NARUTO HAIRSTYLES: BANE OF COSPLAY STYLISTS WORLDWIDE.
Everybody loves ninjas. Even pirates secretly love ninjas. So any series that gives you an opportunity to play as a ninja deserves a look. I’ve read Naruto since its U.S. debut in Shonen Jump. And although I’ve fallen off the scene in the past few months, I still get a better sense of the Manga in Shippūden than in Ultimate Ninja 3. Something that is largely missing from many Manga-based games.
So let’s jump in as see how it stacks up against past releases yeah?
Now that the series has brought the Shippūden storyline to the forefront, the usual suspects have surfaced. A roster of 52 or so characters has replaced the previous 42 – remember this takes into account transformations. The always annoying equippable Jutsu has been replaced (and greatly improved by) a fixed system. In the same vein, the controls seem to be a bit more responsive – not terribly so, but enough to be noticed. The Master and Hero modes add a nice amount of replay and depth to the storyline – mostly for those unfamiliar with the Naruto universe, but pretty interesting nonetheless.
The elephant in the room is the graphical changes made. The CGI cutscenes have had special care placed to them and the overall look is in keeping with the cartoon. This change will be revered by some and vilified by others, especially those who would like a game more in keeping with the Manga. But if you could please everyone, the world would be a far different place, now wouldn’t it. So suck it up Sallies.
After taking all of the above into account however, most of the improvements made in Shippūden are cosmetic. An updated roster is expected as is a new world to explore, especially when a new storyline is brought to the forefront. For a lot of people, there won’t be enough to differentiate from Ultimate 3. Die-hard fans of the series will want to rip my face off, but hey, sorry people. For most of us, a smattering of new content and light improvements aren’t all that super exciting. Nice, but not exciting.
Overall, Naruto Ultimate Ninja 4: Shippūden is a pretty tight game. Will it bring newcomers into the fold? Maybe. It stands to do so better than its predecessors certainly, but not by much. If it’s a first buy in the series for someone, than this is what you want to go with. But for veterans of the series, this is a no brainer (and also a much bigger deal I’m sure). It currently stands as a pinnacle and brings Naruto one step closer to becoming a serious contender for mainstream recognition. But that will still take a while I think. Meh.
Overall:
This game is alright but the Japanese ones are way funner since its ahead of the English’s storyline but give this a try if you only watch the English version.
the game is much fun with a friend but it could have been better.
maybe next time they should add a create mode because it would be nice to allow players to create their own ninja by making them stronger, faster and new jutsu moves. I know that bandai namco aren’t able to do any of that, but it would be awesome if they did.
That is some inspirational stuff. Never knew that opinions could be this varied