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Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja: Storm 2 review
There's only one staunch barrier to entry with this game, and it's right on the front of the box. "Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja: Storm 2," with its awkward colon placement, speaks to fans of the serialized manga and its long-running anime adaptation so fluently, it sounds like gibberish to anyone else. Oh, and there's a "2" in the title, so now I can't follow because I don't know what happened in Gibberish 1. If you manage to get past the cover (featuring Naruto and his friend-turned-rival Sasuke, by the way), you'll find an energetic and accessible adventure that respectfully harnesses its source material, without locking out newcomers. Fans tuned in to keywords like chakra, Rasengan and Orochimaru will be more invested in the story, and everyone else will find some way to survive a fighting game without being ensconced in the narrative. Just pretend it's called Ninja Tornado Fight. %Gallery-97853%
Here are the world's biggest Naruto fans
You may think you're the biggest Naruto fan in the world, buying headbands, attending conventions, learning rudimentary Japanese and pirating every episode of the show ever. But unfortunately, you still can't compete with the team at CyberConnect2. Why? Look at that manga collection! This dev diary explains their passion for the brand.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 on the radar for Oct. 19 release
In case yesterday's announcement of two Naruto Shippuden games wasn't sufficient Naruto news for you, Namco Bandai announced the release date for Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 for Xbox 360 and PS3. Fans will be able to take control of Naruto and, um, all those other characters on October 19. If you'd like to experience a sample of the Ultimate Ninja Storm -- an Ultimate Ninja Drizzle, perhaps, or Scattered Ultimate Ninja Showers -- Namco Bandai also announced that a demo for the CyberConnect2-developed fighting game is available now on both PSN and Xbox Live.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 isn't short on characters
Naruto games tend to be on the gorgeous side of things, and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 looks to be another visually impressive entry in the franchise. And that attractiveness won't be lacking for applications, as the game features "over 40" playable characters, evidenced by its latest trailer from Gamescom. If you were looking for a Naruto trailer with, like, dozens of combinations of characters fighting each other, this is the one for you. If not, well, maybe this Dragonball: Raging Blast 2 trailer is more up your alley? We're doing the best we can here, folks.%Gallery-99730%
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 demo now available on Japanese PSN
Do you want to play some Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 before it comes out later this year? If you're a hardcore enough Naruto fan, you'll want to navigate the Japanese PlayStation Store to find the demo (under New Releases). If your kanji isn't up to snuff, don't worry. PSN Stores has recorded a video of the demo that you can watch after the break.
Preview: Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 aims to deliver what any sequel should strive to offer: expanding on the original game's strengths while diminishing its weaknesses. While the first Ultimate Ninja Storm was far from a perfect game, it delivered an incredibly polished (and most importantly, faithful) recreation of the first seasons in the Naruto series. With a number of significant enhancements being made for UNS2, there's good reason for hardcore fans to get excited. Undoubtedly, the most noteworthy aspect of the first Naruto game on PS3 had to be its graphics. Many of the anime's biggest moments were recreated using the in-game engine, arguably besting the visuals found in the original series. While we haven't seen the Xbox 360 port in action, the PS3 sequel still retains the vibrant, authentic look of a hand-drawn cartoon. It's hard to say if the graphics have gotten better, but there are definitely moments in UNS2 that are simply jaw dropping. The combat system has, for the most part, remained unchanged in UNS2. Hardcore fighting enthusiasts will still find it too simplistic. (It does, after all, have only one primary attack button.) However, Naruto fans will appreciate how true to the series fights feel. For the single-player story, it appears boss fights have gotten much more dynamic than before. My fight against Kakashi was lengthy, and moved from one arena to another. The enemy AI has a much-expanded set of moves that took advantage of the environment. For example, Kakashi would electrocute the water, forcing you to quickly find solid land to stand on. Now, fights involve more than just brute force -- there's platforming to think about as well.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 trailer is epic
We could go on about all of the badass ninja action going on in the Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 trailer above, but we just can't get past how amazing it all looks in HD. It's like this trailer opened our skull and scooped out our brain, only to leave a drooling husk of a human being in its wake. We guess it's kinda impressive we managed to write this post. So hit the play button above and see Naruto and company throw down in splendid HD glory. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 launches this fall. [Thanks, Andre]
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 coming to North America and Europe this fall
Since its original Japanese announcement, Naruto fans have been wondering two things: When is Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 coming out? And does it still look good? Well, the answers are "this fall" and "yes." Not only is Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 the first game based on the Shippuden story arc to appear on an HD console, it's also the first multiplatform game for the franchise. Whereas the first game appeared exclusively on PS3, the sequel will grace both Xbox 360 and PS3 later this year. Thankfully, it looks as though developer CyberConnect2 isn't cutting any corners for the sequel, promising more than 40 characters, original Japanese voice overs and "bigger and more epic cinematic boss battles." Like the first Ultimate Ninja Storm, the sequel is likely to present an abridged version of the series story. However, the press release boasts that "a shocking story twist" will have "Sasuke wearing Akatsuki gear." Yeah, we can't believe it either.
