Awaken: 2 playable characters

[Shawn2792]

GC 2008: Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Preview
We're unexpectedly impressed by what turns out to be more than a casual fighter.
by Matt Wales, IGN UK





UK, August 21, 2008 - Not being much a fan of Naruto – or fighting games, for that matter – Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm was pretty far down on the list of potential GC excitements. Now we'veseen an extended portion of the game in action though, we're well andtruly on the other side of the fence.

You see, while we've already delved deep into Ninja Storm's basic fighting mechanics,it turns out it's not the simple fighter we were all expecting.Developer CyberConnect2 has apparently run with the basic battlingconceit and turned it into a game with a surprisingly broad appeal.Sure, there's plenty to enjoy from a fan perspective and Ninja Stormfeatures 25 playable characters from the Naruto universe, alongside acurrently undisclosed number of assist fighters who'll join you inbattle for some much needed respite against an enemy at the touch of abutton.

However, it's the story mode mission structure CyberConnect2 has put inplace that really has us intrigued by Ninja Storm. You see, the gamefeatures a large open world – dubbed the Hidden Village – which acts asa central hub between battles. Here, you can chat to townsfolk tounlock new objectives or simply explore in a bid to collect handy itemsfor use in battle or bump up your abilities. What's particularlystriking though is the amount of effort CyberConnect2 has put into thisside of the game, with it practically being a platformer in its ownright.





Outside of arena battles, Naruto has a massive array of moves to helphim traverse and interact in the Hidden Village. Alongside yourshuriken – which can be used to target objects in the game world,either individually or en masse with a hail of shuriken at once –Naruto can wall jump between buildings to access roof tops, swing fromclothes lines high above the street and carry objects, which provesuseful in solving the handful of simple switch based puzzles we sawaround town. There's even a Naruto Cannon mechanic that enables ourhero to propel himself through the air toward distant locations. As youlevel up through continued play, the cannon's reach increases, offeringaccess to previously unreachable areas of the game world.

If that wasn't enough, it's even possible to collect ingredients aroundtown to drop off at the ramen store. Here, the local chef will whip upa dish that grants Naruto with even more spectacular moves to useduring battle. We suspect there's even more to see too, which goes someconsiderable way to alleviating early fears that the accessible combatset-up would prove too shallow to offer a lasting game experience.

In terms of mission structure too, Ninja Storm looks intriguing. As youprogress through story mode you'll gradually unlock multi-episodemission arcs. These are based on the first five story arcs from theoriginal anime and include the 'Genin Training Arc', 'Chunin Exam Arc'and 'Chasing Sasuke Arc', from what we had time to scrawl down duringpublisher Atari's demonstration of the game. Each arc consists ofmultiple missions, all ranked at different difficulty levels, tomaintain the challenge throughout the game. From what we could tell,winning criteria range from fighting specific characters to defeatingopponents using a certain number of lives. There's seems to be a littlemore variety than that though, with CyberConnect2 demonstrating aparticularly spectacular boss battle to close the presentation.

Throughout story mode, you'll come across some superbly animated anddirected cut-scenes, all created in-game using Ninja Storm's stunningcell-shaded graphics engine. In this instance, Naruto encounters Gaarain the forest – a meeting which ends with the summoning of Syukaka, apreposterously over-sized enemy. Towering above you, Syukaka alternatesbetween ground-pounding and air bullet attacks. In a sequence weirdlyreminiscent of Shadow of Colossus, thanks largely to the encountersgrand scale, it's up to you to fell the beast using your standardfighting move set, either slowly grinding down its health meter bytargeting anything remotely limb-like or knocking off big chunks of HPby working your way up toward Syukaka's head and pounding the life outof Gaara as he perches above. It's thrilling to watch and looksgenuinely spectacular.





However, that's nothing compared to CyberConnect2's next trick. Clearlykeen to incorporate some of Naruto's more kaleidoscopic set-pieces intoNinja Storm, certain sequences of the game feature God of War-likequick-time events. In this case, once Syukaka's health has beendepleted by half, you're tasked with following the onscreen buttonsprompts in order to clamber up your opponent and unleash a mass ofexpertly orchestrated, exhilarating pyrotechnics. It's certainly notwhat we were expecting and far removed from the generic fighter we wereanticipating before the demonstration.

