GameRadar asking questions to Hiroshi about NUNS!

[naruto321]

One of the biggest announcements at the Bandai Namco event? The unveiling of the next entry in the licensed brawler you folks can’t get enough of. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm on the PlayStation 3 not only presents one of the better acronyms in all gamedom (NUNS!) but it offers a significant upgrade to a series, that honestly, was getting kind of stale. Year after year, offering little more than later storylines and increased character rosters.

Rather than piling fan service onto an established template, they’ve noticeably revamped the entire perspective of the game, from double-panned 2.5-D, into a more behind-the-back point of view. It really is beautiful evolution for the series. We watched Fox Boy battle enemies on the ground, around 3D obstacles, and even up walls.

Cineractive Chakra scenes are back, but they execute much more seamlessly, with no momentary PS2-era black screen transition. This time around, you can also take two other characters into battle to assist you, in addition to learning new jutsus as you progress through various missions taking place during episodes 1 through 135. (making NUNS the most comprehensive game using the Naruto canon to date.)

And instead of a late-to-the-party, Japanese port, the US will be getting this baby first this October only on PS3. You know we love our ‘Ruto here, having given the Ultimate Ninja series consistently good scores across the board. Unfortunately, the kind devs from CyberConnect 2 wouldn’t let us get a hands-on, meanies, but President/CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama was nice enough to answer even our most trifling fanboy questions (With inquisitive contributions from PlayStation: The Official Magazine’s Teresa Dun.)

Note: The interview contains some scattered English, as it was conducted through a Japanese translator.

GamesRadar: So is the camera always behind the back?

GR: Will you include American and Japanese language tracks? You’ve been very good with that as of late?

HM: We’re going to be planning to have this game release for the US in October 2008. The US region would actually be the first to actually get their hands on this game. As far as the language portion goes, text-wise, it will actually implement English and French. But for the voiceovers, we actually have English and Japanese voiceovers.

GR: Cool, a lot fans out there prefer the Japanese [voiceovers] with subtitles.

HM: [Laughs]

GR: What about voice actors - are they the original voice actors?

HM: Yes.

GR: It looks really cool. What would you say is the most exciting thing about the game?

HM: Well one of the main things [in mind] when we actually produced this game was to try and remove the borderline between an anime and actual gameplay. We wanted to kind of reach an effect where when people actually look at this, the start to wonder whether it’s actually game or are they [looking at anime]. So really the visual wall, that appeal that comes from this, is specifically one our one of the points I personally make about the game.

GR: Since the perspective is over the shoulder, behind the back, how will the game present itself when two people are playing?

HM: Well, right now as it stands, our concept of the game was to have a one on one battle. So, basically we made it so that it corresponds in close line, so that you can have essentially depiction of the controlled person and the second controlled player on the same screen and that’s the core concept of how we actually have the people on the screen.

I think that one of the things that we were worried about, was for example, we could have tried to have made more than two player on the same console. But the thing is that we didn’t want to thin out the content of each of the characters and the way their action can be depicted within the game. Which shows one of the decisions why we decided to make it so that there’s basically two controlled characters with both characters onscreen.

GR: How many different characters are there in the game?

HM: Actual battle mode playable characters? 25 characters. And of course we have some other characters that specifically made just for the support characters, too.

GR: So are the cinemas rendered in-game or are they actually anime?

HM: Instead of actually showing simple cinematics, or just showing maybe like an anime just to show where you’re progressing ours will be a lot more interactive, where you’re actually in the actual sequences where you’re actually physically partaking in that certain storyline. So as you complete these missions you’re actually following through according to the storyline, but you’re just actually navigating through it as an actual character.

And there’s a lot of missions that we have. One of the one’s we like to show is a boss battle. It’s just of the many that we have. This one is something that you’ll see more early on in the stage, but maybe I could just kind of introduce that to you. So you can use your items in the boss battle. And this is an actual scene in the show

GR: Are you actually going to fight all the bosses that are in the anime?

HM: Basically everybody within the lineup in the anime, within the actual plot, will be planned.

GR: Is this the whole series?

HM: In the relations to the 135, up to the 135th episode of the TV anime series, the giant boss battle that he fought will be... For example after you apply certain missions it’ll move to an interaction mode. If he succeeds, he continues onward in the process of action. And again this is for the interaction which you see in the actual anime.

GR: And this is a PS3 exclusive?

HM: Yes, for the PS3.

GR: Are there any plans for... normally the other Ultimate Ninjas have exclusive storylines. Any chance of getting them by DLC?

HM: Although this time we don’t have any specific online match competitions for the game, we do have DLC planned for the game, which will hopefully recompensate [sic].

