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Ubisoft dates its winter titles
It's been said by many people for months now: 2007 looks to be a big year for gamers. It seems like every company is pulling out all the stops and quality games are getting ready to rain from the heavens. Some say that 2007 may be the best year EVAR. True or not, Ubisoft is playing a large role in the 360's holiday season. As proof of that, Eurogamer has unveiled Ubisoft's official release list for this holiday season, including planned release dates for major titles like Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell Conviction. Check out the list after the break.
Video interview reveals Naruto's easy move to PSP
According to a new Gametrailers interview, Naruto is making an easy transition to PSP ... even with its limited memory capacity. Why is that? The original Naruto PSP games were designed with the D-Pad in mind, not the analog sticks.The upcoming title is being prepared with a summer release in mind. With sharp graphics, and 22 playable characters, we can't wait. [Update: We've updated our gallery with new images from the game. Enjoy!] %Gallery-3241%
A tiny look at the new Naruto
You've seen the screenshots. Now, see the first footage of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes. The trailer is brief, but it manages to tantalize us with furious ninja action. One thing to note: Let's hope the trailer's cheesy narrator isn't indicative of the game's final voice acting.
Naruto RPG coming to the DS
Anime and ninja fans alike should get their fix come this Fall when NARUTO: Path of the Ninja becomes the first role-playing game in the NARUTO franchise for North America. Combat should be handled differently, as the game is to feature a "unique time based combat system." The game will feature six playable characters and allow players to navigate many of the places that inhabit the world of NARUTO, including the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Given the games' popularity in Japan and the fanbase the anime has cultivated here in the states, it was a natural choice to bring the game over.Keep an eye on DS Fanboy for more news as it becomes available.
Believe it! New Naruto screenshots
The Naruto craze keeps on getting bigger and bigger in America. It's not uncommon to see headbands worn atop our youth and otaku. When Namco Bandai announced their plans on making an exclusive Naruto fighter for American and European audiences, we knew this phenomenon had truly become international.New screenshots of the upcoming brawler have been released, and they look impressive. Not only do they highlight some of the more spectacular effects within the game, they also show the game's faithful adherence to the series' unique personality. Look closely at the bottom: up to three characters can be seen on each side, highlighting the game's focus on 3-on-3 battles. Believe it!Expect more on this hotly anticipated fighter soon. Until then, check out new images in our updated gallery:%Gallery-3241%[Thanks, Jan!]
Uber Ubisoft Ubidays video roundup
Ubisoft's Ubidays event in Paris spawned almost as many video trailers as it did announcements. Thanks to the wonders of embeddable streaming video, we're able to put them all in a single post for your viewing pleasure and/or displeasure, depending on the game. Naruto: Rise of a Ninja (Xbox 360) Loosely based on the 837,212 episodes of popular anime, Naruto, this cel-shaded action game seems to strongly encourage you to leap through trees, punch older men and generally behave like a ninja who's under the constant scrutiny of kids. No sudden decapitations like that other guy.
DS releases for the week of May 21st
Looks like it's pirates vs. ninja this week ... but we're pretty sure this time, it's gonna be alllll ninja. Pirates of the Caribbean may be all the rage when it comes to the theaters, but when it comes to gaming, our money's on Naruto. Of course, if you're looking to stay out of this particular conflict, there are plenty of other games for you to check out this week. Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom Diner Dash Marvel Trading Card Game Naruto: Ninja Council 3 The New York Times Crosswords Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End For the rest of the globe, check out the lists after the jump.
