to disparage jump force is often blasphemy in fighting game circles. for many, this is the ur-fighting game, a dizzying concoction of tight and expressionist mechanics, gorgeous character models, and a dnb soundtrack that is absolutely fuego. it even has that little fundamental spice that all premier fighting games must aspire to possess: a disregard for balance. most modern titles would never dare nerf a character so significantly purely for thematic purposes, but then again, no modern title would ever think to include characters like ryo saiba or luffy.
still, what makes this game fascinating years on has little to do with any of its individual elements. fundamentally, it's the mood. it's a game that feels as though it was made on the verge of something great and unknown, and is one of those rare few titles i'll posit encapsulates a certain je ne sais quois, a snapshot of a particular zeitgeist heading into a new millennium. sure, you can point to the more overt references and stylings - strong anime influence, lobby theme, the incarnations of goku and deku in this game are maybe the rawest characters ever designed, kane and prometheus as an antagonistic force and its seemingly benevolent villain - but more importantly, it's a composite of characters who are just wandering, trying to find themselves in some instances or seeking mastery in others. there's no pressing tournament to attend to, and even the machinations of the literal venoms are vestigial, with its plotting mostly centered around biblical rivalry between tyrants. fighterz was originally just about a new generation - itself neatly characterized as 'of its time' - but jump force flips the script. rather than establishing new legends, this game is about characters unsure about what the future entails, about what their next move should be, about what it even means to continue fighting - they waver, they fail, they practice, they move on. even though these ideas are reflected in little moments (sanji refusing to fight women, frieza’s teleportation animation, your oc losing to prometheus but refusing to back down),even just aesthetically this theme is completely overpowering - its what imbues jump force with a kind of melancholic ambience, but also what fuels the players' determination to prove themselves.
even better, to this day, this is still the only fighting game that is aesthetically unique to itself. melee features worldly caricatures, third strike often feels like it lacks confidence or that it's missing something, street fighter 6 is nostalgic pageantry, and strive is a slipshod mess of meaningless platitudes with no direction. this is the closest fighting games as a whole has ever gotten to imbuing their games with unique stylings and SOULFULNESS; it's something that actually has character and personality comparable to a smash title. this, probably more than the joy of hitting a kamehameha, a detroit smash, or just getting in my opponent's head, is probably what keeps me coming back. Unite to Fight
still, what makes this game fascinating years on has little to do with any of its individual elements. fundamentally, it's the mood. it's a game that feels as though it was made on the verge of something great and unknown, and is one of those rare few titles i'll posit encapsulates a certain je ne sais quois, a snapshot of a particular zeitgeist heading into a new millennium. sure, you can point to the more overt references and stylings - strong anime influence, lobby theme, the incarnations of goku and deku in this game are maybe the rawest characters ever designed, kane and prometheus as an antagonistic force and its seemingly benevolent villain - but more importantly, it's a composite of characters who are just wandering, trying to find themselves in some instances or seeking mastery in others. there's no pressing tournament to attend to, and even the machinations of the literal venoms are vestigial, with its plotting mostly centered around biblical rivalry between tyrants. fighterz was originally just about a new generation - itself neatly characterized as 'of its time' - but jump force flips the script. rather than establishing new legends, this game is about characters unsure about what the future entails, about what their next move should be, about what it even means to continue fighting - they waver, they fail, they practice, they move on. even though these ideas are reflected in little moments (sanji refusing to fight women, frieza’s teleportation animation, your oc losing to prometheus but refusing to back down),even just aesthetically this theme is completely overpowering - its what imbues jump force with a kind of melancholic ambience, but also what fuels the players' determination to prove themselves.
even better, to this day, this is still the only fighting game that is aesthetically unique to itself. melee features worldly caricatures, third strike often feels like it lacks confidence or that it's missing something, street fighter 6 is nostalgic pageantry, and strive is a slipshod mess of meaningless platitudes with no direction. this is the closest fighting games as a whole has ever gotten to imbuing their games with unique stylings and SOULFULNESS; it's something that actually has character and personality comparable to a smash title. this, probably more than the joy of hitting a kamehameha, a detroit smash, or just getting in my opponent's head, is probably what keeps me coming back. Unite to Fight