While SDCC 2011 was jam packed full of many amazing things, one of the highlights was stopping past the Namco Bandai booth where I got my first hands on with Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations. I was particularly amazed by the size of the playable cast (though the grin on my face was just for my favorite Zabuza’s return).
Well luckily for me, Namco sent me a review unit and I’ve been tearing through the game like nobody’s business. I even got the chance to sit with Hiroshi Matsuyama, President of CyberConnect2, and talked about the game. So how does this Naruto game compare to others in the Ninja Storm franchise?
Gameplay
The Ninja Storm series has been something very special when it came to Naruto. While other games attempted to capture the combat style of the series, Ninja Storm seemed to not only understand the series story-wise but nail the fast-paced, strategic flavor of its ninjitsu combat.
It’s essentially a 3-D brawler, but what really sets it apart from other brawlers is the Jutsu (Special) moves, especially the Log Transfer.What’s a Log Transfer, you ask? A staple of the Naruto tv show (and anime ninja in general), it’s essentially disappearing and reappearing behind your opponent the moment before they strike – leaving only a log in your place. Since both fighters can perform this skill, battles involve wits as well as twitch skill.
This time, the Log Transfer is no longer hooked to your Chakra Bar (Mana Bar); now it has its own gauge, the Log Bar, allowing you to perform four transfers over a period of time. This frees up your Chakra to go to use on special moves, rather than relegating it to Log Transfer fuel, and allows for more spectacular, strategic battles. Another highlight is the Support Mode, summoning characters to aid you who get more and more pumped as they’re used. With a full bar, a support character can jump in almost anytime during combat to help guard against attacks. This really made combat a bit more chaotic, as you may go for you ultimate attack to have it be blocked by your opponents support character.
Story Mode has also drastically changed from previous titles. Previously you were given control over Naruto to run around and collect things in a sandbox Konoha Village, but this title it’s about all of the characters in the series. Once you’ve logged into the Story Mode you select what character you would like to play as, eleven stories in all.
While I really appreciated playing all the characters’ stories, it came at a cost. Perhaps due to more characters in focus, the amazing animated sequences that always introduced the stories were removed. This was a bit of a bummer, as it was one of the Ninja Storm series’ hallmarks. In their stead you’re given cuts from the anime, then stills from the anime with voice over. As a result, it’s more “greatest hits of the Naruto franchise” from all the characters’ perspectives than a cohesive plot.
Luckily, after Story Mode is finished, Ninja Storm Generations features a lot of replay value. I was really impressed how the unlockables were tied to all modes of the game- while I was having a blast in Tournament Mode I was still able to unlock Titles and Images. Characters can also be customized with various items, a very limited supply at first but with a much larger supply unlocked over time.
Online play was pretty fun as well, but it takes a bit too long to start a game. Often you’ll wait for someone to play, only to find the session is already in progress, and get tossed all the way back to step one to find a match.
Graphics
Since the game features 72 playable characters, I wasn’t sure how the graphics were going to turn out. But it was great to see the same quality from Generations as other Ninja Storm titles. Everything looks bright and flashy, really capturing the style of the Naruto anime. The game also features some amazing finishing moves that always bring a smile.
Sound
Sound quality was top notch for Generations. The game features the option to switch from English Dub to Japanese, a nice blend for fans of either. Unfortunately, I wasn’t to impressed by its soundtrack. I’m a pretty big fan of the Naruto soundtracks, especially when it comes to the fight music, which sadly was largely absent.
Overall
Ninja Storm Generations is a great addition to the Ninja Storm franchise. While some of the amazing animated story sequences have been removed, the fight engine is even better then ever. I would recommend this title to any hardcore Naruto or Ninja Storm fan.