SGD '07: Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes
The first ever Naruto game to be developed exclusively for US and European markets is Ultimate Ninja Heroes, a new PSP-exclusive fighting game. This brawler will feature 20 characters, all of which can be customized through collectible Parameter Power-Up Points. Like the manga that inspired the game, players can tackle various missions which will challenge their ninja skills. Being successful can lead your character up the ninja ranks -- ultimately leading them to the ultimate Hokage position. While we wait for this game to be readied for the fall, check out these new screens from Sony Gamers Day.%Gallery-3241%
PSP Fan Art Fridays: Naruto
Do you want to share your PSP-related fan art? Send us an e-mail. A new piece of fan art will be shared every Friday. In honor of the just announced Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Hero, I chose this particular Naruto fan art. There certainly isn't any lack of Naruto fan art online, but I liked the tone of this piece. This work of art was done by FireDolphin. I'm not sure how Naruto found time to appreciate a sunset, when he has all that fighting to do, but it certainly is a beautiful sight. If you would like to see the rest of FireDolphin's fan art, check out his deviantART account. %Gallery-3450%
Saturday PSP background explosion
Every week, PSP Fanboy brings you new backgrounds to keep your PSP safe from unbackgrounditis. Remember, you can save these images directly to your PSP by accessing the site wireless at m.pspfanboy.com. This week, we have a Cartoon Network themed set of backgrounds. Yet, all three are still game related. What cartoons will you be able to set as a background? Continue to find out. Backgrounds after the jump ...
Naruto to take advantage of Game Sharing
We've received more details about the newly announced Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes for PSP. Although the game may look similar to the Japanese PSP game, we've confirmed that the game truly is exclusive for the US and Europe.The game will feature multiplayer, but it is unfortunately limited to Ad-Hoc (no Infrastructure play, sorry!). However, the game will take advantage of PSP's oft-forgotten Game Share functionality, which allows players to compete against each other, even with just a single copy of the game. It's as if the game is mirroring Naruto's ability to replicate himself ... and that's really awesome.
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes comes to US this summer
Believe it! The popular anime franchise is finally getting a PSP game. Ultimate Ninja Heroes will allow Naruto fans to assemble a team of three characters (out of a roster of 20) to duke it out against another team of three. Pairings must be thought through carefully, as new abilities will be unearthed based on character combinations. An interesting idea, to say the least. According to 1UP, the fighter is supposedly exclusive to the US, with no Japanese release planned at the moment. But, Heroes looks suspiciously like the Japanese PSP Naruto game, so we're going to take that bit with a grain of salt.Ultimate Ninja Heroes will hit PSP systems this summer. Check out 1UP for more details, and some breathtaking pictures of the game.
New trailer for Naruto Ninja Council 3
Naruto: Ninja Council 3 is approaching its May release, and to promote it, D3 Publisher has released a new trailer. The trailer shows a lot of what we expect from Ninja Council games (Naruto-styled brawling), and also what we expect from action games on the DS (stylus activation of special moves).But what we didn't expect was how varied and weird the touch screen stuff would be! There's all kinds of stuff happening on that bottom screen. Check after the post break for the video, and click the link for a big screenshot-cluster thing.
Naruto game announced ... but which one?
You might have to take some notes on this one, because it's a little complicated, especially since the games involved have very long, very similar names. Tomy and D3 Publisher have announced a new Naruto game called Naruto: Clash of Ninja MVZ, to be released on the Wii in the US with exclusive new content.However, exactly which Naruto game it is is somewhat of a mystery. The unruly (but perspicacious) NeoGAF horde thinks that it's not the Wii Naruto (Naruto Shippuden Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX) that just came out in Japan, but rather a port of the Gamecube Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3 with some new characters, minigames, and, we would assume, new controls. But Gamespot is reporting that we're getting a version of EX with the animations and characters changed to reflect where the US localization of the anime is in the Naruto storyline. We don't exactly know what's going on. There will be a Naruto game of some kind on the Wii this fall, and the rest is obscured by ninja trickery, deployed in a successful attempt to confuse and disorient us.
Wii Warm Up: Imports
Recently, a technique was discovered to allow Wii owners to play import Gamecube games. However, a method of playing imported Wii games still eludes us, outside of buying a Wii from another region. We're sure someone will come up with something, but for right now, we're stuck in our own territory. We want to know-- how important is this to you? Are you ready to open up your system as soon as a solution comes along, just so you can play the new Naruto? Will you be the first to place an order for a swap disc, if one comes along? Or are you completely uninterested in, for example, pachinko?(Image is of the train simulator Densha de GO!, specifically the Beginning Densha de GO! Set, which includes a special controller.)
