Jump Force

For all the harm the middling presentation does to Jump Force, the fighting does have satisfying explosive moments and the online versus mode does work well. There is depth to uncover in the combat, but it never truly sang to me or made me excited to tackle the next fight. Mostly I was just happy to not have to repeat a fight when I won, even if I was performing iconic attacks from some of my favorite anime.

Jump Force is a worthy celebration of the legacy of Shonen Jump manga, but it honors its source material a little too well with how filler-heavy the middle of its story arc is. However, even if the game rarely provides a clear motivation for stopping evil other than good must always oppose it, the act of stomping out villains in Jump Force's frantic bouts of tag-team arena combat is an enjoyable test of strategy.

If you’ve got like-minded anime fans who are down to smash some buttons and watch the sparks fly, Jump Force’s fighting system allows for at least a few hours of shallow fun before it gets stale and repetitive. The bland story feels half-baked and never does anything interesting with its impressive roster of beloved characters who’ve rarely or never had the chance to meet before, making this celebration of 50 years of Weekly Shonen Jump a disappointment overall.