The Verdict
If there's one thing clear, CyberConnect2 clearly knows how to make a fantastic licensed tie-in. Given that I was familiar with most of the show, and even watched the ending of it alongside the game, I can attest that playing through the Ultimate Ninja Storm games will familiarize you with the anime just as much as actually watching it, and you don't have to worry about filler. The latter, which is a blessing for those who eagerly awaited new episodes only to be letdown by a side story that didn't matter.
The combat is flashy and fun, the character roster is huge, and you finally get to experience the ending of Naruto in video game format. All of that is a pretty great recipe for a fantastic licensed anime game.
The Positives
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There are a ton of positives things to say regarding CC2's handling of Storm 4, but first and foremost, the game is downright gorgeous, emulating the look of the anime in a gorgeous cel-shaded style. However the looks only account for one part of the whole experience. The presentation from the menus, the mission select screen which mirrors with scenes directly from the show. I honestly can't praise the looks of the game enough. Don't get me wrong, Storm 4 isn't pushing any next-gen boundaries, but it accomplishes doing what it sets out to do, and that's to simulate an authentic look of the series.
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The main Story mode which focuses on the last main part of the anime, sans filler, no longer relies on wandering through an open world. Narratively, this makes sense, as Naruto and the gang are holed up in one spot for most of it. I appreciated this change as it allowed for more focused storytelling, and letting us get into the action a lot quicker.
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However, the game does include an Adventure Mode, which does in fact have free roaming available again, with lots of various locations to explore, as well as relive key battles that even predate the Shippuden storyline. It's pretty cool stuff.
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Slight new mechanics and UI changes make this the sleekest of the Storm games, both in style and in execution. Players can now freely swap between their three chosen characters, instead of simply being able to call them in for support, though that is still possible. Wall running is also back again, making battles a lot more visually interesting as you duke it out on vertical surfaces. New combos and jutsus also make an appearance, which aren't only fun to pull off, they're visually stunning to watch.
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The combat is relatively unchanged, though feels slightly faster paced than its predecessors. Combos are still pulled off with a simple button mash of O or B, combined with holding the stick in various directions during that combo. Despite the easiness of combat, I'm not sure the Storm games were ever meant to be competitive fighting games. Instead, what we get are simplistic controls that make it extremely easy to pull of amazing looking moves, that mirror the show, and in that regard, CC2 certainly delivers.
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The fact that the game includes the original Japanese voicetrack is par for the course, but more surprising is the full English dub, considering that the anime here in America, at least to my knowledge, hasn't reached that point yet.
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This shouldn't be surprising, but once againg, the roster of characters is absolutely gigantic. You literally have all eras of Naruto represented here, from the beginnings of the manga and anime, where Naruto and company are still much younger, to the entirety of the Shippuden cast.
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The team-up ultimate jutsus are absolutely bat-sh*t insane! Trust me, you'll want to go into Training mode to see all of these.
The Negatives
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Online play was slightly laggy for me. Not sure if it was my particular connection, but even testing it in multiple locations, I've had some bad experiences. For me, this isn't a huge issue, since I'm not in it to play against others, but I can see this being a problem for the majority of players picking this title up. Hopefully a patch can smooth it out. For reference, I'm playing on PS4, so not sure how other platforms handle online play.
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Unfortunately, unlike other fighting games which have an inherent pick up and play nature, unless you are at least somewhat familiar with Naruto, then UNS4 is most likely not for you. Like I've stated above, the game is meant less to be a technical fighter, but more so to be a spectacle. Often it's fun watching characters unleash jutsu after jutsu to devastate their opponents, but for those who are looking for something a bit more technical, should probably stick to other fighting games.
The Naruto Storm games have been giving fans the ability to either relive or experience major events from the show for the first time. I've always been impressed with the care and attention that CyberConnect2 brings to the table, which shouldn't surprise me, given that CC2 president, Hiroshi Matsuyama frequently dresses up as the orange-clad ninja himself when attending public events. This is a developer that not only lives and breathes Naruto, they also know how to make amazing and stylish-looking anime games. I'm looking at you Asura's Wrath.
Naturally, I went into Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 with expectations, that have been previously planted thanks to the superb titles that preceded it. While I can't say that I was a huge fan of Generations and Revolution, since they served more as filler games than retelling the core story, something the show is quite familiar with, the core Storm games were killer.
I took things a bit further and did a few things while reviewing UNS4. First, I actually went back and completely replayed Ultimate Ninja Storm 3. Not only to get caught up on the storyline, but also to see just how different the game and combat felt in comparison. I then also simultaneously watched the same story arc to see just how much it was represented in the show. Both of these things yielded very impressive results for UNS4, which will undoubtedly make fans of the manga and anime, very excited.