Some pretty sweet Naruto swag [update 1]
In receiving their copy of Naruto Shippuden: Geiktou Ninja Taisen EX, the fine folks over at Siliconera received the pictured swag with it. In case you have no idea what it is, it's a kunai pouch, used by ninjas to hold their (you guessed it) kunai. The folk at Siliconera found that it is better-suited to hold a Wiimote and nunchuk, instead. We couldn't agree more.Hopefully the game will release to other territories with this swag, as well. See also: Naruto Shippuden: Geiktou Ninja Taisen EX generates excitement, eyestrainUpdate: whoops, typo!
Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX trailer generates excitement, eyestrain
Takara Tomy have stealth-released a new trailer for Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX, the Wii sequel to the popular Gamecube 3D fighting series, and it's looking ... well, heavily compressed. It's hard to tell how the game looks based on the size and quality of this video. Despite the technical difficulties, there were a few noteworthy things we could glean from the video, and its now-standard use of the "picture-in-picture of person making Wiimote gestures:" There are a lot of characters in the game. They fight each other. Adorable children can control this character-fighting with Wiimote and Nunchuk motions. We can assume that the new one will look at least as nice as the Gamecube versions, and will probably have new characters and some new moves and such. Previous Naruto games have been well-received; we are crossing our fingers that the new one will be just as good, and that the motion control is fun and not gimmicky. We think we should have started crossing our fingers after typing this post.[Note: the link goes directly to a .wmv video.][Thanks, Creamsugar!]
D3 Publisher Simplifies mobile gaming
D3 Publisher has already conquered the budget-friendly game market in Japan with its Simple 1500 PSone games, Simple 2000 PS2 games, and the Simple DS series. (The numbers there represent the retail price, in Japanese yen, of titles in those series.) There's no news of Simple 3000 PS3 games yet, sadly, but D3 Publisher has today announced its imminent move towards domination of the cheapo mobile game market in Japan with the introduction of its Simple 500 series. The new wave of ¥500 downloads, which are compatible with all i-mode phones in Japan, includes concentrated versions of Love Upper (a female boxing game, originally on the PS2, that floors the Rumble Roses), One-chan Bara (a game of bikini girl-with-guns versus aliens, which has recently appeared on the Xbox 360), and Earth Defence Force (pictured; a b-game version of Sin & Punishment, and another recent 360 release in Japan). It's about time D3 Publisher America released some of D3 Japan's best games in the West, we think, instead of blurting out Naruto games and Cabbage Patch Kids.
Friday video: Elebits + Naruto = love?
We love all sorts of game-related videos, from straight up footage to fan-made homages, but videos that blend several elements from pop culture are always fun. Continuing the theme from last week's dramatic look at Super Smash Brothers Brawl is a similar video, though much lighter in tone. This one features those super cute Elebits and music from Naruto. Check it out after the jump!
Councilin' ninjas on the DS, Naruto style
Naruto Ninja Council is making the jump from the GBA to the DS for its third installment, and GameSpot has served up a fresh round of impressions on the forthcoming title. The mission-based single player game is reportedly solid, requiring the player to familiarize him or herself with all the support characters and the pantheon of techniques, as success in any given phase requires the right combination of elements, though it's not as strict as it sounds. The vast amount of choice instead offers options, allowing players to select the force that they're comfortable with, so long as they can surmount the challenges as they're presented. All of this, from characters to their unique attacks, is taken from the series. For basic moves, controls are straightforward, but any special move requires special action based on the technique, and these employ the touch screen or the mic (more blowing into the mic!).Visually, it seems the game isn't too much of a step up from its predecessors. Environments don't tax the DS, as they are a little plain, but elements from the series are clearly recognizable. For fans, it seems this will be a solid foray deeper into the world of Naruto.
