styles can make for fantastic looking combat, and the promise of multiple bombastic anime characters merging can only mean one thing, an excellent, beautiful, slugfest.

Well that is what I had hoped for.

Shōnen Jump is something I knew nothing about before checking out Jump Force, and to be honest I still know little about. What is worth knowing is that it’s a manga series that has multiple manga series making appearances such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto. This means that the premise of these series merged together isn’t as outlandish or surprising as someone out of the loop like me may have thought.

The story kicks in with an innocent bystander witnessing a fight between Frieza and Goku finding themselves getting powers. They enter the jump force and an uninteresting story unfolds. I am torn on the story as I do like the idea of a unique character interacting with known characters, but I struggled to care about the story at all.

The good news is you get to make a character with a surprisingly decent character creation tool to enjoy this journey in. Part of the process of making your fighter involves choosing their fighting style from the three main protagonist’s styles, which are surprisingly varied. Throughout the game you can change this and unlock new moves giving a decent little RPG-like feel, it’s too bad I struggled to care about the story.

Fights themselves are a combination of tedious and fun. They take place in vast 3D arenas which result in a lot of time being away from your opponents. Early on this is painful as you need to learn how to attack from afar while also learning how to traverse quickly and carefully. As your time with the game progresses this gets easier and fits with the nature of these fighters, but there is a steep learning curve involved. Close quarter combat also has a bit of a learning curve, but it becomes awesome as you start to get marginally good.

Outside of main missions is the menu, which is an open area where you need to visit different vendors to complete arcade fights, online fights, or any other bits and pieces. If this system is used instead of a traditional menu then there is fine balance between interesting and tedious. Dragon Ball FighterZ was small so it was easy to navigate, Dragon Ball Xenoverse got a bit on the larger side but was fun to navigate. Jump Force on the other hand goes a step to far and I found it nothing short of annoying.

The animation style itself has the characters rendered in 3D models, and I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t a fan. The initial art looked good and interesting but once the characters were moving in the game, they looked awkwardly wrong. If the world had been designed as a cell shaded 3D plane like in the Xenoverse games then the whole experience could have been uplifted, but the weird semi- realistic style never quite works.

One other quirk that may annoy some fans is the whole game uses Japanese dub characters. Fans that watch the Japanese dubs of these series won’t be annoyed as much as me. I do struggle to get past it when you know these characters with different voices, and find the Japanese ones grating to listen to.

Jump Force had so much promise, and I was so eager to get into it after the recent excellent BandaiNamco fighting releases, but no matter how much fun the fights are once you get the hang of it, everything else in between these fights is too much to ignore. It isn’t bad by any stretch, but the whole experience struggles to be much more than average.

The post Jump Force (PlayStation 4) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

What a year it has been for Xbox gamers.

Getting lost in the open ocean with Sea of Thieves, burning rubber in Forza Motorsport 7 and the added subscription based service of Games Pass which allows exclusive Triple AAA titles to be downloaded and played for free. Xbox also did a honourable nod to gamers with special needs with their Adaptive Controller.

With the next year just around the corner, let’s see what’s in store for the world’s most powerful games console as it leads us in to 2019.

Anthem is a shared-world action-RPG, where Freelancers challenge the wilds past the wall, exploring a vast world filled with savage beasts and ruthless marauders, but also teeming with amazing technology and forgotten treasures. Players will be able to join with their friends to unravel the world’s mysteries and defeat the forces plotting to conquer humanity. Throughout their journeys, players can outfit their Freelancers with powerful Javelin exosuits, each of which are equipped with unique weapons and abilities.

Freelancers can customize their Javelin with gear they earn and craft throughout the adventure, and leave a lasting mark on the world. Anthem is due for release from EA Games in 2019.

From the creators of ARK: Survival Evolved comes ATLAS – a massively multiplayer first-and-third-person fantasy pirate adventure. “ATLAS” will host up to 40,000 players exploring the same Globe simultaneously, with an unprecedented scale of cooperation and conflict. Join an endless adventure of piracy & sailing, exploration & combat, roleplaying & progression, settlement & civilization-building, in one of the largest game worlds ever! Explore, Build, Conquer!

This coming February experience the next gen of Crackdown. It’s time to step up your boom and stop crime as a super-powered Agent in Crackdown 3’s sandbox of cooperative mayhem and destruction, plus an all-new multiplayer mode where destruction is your ultimate weapon. “Crackdown 3” is available at launch on February 15^th with Xbox Game Pass and globally on Xbox One and Windows 10.

