S&S Review: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations

Title: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations
Format: PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: March 13, 2012
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer:  CyberConnect2
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: T


Naruto games have been getting a steady release schedule for the past few years, improving with each new title.  Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations is the newest entry in the franchise and can be easily considered as the best one yet.

Presentation/Story:
Anime titles have always transferred well, shows like Dragon Ball Z and Bleach have looked great, and Naruto transfers beautifully as well.  The game's crisp and smooth visuals is a direct testament to fans(including myself) of the show.  The game's high contrast really bring s out the vibrant colors of the characters and backgrounds.  The camera gets really close to the action when you use your chakra-filled supermove each character has.  The narrative in the game focuses a lot time on the complicated relationship between Naruto and Sasuke.  Other characters make an appearance but it all comes back to the two.  The story has 6 isolated storylines, that are actually pretty lengthy.  Even with a lengthy narrative, the story never dwindles or gets boring.  The voice work is great, the Japanese and English voices sound great.  As always, the anime show has transfered perfectly to gaming consoles.

Core Gameplay/Multiplayer:
The gameplay in Generations have been stripped down quite a bit, you won't be spending your time exploring the gorgeous village doing random quests.  The team ditched that whole idea for a more straightforward arcade style story mode.  The story mode is mostly made up of cutscenes and 1 on 1 battles.  The fighting is fast paced and can seem daunting, but with practice, you'll notice that its actually pretty simple.  Moves can be pulled off without having to execute perfect movements with the left stick like in a Street Fighter.  The massive roster is a plus, which lets you play as basically everyone who has shown up in the Naruto universe.  The new Awakening mode is very similar to Pandora mode, those of you who played Street Fighter x Tekken knows this exactly, its a last plea to beat your opponent when you are about to lose the fight.  In terms of fighting, its very simple.  Generations' online component are packed to the brim with features, with the cool inclusion of four and eight player tournaments.  The ranked and casual matches work great without any major lag.

Final Thoughts:
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations is another stellar entry into this already packed year of great fighting games.  The demo served as a great representation of the full game, but if you want the full experience, this game is a steal with all the great content on the disc.

Final Score = 8.5/10

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