Naruto for PS2

This past week or so has seen a slew of new game releases both here in the US and in Japan. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, Macross, Naruto, Commandos 3, Virtua On Marz, Max Payne 2, SSX3, Ninja Turtles, just to name a few of the games I acquired recently. I'm writing this post, however, because I found one of these games to be especially special. That game is Naruto: Narultimate Hero for PS2.

Now before you stop reading and say "Srider's on crack, naruto sucks and bandai anime fighting games suck" I would like to say that I agree with you on both points. I really dislike the naruto series, and have never been a fan of most bandai games. (Except for a few of the old gundam games and DBZ: Legend) Despite how I feel about the series, this new Naruto game is the most fun i've had in a long while besides playing VF. The fighting system is fairly simple, yet can be very in depth, similar to super smash brothers. I got this game because initially I had thought the game was to be similar to Power Stones, and in a way it is very similar, but totally different. Let me just outline a few of the details of this game.

Naruto Narultimate Hero is a 3D action fighting game that features characters from the Anime. For the fans of the series, Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura are all in the game. Along with the more popular characters just as Rock Lee and the Hyoga family, Gara, etc.. While fighting, other characters from the series will be watching at the side of the battle field and drop items for each player. It is possible to attack the opponent's friends to prevent them from dropping items for your opponent. The fighting takes place on two planes, foreground and background. You have basic hand to hand fighting techniques and you can also throw kunais which you have an infinite amount of. This may sound cheap, until you realize that the kunais do almost no damage at all. The main function of the kunais is to open up opportunities to attack the opponent using hand to hand techniques, or power attacks that you can use by spending your chakra bar. (power bar). When you throw in reversals, and spin charge attacks that can spin through kunais and temporarily stun your opponent, you have a very very fast paced and strategic game. For example, here is a rundown of an exchange of attacks in the game. Naruto attacks Sasuke but gets all four attacks blocked, knowing that naruto will block after that, sasuke throws naruto. Sasuke then teleports behind naruto in mid air to kick him from behind, but naruto reverses and gets behind sasuke instead and kicks. Sasuke tech rolls while naruto throws kunais at sasuke in mid air. Sasuke teleports to the background and receives and item from sakura. Naruto teleports and follows sasuke into the background. Sasuke then throws kunais at naruto when he appears in the background. Naruto ninja jump spins towards sasuke while knocking away the kunais and stuns sasuke and launches him into the air. Naruto then follows him into the air and combos which ends with a teleport kick which knocks sasuke back down to the ground. When sasuke rises up, naruto attempts to attack, sasuke reverses and teleports behind naruto and uses his lvl2 ninjitsu attack, which then followed by a cut scene that involves button tapping to determine the damage delt. I can go way in depth about the wonderful fighting system this game has, and when played right, it is very exciting to watch and look straight out of an episode of the anime.

There are a few modes of play and TONs of unlockables... For those of you who have played MKA and thought the amount of unlockables is big, then you should see the naruto extras... For example... you earn points by playing the game, and you go into the shop to buy gotcha gotcha balls which unlock certain things. There are three machines, so far I can only use the first one, and there are already OVER 4000 unlockables for JUST the first gotcha gotcha machine!!! Most of the unlockables are pictures from the anime and things like small statues of each character from the show, but each picture that you get, you can eventually figure out password combinations from what's printed on each picture to unlock even more secret stuff. I'm going to guess the meat of the unlockables are hidden within the password system. It is mind boggling i tell you, this is simply one of the most polished and fun game i've played in a long long time.

I guess by now you should figure out that the game is really good just by the fact I wrote this long ass post about a game about an anime that I abhor. I would highly recommend everyone to give it a try, and if you are a fan of the series, YOU NEED TO GET THIS GAME!!!! I think this game supports up to 4 players, but I'm not entirely sure on that. So far i've only seen 1 vs 1 in the vs mode, but maybe that's just because i don't currently have a multitap plugged in. I'll update on this if people wants to know. From most of the pictures i've seen on this game it seems very likely this game supports up to 4 players, although it would insanely hectic having 4 people on screen at once. Anyways, enough talking about this game. Here is a link to the japanese site of the page, it doesn't tell you much about the game, but it shows you the cell shaded look of the actual game.

http://www.bandaigames.channel.or.jp/list/naruto2/index.html

Anyways, play this game, if you had to buy one game, i'd skip all the other games out recently and buy this one. /versus/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

Probably off the topic you wnat to talk about but wow whats Max payne 2, SSX3 and the new castlevania game like? I too have become some what swamped with the new titles over here such as Jak2, PES3 and SC2 not to mention dedicating time to my beloved VF training. Theres loads more I wanna get too but don't have the funds/games to trade in for them. So what are these games like then?