GR: So there’s no online multiplayer?

HM: Not in this series.

GR: Any co-op?

HM: Basically the core concept of the game is actually a one on one battle. So in the sense of co-op it’s more rather just in the sense of one person. We do have a few missions a few gameplay styles in there which would accommodate the co-op thing, but it’s more in the sense of a one on one battle.

Hiroshi Matsuyama: Actually, it moves according to the real time animation so that the character is always in the picture. But the main concept keeps everybody within the screen.

GR: Does it maintain the control scheme of the other Ultimate Ninja games?

HM: The buttons [are] the same as the other Ultimate Ninja games. Basically the Circle is attack, X to jump, the Square throw long-range attacks. So just pressing the circle buttons will actually combine the Chakra.

GR: Is Triangle still Chakra?

HM: The difference this time is if you press the Chakra button, the other buttons input that you do become more stronger. Instead of a standard jump you do a dash attack…and [there’s] the projectile with the Chakra… And of course, use your physical attack and it becomes a special move, combo.

One of the things that we really wanted to show was the very ninja, stylish things, so… using the jump buttons you can [perform] multiple types of different acrobatic and ninjitsu. By pressing the Triangle button twice, it’ll use the special-

GR: Do you still have three levels of Chakra moves?

HM: Special moves sequence is preset for one per character so you won’t have three leveling conditions that it was in the previous Ultimate Ninjas.

GR: So the [Clone Jutsu] we just saw is the only one for Naruto?

HM: Right now, yes, that is Naruto’s special move, but as you progress in the story you’ll be able to unlock other types of moves which you can actually customize.

GR: Sexy Jutsu?

HM: [laughing] I think Sony is a little bit uh…

GR: Oh, really?

HM: So of course you have the standard change features. And special throw moves.* And one of the special features, if you look on the top, there’s an L and R buttons*- with Sasuke and Sakura on the top. And this is the first time you can summon them to the field to aid you. So for example in that case Sasuke will come out used his jutsu move.GR: Can you play as just Sasuke?

HM: As long as you have the third character set as Sasuke for example, you’ll be able to navigate… so one of the special other moves, for example, is you can summon them while you’re trying to collect Chakra. It doesn’t have to be during the battle.

And one of the points on top is, once you use it, is a timer that has to fill up before you can reuse it again. So one of the differences in how good a player can actually use it is timing and situational uses of [these] support characters.

GR: Will items still appear on the battlefield?

HM: At this time it’s a little different. You can use the D-pad which an item and location on it and you can use different items on the battlefield.

So for example that’s a special balloon. And this item palette actually differs depending on the character you actually choose. Right now both of them are the same. But like in the retail version for example, actually have Naruto’s favorite cup noodles, cup ramen.

GR: So will the levels give any power-ups?

HM: This time first of all it’s basically broken in two basic modes. One is the battle mode... and there is a mission mode. In the battle mode, essentially, the theme contents of actually making adjustments... accommodations is to change the jutsu that’s being used and also changing the characters that’s acting as your support characters. So you’ll be able to change those as the game progresses.

And for the mission mode, you’ll essentially be navigating Naruto within a huge field and within that mode, there will be different kinds of power ups you can collect. And let me show you something a little different. For example, that one was an open field but inside where it has actual walls, you can actually move across the... Wall battles. And if you take damage, they crumple to they fall towards the ground. And the scene goes back to a ground battle.

GR: Have you guys done away with the cineractive Chakra scenes? Oh, there they are.

[laughing]

HM: One of the things you notice, this is all being rendered in real-time. So it’s not just like a cutcene that’s being introduced but it's just something that’s physically being calculated on this spot.

GR: Very seamless.

HM: Yes. So even though the jutsu that showed the different kind of environmental changes that’s applying, depending on the field you play, that field environment will match the action behind what you’re actually playing.* So right now it’s just stone ground, but if it was in field, you’d see the grass behind you. So it renders according to the actual area that’s being fought.

In the mission mode, it’s not only just a simple one-versus-one battle type of a mission, but it also incorporates kinds of missions, such as chase missions for example, item collection missions. To the extent that there’s even a mission in there where you’re supposed to look for a hawk that has a scroll in its hand and you have to try and get it by shooting at the hawk and get it to drop.

As you complete the missions, the missions are made into levels. So as you progress in the missions, you’re actually able to reenact the anime TV series from the first to the 135th story. So it’s all a matter of progression according to the story.GR: This does cover more of the storyline than any other game before, does it not?

HM: This has up until the point where Naruto is trying to get Sasuke back. So it has up until the boss before it goes into the next series.