One of the hotly anticipated games on my list for 2019 is Devil May Cry 5 from Capcom.  brand-new entry in the legendary over-the-top action series comes to Xbox One in spring 2019, complete with its signature blend of high-octane stylized action and otherworldly and original characters the series is known for. Years have passed since the legions of hell have set foot in this world, but now a new demonic invasion has begun, and humanity’s last hope will rest in the hands of three lone demon hunters, each offering a radically different play style. United by fate and a thirst for vengeance, these demon hunters will have to face their demons if they hope to survive.

Also, Ubisoft will have you diving into a transformed vibrant post apocalyptic Hope County, Montana, 17 years after a global nuclear catastrophe in Far Cry New Dawn. Join fellow survivors from Hope County and lead the fight against the dangerous new threat known as the Highwaymen, and their ruthless leaders The Twins, as they seek to destroy and take over the last remaining resources by any means necessary.

Perhaps one of the more intriguing is the expected 2019 release of Gears of War 5, with Gears of War 4 still one of my go to games, having completed it several times over.

As Kait, journey across the biggest, most beautiful Gears world ever created. Play solo or with a friend in local split-screen co-op, or online co-op and experience every mode in 4K Ultra HD resolution with stunning HDR at a smooth 60 frames per second. Called Gears 5 it will be coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 in 2019 and will be available day and date to Xbox Game Pass members.

Keeping in tune with Gears 5 – perhaps the lighter and weirder announcement from Microsoft Studios is their upcoming Gears Pop, a new Arena Brawler mobile game that brings together iconic Gears characters in the distinctive Funko Pop! style. The game is being developed in partnership with Funko and inspired by the Gears of War vinyl collectible figures. It’s the perfect slice of mobile mayhem, available on iOS and Android in 2019.

Jump Force, which we have covered in a news piece before is slated, also for a 2019 release. This BandaiNamco title sees the greatest heroes and villains from the 50-year history of Shueisha’s influential Japanese Weekly Jump manga will battle against each other across iconic locations across Earth in this anime fan’s dream come true! Featuring the world’s most popular and classic manga and anime franchises including DRAGON BALL Z, ONE PIECE, NARUTO, and many others, players will be able to compete in hyper-stylish arena brawls set against familiar backdrops of famous landmarks around the world, including New York City’s Times Square and the Matterhorn.

Then – we have the juggernaut of fantasy cross-over titles; Kingdom Hearts III. Set in a vast array of Disney worlds, Kingdom Hearts follows the journey of Sora, a young boy and unknowing heir to a spectacular power. Sora is joined by Donald and Goofy to stop an evil force known as the Heartless from invading and overtaking the universe. Through the power of positivity and friendship, Sora, Donald and Goofy unite with iconic Disney-Pixar characters old and new to overcome tremendous challenges and persevere against the darkness threatening their worlds.

Next year is also going to see a reprise of the Metro series. Metro Exodus is an epic, story-driven first person shooter from 4A Games that blends deadly combat and stealth with exploration and survival horror in one of the most immersive game worlds ever created. Explore the Russian wilderness across vast, nonlinear Levels and follow a thrilling storyline that spans an entire year through spring, summer and autumn to the depths of nuclear winter. Inspired by the novels of Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro Exodus continues Artyom’s story in the greatest Metro adventure yet.

If all of the above is not to your liking, there’s always Minecraft.

Minecraft: Dungeons is an action adventure game in the classic dungeon crawler style, where up to four players can fight together to defeat a relentless swarm of new mobs in a quest to save the villagers and take down the evil Arch-Illager. As an all new passion project for PC from a small, dedicated team at Mojang, Minecraft: Dungeons will be the first new title in the Minecraft universe when it releases in 2019.

Another one I am excited for, having loved the first Ori, is Ori and the Will of the Wisps. From the creators of Ori and the Blind Forest, winner of over 50 awards and nominations, comes the highly anticipated sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Embark on an adventure with all-new combat and customization options while exploring a vast and exotic world, encountering larger-than-life enemies and challenging puzzles on your path to unravel Ori’s true destiny. “Ori and the Will of the Wisps” will be launching exclusively on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs in 2019 and will be available day and date to Xbox Game Pass members.

