JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle PS3 confirmed for North America in 2014

We thought that it seemed like a long-shot that Namco Bandai’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle for the PS3 would make it stateside, but I guess we thought wrong.

From the TGS, Namco Bandai revealed that the CyberConnect2-developed one-on-one fighter based on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure would indeed make it over to the Americas sometime in 2014.  We’re guessing the perfect 40/40 review score from Famitsu didn’t hurt.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle art:

Check out the announcement below.

Leading video game publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced that JoJo?s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle will be arriving to North America and South America in 2014 exclusively for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. Adapted from Hirohiko Araki?s smash manga hit, JoJo?s Bizarre Adventure, the game takes characters spanning all eight incredible story arcs of the manga and pits them against each other in an epic one-on-one fighting game.

Written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki, JoJo?s Bizarre Adventure has been in publication since it was first serialized in Japan?s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1987 and has since sold over 70 million copies of the manga.  Known around the world by its hardcore fans with its off-the-wall style and distinctive characters, the series has inspired countless anime and manga franchises since its debut over 25 years ago.  The story of JoJo?s Bizarre Adventure follows the misadventures of the Joestars, a powerful English family with each member having a distinctive star shaped birthmark above their left shoulder blade.  The series spans several generations of the Joestar family with each part focusing on a different descendant of the Joestars as the main protagonist alongside a colorful cast of supporting characters.

?JoJo?s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle provides a truly authentic experience for fans of the long-running manga series while also providing a level of quality that developer CyberConnect2 is known for with their catalogue of titles,? said Chris Gilbert Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.  ?There is an attention to detail with the graphics and gameplay systems at work that can only be accomplished by a team with a great deal of dedication and reverence to the source material.?

JoJo?s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle is developed by CyberConnect2, best known for their hit NARUTO SHIPPUDEN?: Ultimate Ninja series of games and has been widely praised for delivering an authentic and high quality anime experience to video games.  The studio now sets its sights to bring the artistic vision and style of the JoJo?s Bizarre Adventure manga straight from the page to TV screens.  With a revolutionary proprietary graphics shader system, JoJo?s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle gives players the feeling that they are participating in vivid and colorful battles straight from the pages of the manga.  Players will be able to choose from an impressive cast of characters spanning the entire series.  Each character comes with their signature moves punctuated by dynamic camera angles to capture every highlight of the fight either against computer opponents via Story Mode or human adversaries online.

Playable characters are divided by their Battle Style.  Battle Styles will augment characters with special abilities or new moves.  There are five basic Battle Styles characters can use.  ?Ripple? allows characters to recharge their Heart Heat Gauge, which allows characters to unleash special Heart Heat Attacks.  ?Mode? increases character powers but depletes their Heart Heat Gauge, ?Vampirism? can drain Heart Heat Gauge from other players, ?Horseback? lets characters fight on horseback, and ?Stand? allows characters to summon otherworldly beings to assist in fights with their own unique move sets.

JoJo?s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle will be released throughout the Americas in 2014.  The Japanese version launched on August 29, 2013 with a perfect 40/40 score in Famitsu, Japan?s most popular weekly video game magazine.  For more information about JoJo?s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle and the rest of NAMCO BANDAI Games America?s lineup please visit; http://www.namcobandaigames.com or http://www.facebook.com/namcobandai.