Elsewhere, CyberConnect2 dropped a few more hints about the game,showing off Ultimate Storm's Awaken mode. During battle, all playablecharacters undergo radical transformations if they meet certainspecific criteria. Succeed and you'll gain entirely new animations andmove sets, alongside a devastating finishing blow. For thedemonstration, we witnessed Kimimaro wrench razor sharp rock spikesfrom the earth before growing tendrils and skewering Naruto below.Effectively, Awaken mode doubles the number of playable characters atyour disposal and adds an extra layer of depth to proceedings.

Rounding off our demo, CyberConnect2 noted that Ultimate Storm featuresboth original Japanese voice acting and the US dub, meaning fans of theseries can enjoy the game whichever way they choose. Finally, althoughfar from being actual confirmation of the fact, a question concerningdownloadable characters and features in the future elicited nervouslaughter and an intriguing "Wait and see". Frankly, despite ourpreconceptions, we came away from Ninja Storm impressed and eager tosee more. Luckily though, the game's scheduled for release thisNovember in Europe, even before Japanese punters get there mitts on it– that wait shouldn't be so unbearable, after all

[Shawn2792]

All I can say is that they better have the Sound 4 as downlaodable contenet. Kimmimaru is good and all but Kiddamaru (or however you spell it) was may favorite out of the 5.

[Shawn2792]

Sorry for the tripple post but heres a HD trailed off of IGN ************** http://ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/96545...NS_082108.html

[akatsuki312]

SHAWN2792 wrote:
GC 2008: Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Preview
We're unexpectedly impressed by what turns out to be more than a casual fighter.
by Matt Wales, IGN UK





UK, August 21, 2008 - Not being much a fan of Naruto – or fighting games, for that matter – Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm was pretty far down on the list of potential GC excitements. Now we'veseen an extended portion of the game in action though, we're well andtruly on the other side of the fence.

You see, while we've already delved deep into Ninja Storm's basic fighting mechanics,it turns out it's not the simple fighter we were all expecting.Developer CyberConnect2 has apparently run with the basic battlingconceit and turned it into a game with a surprisingly broad appeal.Sure, there's plenty to enjoy from a fan perspective and Ninja Stormfeatures 25 playable characters from the Naruto universe, alongside acurrently undisclosed number of assist fighters who'll join you inbattle for some much needed respite against an enemy at the touch of abutton.

However, it's the story mode mission structure CyberConnect2 has put inplace that really has us intrigued by Ninja Storm. You see, the gamefeatures a large open world – dubbed the Hidden Village – which acts asa central hub between battles. Here, you can chat to townsfolk tounlock new objectives or simply explore in a bid to collect handy itemsfor use in battle or bump up your abilities. What's particularlystriking though is the amount of effort CyberConnect2 has put into thisside of the game, with it practically being a platformer in its ownright.



Outside of arena battles, Naruto has a massive array of moves to helphim traverse and interact in the Hidden Village. Alongside yourshuriken – which can be used to target objects in the game world,either individually or en masse with a hail of shuriken at once –Naruto can wall jump between buildings to access roof tops, swing fromclothes lines high above the street and carry objects, which provesuseful in solving the handful of simple switch based puzzles we sawaround town. There's even a Naruto Cannon mechanic that enables ourhero to propel himself through the air toward distant locations. As youlevel up through continued play, the cannon's reach increases, offeringaccess to previously unreachable areas of the game world.

If that wasn't enough, it's even possible to collect ingredients aroundtown to drop off at the ramen store. Here, the local chef will whip upa dish that grants Naruto with even more spectacular moves to useduring battle. We suspect there's even more to see too, which goes someconsiderable way to alleviating early fears that the accessible combatset-up would prove too shallow to offer a lasting game experience.

In terms of mission structure too, Ninja Storm looks intriguing. As youprogress through story mode you'll gradually unlock multi-episodemission arcs. These are based on the first five story arcs from theoriginal anime and include the 'Genin Training Arc', 'Chunin Exam Arc'and 'Chasing Sasuke Arc', from what we had time to scrawl down duringpublisher Atari's demonstration of the game. Each arc consists ofmultiple missions, all ranked at different difficulty levels, tomaintain the challenge throughout the game. From what we could tell,winning criteria range from fighting specific characters to defeatingopponents using a certain number of lives. There's seems to be a littlemore variety than that though, with CyberConnect2 demonstrating aparticularly spectacular boss battle to close the presentation.