GR: During the missions are you going to gain the skills the same way that Naruto does? Like in the plot points where he learns something cool?

HM: It will follow the story plot where as Naurto progresses. The game will actually show the progression.

GR: In the combat?

HM: Yes. So for example in Naruto’s case, when he first was introduced, he obviously didn’t have too many moves himself but towards the story progression as you notice, he gains the special Rasengan and that appears along the process of the storyline and we may have more in store for it… but yes, there is a progression occurring according to the story.

GR: So there’s mission mode, which you’ve described and there’s Battle mode. You said the focus is on one versus one. Is there two versus two at all or one versus two?

HM: No.

GR: So it’s all for just one versus one?

HM: Yes, just one versus one.

GR: And the most you could have playing is two people playing against each other.

HM: Yes.

GR: You do?

HM: We do. We have plans for some special support characters that I’m sure the fans will be very, very curious about?

GR: Can you tell us who?

HM: The only thing I can say is we do have support specific characters, but…yeah, sorry, we [cannot say]. One other thing… The release date, we’re implying, is still 2008, but that’s still far, far ahead. For the fans who can’t really wait until October we are planning for a some demos of the game which hopefully will be able to give a chance for the all the fans out there for sometime in summer or something and we’ll what we can do as far as how we’ll distribute this for everybody.

GR: Does this mean you guys are looking at the PlayStation Network, possibly?

HM: I can’t really say right now. Sorry.

GR: PSN is a good choice. One other question, for the missions, if you’re playing through the whole one through 135 in the anime, isn’t that a lot of hours? Is the game going to be that long?

HM: Uh, basically although we are kind of reenacting the storylines up to the 135 anime of the series, we’re actually picking out the key areas within the 135, so that it forms a line across from the first to the 135th. Each of those are depicted in missions and each of them are made sufficiently long enough so that it won’t be burdening. So we have that pretty well balanced.

GR: And is there going to be any sort of online leaderboards? As in like some sort of score keeper?

HM: Uh, not for this game series. Basically our online features for the game will primarily be the DLC.

GR: And is the DLC free or is it going to be…?

HM: Sorry. Can’t answer that.

Apr 18, 2008

[futureakatsuki]

thats just awsome

[Naruto199]

NARUTO321 wrote:
One of the biggest announcements at the Bandai Namco event? The unveiling of the next entry in the licensed brawler you folks can’t get enough of. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm on the PlayStation 3 not only presents one of the better acronyms in all gamedom (NUNS!) but it offers a significant upgrade to a series, that honestly, was getting kind of stale. Year after year, offering little more than later storylines and increased character rosters.

Rather than piling fan service onto an established template, they’ve noticeably revamped the entire perspective of the game, from double-panned 2.5-D, into a more behind-the-back point of view. It really is beautiful evolution for the series. We watched Fox Boy battle enemies on the ground, around 3D obstacles, and even up walls.

Cineractive Chakra scenes are back, but they execute much more seamlessly, with no momentary PS2-era black screen transition. This time around, you can also take two other characters into battle to assist you, in addition to learning new jutsus as you progress through various missions taking place during episodes 1 through 135. (making NUNS the most comprehensive game using the Naruto canon to date.)

And instead of a late-to-the-party, Japanese port, the US will be getting this baby first this October only on PS3. You know we love our ‘Ruto here, having given the Ultimate Ninja series consistently good scores across the board. Unfortunately, the kind devs from CyberConnect 2 wouldn’t let us get a hands-on, meanies, but President/CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama was nice enough to answer even our most trifling fanboy questions (With inquisitive contributions from PlayStation: The Official Magazine’s Teresa Dun.)

Note: The interview contains some scattered English, as it was conducted through a Japanese translator.

GamesRadar: So is the camera always behind the back?

GR: Will you include American and Japanese language tracks? You’ve been very good with that as of late?

HM: We’re going to be planning to have this game release for the US in October 2008. The US region would actually be the first to actually get their hands on this game. As far as the language portion goes, text-wise, it will actually implement English and French. But for the voiceovers, we actually have English and Japanese voiceovers.

GR: Cool, a lot fans out there prefer the Japanese [voiceovers] with subtitles.

HM: [Laughs]

GR: What about voice actors - are they the original voice actors?

HM: Yes.

GR: It looks really cool. What would you say is the most exciting thing about the game?

HM: Well one of the main things [in mind] when we actually produced this game was to try and remove the borderline between an anime and actual gameplay. We wanted to kind of reach an effect where when people actually look at this, the start to wonder whether it’s actually game or are they [looking at anime]. So really the visual wall, that appeal that comes from this, is specifically one our one of the points I personally make about the game.

