J-Stars Victory VS+ Releases In US

In 2012 a little gem known as Project Versus J was announced to the gaming world. It was a low profile, set to release in Japan only, fighting video game. The goal was that this game would combine the universes of many of the Shōnen Jump manga series for up to 4 player battles. The gameplay and graphic style seemed similar to the Dragon Ball Z and Naruto series. The main reason this title caught my attention was because Kenshin and Shishio from the Rurouni Kenshin series were confirmed as playable characters.

Rurouni Kenshin is my all time favorite anime and unfortunately I never got a chance to play the PS2 or PSP games because they too were released in Japan only. The PS3 on the other hand was region-free and as long as I could get myself a copy and successfully stumble through the menus blindly, I would be able to enjoy playing as the tortured wandering samurai. The closest I’ve ever been to playing as Kenshin in video game was as Baiken  from Guilty Gear. -__- Guilty Gear is a cult classic of many merits but Baiken (no matter how hard she tried) could not perform the Amakakeru Ryu No Hirameki.

This game was more than an excuse to play as Kenshin though. It was the ultimate fighting game for anime fans. It offered access to many iconic anime characters all under one roof. Characters from Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, Yu Yu Hakousho, Naruto, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (just to name a few) can all battle each other. Last year J-Stars Victory VS was released and gamers in Japan were treated to a 52 character fighting game. It was an Otaku’s wet dream.

This game is now being release in western territories for the PS4, PS3, and the Vita under the title J-Stars Victory VS+. On June 30th, you’ll be able to go to your local Gamestop, pick this up, and hope it fills you with the nostalgia that I’m expecting it to fill me.