for PS2 is one of the most faithful manga adaptations I've seen in a videogame. Most obviously, the cel-shaded 3D graphics are a remarkable re-creation of the original artwork, but there's more to it than that. The special effects are all familiar -- speedlines, animating katakana sound effects -- and the pacing echoes Japanese comics as well. The way time stretches out over long series of cut-up panels is echoed by the game's use of expository cutscenes and slow-motion breaks during combat sequences. Anybody who's flipped through pages at the pace of your usual manga should experience a distinct sensation of deja vu.

All of this makes the game a very interesting piece of structural design, but the jury remains out on whether it will actually be fun to play for anyone other than a dedicated fan of the manga on which it's based. At least in its early stages, it feels like a rather basic action experience, albeit one delivered with no small degree of visual flair. You can only look at the pretty pictures for so long until the question of what lies behind the facade becomes a little too pressing.

On the other hand, the visuals are a great distraction from the fact that we can barely make heads or tails of the story. The PS2 Jojo, for those not familiar with the comic, is set well after the volumes which inspired the 2D fighter of the same name. Certain concepts remain familiar, particularly the STAND -- most of the characters possess spirit alter egos, called STAND, which grant them unusual powers in hand-to-hand combat. However, the cast of characters is entirely different, and the setting shifts to Italy in the near future, where young Giorno Giovanno (son of earlier character Dio Brando) would like to be going about his business in peace. Unfortunately, various powers and principalities intervene, beginning with Bruno Bucciarati (uncertain-gendered master of the STAND Sticky Fingers) and continuing through a series of increasingly bizarre opponents.

There's much more to it than that, but it's beyond our ability to parse. The rough structure of the game is simple enough, however, alternating cutscenes in both realtime 3D and 2D comicbook style with 3D duels between Giorno and his foes. Once the enemy of the day is defeated, points for your performance are toted up and a grade is ascribed, which unlocks a varying number of items in the art gallery depending on how well you do. Thus, the dedicated will want to go back for multiple tries.

Exactly what skills do you need to sharpen, though? Jojo's Bizarre Adventure employs a fairly simple fighting system, at least in the early stages where Giorno hasn't acquired his full complement of special skills. There's only one basic attack button (with canned combinations for multiple strikes), a basic rolling dodge, and a couple of special attacks utilizing the power of his STAND. The feel is like a slower-moving Power Stone, though there's more freedom of movement granted by the larger arenas. STAND usage is limited to a degree by the need to protect the reserve of energy which powers it. That's drained when the enemy attacks the STAND, and you can't use the alter when it runs out (a la Bloody Roar), but a little time on the defensive lets it recharge.

The game adds variety by applying special conditions to each fight, based on the nature of the arena and the opponent. For example, Bucciarati has the ability to teleport himself (herself?) around the level by opening up little zipper-shaped wormholes in the walls -- this is all part of a complicated in-joke tied to the fact that his STAND is called "Sticky Fingers," which dedicated fans of the Rolling Stones might get -- and fleeing from Giorno's fists. To face him down, you have to learn the pattern of his jumps and cut him off. Another foe has to be attacked from behind, and occasionally morphs into a flock of shadowy crows that corner Giorno and expose him to the bad guy's life-draining clutches. Giorno's offense remains rather basic, though. His selection of combo attacks is limited, and while the STAND attacks are quite picturesque, there's only so many of them. It's fun a couple of times to whack the ground and impale an opponent on a suddenly-appearing tree (for extra fun, hit the trunk to knock them to the ground while shouting "TIMBER!"), but the novelty eventually wears.

To be sure, this is a fascinating game to look at, even if you aren't necessarily a fan of Hirohiko Araki's distinctive art style. It captures the feel of a comicbook as well as it does the objective look, with camera direction and special effects that add as much as the cel-shading and heavy outlines. Some of the attempts to replicate pen-and-ink shading in realtime 3D don't work so well -- the textures have to be static, which runs contrary to the way that kind of shading varies from panel to panel in a comic -- but that's a small point. Although some of the backgrounds may seem a little crude if you focus on individual details up close, where the textures blur a little, the overall effect viewed from a distance is quite impressive, when you can appreciate the quality of the lighting. On a related note, the art gallery is a nice incentive to fight through the game, since it includes some very interesting concepts for the design of the different stages.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is certainly a must-buy for fans of the manga, never mind how few they may be in this country, but it doesn't seem to be anything you want to run out and import quite yet. We'll see how more time with the Japanese version adjusts our thinking on the subject. Capcom has already committed to an American release, however, so those of you without Japanese PS2s can still perhaps look forward to sampling its unusual virtues later in the year.

-- David Smith