If anything,
Naruto: Rise of a Ninja for the Xbox 360 spoiled fans of the young ninja in
the orange jumpsuit. It was just one of those games that truly did justice to
the source material whether it’s the Shonen Jump manga or Viz Media’s
long-running anime series. It’s not that Namco Bandai Games hasn’t tried to
bring us good Naruto games but seldom did they really push the fighting
genre to new heights or give us better reasons to go back for more. That is, of
course, until Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 for the PlayStation 2.
An improvement
over the first two Ultimate Ninja releases, this third outing might not
be as near perfect as Rise of a Ninja but it’s a very good step in the
right direction. In fact, Naruto fans will be absolutely pleased with the
number of improvements and gameplay elements that Ultimate Ninja 3 brings
to PS2 gamers. Even the fighting styles show some improvement to make battles
seem just as grand as they do on the Cartoon Network show or on the pages of the
manga. Even the game modes show an improvement … although the controls and weak
opponent AI make a comeback.
Ultimate Ninja
3’s theme
revolves around a major storylines that involves fellow Hidden Leaf ninja Sasuke
Uchiha and his Anakin Skywalker-like fall from grace. Boot up the PS2 disc and
you’ll even be treated to one of the more dramatic moments from the show and
manga that has Naruto Uzumaki going up against his old comrade who has become
more powerful. In Hero’s History mode, we follow young Naruto through key
moments of his life including his first day of training with Kakashi-sensei to
the search for the Fifth Hokage and finally the “Sasuke Retrieval” story arch
that pits friend against friend.
Fans will
certainly enjoy playing through the Sasuke Retrieval arc thanks, in part, to the
fact that the storyline had Naruto and fellow Hidden Leaf comrades Neji, Kiba,
Shikamaru and Choji go up against powerful Sound Ninja foes like Sakon and Ukon.
I won’t spoil things by explaining what happens during this riveting mission but
it also involves certain members of the Sand Ninja (that were once foes to the
Leaf Village) in a more friendlier meeting. It’s good to see the focus away from
the villain Orochimaru for once.
If you’re new to
the Naruto brand, that’s Ok because this game explains a few things along
the way via short cut scenes. If you’re a longtime fan of the series, the
explanations don’t have you shaking your head and saying “Why must we go through
all of this yet again?” You’ll also get a sense of life in the Hidden Leaf
Village in the game’s Ultimate Contest mode that allows you to freely move about
the village in search of short but sweet quests. Sure, it doesn’t get as deep as
Rise of a Ninja does and the village isn’t teaming with town people. What
we do get is a somewhat empty environment with over 55 missions given to you by
the new Hokage. In this storyline, the Fifth Hokage is planning a major contest
between the Leaf and their new friends the Sand in a festival of friendly
competitions. Of course, in order for this to occur, things in the village must
be taken care of first so it is up to Naruto to help out.
With two major
game modes to play, you can even challenge a friend to take you on in Vs. Duel
mode. The good news is that after completing most of Ultimate Contest or Hero’s
History, you will be able to unlock extra characters to use. There are a little
over 40 characters to pick including the Sound Ninja foes from Hero’s History
and a number of extra from Ultimate Contest like Temari and less psychotic Gaara.
You can even recreate memorable battles (Rock Lee versus Gaara) and change the
course of other battles (sorry Neji but this time Hinata wins). There are even
three mini-games to will have you racing up a tree with Sakura, try to perform
more push-ups than Rock and trying to beat Tenten in a shuriken throwing
contest.
Control-wise,
nothing much as changed from Ultimate Ninja 2. You can still perform
jumps, shuriken throws and combos. This time around, though, the Ultimate Jutsu
moves are grander and by pressing the right sequence of buttons you can pull off
cool summoning techniques as well as devastating transformations and attacks.
Naruto’s Shadow Clone Jutsu alone packs quite a bigger punch than the last game.
What also makes a return, however, are the weak opponent AI that just doesn’t
have any technique. Really, you can get away with just mashing buttons and you
can still win a match.
Visually,
Ultimate Ninja 3 looks good on the PS2. We can only imagine a more crisper
look on the PS3 but the animation and character models look decent enough to
make each character look good while pulling off their individual stylish
attacks. The backgrounds don’t spring to life but you’ll instantly recognize
many a setting and the Hidden Leaf Village looks good but not as it does in the
Xbox 360 game. Still, what is seen here is not bad at all.
The English dub
voice cast from the show is all here so expect Naruto to sound just like Naruto.
The performances are good but you won’t help but notice the long pauses during
conversations. For the first time we also get the Japanese cast and the dialogue
is just the way to go if you always found Naruto’s voice too grating (I don’t
but that’s me). Even the soundtrack and sound effects come straight from the
show itself.
Naruto:
Ultimate Ninja 3
is a step in the right direction for the series and, while there
are a few things that could have used some improvement, what is here is sure to
please Naruto and fighting game fans. Packed with a number of game modes and fun
features, third time is definitely a charm for this fighting game that packs
quite a chakra-packed punch. If you’re a fan of the orange ninja, you can’t go
wrong with this one.
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Gameplay: 8.0
The PS2
controls are simple enough to pick up and start playing so even those new to the
series can start pulling off Jutsu moves. The game modes cover a good deal of
Naruto history so this is the perfect game to begin with if you’re just
jumping on the Naruto bandwagon.
Graphics: 7.5
All the
characters and locales look just the way you would expect them to appear so
you’ll instantly recognize various areas such as the training ground where
Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke first took on Kakashi-sensei in their first training
mission. Even the Ultimate Jutsu moves look spectacular.
Sound: 7.5
The anime’s
music makes up the game’s soundtrack and it’s a good one despite the fact that
you might hear the same tunes over and over again. The English dub voice cast
from the show provides all the voices for their respective characters but the
addition of the Japanese cast is a plus.
Difficulty:
Medium
Interestingly
enough, each character’s strengths shine through accurately so those who are
familiar with the characters know what to expect. Still, the opponent AI isn’t
smart enough to counter your best moves.
Concept: 8.0
Ultimate
Contest mode is a pleasant change of pace despite the feeling of emptiness and
reliving major events from the manga and anime in Hero’s History will sure to
please die-hard Naruto fanatics. There are mini-games to play on your own
or share with a friend and the battles are just getting bigger and flashier.
Multiplayer:
8.2
Aside from
going up against a friend in Vs. Duel mode or challenging a friend to three
different mini-games, there’s really not that much to the game’s multiplayer
mode. That said, it’s still a blast to share the mini-games or challenge a
friend to a fight without a single stutter in the framerate. The only thing
missing is online multiplayer.
Overall: 8.0
Ultimate
Ninja 3 is far
from the perfect Naruto fighting game but – like the series’ main
protagonist – it walks its own line and walks it well. Interestingly enough, the
game adds new and downright entertaining game modes making this one of the most
complete Naruto games on the PS2. I just wish the AI was smarter and
there was more to explore in Ultimate Contest but Naruto fans can’t go
wrong with this one.
