All I Can Say Is ''PERFECT"

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 faithfully recreates the anime series and envelops players into the mythical world of ninja with expansive environments, missions, battle systems and gameplay modes. While there are two sides to every story...


Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is the most beautiful example of cel-shaded graphics I've ever seen. This is not hyperbole, and I have zero interest in Naruto. But I'm a firm believer in giving credit where it's due, and developer CyberConnect2 has managed to capture the feel of traditional 2D animation phenomenally well. The game looked so good, in fact, that it managed to hold my attention at last week's Namco Bandai pre-E3 event, despite the fact that there wasn't much of the game on display.



After finishing the single demo battle, which pitted me (as Naruto) against Kakashi (with some help from Sakura), I'm not quite sure what to make of the second Ultimate Ninja Storm title, which is multiplatform for the first time this generation and set to launch on the PS3 and the 360 this fall. Combat remains largely unchanged from the last Ninja Storm title on the PS3. While the presentation is excellent, the gameplay is... lean. Battles still take place in fully navigable arenas which change over time as they're destroyed by clashing ninjas, and the controls are as responsive as you might expect. However, combat is simple, with super moves and major attacks mapped to the face buttons on the gamepad (as opposed to requiring the finger gymnastics of more serious fighting titles). More than anything, I was reminded of Capcom's Dreamcast era Powerstone titles: there's more of an emphasis on over-the-top battles and experiences than the kinds of deep, rewarding combat systems players would find in more dedicated fighting games.

As Ryan Clements said in IGN's review of the first Ultimate Ninja Storm, these titles are aimed at a more casual audience. The gameplay seems predicated on showing Naruto fans what they want to see, which would be Naruto characters beating the crap out of each other with completely bizarre forms of ninja magic. In that regard, Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is more of the same. Namco Bandai didn't have anything to say about a return of the Ultimate Mission Mode from the last game, or the various mini-games that made an appearance previously, but it's likely a safe bet that they'll be back this time around. Partners are still called in with the right bumper or R1 button. There are still quick-time sequences that require the player to pound repeatedly on the face buttons during certain sequences, where failure results in a flash back to a checkpoint at the beginning of said quick-time sequence.

And that's it, really. The demo lasted about 10 minutes, long enough to impress me aesthetically but little else. For Naruto fans, Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is looking like the sequel they've likely wanted since finishing the first (and the Naruto game before that, and the game before that...), but for the rest of us, it remains to be seen if there will be more to Naruto when it revisits consoles this fall.