PS3 Fanboy hands-on: Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Jul 18th 2008 at 10:00PM }
Click for high-resolution image.
Namco Bandai's upcoming Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm is such a surprising treat. The PS3 exclusive has earned a lot of attention due to its fantastic graphics, but Ninja Storm features far more than just a pretty face. We had a chance to play a more expansive build at Namco Bandai's E3 booth, where we took a sneak peak at the game's elusive single player mode and got some hands-on time with the multiplayer.
Naruto's adventure begins just like it does in the manga. A cool treat for fans will be the inclusion of both Japanese and English audio for the story. From the looks of things, all the dialogue in the game may be spoken. While the lip-syncing was very off, we're hoping it can be fixed before Naruto's upcoming holiday release. The adventure will have Naruto exploring the Hidden Leaf village, much like in the Xbox 360 Naruto game. He'll have to talk to various villagers to progress the story, unlock missions and goals. Surprisingly, the first PS3 Naruto game covers a lot of territory: we were told that the game's story will go all the way up to the Sasuke Retrieval arc.
Gallery: Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm
The build we got to play with had other characters, such as Sasuke and Gaara. However, we weren't allowed to take a glimpse at the entire roster. Undoubtedly, all the series favorites will be available. We played against a Namco PR representative in a battle: we played as Sasuke, he played as Naruto. Just like in the public demo, the graphics look rather lush. The stylized explosions in particular look rather nice. Our build had some unfortunate aliasing problems, which is blamed by this build's early state (the public demo looks much more polished). The delay after being knocked back is still a bit too significant -- hopefully, the Naruto team will be able to change that before the game's release.
One new thing we were able to do in this E3 build was enter Sasuke's second state. After charging enough chakra, we were able to transform into a much deadlier Sasuke -- we were shooting fireballs, and moved with lightning-fast speed. It wasn't long before the PR rep fell, defeated.
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm is a lot of fun, and with its beautiful graphics and extensive single player story, we're sure it'll appeal to both Naruto fans and non-fans alike. With just a few tweaks, we can see it becoming a great (offline) multiplayer addition to any PS3 collection.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
McBonk @ Jul 18th 2008 10:37PM
This game looks beautiful. And... it is an exclusive. Hope it sells well! I've never watched the series, so not sure if it will be on my list or not.
Dwag @ Jul 21st 2008 2:18PM
So we got 3 Naruto games all going up to Ep.135? Lame if you ask me.
Naruto:Bronken Bonds
Naruto: Clash of I don't care cause its for the Wii.
Naruto:Ultimate Ninja Stom
Lame do these guys even read the manga I mean damn We are all the up to chap.409 like 200 episodes pass this.
Jason B. @ Jul 18th 2008 11:46PM
I played the demo and while short (1 level team battle), it does play fantastically well.
Akamaru @ Jul 19th 2008 1:01AM
I can't wait for this game. I'm a self-professed Narutard and am in love with the series. The fact that it is exclusive to the PS3 makes me want to buy it even more. Day one purchase for me.
Deadpool @ Jul 19th 2008 4:01AM
[Kiba] You said it Akamaru!
*POOF* [Akamaru turns into Naruto]
[Kiba] What?!
I can't wait to play Rock Lee! My favorite fight so far in the series (I'm getting the uncut dvds) is Rock Lee vs. Garra. I'm interested in seeing how Kiba and Akamaru fight too.
hedpe @ Jul 19th 2008 7:34AM
i'm getting this game.
admgamer @ Jul 19th 2008 7:39AM
Just had couple of run troughs of the demo and my word it's probably the best Naruto game yet. Amazingly done animations just make it fun to play. gonna be godlike
fanatikal @ Jul 19th 2008 8:52AM
i've never heard of this tv show, but I played the demo and enjoyed it.
i will definitely buy this game when it first comes out.
Desi Soulja @ Jul 21st 2008 2:17PM
Awesome TV show! I think it has one of the best story lines in anime (though it does have *some* boring and pointless episodes)!
Anyways about the game; I'm really looking forward to it and thanks for the review... it really gave me a heads up in what this game has to offer! The demo was also great... it was much better then I had expected it to be!
Can't wait for this game to come out!
tom @ Jul 21st 2008 2:17PM
It does seem great, but it's not just an exclusive naruto game, it's the PS3 continuation of the Narutimatte hero series (Ultimate Ninja). These games have been my favorite for years on the PS2, and while I'm glad that I can play the 3rd one on my 60GB PS3 (and I hope they release the 5th down the line). I find the idea of NH going 3D forever a bit concerning. To me, it's the worst video game news of the year.