 

About MP2

Max Payne 2 is really fun but also really short, if you want longlivity from it you'll have to get wait for mods and so on =/
The graphics are really top notch, the story is abit flaky at times but there's a good amount of quasiporn in there with Mona Sax to keep you intrested.
The game is harder then the first game aswell but the AI sometimes likes to throw grenades at themself and so on (but still not _that_ often). As always, Max Payne is made out from the level design and it's really nice as always (better then the first game - oh I loved when you were sniping to protect pain etc).

God damn I want to play the Naruto game (heck I even watch the anime). Anybody got a link to some actual gameplay video? Gamespot and IGN had some but wanted a register and so on (I... hate... that).

 

i second that

naruto is just FUCKING FUN!

it's fresh..it's hip...it's new...easy to get into..tons to learn..excellent gfx n controls...just way fun.

Macross is damn fun as well.

Next up!

castlevania, SSX3!

Dunno abt turtles

 

I've actually never run across the anime of Naruto, but I am very impressed with the manga. Look to the left side of your monitor, you'll see what I mean. It is well drawn, has great story pacing, and covers unashamedly (without attempts to justify ninjas or how "cool" they are) a topic that only marginally comes from history. I assume also that you have been playing the japanese version, since I have heard nothing of the release over here. Any idea when that is coming? I'd gladly check it out, especially with all the praise you've given it.

 

While I've only played up to the first boss in Castlevania: LOI, I must say I am really dissapointed /versus/images/graemlins/frown.gif. The game doesn't feel like Castlevania to me. So far I have only "walked" from room to room (many of which look annoyingly alike) and slashed and hacked baddies.

I will say that this is a preliminary review in case my opinion changes the deeper I go into the game. But I don't think that this is likely.

The older Castlevanias were more about "exploration" and "platforming" in my opinion. You explore areas and get abilities to unlock new areas. Or in the case of older CVs you just "Platform". I don't know how describe the feeling when you play LOI, but it's not that fun.... yet. I am hoping it will be better. I am only playing because it has the CV name on it, otherwise it looks like DMC and Chaos Legion and all those other games that look the same (with the 3D battle system that I hate). Not being able to control the camera can be a nuisance too. I heard that the hidden items are usually hidden because they are hidden from view..... At least some of them are..

Now if you like games like DMC you will probably like this. Don't take my opinion too seriously, but I just thought of sharing it from the prespective of someone who liked both the old style and newer (SOTN, COTM, AOS) style of the series. I will be surprised if LOI turns out to be more fun than AOS.

 

To talk about a few of the other games I touched on in my first post...

SSX3... How should I put this... well.. it's more of the same. I don't care how much gaming sites talk about the new tricks, how the course is one big mountain, blah blah blah... it's just more of the same old shit. I guess if you liked the older SSX games and want new courses and characters, get SSX3.. otherwise, don't bother.

Max Payne 2.. again... it's not a bad game, I enjoyed it. It's again.. more of the same... There is nothing new in this game from the previous besides a minor difference on how bullet time works... If you liked the first and want new levels, I'd recommend downloading this game instead of buying it, since it's very very short... (I beat it in one sitting..)

