Game Review - Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
Name: Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
Console: PS2
Before I dive into this game I want to say that I'm not doing these reviews in any particular order. I will briefly explain why I went through the games the way I did for my channel:
Ultimate Ninja Storm is essentially a remake of the first three Ultimate Ninja titles but with a massively improved and more dynamic fighting system. Also the newer instalment has a few more kinks to it as well but we'll reach that when we reach that.
Ultimate Ninja was released for the PS2 and I played through the entire thing over the summer I got it. I was a young boy getting into this light-hearted anime on the outside but I watched it for the grit on the inside. The game tries to deliver the same flavor. Does it succeed?
STORY TIIIIIIME!
Ultimate Ninja covers the anime up till the Chunin Exams. Now, for Naruto fans that sounds like a fair bit of meat to get into if I didn't go through everyone's individual stories within 30 minutes each.
To be fair the game is meant for Naruto fans so it's more for set pieces rather than anything else but I can't help but still feel a little disappointed with the half-arsed attempted to throw these once interesting arcs onto a condensed game.
With that being said we can do something rather interesting with this game: We can play through Haku and Zabuza's stories, two stories that are not gone into too heavily in both the manga and anime. Besides from that it's a bit dull and phoned in.
GAMEPLAY TIIIIIME!
Played any Dragon Ball Z fighting game? Well then you'll be right at home with this title.
Circle is to punch and when you string a certain number of punches along with a directional button thrown in there you can pull off a special combo.
Tap triangle to engage in chakura attacks, the more you press it the stronger and more drawn out the attack.
Square is to throw projectiles, mainly to stun your opponent in order to get a free hit in.
Cross is just jump however when combined with a directional button you can move between the background and foreground, allowing for some breathing room between you and your opponent or to grab a stat boost.
Shoulder triggers are to guard.
For a first in it's series it manages to make this all feel good but not satisfying as it could be.
A.I. seems to be random at times with certain battles being a pain only for the game to randomly drop the invisible difficulty and give you a free match.
I would be fine with this if it wasn't for the 6 matches per story making for a really short game. There's no challenge with this. It just feels like trial and error except you know the game is going to give in at some point.
Chakra moves are pulled off by doing a quick time event. The thing is you're in direct competition with your opponent meaning that you have to get the event done faster than them. It adds another layer that works in this game's favour until you realise you can just spam the attacks when available and my trigger happy fingers found them not the challenge I wanted them to be.
There's really not much else. Whilst certain characters do feel speedier than others that the only real difference between them besides from their animations.
CONCLUSION TIIIIIME!
This is a fine game. Not perfect but not bad either. It got me into fighting games and I can say that that's what it's best at. If you want something a bit more deep or complex you won't find it here but it's a good time.
Considering this is on the PS2 I wouldn't bother seeking it out unless you want to add it to your collection as a collector's item.
With that being said I give this a...
7/10 - A good time even if it's too short and basic for today's standards.