Throughout story mode, you'll come across some superbly animated anddirected cut-scenes, all created in-game using Ninja Storm's stunningcell-shaded graphics engine. In this instance, Naruto encounters Gaarain the forest – a meeting which ends with the summoning of Syukaka, apreposterously over-sized enemy. Towering above you, Syukaka alternatesbetween ground-pounding and air bullet attacks. In a sequence weirdlyreminiscent of Shadow of Colossus, thanks largely to the encountersgrand scale, it's up to you to fell the beast using your standardfighting move set, either slowly grinding down its health meter bytargeting anything remotely limb-like or knocking off big chunks of HPby working your way up toward Syukaka's head and pounding the life outof Gaara as he perches above. It's thrilling to watch and looksgenuinely spectacular.



However, that's nothing compared to CyberConnect2's next trick. Clearlykeen to incorporate some of Naruto's more kaleidoscopic set-pieces intoNinja Storm, certain sequences of the game feature God of War-likequick-time events. In this case, once Syukaka's health has beendepleted by half, you're tasked with following the onscreen buttonsprompts in order to clamber up your opponent and unleash a mass ofexpertly orchestrated, exhilarating pyrotechnics. It's certainly notwhat we were expecting and far removed from the generic fighter we wereanticipating before the demonstration.

Elsewhere, CyberConnect2 dropped a few more hints about the game,showing off Ultimate Storm's Awaken mode. During battle, all playablecharacters undergo radical transformations if they meet certainspecific criteria. Succeed and you'll gain entirely new animations andmove sets, alongside a devastating finishing blow. For thedemonstration, we witnessed Kimimaro wrench razor sharp rock spikesfrom the earth before growing tendrils and skewering Naruto below.Effectively, Awaken mode doubles the number of playable characters atyour disposal and adds an extra layer of depth to proceedings.

Rounding off our demo, CyberConnect2 noted that Ultimate Storm featuresboth original Japanese voice acting and the US dub, meaning fans of theseries can enjoy the game whichever way they choose. Finally, althoughfar from being actual confirmation of the fact, a question concerningdownloadable characters and features in the future elicited nervouslaughter and an intriguing "Wait and see". Frankly, despite ourpreconceptions, we came away from Ninja Storm impressed and eager tosee more. Luckily though, the game's scheduled for release thisNovember in Europe, even before Japanese punters get there mitts on it– that wait shouldn't be so unbearable, after all




cant wait

[Shawn2792]

Ha you really didnt have to quote it but still. Your so right.

[Goldhawk]

SHAWN2792 wrote:
GC 2008: Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Preview
We're unexpectedly impressed by what turns out to be more than a casual fighter.
by Matt Wales, IGN UK





UK, August 21, 2008 - Not being much a fan of Naruto – or fighting games, for that matter – Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm was pretty far down on the list of potential GC excitements. Now we'veseen an extended portion of the game in action though, we're well andtruly on the other side of the fence.

You see, while we've already delved deep into Ninja Storm's basic fighting mechanics,it turns out it's not the simple fighter we were all expecting.Developer CyberConnect2 has apparently run with the basic battlingconceit and turned it into a game with a surprisingly broad appeal.Sure, there's plenty to enjoy from a fan perspective and Ninja Stormfeatures 25 playable characters from the Naruto universe, alongside acurrently undisclosed number of assist fighters who'll join you inbattle for some much needed respite against an enemy at the touch of abutton.

However, it's the story mode mission structure CyberConnect2 has put inplace that really has us intrigued by Ninja Storm. You see, the gamefeatures a large open world – dubbed the Hidden Village – which acts asa central hub between battles. Here, you can chat to townsfolk tounlock new objectives or simply explore in a bid to collect handy itemsfor use in battle or bump up your abilities. What's particularlystriking though is the amount of effort CyberConnect2 has put into thisside of the game, with it practically being a platformer in its ownright.



Outside of arena battles, Naruto has a massive array of moves to helphim traverse and interact in the Hidden Village. Alongside yourshuriken – which can be used to target objects in the game world,either individually or en masse with a hail of shuriken at once –Naruto can wall jump between buildings to access roof tops, swing fromclothes lines high above the street and carry objects, which provesuseful in solving the handful of simple switch based puzzles we sawaround town. There's even a Naruto Cannon mechanic that enables ourhero to propel himself through the air toward distant locations. As youlevel up through continued play, the cannon's reach increases, offeringaccess to previously unreachable areas of the game world.

