{"id":110649,"date":"2020-03-22T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-22T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch\/my_hero_ones_justice_2"},"modified":"2020-03-22T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-03-22T18:00:00","slug":"review-my-hero-ones-justice-2-fans-will-lap-it-up-but-fighting-game-aficionados-should-look-elsewhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2020\/03\/22\/review-my-hero-ones-justice-2-fans-will-lap-it-up-but-fighting-game-aficionados-should-look-elsewhere\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: My Hero One&#8217;s Justice 2 &#8211; Fans Will Lap It Up, But Fighting Game Aficionados Should Look Elsewhere"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch\/my_hero_ones_justice_2\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch\/my_hero_ones_justice_2\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div id>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"My Hero One's Justice 2 Review - Screenshot 1 of 3\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/103664\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/103664\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"My Hero One's Justice 2 Review - Screenshot 1 of 3\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"generator nintendo-switch-handheld\">Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld\/Undocked)<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Few shonen anime series fit popular culture\u2019s continued obsession with western superhero tropes quite as well as <strong>My Hero Academia<\/strong>. This long-running manga and anime follows the journey of Izuku Midoriya, a young boy born without powers (or Quirks, as they\u2019re known in the series\u2019 canon) in a world where extraordinary abilities are now the norm. Taken under the wing of super icon All Might, our boy Izuku must learn to be a hero at a school for exceptional talents while navigating the melodrama of education. While it might sound like a cross between the <strong>X-Men<\/strong> and <strong>Persona<\/strong>, the emotional core of its overarching story has always helped ground the silliness of its concept.<\/p>\n<p>As the premise for a fighting game, it fits <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/my_hero_ones_justice_2\"><strong>My Hero One\u2019s Justice 2<\/strong><\/a> like a glove, with a rock\/paper\/scissors setup helping determine which type of move works best against another. Counterattacks trump attacks, special attacks defeat unblockable moves and unblockable manoeuvres beat counters and \u2013 somewhat unsurprisingly \u2013 blocking. It\u2019s a system that requires a certain amount of guesswork and the studying of your opponent&#8217;s behaviour. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/my_hero_ones_justice\">Much like the first game<\/a>, being able to effectively downplay an opponent\u2019s attack is all down to correctly selecting its elemental opposite. It\u2019s a fun setup, although it lacks finesse and we wouldn\u2019t be surprised if some players completely missed the nuance of its move meta and just mashed buttons.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"My Hero One's Justice 2 Review - Screenshot 2 of 3\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/103668\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/103668\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"My Hero One's Justice 2 Review - Screenshot 2 of 3\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"generator nintendo-switch-handheld\">Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld\/Undocked)<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Each bout is fast and action-packed, but the size of each arena and the sheer number of elements on-screen can make keeping track of the action a frustrating exercise in concentration. The camera is obscured a little too often for our liking; even if we&#8217;re only talking a few seconds, that\u2019s an age in a fast-paced fighting game such as this. The over-the-shoulder view can also mean your own character ends up blocking your view of your opponent (especially if you\u2019re using someone with a larger frame, such as Kendo Rappa). The introduction of a new dodge manoeuvre does help readjust this a little, but it\u2019s definitely not a fix. A roster of over 40 characters adds more variety (a big jump from the first game), but the core combat still feels quite shallow compared to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2020\/03\/feature_best_nintendo_switch_fighting_games\">other fighters available on Switch<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, Bandai Namco has clearly heard fan complaints about the threadbare nature of the first game\u2019s story mode by introducing a much larger single-player effort. Each event is split into chapters, each containing a showdown between various super-powered familiar faces. These chapters contain various objectives \u2013 such as winning a bout with an Ultra Move \u2013 which will earn you new unlockable content, such as customisation items. Completing this sizable story will then unlock a \u2018Villain Side\u2019 option that enables you to replay bouts from the perspective of the show\u2019s various big bads (as well as unlocking some extra fighters to boot). It is something of a cheeky retread, but it does add an intriguing alternative take on previous events.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"My Hero One's Justice 2 Review - Screenshot 3 of 3\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/103666\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/103666\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"My Hero One's Justice 2 Review - Screenshot 3 of 3\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"generator nintendo-switch-handheld\">Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld\/Undocked)<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>There\u2019s also a new arcade mode to sink your teeth into, which serves up a more traditional fighting game ladder setup. You can still select your duo of sidekicks, but now with the added option of electing different \u2018routes\u2019 based on a set of cards. Each route gathers together a different gauntlet of fighters and you can unlock new rewards such as concept art and customisation items as you go. In fact, My Hero One&#8217;s Justice 2 is <em>constantly<\/em> rewarding you with new stuff, so even those just looking to mash buttons and soak up the anime melodrama will get that constant dopamine hit as you brawl through its substantial content.<\/p>\n<p>Those looking for a little more company in their arena fighting can opt for co-op battles with up to three other players (with two players controlling the respective sidekicks for each side). It\u2019s a neat little approach that makes for some great couch co-op (and it\u2019s here that My Hero One&#8217;s Justice 2\u2019s messy combat model feels right at home). As you\u2019d expect, there\u2019s also support for online play, although you will need a Nintendo Switch online membership in order to access this part of the game. The netcode we experienced was decent, with mostly stable connections, although the lack of a rematch option does seem like a strange omission for a modern online fighter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"conclusion\">\n<h2 class=\"heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>While it inherits many of the problems that made the first game feel quite insubstantial, My Hero One\u2019s Justice 2 is a still a notable step forwards thanks to the introduction of new modes and a far meatier story mode. The action can still be a little messy and it lacks the precision offered by many other anime-inspired fighters, but with over 40 characters from the canon to choose from, an impressively deep customisation system and a constant stream of rewards, this is a still an authentic tribute to the series that My Hero Academia fans will get the most kicks from. Fighting game aficionados will probably go elsewhere, but for those looking for a fun and mostly chaotic fighter will find an enjoyable experience here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld\/Undocked) Few shonen anime series fit popular culture\u2019s continued obsession with western superhero tropes quite as well as My Hero Academia. This long-running manga and anime follows the journey of Izuku Midoriya, a young boy born without powers (or Quirks, as they\u2019re known in the series\u2019 canon) in a world where [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110649\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}