S&S Review: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3

Title: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3
Format: PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Developer: CyberConnect2
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: T

With every new Naruto Shippuden game, it seems that CyberConnect2 continues to improve upon a great foundation, and Ultimate Ninja Storm proves to be yet another good title for fans of the anime.

Story and Presentation:
The narrative in Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 has to be the strongest out of the series, as it covers a big part of the anime storyline.  Covering the entire Shinobi World War Arc, it may be the longest Story mode in the series as well.  The production value in the game is second to none.  The game does a great job of recreating the anime experience, with full blown cutscenes and voice acting. I've heard a lot of negative reactions over how long the cutscenes are, but I didn't find that as a negative.  I've always admired the narratives in Naruto, and another chance to experience them is fine by me.  This is probably the best the franchise has looked so far, but it's that much of a jump from the previous game.  I'm not even sure how much more they could improve the game's visuals, the visual style has been pretty much maxed out, at least for this gen.  The voice acting is just as over the top as the anime, and the music is just as good.  The soundtrack in Naruto has always been one more underrated components to the game, the emotional tunes in UNS3 has to be one better musical scores we've gotten this year. The overall presentation in UNS3 is the best so far in the series, and it'll be hard to top in any possible sequels.

Core Gameplay and Multiplayer:
 If you played the last game, then the story mode will feel pretty familiar to you.  You'll explore different environments as you visit shops, take on side quests, and if you want to go straight through, you can just progress through the main story if you wish.  In UNS3, there are some new features that have been added.  One of them being the ability to choose how you'll approach certain battles.  Some battles you'll have to ability to either go in the battle alone, or bring your friends along with you.  It would have been a cool addition if the story changed with your choice, but sadly, it doesn't.  The fighting in the game is still pretty simple, and any hardcore fighting fan will probably get pretty bored with the simplistic combat.  You have all your basic attacks, dodges, and shurikens throws, and when you incorporate your chakra, you get a whole new set of attacks.  You also have the ability to use your "Substitution Jutsu," which becomes pretty handy when you're facing a tougher opponent.  When your fighter's health gets low, you'll be able to increase your damage and speed.  This becomes really apparent when you're fighting with a Jinchuriki, like Naruto.  The nine-tails fox will manifest out of Naruto, and you'll be able to fight with it.  These abilities are all very familiar to any fan of series, but they won't take long to master if you're new to the game.  The game features over 80 characters, the most of out series, so you're definitely getting the most personality from this game.

Final Thoughts:
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 isn't drastically different from UNS2, but it's still a great game.  With the best visuals out of the franchise, and more of the same refined combat from the previous games, this is the best Naruto game to date.

S&S Rating: 8.5/10

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