Jump Force is just one of many games that I’m looking forward to next year. I’ve not even seen half of the anime the characters involved in the game are in, but so what? I can’t deny that Jump Force just looks so good. Which is why I jumped at the chance to have some fun in the Jump Force closed beta. And man, oh man, it was a complete blast.
There’s a lot of things you can say about Bandai Namco, but one of the things I’m certain of is this: they publish damn good games. Jump Force is no exception to this. Of course, I won’t go much further before addressing the elephant in the room: the closed beta schedule. There was a lot of miscommunication between when the beta was supposed to start, and when it actually started. Due to that, a lot of people managed to miss the beta even when they wanted to play. If the game gets another beta, we can only hope it’ll be more organized.
Now that’s addressed, let’s get to the meat of this preview.
Jump Force Preview: A Game Full of Fighting Spirit
At the start of the beta, the game asks you to pick your avatar. At this point in time, the only selection you have are pre-made avatars, however, we’re certain that this will change in the final product. Regardless, I choose my character and head straight into a match: a player vs CPU match of course, because I’m not crazy enough to challenge people straight away.
Immediately I pick my dream team: Goku, Frieza, and Vegeta. I look around to see who I can play against and I’m surprised at Pegasus Seiya being available, but not my boy Yugi Muto. I’m bitter about that folks, really bitter. But I don’t let that stop me for long. After all, we’ve got ass to kick.
That’s where it gets complicated. The difficulty switch between CPU and real players has always been a divide that’s hard to overcome, and Jump Force is no exception to that rule. Playing against the CPU does keep you on your toes at times, and is helpful to learn the battlefield, but ultimately fails to prepare you against other players.
Jump Force puts you to the test
As to be expected, players are merciless in this game. Which means you’ll be putting your guard and escape button a lot of the time. The problem with that, however, is that when players are attacking, they automatically move towards the enemy. So, you’ve escaped and are trying to get a breather? Think again! Because the enemy is going to be on you in seconds. This isn’t a complaint, but a warning to players out there who thought this was going to be a walk in the park.
Another thing that stood out to me was how some characters ultimate moves are just immensely overpowered. I found that out by spamming Vegeta’s Final Flash whenever I knocked my opponent’s health down by 65%. All I needed to do was use that move, then bam, they were gone and I had won. In comparison to say, Naruto’s Tail Beast Bomb, which only did a fraction of the damage Final Flash did. It seems obvious that they’ll be gamers picking characters solely for their ultimate ability, rather than who they want to play.
I’m also not sold on the three-man team. At least not how it’s set out right now. It was very, very rare that I managed to use all three characters in a fight, mostly because the wait time for switching in-between characters is pretty big. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it’ll stop you and your enemy from spamming some really hefty attacks against one another. But on the other hand, it’s rare that you’ll see your third selected character.
A game that is unashamed to be for beginners
I hate the term ‘real gamers’. Mostly because it’s just a ton of gate-keeping BS that we don’t really need. That said, you don’t need to be a pro to enjoy Jump Force. In fact, I’ll let you in on a little secret: I hate fighting games. I suck at them, which makes me angry because I hate losing, thus I never play these kinds of games.
This was not the case for Jump Force. Not only did I enjoy it a lot, I actually felt like I was progressing as I learned to play the game. It doesn’t hold your hand by any means, but it’s so much better than having to press up five times, then circle and then slap the nearest person next to you in order to do a super move. In Jump Force, you’re in control and it feels oh-so-good. The fact that I’m able to do fairly well in-game? It really is a chef’s kiss moment.
Let me just put this plainly: Jump Force is incredible but needs work. It looks great, it plays well, but there are some issues that need ironing out. However, overall? It’s fantastic. Sure it was sometimes laggy, especially near the end of the beta time, but overall gameplay is smooth and dare I say, fun. What’s more, if you love your anime and fighting games, then I don’t understand what other game could appeal to you like this one.
Cross your fingers, folks. Another Jump Force closed beta may be on the way if we pray hard enough.