Orange is the new black in the latest installment of the Ultimate Ninja Storm series. Clashing swords and cha-kra moves fill the screen in this 3D fighter. Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst is a great place to dive in as it collects all the DLC for Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 in one package, including a rather intimidating boss battle and 100 new missions.
As an anime fighter, Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 is full of flashy combos that lack any true substance. The fighting system is glaringly simple. One button for attacks, with others being regulated to throwing knives or powering up. Thankfully some of the mechanics add some depth, particularly the substitution jujitsu. Every time the player is hit with an attack there is the option to teleport away to minimize damage. Use this too often though and you’ll have to wait for it to recharge, giving an opponent the perfect opportunity to throw everything in their ninja arsenal at you.
There’s also customizable assists which are regulated into three types. Some of the more powerful characters don’t need the extra help, giving the game a bit of tilt to the more popular fighters. In fact much of the cast is useless against these strong ninja. Strangely enough this control scheme feels better during the beat em up sections than during the fights. The camera is particularly encumbering, often flipping wildly. It’s even worse in multiplayer, forcing one player to have an inferior viewpoint of the battle.
Characters ramble on and often repeat plot points within the same sentence. For all its faults, there isn’t a better way to explore the world of Naruto than through this game. Walking the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village is often surreal, though you can’t truly enjoy it until after you’ve finished the main story. That’s where the extra chapter kicks into gear and adds an ending that’s far more difficult than the main story and is almost worth the price of entry alone.
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst is a strange beast. It’s a fighter that has terrible multiplayer yet an amazing single-player campaign. The fights were big and flashy and the difficulty curve was just right, save for the extra chapter that was meant for true veterans of the game. There are far better anime fighters to play with your friends, but for delving into the ninja world you can’t go wrong with this game.