If that wasn't enough, it's even possible to collect ingredients aroundtown to drop off at the ramen store. Here, the local chef will whip upa dish that grants Naruto with even more spectacular moves to useduring battle. We suspect there's even more to see too, which goes someconsiderable way to alleviating early fears that the accessible combatset-up would prove too shallow to offer a lasting game experience.

In terms of mission structure too, Ninja Storm looks intriguing. As youprogress through story mode you'll gradually unlock multi-episodemission arcs. These are based on the first five story arcs from theoriginal anime and include the 'Genin Training Arc', 'Chunin Exam Arc'and 'Chasing Sasuke Arc', from what we had time to scrawl down duringpublisher Atari's demonstration of the game. Each arc consists ofmultiple missions, all ranked at different difficulty levels, tomaintain the challenge throughout the game. From what we could tell,winning criteria range from fighting specific characters to defeatingopponents using a certain number of lives. There's seems to be a littlemore variety than that though, with CyberConnect2 demonstrating aparticularly spectacular boss battle to close the presentation.

Throughout story mode, you'll come across some superbly animated anddirected cut-scenes, all created in-game using Ninja Storm's stunningcell-shaded graphics engine. In this instance, Naruto encounters Gaarain the forest – a meeting which ends with the summoning of Syukaka, apreposterously over-sized enemy. Towering above you, Syukaka alternatesbetween ground-pounding and air bullet attacks. In a sequence weirdlyreminiscent of Shadow of Colossus, thanks largely to the encountersgrand scale, it's up to you to fell the beast using your standardfighting move set, either slowly grinding down its health meter bytargeting anything remotely limb-like or knocking off big chunks of HPby working your way up toward Syukaka's head and pounding the life outof Gaara as he perches above. It's thrilling to watch and looksgenuinely spectacular.



However, that's nothing compared to CyberConnect2's next trick. Clearlykeen to incorporate some of Naruto's more kaleidoscopic set-pieces intoNinja Storm, certain sequences of the game feature God of War-likequick-time events. In this case, once Syukaka's health has beendepleted by half, you're tasked with following the onscreen buttonsprompts in order to clamber up your opponent and unleash a mass ofexpertly orchestrated, exhilarating pyrotechnics. It's certainly notwhat we were expecting and far removed from the generic fighter we wereanticipating before the demonstration.

Elsewhere, CyberConnect2 dropped a few more hints about the game,showing off Ultimate Storm's Awaken mode. During battle, all playablecharacters undergo radical transformations if they meet certainspecific criteria. Succeed and you'll gain entirely new animations andmove sets, alongside a devastating finishing blow. For thedemonstration, we witnessed Kimimaro wrench razor sharp rock spikesfrom the earth before growing tendrils and skewering Naruto below.Effectively, Awaken mode doubles the number of playable characters atyour disposal and adds an extra layer of depth to proceedings.

Rounding off our demo, CyberConnect2 noted that Ultimate Storm featuresboth original Japanese voice acting and the US dub, meaning fans of theseries can enjoy the game whichever way they choose. Finally, althoughfar from being actual confirmation of the fact, a question concerningdownloadable characters and features in the future elicited nervouslaughter and an intriguing "Wait and see". Frankly, despite ourpreconceptions, we came away from Ninja Storm impressed and eager tosee more. Luckily though, the game's scheduled for release thisNovember in Europe, even before Japanese punters get there mitts on it– that wait shouldn't be so unbearable, after all




yeah! this has changed my mind about this game! all the stuff they left out would have been nice but this game is gonna rule! regardless of what they left out

[Shawn2792]

I know what you mean. I was just going to rent it but I think its worth the $60.00 now.* And Im sill pretty optamistic about them patching in online... Its really more like wishfull thinking.

[Goldhawk]

no matter how much we want it i highly doubt there will ever be online play

[Shawn2792]

Yeah I know but theres no harm in wanting it.

[TTTA]

Yeah after seeing the good points of the game for a change and the trailer of story mode. I am definetly going to pre-order this game.