Once hailed as the second-coming of animation, manga (or anime) never really caught on in the States like people expected a half-decade ago. Chalk it up to the strange characters, stranger plots, or the Japanese's unhealthy fascination with robots. Whichever you choose, the fallout is the same. This lack of interest in big-eyed pre-teens also spills out into video games, where some excellent Japanese titles never see the light of day here because the content flies straight over our Budweiser-filled heads. Add Jump Superstars for the DS to that list.

Strong Character

Based upon the popular weekly manga rag, Shonen Jump, this game has more Asian characters than a California nightclub. It also shows a distinct difference between Japan and the US in that a variety of properties have come together into one fighting game. This would never happen in America, where each company is more concerned about having its own pie instead of eating one slice.

The list of properties reads like a who's who of Japanese pop culture. There are characters from Dragon Ball, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and many, many more. In America, this is called a licensing nightmare. In Japan, it's just another way to create a video game that people want to play. Sadly, we think Americans would like to play it as well.

Super Manga Bros.

The setup is fairly simple. You choose a character and hop around platform-laden battlegrounds bashing other characters with kicks, punches, and special attacks. Because the game is based upon anime, the characters are completely free of the constraints of reality. Take, for instance, Bobobobo, which translates to fist of the nose hair. He can use two nose hairs to lash out at enemies. Lovely, we know. Other characters are just as off-beat, but if you crave the mundane you can always choose old stand-bys like Goku of Dragon Ball fame.

Each character has its strengths and weaknesses. Some can perform triple jumps, while others can only pull off double or single jumps. Others have longer ranged attacks that take longer to complete while others have quicker attacks that don't do as much damage. Overall, the characters are pretty well balanced so that if you practice enough you can win with just about anyone.

Outwardly, the gameplay seems like a knock-off of Super Smash Bros. in that
there are four-player battles on the same stage. Also like Smash Bros., a multitude
of powerups constantly appear in the stages. Some will increase your character's power, replenish health, etc. Others are detrimental like a bomb that works on a timer and eventually explodes or the anvil, which weighs down your character and makes it difficult to move.

Super Smash Shuffle

There's surprisingly a lot of depth to the gameplay, though. The bottom screen is set up much like a manga comic with cels of each character you have access to for each battle. In actuality, this is called your "battle deck." There are four different types of cards, including support, helper, and battle. The fourth card type is blank, and must be paired with other cards to become something useful.

Pressing the cell (or card) for the character you're currently controlling will cause them to perform super attacks. Some characters that appear on the bottom screen will allow you to swap them out on the fly. Others, when pressed, will appear on screen for a short while and perform a special attack or team up with your current playable character for team attacks. You can even arrange the cards so that characters from the same properties are close to each other, which will increase their abilities. All of this adds a great deal of depth to a game that outwardly seems like a simple stomp-and-bash.

Two Ways to Play

Where things begin to wear thin is in the single-player mode, which is used to unlock a lot of the game's content. In this option you navigate a simple, 2D map, and choose your poison. There are two types of missions--win the fight and win the fight under a set number of conditions.

Winning the fights is simple. You're given a predetermined arsenal of fighters who must vanquish the other side. However, having to complete a brawl under a specific time limit or other limitations will cause problems for those who do not speak Japanese. Luckily, there are plenty of translation guides floating around the Internet to help you out. Each mission can be completed with a handful of different character combinations, and you haven't truly completed each level until you've beaten it with each group of pugilists.

Multi-Jump!

While the single-player option can grate on the patience, the multiplayer mode will keep you, and your friends, coming back for more. If a buddy has a copy of Jump Superstars, get ready for the meatiest, most manic multiplayer handheld fighting game you've ever experienced. It's that good. Even if a friend doesn't have a copy, you can still use download play to get your fight on, though the options aren't nearly as robust. Either way, this is where the game truly shines, especially after all the players involved have a firm grasp of the deck concepts.

It's All Right to be…2D

The graphics, while 2D, are exceptional due to the great variety of smooth animations. With plenty of frames to make the characters move in a believable manner, it makes you wonder why it took the 3D age for us to get a game like Super Smash Bros.  Jump Superstars never slows down even if four players are firing off special attacks all at once. It's a testament to the longevity of 2D visuals, and will make you feel a little better about your under-powered DS graphics processor.

Styling with a Stylus

One downer is that most of the stages are predominantly the same--a collection of platforms set over a drab background. Another issue is that moving from the D-pad  and buttons to the touch screen can leave your character vulnerable. Otherwise, it's hard to envision a handheld fighting game being much better than Jump Superstars. There's tons of content, plenty of depth, and it's also pretty funny. If you can find it, we recommend importing it. It's just a shame it will probably never come to the US.