GR: Since the perspective is over the shoulder, behind the back, how will the game present itself when two people are playing?

HM: Well, right now as it stands, our concept of the game was to have a one on one battle. So, basically we made it so that it corresponds in close line, so that you can have essentially depiction of the controlled person and the second controlled player on the same screen and that’s the core concept of how we actually have the people on the screen.

I think that one of the things that we were worried about, was for example, we could have tried to have made more than two player on the same console. But the thing is that we didn’t want to thin out the content of each of the characters and the way their action can be depicted within the game. Which shows one of the decisions why we decided to make it so that there’s basically two controlled characters with both characters onscreen.

GR: How many different characters are there in the game?

HM: Actual battle mode playable characters? 25 characters. And of course we have some other characters that specifically made just for the support characters, too.

GR: So are the cinemas rendered in-game or are they actually anime?

HM: Instead of actually showing simple cinematics, or just showing maybe like an anime just to show where you’re progressing ours will be a lot more interactive, where you’re actually in the actual sequences where you’re actually physically partaking in that certain storyline. So as you complete these missions you’re actually following through according to the storyline, but you’re just actually navigating through it as an actual character.

And there’s a lot of missions that we have. One of the one’s we like to show is a boss battle. It’s just of the many that we have. This one is something that you’ll see more early on in the stage, but maybe I could just kind of introduce that to you. So you can use your items in the boss battle. And this is an actual scene in the show

GR: Are you actually going to fight all the bosses that are in the anime?

HM: Basically everybody within the lineup in the anime, within the actual plot, will be planned.

GR: Is this the whole series?

HM: In the relations to the 135, up to the 135th episode of the TV anime series, the giant boss battle that he fought will be... For example after you apply certain missions it’ll move to an interaction mode. If he succeeds, he continues onward in the process of action. And again this is for the interaction which you see in the actual anime.

GR: And this is a PS3 exclusive?

HM: Yes, for the PS3.

GR: Are there any plans for... normally the other Ultimate Ninjas have exclusive storylines. Any chance of getting them by DLC?

HM: Although this time we don’t have any specific online match competitions for the game, we do have DLC planned for the game, which will hopefully recompensate [sic].

GR: So there’s no online multiplayer?

HM: Not in this series.

GR: Any co-op?

HM: Basically the core concept of the game is actually a one on one battle. So in the sense of co-op it’s more rather just in the sense of one person. We do have a few missions a few gameplay styles in there which would accommodate the co-op thing, but it’s more in the sense of a one on one battle.

Hiroshi Matsuyama: Actually, it moves according to the real time animation so that the character is always in the picture. But the main concept keeps everybody within the screen.

GR: Does it maintain the control scheme of the other Ultimate Ninja games?

HM: The buttons [are] the same as the other Ultimate Ninja games. Basically the Circle is attack, X to jump, the Square throw long-range attacks. So just pressing the circle buttons will actually combine the Chakra.

GR: Is Triangle still Chakra?

HM: The difference this time is if you press the Chakra button, the other buttons input that you do become more stronger. Instead of a standard jump you do a dash attack…and [there’s] the projectile with the Chakra… And of course, use your physical attack and it becomes a special move, combo.

One of the things that we really wanted to show was the very ninja, stylish things, so… using the jump buttons you can [perform] multiple types of different acrobatic and ninjitsu. By pressing the Triangle button twice, it’ll use the special-

GR: Do you still have three levels of Chakra moves?

HM: Special moves sequence is preset for one per character so you won’t have three leveling conditions that it was in the previous Ultimate Ninjas.

GR: So the [Clone Jutsu] we just saw is the only one for Naruto?

HM: Right now, yes, that is Naruto’s special move, but as you progress in the story you’ll be able to unlock other types of moves which you can actually customize.

GR: Sexy Jutsu?

HM: [laughing] I think Sony is a little bit uh…

GR: Oh, really?

HM: So of course you have the standard change features. And special throw moves.* And one of the special features, if you look on the top, there’s an L and R buttons*- with Sasuke and Sakura on the top. And this is the first time you can summon them to the field to aid you. So for example in that case Sasuke will come out used his jutsu move.GR: Can you play as just Sasuke?

HM: As long as you have the third character set as Sasuke for example, you’ll be able to navigate… so one of the special other moves, for example, is you can summon them while you’re trying to collect Chakra. It doesn’t have to be during the battle.

And one of the points on top is, once you use it, is a timer that has to fill up before you can reuse it again. So one of the differences in how good a player can actually use it is timing and situational uses of [these] support characters.

GR: Will items still appear on the battlefield?

