April 17, 2008 - Leading video games publisher and developer Namco Bandai Games America Inc., today announced Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm exclusively for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. Based on the popular Naruto animated television series from VIZ Media, the game delivers ninja action on an unprecedented scale as players go head to head in full 3D combat, investigate every inch of the Hidden Leaf Village in open-world exploration and revel in high definition graphics that surpass traditional hand-drawn animation.

Evolving the head-to-head fighting action of the Ultimate Ninja series, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm allows players to battle in full 3D across massive environments. Players will unleash powerful jutsu attacks, perform acrobatic evasive maneuvers and even run up walls and over water as they pursue their opponent for ninja supremacy. Players will be able to customize their character's fighting style and recruit up to two support characters to put their own stamp on the action. Each character in the game is capable of unleashing powerful Awakening abilities under certain gameplay conditions, offering new traits and talents to the game's impressive ninja roster of 25 popular characters from the animated series. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm supports head-to-head multiplayer fighting for up to two players.

Allowing players to further immerse themselves in the world of Naruto, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm introduces all-new free-roaming exploration across the Hidden Leaf Village and the Forest of Death. Players can search every inch of these iconic environments to take on more than 100 unique missions, collect valuable scrolls and interact with additional characters from the Naruto animated series. Injecting additional variety to the game's head-to head combat, these missions include races, special deliveries and large-scale battles against massive opponents.

Taking advantage of an original next-generation graphics engine, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm utilizes fluid animation, incredible visual detail and an advanced facial expression system to create high-definition graphics on the PlayStation 3 system that surpass traditional hand-drawn animation. Replicating the same environments, characters and effects as the hit animated series, this new technology allows gamers to become a part of the world of Naruto like never before.

"Naruto's PlayStation 3 system debut truly blurs the line between gaming and animation to deliver the most immersive and authentic interactive experience the franchise has ever seen," said Todd Thorson, Director of Marketing and Public Relations with Namco Bandai Games America, Inc. "Players will marvel at the game's jaw-dropping graphics, fast-paced 3D fighting and new open-world exploration as they experience a classic Naruto storyline with all of their favorite characters and environments."

We had the opportunity to check out several intriguing titles at Namco Bandai's recent press event, but one game that really caught our attention was Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm for the PS3. Developed by CyberConnect2, the team behind the Ultimate Ninja Heroes games for the PSP, Ultimate Ninja Storm already looks like a highly entertaining piece of software. A few details about the game were presented at the opening of the press event, but we also had the privilege of sitting down with Hiroshi Matsuyama, President/CEO of CyberConnect2 to take a close look at what could be the coolest Naruto game yet.

Ultimate Ninja Storm will primarily be a fighting game that features one-on-one battles in a fully 3D battlefield. However, the mentality behind CyberConnect2's previous efforts is still apparent: this will be a very approachable fighting game that uses a basic control scheme. Matsuyama commented (through a translator): "the number one point obviously is that we have to satisfy the Naruto fans out there, but at the same time we want to make the game casual enough so that those who are not aware of the Naruto license can jump in, pick up the controller and play the game very easily. I believe the game itself encompasses a very wide audience