I received a review code from the folks at Bandai Namco for the game, Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy. As the title shows, the game has the three Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm games available to play in one bundle. The trilogy covers games that were available over a wide range of consoles and fans of the Anime won’t want to miss out on reliving these games!
Fighting/Anime games and Bandai Namco go hand in hand with each other. The Ninja Storm Trilogy is an example of what Bandai Namco does well with these types of games but at the same time, it also is an example of what isn’t done well. One of the main things I’m happy about is the player is given a choice of English dialogue or Japanese dialogue, something the Bandai Namco games doesn’t usually do. I think I’m in the minority but I prefer the English dialogue but I would always like to have the option to change the spoken dialogue if I see fit. The voice acting is the actors from the anime series so the voice actors are already known for good performances.
All three games of the trilogy have the same basic set up where you play missions to progress the story along. While playing you control Naruto on the Hidden Leaf Village map, being able to walk around as you see fit. Ninja Storm 2 has similar mechanics where you can wonder around the Hidden Leaf Village as Naruto. During the first Ninja Storm, you’ll be playing events that occurred during the original anime series. The 2nd Ninja Storm takes place during the “Pain Saga” and the third Ninja Storm will have you reliving the events of the Shippuden series. There will be something for all fans of the Naruto anime to play and enjoy.
There are differences between the three games as well, such as the first Ninja Storm has Flashback missions as well as Free missions for you to collect mission XP. The Flashback missions progress the story and Free missions will help you get stronger by collecting XP. Also like most fighting games, there is the free battle mode where you’ll be able to select your fighter and fight your friends or the A.I. I have mentioned that the 2nd Ninja Storm has similar game modes but one big difference is the online mode, where you can play people online. It has the similar Ultimate Adventure Mode as well as the free battle mode.
Ninja Storm 3 felt like the franchise was veering in a different direction at times. At the start, you get to see the past, the Fourth Hokage and the Nine Tailed beast attempting to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village. During this time, you get thrown into the battle to save the village and you realize that there are actions sequences that play similar to TellTale Games/old flash games. You’re given an action and limited time to perform it and if you don’t, the enemy attacks, simple right? During the story, you’ll get the option make the “ultimate decision” and what that does is allows you to put yourself into certain character’s shoes and make decisions for them. You can either go the Hero Route or the Legend Route and each path earns different rewards and will have different outcomes later in the story.
There are some slight issues I have with these games and those issues are with the controls. These fighting games are button masher type games and I don’t really like calling them that but that’s what they are. You can use the same button/combo over and over again to win your match most of the time. It doesn’t mean the controls aren’t a hassle either since there are times where you think you know what’s going to happen and then something totally different happens. Also, there were times where I though an ability was going to kick in when I used a combo and then it didn’t so be mindful and learn all the attacks. Other than the controls at times, I really didn’t have an issue with these games, which look great remade for the PS4. I love the option of English dialogue, which I think all Bandai Namco games should give you. It’s these reasons that I’m giving the Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy for the PlayStation 4 an 8/10. I would like to thank Bandai Namco for the review code.