HM: At this time it’s a little different. You can use the D-pad which an item and location on it and you can use different items on the battlefield.

So for example that’s a special balloon. And this item palette actually differs depending on the character you actually choose. Right now both of them are the same. But like in the retail version for example, actually have Naruto’s favorite cup noodles, cup ramen.

GR: So will the levels give any power-ups?

HM: This time first of all it’s basically broken in two basic modes. One is the battle mode... and there is a mission mode. In the battle mode, essentially, the theme contents of actually making adjustments... accommodations is to change the jutsu that’s being used and also changing the characters that’s acting as your support characters. So you’ll be able to change those as the game progresses.

And for the mission mode, you’ll essentially be navigating Naruto within a huge field and within that mode, there will be different kinds of power ups you can collect. And let me show you something a little different. For example, that one was an open field but inside where it has actual walls, you can actually move across the... Wall battles. And if you take damage, they crumple to they fall towards the ground. And the scene goes back to a ground battle.

GR: Have you guys done away with the cineractive Chakra scenes? Oh, there they are.

[laughing]

HM: One of the things you notice, this is all being rendered in real-time. So it’s not just like a cutcene that’s being introduced but it's just something that’s physically being calculated on this spot.

GR: Very seamless.

HM: Yes. So even though the jutsu that showed the different kind of environmental changes that’s applying, depending on the field you play, that field environment will match the action behind what you’re actually playing.* So right now it’s just stone ground, but if it was in field, you’d see the grass behind you. So it renders according to the actual area that’s being fought.

In the mission mode, it’s not only just a simple one-versus-one battle type of a mission, but it also incorporates kinds of missions, such as chase missions for example, item collection missions. To the extent that there’s even a mission in there where you’re supposed to look for a hawk that has a scroll in its hand and you have to try and get it by shooting at the hawk and get it to drop.

As you complete the missions, the missions are made into levels. So as you progress in the missions, you’re actually able to reenact the anime TV series from the first to the 135th story. So it’s all a matter of progression according to the story.GR: This does cover more of the storyline than any other game before, does it not?

HM: This has up until the point where Naruto is trying to get Sasuke back. So it has up until the boss before it goes into the next series.

GR: During the missions are you going to gain the skills the same way that Naruto does? Like in the plot points where he learns something cool?

HM: It will follow the story plot where as Naurto progresses. The game will actually show the progression.

GR: In the combat?

HM: Yes. So for example in Naruto’s case, when he first was introduced, he obviously didn’t have too many moves himself but towards the story progression as you notice, he gains the special Rasengan and that appears along the process of the storyline and we may have more in store for it… but yes, there is a progression occurring according to the story.

GR: So there’s mission mode, which you’ve described and there’s Battle mode. You said the focus is on one versus one. Is there two versus two at all or one versus two?

HM: No.

GR: So it’s all for just one versus one?

HM: Yes, just one versus one.

GR: And the most you could have playing is two people playing against each other.

HM: Yes.

GR: You do?

HM: We do. We have plans for some special support characters that I’m sure the fans will be very, very curious about?

GR: Can you tell us who?

HM: The only thing I can say is we do have support specific characters, but…yeah, sorry, we [cannot say]. One other thing… The release date, we’re implying, is still 2008, but that’s still far, far ahead. For the fans who can’t really wait until October we are planning for a some demos of the game which hopefully will be able to give a chance for the all the fans out there for sometime in summer or something and we’ll what we can do as far as how we’ll distribute this for everybody.

GR: Does this mean you guys are looking at the PlayStation Network, possibly?

HM: I can’t really say right now. Sorry.

GR: PSN is a good choice. One other question, for the missions, if you’re playing through the whole one through 135 in the anime, isn’t that a lot of hours? Is the game going to be that long?

HM: Uh, basically although we are kind of reenacting the storylines up to the 135 anime of the series, we’re actually picking out the key areas within the 135, so that it forms a line across from the first to the 135th. Each of those are depicted in missions and each of them are made sufficiently long enough so that it won’t be burdening. So we have that pretty well balanced.

GR: And is there going to be any sort of online leaderboards? As in like some sort of score keeper?

HM: Uh, not for this game series. Basically our online features for the game will primarily be the DLC.

GR: And is the DLC free or is it going to be…?

HM: Sorry. Can’t answer that.

Apr 18, 2008



Wow. thats cool! this should be a sticky post.

[Naruto199]

FUTUREAKATSUKI wrote:
thats just awsome




That is alot of information.

[Darknaruto1995]

NARUTO199 wrote:


That is alot of information.




You are right Naruto199 this should be a sticky post.