The oceans of Sea of Thieves will continue to wash over the Xbox gaming landscape in 2019. Sea of Thieves is changing in a big way with its fifth free content update since launch, ‘The Arena.’ Releasing in early 2019, ‘The Arena’ is an all-new competitive game mode that allows players to test their pirating skills in fast-paced matches against rival crews. Each match is a fun, frenetic and action-packed race to find treasure that brings together all the most exciting elements of “Sea of Thieves” – on demand. “Sea of Thieves” is available with Xbox Game Pass and globally on Xbox One and Windows 10 as an Xbox Play Anywhere title.

The Artful Escape of Francis Vendetti is a video game about great expectations, famous folk singers, lingering shadows, space Gods, hallucinogens, individuality, reptile shops, and wild imaginations. It’s an action, adventure, exploration, narrative driven, musical-laser-light-battle kind of game and is the debut release from BEETHOVEN & DINOSAUR.

Kick in some sci-fi action, The Outer Worlds is a new single-player first-person RPG from Obsidian Entertainment and Private Division. Lost in transit while on a colonist ship bound for the furthest edge of the galaxy, you awake decades later only to find yourself in the midst of a deep conspiracy threatening to destroy the Halcyon colony. As you explore the furthest reaches of space and encounter various factions, all vying for power, the character you decide to become will determine how this player-driven story unfolds. In the corporate equation for the colony, you are the unplanned variable.

Tom Clancy’s: The Division 2 will explode in to 2019. Developed by Ubisoft Massive and the same teams that brought you Tom Clancy’s The Division, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is an online open-world, action-shooter RPG experience set in a collapsing and fractured Washington, D.C. This rich new setting combines a wide variety of beautiful, iconic and realistic environments where the player will experience the series’ trademark for authenticity in world- building, rich RPG systems, and fast-paced action like never before. Play solo or co-op with a team of up to four players to complete a wide range of activities, from the main campaign and adversarial PvP matches to the Dark Zone — where anything can happen.

Throwing a bit of indie goodness in, Tunic from devs Finji is an isometric action adventure about a tiny fox in a big world. Embark on an adventuresome quest-about set in that place just beyond the farthest you’ve ever been! Explore ancient ruins, fight monsters and uncover mysterious secrets. The world is big and scary — so be brave, little one!

And finally in this 2019 Xbox round up is from the creators of Wasteland 2 and Torment: Tides of Numenera comes Wasteland 3! Following the critically acclaimed releases of 2014’s Wasteland 2 and 2015’s Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut, fans have been clamoring for a direct sequel.

Wasteland 3 will feature a deep and engaging story utilizing a newly-revamped dialog tree system from the celebrated writers of Torment: Tides of Numenera, along with a renewed focus on our trademark complex story reactivity and strategic combat that evolves on Wasteland 2’s deep tactical turn-based combat and unique encounter design. Play by yourself or with a friend in story-driven synchronous or asynchronous multiplayer to face difficult moral choices and make sacrifices that will change the game world.

So there we have it Xbox One gamers – here’s what’s in store for the next 12 months from Xbox. A couple of first party surprises and alot of third party goodness to welcome in another year.

The post Xbox to take you in to 2019 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe has announced Jump Forcewhere the greatest heroes and villains from the 50-year history of Shueisha’s influential Japanese Weekly Shonen Jump manga will battle against each other across iconic locations on Earth in this anime fighting game fan’s dream come true!

Featuring the world’s most popular and classic manga / anime franchises including DRAGON BALL Z, ONE PIECE, NARUTO, and many others, players will be able to create their three-character manga/anime dream tag team and take them into battle in hyper-stylish arena brawls set against backdrops of famous landmarks around the world including New York City’s Times Square and the Matterhorn in the Alps. Utilizing Unreal Engine 4, Jump Force brings these titans of Japanese pop culture to life for the first time ever in stunning realistic detail.

The lines that separate our world from the Jump world have been blurred, with evil forces spilling into the real world to rule over humanity. The greatest heroes known to manga/anime including Goku, Luffy, Naruto, as well as many others to be announced, must join forces to triumph over the forces of evil seeping in from the JUMP world. 

“Jump Force provides an incredible opportunity for players to discover the rich universe of Shueisha and battle in iconic real-world locations.”, said Hervé Hoerdt, Vice President Marketing and Digital at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe. “To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Shōnen Jump, Shueisha and BNEE are bringing together some of the most beloved manga and anime franchises of all time. We can’t wait to unveil more details on JUMP FORCE in the coming months.”

Jump Force will be available in 2019 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC via STEAM.

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