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A village in danger. An ominous threat. What is a loud-mouth ninja to do? Strap on your forehead protector and ready your jutsu. The beloved characters of the Naruto universe have finally made their way to the Playstation 3. With incredible presentation and tons of fighting fun, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm is guaranteed to entertain.
Upon starting up Naruto's PS3 debut, fans of the immensely popular manga and anime series will immediately notice the breathtaking visuals and incredible level of detail. Complete with vibrant colors and unrivaled fluidity, the members of CyberConnect2 have truly outdone themselves with Ultimate Ninja Storm. Its level of polish is a sight to be seen as the charismatic cast of Naruto has never looked more animated; it's as if the models have been pulled from the anime itself. Presentation has reached unattainable heights as the camera pans to capture the excitement in this beautifully executed fighting game.
Once the disbelief wears off and players realize that they are playing a game and not watching an anime, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm offers two modes of gameplay for fighting fans to enjoy: Ultimate Mission Mode and Free Battle Mode. While Ultimate Ninja Storm remains a fighting game at heart, CyberConnect2 has packed this title with enough content to ensure continuous entertainment. Starting out in the fully explorable Hidden Leaf Village of Konoha, Naruto will be able to accept missions, purchase items, and hunt for hidden scrolls. Missions consist of Naruto taking his overly confident self and pitting his under developed skills against bandits and evildoers. He will eventually take his special brand of brash arrogance and face off with more recognizable villains from the series and go head to head against massive boss battles. It is a refreshing take on the genre as the title could have been easily developed as a standard fighting game. And while there is a lot of fighting to be had, players will never grow bored as the residents of Konoha will always provide the young ninja with something interesting to do.
Free Battle Mode will have players choosing from the varied roster of 25 fighters to challenge their friends in one-on-one combat. Each character brings their own unique fighting style to the arena as these familiar faces are a faithful representation of their anime counterparts. And while the Naruto universe has plenty of interesting characters to choose from, CyberConnect2 has thankfully included some of the series more popular faces.
Ultimate Ninja Storm is a casual fighter in every sense of the word. Gameplay is simple to pick up as players will be able to pull off their share of flashy moves with little effort. By effortlessly mashing the Circle button, gamers will string otherwise intricate looking combos and bash their opponents with ease. Gamers looking to learn excessive button combinations in order to deal the most damage should look elsewhere. As all attacks are executed with the Circle Button, players will only have to take a few other buttons into consideration during battle. Square is used to throw kunai as Triangle can be used to power up a player's chakra. Blocks and substitution techniques are handled with L2 and R2 and support characters can be summoned by pressing L1 and R1. It adds a bit of depth to the battles as players will have to look for opportunities to charge their chakra and use their special skills.
Ultimate Ninja Storm features an amazing soundtrack to go with its fast paced gameplay. Familiar tracks will play throughout battles and cinematic events. CyberConnect2 has even included the option to use the original Japanese voice actors instead of the uninspired American ones.
As straightforward and simple as Naruto is, it does come with a few gripes. For one, the story does not begin from the series starting point. Fans will be a bit taken back when they realize that the emotional Zabuza/Haku arc has been omitted from this game's timeframe. And while Ultimate Ninja Storm does goes a bit further in the series than most games in the Naruto franchise, a lack of cutscenes prohibits the story from actually moving forward in an engaging way. With such a rich narrative to be inspired from, it's a tad disappointing that CyberConnect2 did not incorporate some of the more memorable Naruto moments in Ultimate Ninja Storm with nothing more than text and artwork. Reading blocks of texts isn't the sort of action that fans of the series are accustomed to. Another issue lies with the temperamental substitution technique. For a game that is very inviting to newcomers, the preciseness of this defensive strategy is a bit on the steep side. Players will more than likely find themselves forgetting about it all together and concentrating more on a focused offensive attack. And what of the online play? Players looking to challenge their friends in combat may be sad to learn that Ultimate Ninja Storm does not include an online option.
Despite its flaws, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm is simply a blast to play. While newcomers might seem a bit lost in the overall plot of the game, there is no doubt that this title's charm and striking visuals will keep players coming back for more. CyberConnect2 has set a standard in terms of presentation and fans of the series will want to get a hold of this game as soon as possible. While the lack of online play does shorten the game's replayability, the assortment of missions and characters to master will have players entertained for hours on end.
Fun Factor: Intense and easy to get into, Ultimate Ninja Storm is a fun filled fighting game romp from start to finish.
Game Length: With over 100 missions to complete and bonuses to collect, players will be enjoying this game for many hours.
Difficulty: Missions are a breeze thanks to the simple control scheme. Newcomers needn't worry.
On the Negative Side: A lack of online play and cutscenes greatly mar what wouldn't have been an otherwise perfect gaming experience.
Bang for your Buck: With so many characters to choose from and downloadable content to look forward to, fans of the series will not be disappointed.
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