As for Ninja storm, it seems pretty cool, but I didn't feel compelled to jump into a second battle right away. The graphics are pretty, but they would have been pretty in a revamped game that followed the path of the previous games. I think almost any fan would agree that gameplay beats graphics. They already perfected the gameplay, CC2 just needed to smooth out the graphics. In my first fight, the animations were impressive and smooth; however, all of the controls were somewhat delayed-Particularly when you want to throw a shuriken. It also forced me to use the joystick, when the D-pad is the only practical way to move and do jutsu when you want to. Jumping is also more realistic, but much less defined and epic than before. You can't clearly double jump stories above the ground then x dash towards your opponent. There is a bit of hope for exchanging blows in midair though. Also, the cast is smaller, there are less jutsu, ougi, stages and assists. I figure things could be added later, but that's not certain.
Well, I'll get it but I hope they can tune up the details and someday go back to the true NH form on the PS3.
I wish this game didn't have "Ultimate Ninja" in the title.
Oh well...
Bill @ Jul 19th 2008 10:55AM
Hands down the best Naruto fighting game so far. Everything about the game was just smooth. Day one purchase for me.
chillski320@aol.com @ Jul 21st 2008 2:17PM
its too bad dattebayo stopped dubbing shippuden episodes :(
Pening @ Jul 19th 2008 3:14PM
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?cc2nar
petition for online multiplayer in Naruto Ultimate Ninja storm
Kadamon @ Jul 19th 2008 7:35PM
I do kinda hope that certain moves aren't unlocked right from the beginning of the game though like they are in the other fighting games. It'd add a bit more an immersive feeling for the people that already know the series and something to work towards.
Though, odds are, Rasengan will still be useable right from the getgo.
Devin @ Jul 19th 2008 9:24PM
Game looked amazing as expected!
mattzw @ Jul 19th 2008 10:19PM
So when he said that all dialogue will be spoken does that mean no subtitle? I seem to recall a while ago an interview that said there would be?
drdre74 @ Jul 21st 2008 9:18AM
this is a AAA game and I will be getting it day one. I would love to see the story mode in a trailer or something. Im glad the story goes farther along than the 350 one did.
drdre74 @ Jul 19th 2008 10:41PM
must have game. I love it.
Pistol Platypus @ Jul 20th 2008 2:30AM
I remeber the first time that I heard of Naruto. All I heard was my son behind me, screaming "1000 YEARS OF DEATH!". It was HORRIBLE :(
Zeouterlimits @ Jul 20th 2008 8:26AM
So why does it matter that it's an exclusive?
Shouldn't you want everyone to play good games? Why does it matter if it's exclusive?
I'm really looking forward to it, but I'm surprised there's no online..
dbyzforce @ Jul 20th 2008 12:48PM
My niece loves Naruto and I downloaded demo for her to try it, since she has no ps3. After playing it she told me to buy a copy as soon as it comes out ...
dbyzforce @ Jul 20th 2008 12:50PM
My niece loves Naruto and I downloaded demo for her to try it, since she has no ps3. After playing it she told me to buy a copy as soon as it comes out ...
nese @ Jul 21st 2008 1:04PM
why cant you download naruto ultimate ninja storm demo in the ps3 store??
JJred42 @ Jul 21st 2008 1:45PM
god knows m8 i've been trying to download it from ps3 store. Its taken 5 days to get to 3% lol good luck finding out my friend.
NarutoHundo @ Aug 13th 2008 2:15PM
sometimes it takes longer for demos to come out in certain countries that arent in america. in that case you could download it(the demo) on the computer and transfer it to your ps3
melol @ Aug 28th 2008 10:06AM
i dun noe why can't download coz i found nth about naruto
Evilblimp @ Jul 27th 2008 7:55PM
Yeah i have the same problem too. I know that Qore users were the first to get their hands on the demo, but it's been 3 weeks now and even the offecial website says that the demo would be out in the Playstation@store for all to download. Am I just overlooking it or something?
P.s I live in Denmark
denntti @ Aug 9th 2008 1:38PM
im from finland so i was stunned first too when i didnt find the demo. but i checked many sites and came up with that the demo is not released at the EU ps store so i made an US account and downloaded it there.