Naruto is not only a hit, but a phenomenon in Japan and here in United States, in both the anime and video game markets. That being said, a new Naruto title is once again upon us and this time CyberConnect has combined the elements from the Ultimate Ninja Storm series to make Generations the ultimate Naruto fighting/action game. For fans like myself, who enjoy both the Naruto anime and video games, is Ninja Storm Generation a definite purchase for Naruto fans? Or should it be ignored?
Let’s take a look at what’s HOT and what’s NOT in our review of Naruto Shippiden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations.
HOT
Story Re-Told in a Whole New Way
Ninja Storm Generations once again tells the story of Naruto and the rest of the characters from each their perspectives through a mix of anime cutscenes and still images. Those who missed part of the story will be given a quick refresher course, but finer details are glossed over. However, almost every major fight is present. Having forgotten how the series starts, I was glad that Ninja Storm Generations told the story of the Shippuden story arc in addition to Naruto’s earlier stories.
Fans who have played the first or second Ninja Storm games can expect the same visual quality in Ninja Storm Generations. The beautifully designed visuals are vivid, colorful and simply look outstanding. Those of you who watch the anime, think about the visuals in Ultimate Ninja Storm, but imagine them in HD. What makes me appreciate Ninja Storm Generations even more is the inclusion of certain parts from the anime that highlight some more memorable scenes, which are nice to revisit, especially the emotional scenes that fans loved.
Pure Fighting Action Game
Naruto games have been renowned due to the perfect execution of their combat. Mixing action elements with simple fighting mechanics, playing Generations will not only cater to fans, but it will also hook those who enjoy the anime and want to experience the game. The fighting mechanics within Generations are somewhat similar to the past two Ninja Storm games, but there are some new tweaks such as the removal of the infinite substitutions and the ultimate attacks which require chakra now. While some of the tweaks are fan-requested, other additions may disappoint.
Addictive Online Mode
The reason why fans love the Naruto games is because the online mode puts you in the shoes of your favorite Naruto characters and allows you to fight others. Here you can enjoy a vast selection of characters, which ensures that there is something for everyone. Those who are fond of the online portion of Naruto will be pleased to know that it’s back in Generations. The only major change is the addition of tournament mode.
Inclusion of Online Tournaments
Besides Free Battle mode and the other common modes found in previous Ninja Storm titles, players will notice the addition of Online Tournament. Through a bracket style tournament, players can now compete both online and offline. Using the characters unlocked from playing the story mode, there are over 70 characters and 15 support to master in the tournament. Since the Naruto games are all about the fighting, this mode is a welcome addition and greatly extends play time.
Lots of Collectibles to Get
Generations wouldn’t be a Naruto game without collectibles to find. Since the game is solely based on fighting, you will still have an opportunity to earn Ryo and items that can be used in the shops. If you love collecting stuff from past Naruto games, you can expect the same experience in Generations. Some collectibles include movie clips or using Ryo to buy items that can be used in the Story mode or replay tickets for the online portion. With so many collectibles within the game, there is certainly a lot of a replay value here, but it’s not really necessary to enjoy the game at its fullest.
NOT
Removal of the Free Roam
One of the biggest disappointments I have with Ninja Storm Generations, is the removal of the free-roam mode and the RPG-style gameplay. At least there are still rewards that are given after each fight and those can be used for customizations and battle. However, it’s still hard to forget that the free-roam was one of the aspects I really loved in past Naruto games. Instead of having free-roam, the game is more focused on fighting and the story being told in an anime/still-image fashion. Those who are expecting to see the return of free-roam in Generations will be disappointed.
No Epic Boss Fights
As someone who has played both Ninja Storm games, one of my favorite elements was the boss fights. Since Generation is more of a fighting game, followers of the franchise may fee let down upon finding out that the boss fights found in previous Ninja Storm games are not included. In the story mode, you will only play through a series of fights till the end.
Lack of Depth in Fighting
The combat in Generations is as fluid as previous Ninja Storm titles. The execution of combos and attacks aren’t hard to master, but what I noticed in all Naruto titles was a lack of depth when it comes to fighting mechanics. Playing this game doesn’t require any sort of complex inputs, which makes the whole game feel overly simple. Instead, those who simply want a light fighting game will feel right at home with Generations, but those who love complicated fighting games will not. No matter how complex or complicated the controls are, Naruto still does its job in providing fans a solid fighting action game.
VERDICT
No matter how you look at it, Ninja Storm Generations is the same Naruto game you’ve probably played in the past, plus a few tweaks. While Generations carries the Ninja Storm title, fans will be undoubtedly be disappointed with the removal of free-roam and the epic boss battles. Those who wished for a deeper combat system than previous entries will not be seeing one this time around. Overall, Generations is a combination of everything fans loved from the first two Ninja Storm games. This has created a very solid fighting game. However, don’t expect this to be a revolutionary entry in the Naruto series, as it isn’t much more than an updated version of past titles.
[Editor’s Note: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations was reviewed on the Xbox 360 hardware. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
I just bought this game yesterday, the day it came out. Having been a long time Naruto fan and owner of Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, I agree with Mark’s (reviewer’s) analysis. My biggest problem and complaint so far is the “Support Characters”. We get multiple versions of Naruto and Sasuke, not just young and teen but damn, three versions of the teen. So all four of the Sound Ninja are support characters? Along with the Kage’s bodyguards? I was really wanting to put Fu, Torune, and Darui in action, not just as support. In the developers defense I know there has been little shown of the bodyguards fighting styles and jutsus compared to most characters but that hasn’t stopped them from doing similar things in the past. I am glad to see Obito along with the 1st and 2nd Hokage, but if they can give Obito a full slot why not the Sound 4? Well, I’m thankful for Zabuza and Kimimaro.
I do like how the story mode has individual parts for each character but would have like to have a little more to the boss battles though some can get a little challenging. I do have alot more to accomplish in this game and many more people and costumes to unlock but am somewhat disappointed already. Would have been great to see Anbu Kakashi and Anbu Itachi in place of one of the extra Naruto/Sasukes. Heck they could have just let you press R2 to change to Naruto Sage Mode/Sasuke Taka,Susanoo instead of giving an entirely different character.
I do wish they would have given more options on the jutsus, mainly Ulimate Jutsus. Most of the characters are close to identical to UNS2. There have been Naruto games in the past that gave you more than one Ultimate Jutsu so the variety was nice. Especially for people like Kakashi and Kages who can use more than one element.
I understand why many would miss the free roam but I can understand its absence, especially if this were meant to be more of a fighting game. That being said there could have been a couple more modifications to the combat and characters to give the fighting and moves list a little more depth.
Oh well, better luck next year I guess.
Free roaming was annoying and those little missions were lame as hell. As for the boss battles, it’s not really a big deal. This game is INSANE!!!! A bunch of REAL naruto fans can get together and have a tournament with each other with their fave characters. The only dead part about this game is them not including the REAL Uchiha Madara who fought first Hokage. And before anyone comments I don’t mean Tobi.
This game is awesome just do to the amount of characters. And the fact they got rid of free roam.