May 18, 2009

NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Council 4 Update With Product Specialist Glen Stotz
By Louis Bedigian

“I'm a Naruto fan myself and there's no way I could explain the whole story in five minutes. That lends itself to the diversity of games we get out of each company.”

As indicated by the title, NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Council 4 encompasses the story of the Shippuden tale that continues the ongoing Naruto saga. Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi are the focus of the story, which takes place two and a half years after the original series. Glen Stotz, Product Specialist at TOMY Corporation, says that for this sequel the gameplay is based around the story.

"It's much more linear," he said. "You're playing through and experiencing the first part of the story. You'll go through stage progressions [where you'll choose] one main character and two supporting characters to fill out your three-man team. The supporting members have Jutsu that you can use on the [touch] screen, [such as] Sakura's healing Jutsu or Kakashi's lighting blade. The main character usually has three main Jutsu. [For example, Naruto] can summon one of the frogs that will let him jump really high."

"We wanted to stay current with the most recent story the Naruto fans were experiencing," he continues, describing the importance of releasing the right Naruto game in each market. "With that, we have to take development times, TV episodes and [everything] the US market is seeing into account so [we can give them] the most up-to-date game. This stays more in line with what [American viewers] are seeing, rather than trying to take every [game] we get from Japan and [release them in America]."

Technologically, Ninja Council 4 will "be the first time fans hear some of the characters' [original voices in a DS game] as their older selves. We mostly try to deliver the highest-quality gameplay. Voice-overs are important but fun factor is where we put all the [DS card storage space]. That does take up a lot of space obviously and the cards are limited. We do have some in there, but there's not a ton of it."

Regarding the gameplay direction for the newest Ninja Council sequel, Stotz says that the "Ninja Council games are very centered on teamwork. They're sort of platformers with a squad dynamic ability. You get to build custom teams and tackle levels any way [you want]. When you [play through] story mode [for] the first time, you get to go back and play through the levels with a [special] mode. Basically, you're playing through them with certain restrictions, such as not being able to use a main character's Jutsu. It's sort of an additional challenge mode."

When it comes to the controls, Naruto fans won't be surprised by the developer's choices. "The action appears on the top screen, and you're [using] the D-pad and buttons," Stotz told us. "On the touch screen, if you pause the game you can use your stylus to move around the map. Some of the areas can be difficult, and it's essentially a maze you have to get through while avoiding enemies, stuff like that. But there are also buttons to support your character's Jutsu. It's sort of an extended interface to control your characters."

What about the story? "A big part of the Shippuden story is that two and a half years have passed. The characters have grown emotionally and physically. The stature of the characters, [you'll notice] they've matured. Naruto is leaner, looks older. The Jutsu in general has been a huge jump. Sakura obviously has super strength, and there are certain areas you can only get to by using Sakura to destroy the rocks. [She can also] destroy opponents by smashing them into the ground. [Also], a lot of the Jutsu presentations are a little grander to accentuate the characters' training advancements."

Despite the number of Naruto games on the market, Stotz in no way believes that the franchise is overpopulated. "Naruto presents its fans with a rich variety of ideas. I'm a Naruto fan myself and there's no way I could explain the whole story in five minutes. That lends itself to the diversity of games we get out of each company. They all handle the stories and gameplay in many different ways. With Shippuden airing, I think the series is just as strong, if not stronger [than before]."

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