Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
- March 01, 2006 16:28 PM PST
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PlayStation 2 gamers will get their chance to play as Naruto and his friends, too.
When Naruto makes his move on American PS2 gamers, they can look forward to slick ninjutsu and a little bit of catching up. Just as with the GameCube series, Naruto PS2 games have been available in Japan since 2003. The first of these, Naruto: Narutimate Hero, is being localized by Namco Bandai as Naruto: Ultimate Hero.The Narutimate Hero series in Japan is up to Number 3 already, which was released just last year. There's also a PSP version in the works.
Returning Japanese
It should be no surprise that Ultimate Ninja will be a fighting game in keeping with Naruto's ninjas-in-training themes. Naruto fans should note that the story line will follow along with the current anime TV shows on the Cartoon Network, however, depending on the 2006 television schedule gamers might find a few 'new" characters.
The game's cell-shaded graphics style is drawn directly from the anime, and all the TV actors recreate the voices. This game's guaranteed to be a hit among fans.
You'll play as any of 12 fighters. In addition to standard punches, kicks, and projectile attacks, each character has unique special moves called jutsu. These powerful magic attacks fire up cool animated sequences as they impart serious damage to your targets.
Not unlike the GameCube fighting games, Ultimate Ninja will also be a game of dodging and counter attacks, so button-mashers beware. But you will also be able to leap between two arenas or fields during every fight for extra added strategic maneuvering.
Shinobi Style
Naruto is making his mark. With Ultimate Ninja, he may even become a household name among PS2 gamers. But he's not stopping there: a Naruto game for Xbox 360 and PS3 is already in the works.