Castlevania: LOI
I must agree with Bu_Jassoom that I am disappointed at this game as well... The gfx for one looks very very low quality and very very repetitive... fighting monsters in 3D just doesn't feel the same.... and I'm for one that doesn't believe that the current power of ps2 can faithfully reproduce the amazing artistic qualities of Castlevania games that only 2D and produce... maybe by the time PS3 comes around in game models will look good enough... The backgrounds are plain and empty, and the textures are blurred and dodgy... the gameplay is boring and repetitive... and the gothic feel is just non existent... I've only played for a few hours though, and hopefully later levels will prove me otherwise.. but I highly doubt it. It's still a decent effort at a 3D castlevania... much better than the N64 versions. They can do so much more though in 3D... like how in the N64 version there was a scene where you see a statue with tears of blood flowing out and turns a pond into red, little things like that goes a long long way in creating the atmosphere of the game, and this castlevania has none of that so far.

I'm about to start playing hidden and dangerous 2 for those of you who like squad tactical FPS. I'll update on that game if any of you are interested.

On a side note, Prince of Persia demo is amazing. Go to your local game store and pre order the game to pick up a copy of the demo to check it out. (You can always refund your pre order and get your money back) /versus/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I'll definitely keep an eye on Prince of Persia.

 

one game i must push is the new am2 macross!

it's quite well done.

excellent control, excellent homage paid to the original TV series...even when the game is loading, it made me feel like 'oh commercial' XD

The control for each different variation is kinda strange when u first begin the game. Esp since each transformation behave differently with its own movement scheme. Initially, it feels like this,

In plane mode, just fire missles...avoid Gerwalk it is useless...n battleriod is just plain stupid when u cannot hit what u aim!

But it's just Sega's way of saying ' learn to play the game'.

It doesn't take too long for the player to realise ' damn, this game is technical!...in a fun way of coz.

one big difference this macross vs all the other Gundam games has to be the locking system.

U actually have to work to get ur kill...not just simply 'lock, fire'.

I quite like it! XD

U get 12 TV series missions n 8 Movie ver missions.

(basicially, TV = normal, Movie = hard difficulty)

It's a mad game where it's basically, U vs the universe.
(ok u have two wingmen, but they are stupid..after all, there can only be one hero to save the day!)

Missles flying at u from all sides during the battles. But Am2 has implemented a good system for u to be able to see exactly where the missles are coming from n how or when is it best to evade them.

N oh, talking abt it...one of the best thing abt this game is evading. When u evade at the last moment (before 10 missles all hit u at once), u get treated to a cut scene of u dodging all the missles in slow mo...it's doen superbly. N there's different animations for each transformation too. It never detracts u from the main game when the cut scene takes place...think of those throws with special camera angles in Evo.


It's just mad fun~

If u're a macross fan, then it's hard to believe that U can walk away from the game n think ' ugh, this is crap!'. ( of coz, shinobi was also a love/hate thing...I love shinobi...but others >.<)

If u're not a macross fan, then, this is a good way for u to be introduced to the macross universe!

At the end of the day, fan or not a fan of the series, this is a good game imo.

 

http://mokkori42.free.fr/naruto%20intro.wmv

 

Thanks alot but...

Was that the gamespot movie thingy? Aren't there any movies of actual gameplay to be found? I'm drewling over here /versus/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

Having just finished Castlevania: LOI, I should say now that the game became better after the first 2 stages. Maybe still not what you would expect of a castlevania, but not bad. After you get used to walking around and slashing, it becomes a little more fun, I guess /versus/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

 

I think Castlevania LOI is a solid game. I give it a 7/10, not the greatest and not the worst either. I'm really tired of people comparing it to SOTN. That game is overrated. If anything, LOI is more like older Castlevanias than SOTN. The creator of LOI said that it was a stepping stone to see what direction 3D Castlevanias to be taken. Anybody who thinks that the series should remain 2D is not thinking about the future.
Now, I wouldn't mind playing this Naruto game. I'm a big fan of the anime and manga.
SS3 is an addictive game. I'm glad that they've given us more replayability this time around. The music is decent, but I miss Rahzell.

 

Is this US version the same game? I realize the first Robotech series is adapted Macross, I just want to know if this is the same game you describe in your post.

Robotech Battlecry

Videogame Depot has Macross for PS2 in stock, but I can't tell by looking at the box. There is a review of Battlecry here.

 

lord no
robotech battle cry is another game.

Macross is totally different.

n macross is the more superior one.

 

Thanks for the reply.

I do have Japanese PS2 so I might have to try it out.