Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
by Namco
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Category: Video Games
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Product Summary
Brand: NamcoRelease Date: 2006-08-08
Platform: PlayStation2
Model: 10056
Publisher: Namco
Product features:
- Madcap fighting action as you face incredible enemies and dangerous levels
- Play as Naruto, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Sakura -- and unlock Haku, Zabuza, Orochimaru and other characters
- Charge up a special meter and you'll launch into a special-attack animation - cinematic camera angles make your eyes pop out
- Multiple Practice and Free Battle modes, plus Mission Mode with special objectives to meet
- Cinematic storyline and cutscenes expand on the story of Naruto
Video Game Reviews of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
Customer Review: An Interesting, and Promising Fighting Game Series
Summary: 4 Stars
Firstly I would like to say that I am a long-time fan of the Dragonball Z series, and even though it took me a while, I later became a fan of Naruto, since it has been described by some as "The next Dragonball Z." In the same way, I have also been a fan of the DBZ Budokai/Budokai Tenkaichi video game series, and now I am trying to switch to the Naruto Ultimate Ninja series. My first impression of the game when I bought it was that it was a mix of Street Fighter, and Super Smash Bros. with a hint of DBZ influence. I had assumed that on a console like the Playstation 2 the game would at least be a 3-D fighter, but it is solely a two-dimensional game. It took some getting used to but in the end this feature might be what makes this game unique, so I'm not entirely against it. The biggest shock to me was that the attack button is circle, when in almost every other game out there, the attack button is square. But these are just minor details that overall do not detract from Ultimate Ninja's appeal.
Even though the game is based on the anime, the graphics make the game look like it was based on the manga. As I am a manga fan before I am an anime fan, this feature was a big plus in my book. The secret techniques are the best example of this aspect, because the cel-shading is done even more heavily here. The effect is that the scenes look like they were drawn with ink and paper, rather than simulated by a computer. I was highly pleased with this little bonus.
Now I'll look at the actual gameplay. There are three modes, and a training mode in the game to play through. The first is story mode, which takes you through the story of Naruto, up to slightly past the Chunin Exams. The twist is that you are only able to go through one character's story at a time, a problem they fixed in Naruto Ultimate Ninja 2. In between fights, the cutscenes are simply avatars of the two characters involved in the battle, who talk to each other. I was very disappointed with this, and thought that the producers could have done a much better job. I also didn't like to beat the story mode about ten times, but it didn't take me that long to do so.
The next mode is mission mode, in which you fight in a variety of battles with certain win conditions. These conditions get progressively harder, with every mission you complete, and every rank you progress. The easiest are battles which you have to win within a certain time limit. The harder ones are ones in which you can only use techniques in the air, and maintain a full chakra meter.
Finally the last mode is versus mode. This is my favorite mode, because it is nothing but what a true DBZ fan like me wants: fighting. The controls are fairly straight-forward, circle is attack, x is jump, square is a projectile attack, and triangle initiates a secret technique. Up, or down and x change the plane of fighting, L2, and R2 both block, and R1, and L1 scroll through your choice of projectiles. At the start of the match both players start with one full bar of health, and a full chakra meter. The chakra meter is used for either chakra attacks (every character has two), or secret techniques (each character has three). Secret Techniques are the most fun to play through, because they involve a series of cinematic attacks, and randomized button combinations, which have to be executed precisely within a time limit. The final aspect of the battles which is interesting, and which gives Ultimate Ninja the feel of Super Smash Bros. is the support characters. Every now and then the support character will pop up, and hand out items that you can either throw (projectiles), items that can heal you, or items that can heal your chakra. Most other details of the game are negligible, like the music or the shop (which is much like the Krypt in Mortal Kombat).
With all these good aspects of the game some may be wondering why I gave this game four stars instead of five, well here are the reasons. My two biggest complaints are the lack of characters, and slight inaccuracies in the story mode. The first (the lack of characters) is the most important. In the game there are only twelve distinct characters, and two secret characters, but the story goes up to the Chunin Exam. Too many characters that play a major part in the Exam are left out in Naruto Ultimate Ninja, and this sometimes leads to inaccuracies in the story. Again as a Dragonball Z fan, I may be too used to hundreds of characters in a game (DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 3 had 150 distinct characters and that still wasn't enough), but there are some key Naruto characters that should be in this game.
This leads to my second complaint which is the inaccuracies in the story. Because of the lack of characters, the story mode was made too short, and too many battles were left out. Also in two cases the second round of the Chunin Exam Finals takes place between Shikamaru, and Sakura. Anyone who has seen or read that match knows that it really took place between Shikamaru, and Temari.
The last minor point that I would like to add is that all of the characters have almost identical fighting styles, and the combinations are almost completely the same. At any rate, the game was still fun, and I can always play more of it. I may not recommend it to people who are not Naruto fans, but for anyone else it is a great game. Dragonball Z fans should also look into Naruto plus the Ultimate Ninja series is just about the only series of solid fighting games based on the show. So if you liked DBZ, and its games for the fighting, then you would also like Naruto, and this game.
Description of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja brings you the cel-shaded action you've come to enjoy on the popular cartoon. Use a variety of fighting moves, including base, combos, super, and projectile attacks.Gorgeous visuals and over-the-top level designs will keep you playing, while the bonuses and unlockable characters will bring you the action and fun of Naruto.All Games
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