The Naruto anime series has had its Gaming Counterpart, with over 20+ games and counting. Most games consisted of a very small taste of the broader storyline of Naruto. Ubisoft’s versions were solid games and really tried to encompass more story and they still rank as some of my fav Naruto Games. Then we were introduced to the Ninja Storm series by CyberConnect2. A real game change for Naruto both in terms of graphics and gameplay. The long awaited sequel has finally debuted jumping straight into the Shippuden Storyline. How does this game compare to the already establish game franchise?
Full Review after the break
Gameplay
So first question how much story is involved in Ninja Storm 2? Simply put you won’t be disappointed. The game starts at the very beginning to the Shippuden Storyline and wraps up at the end of the Pain Arc. Truly impressive feat considering how much story that really is.
This is a difficult game to describe for its single player campaign. While it does have a huge amount of storyline CyberConnect2 seems to have departed from the original style of the Ninja Storm series. Originally you controlled Naruto and would just have free range of all of the Konoha Village. To start a mission you would simple activate it within the menu. When missions were complete you would run around collecting scrolls to unlock characters and abilities.
While not being a big fan of that single player gameplay of Ninja Storm 1, I’m still not sure if I like Ninja Storm 2’s style. This time around a lot has changed. First free range Konoha has been replaced with Pre Rendered Backgrounds much a kin to those of Final Fantasy. There are very strict areas of exploration which leads to a rather linear style of gameplay. To activate missions you basically have to traverse from Point A to B and talk to whichever character.
You also get to play as other characters other then just Naruto for the Single Player campaign. While I did enjoy this, it came a a cost. While Traversing from point A to B there is a variety of items that can be collected on the way. Naruto’s animation for picking up things is rather fast, other characters however are super slow. Yes including Sasuke who opens Barrels at break necking Sloth Speed. These items can be later changed into Food/Weapons/Powerups at any of the various in game shops.
Each in game Shop has a different genre of items that it sells. My personal favorite was the Card Shop. Essentially you can purchase Card Packs that contain 3 Cards. These can be later used for the online component as your Profile Pic. I really thought this was a fun avenue, the card packs are pretty cheap and gave the game a much needed collecting aspect. You still have the ability to unlock Special Move Videos but a new feature was the Boss Fight Videos. This was rather nice because most of Boss Fights contain a big portion of Quick Time events taking away from the glorious visuals that Ninja Storm 2 offers.
The fighting engine has also been given some extra love. Gone is the feeling of just pure chaos and it seems a bit more strategic. Your backup team members serve more then just a quick attack. Some can be used for defending you while you charge your chakra. The Ultimate Jutsu attacks have also been changed to be a bit more fluid in combat. The Quick Time events from Ninja Storm 1 have been replaced with just a killer looking Ultimate Justu attack.
The online component though was a little lackluster. While a nice addition to the Ninja Storm series finding a match can be a little difficult. Each time you are unable to find an opponent it takes you back to the Main Online Battle Menu. Actual online gameplay is rather fun, though at times it feels a bit off balance character wise.
Graphically
It was nice to want great graphics and have your expectations blown away. To sum it up this game looks great. The graphics do a nice job of making you feel like you’re watching the Anime. While I prefer the Free Ranged Konoha from the first game I really grew to appreciate the Pre Rendered Backgrounds as they really added to the games overall aesthetics. During the actual fights the game kicks the graphics up a notch and really do some impressive animation. Characters all have their signature moves but what really pulls it off is the expressions on their face. The boss battles though is where the graphics really shines, giving this game plenty to brag about.
Sound
Okay so going into any Anime game I always have one concern, is there both English and Japanese Voice Acting? Ninja Storm 2 delivers featuring both. I myself prefer the Japanese but realize that there are some that prefer English. The Voice Acting is top notch in both categories. The actual opening cinematic defaults in English and I was pretty impressed. The Sound Effects all seem straight from the anime series. The game also features Dolby Digital Surround Sound, on my setup things sounded great. During fights you could totally tell where you opponent was just by listening to the sounds. I was also pretty impressed with the music. While not directly from the Anime it still fit perfectly. I still wish there was those patent Naruto tunes that always gets my pumped.
Overall
While the game did have its flaws with Single Player Campaign I generally enjoyed it. Felt the combat was strong and there was plenty of story elements that really made the game stand out. I do however think this game might be for more of a Hardcore Naruto Fan.