We can’t think of any other anime properties to come out of the late 1990s as big as NARUTO. The Naruto brand is a mega-success and has spawned countless manga and anime series and spinoffs. The show features a huge amount of story and characters which makes for an extensive sandbox for the developers CyberConnect2 and Namco Bandai to play in.
The Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm series has always felt like a ‘cut above’ most other licensed video games for anime products. The Ultimate Ninja Storm series is generally welcomed by hardcore fans as they can expect a faithful adaptation of the story, good fighting and tons of characters. We’re happy to say that the latest game Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 delivers in all the things that fans of this series desire.
On the plus side – Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 features the largest roster ever with over 80 playable characters. The game takes place during the Naruto’s ‘4th great ninja war’ and features exciting fighting/combat that is fast-paced and wrapped around pretty cinematics or sometimes with CyberConnect2 games you feel like the opposite is true in that their video games are more about the cinematics then actual gameplay. Either way – this game will please fans of the series and what ‘new’ things it offers are mostly add-ons like bonus costumes like Goku from Dragon Ball.
Namco Bandai does a nice job with the Naruto license – we praised Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations last year but ultimately would like to see more done with the franchise for the next generation of consoles. We’d love to see a more dynamic introduction into the game by newcomers and a shift from reading dialogue on screen for future Naruto games.
Related Links:
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Launch Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngCXhKjygPU
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Gameplay Commentary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHMHjLVfWKg
Naruto Developer Interview
https://coin-op.tv/?p=5291
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations Review
https://coin-op.tv/?p=5253