Those
of us Naruto fans that have been following the adventures of the spiky haired
ninja on the PlayStation 2 as well as the next-generation consoles like the
PlayStation 3 have seen the Naruto lineup of titles vastly improve over the
years. We’ve seen the kids of the Hidden Leaf Village tackle on missions that
adults would have failed and now, as the series fast-forwards a few years
forward, we have reached the Shippuden chapter in Naruto’s life. Ultimate Ninja
4: Naruto Shippuden for the PlayStation 2 does feature an older and somewhat
wiser Naruto but things just aren’t at all too different in terms of the
gameplay.
For the
gamer or casual anime viewer, Naruto Shippuden takes place two years after a
younger Naruto set out to train with Lord Jiraiya. Despite being slightly taller
and sporting a newer orange outfit, the anime opens with Naruto finally coming
back home to the Leaf Village. What exactly happened during those years of
training with the Pervy Sage? Well, Ultimate Ninja 4 lets us know via the game’s
story mode called Master Mode.
Think
of Master Mode as a sort of filler episode that gives us a peek into Naruto’s
training and his adventures as he and his sensei travel. In this mode, we find
Naruto and Jiraiya approaching a village in time to see a young girl named Aoi
heading into a dank cave as a sacrifice to a so-called demon waiting in the
dark. It doesn’t take Naruto too long to jump into action to save Aoi as well as
discover the mystery behind this “demon” that manipulates shadows much like a
certain Leaf Village buddy of Naruto’s.
Master
Mode does manage to tell a story akin to a Naruto movie complete with a stubborn
young girl that Naruto must save from herself. It’s actually a good story and
the mode does allow us to explore the surroundings picking up extra items and
unlocking secrets along the way. The map is even huge so there are different
places to see in this adventure. What doesn’t really work, however, is the
combat that is different from the fighting style of the other modes in the game.
Even with trademark moves such as Rasengan and Naruto’s Shadow Clone Jutsu, the
fighting isn’t as dazzling as the fights in Free Battle mode.
What
the Master Mode does do right is offer plenty of puzzles and platform jumping
segments that allows you not only the freedom to explore but also take time to
find extra items you can use in this mode as well as other modes. For example,
it is here where you can find fragments of your memory you can use to unlock
events in Hero mode. You can even use Resengan to break through weakened walls
and other barriers to reach other places on the map. You can also level up in
this mode, earning cool new Jutsu or moves that will help you along the way such
as using your Shadow Clones to jump even higher.
Hero
mode allows you to relive past moments in Naruto’s life from the very beginning
to the events that lead up to the Shippuden series. While most of the segments
are merely cut scenes, there are events you can actually play such as the Genin
training section against Kakashi-sensei. Then there’s Free Battle, the fighting
game mode that offers up a large number of characters to use against a friend or
the computer. It is here that you can relive memorable battles or make up your
own rivalries using older as well as younger versions of favorites. It’s also
good to see characters that didn’t make the cut in past games such as Kurenai-sensei,
Shizune and even the First and Second Hokages. There are even a number of
villains as well that also include the Sound Ninja and the Shippuden villains.
Nothing
much has changed in the Free Battle mode from the last game in the Ultimate
Ninja series and that’s Ok seeing as the main feature here are the older
versions of characters such as Sakura, Neji, Rock Lee, Tenten and Temari just to
name a few. Actually, the older characters are considerably better than the
younger bunch. Older Sakura is a powerhouse compared to her younger counterpart
and you’ll know it the minute you start tossing around the likes of Orochimaru
as if he were a rag doll.
There
are also a number of interesting unlockable extras in the game that range from
figures of your favorite character, voice clips, videos of them unleashing their
most powerful Jutsu and you can even unlock a new guide (the character that
welcomes you in the main menu screen). There’s no shortage of things to unlock.
As far
as the graphics are concerned, Ultimate Ninja 4 does look good on the
PlayStation 2 but there is still room for improvement. Then again, I could just
be spoiled by the PlayStation 3’s Ultimate Ninja Storm. Still, the character
models look good and the visual effects are topnotch. I just wish the
backgrounds looked better and didn’t feature washed out textures.
The
sound is a bit more effective thanks to the cast of the anime lending their
voices to the characters again. If you love the Japanese voices, you will not be
disappointed either. Even the music from the anime series is present and it
punctuates the story mode scenes perfectly.
While
it’s far from the perfect Naruto game, Ultimate Ninja 4 is a more than decent
introduction to the Naruto Shippuden story arc. The older cast of characters
adds a new dimension to the fights and the story in the main mode feels right at
home with the Shippuden series. If you’re a Naruto fan, this is a good game to
buy but it hardly comes close to matching the fun of the previous game on the
PS2 or the recent next generation releases.
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Gameplay: 7.5
Master Mode does
a good job telling a story true to the Shippuden chapter but the battles could
have used some polish. The rest of the modes make up a good fighting challenge
with more than enough characters to fill out the impressive roster.
Graphics: 7.0
Visually,
Ultimate Ninja 4 manages to make the characters really jump out of the screen
but some of the backgrounds could have been a lot better. At least the visual
effects look amazing.
Sound: 7.5
The English dub
voices are present and the original Japanese voices can be selected if you
prefer the far more superior Japanese voice cast. The music is straight from the
anime series and that’s a very good thing, indeed.
Difficulty: Medium
The game tosses
some challenging battles your way later in Master Mode and the
computer-controlled opponents make use of every character’s strengths in other
modes if you play the game solo.
Concept: 7.5
Master Mode tells
an interesting tale that actually feels like a plot from a Naruto movie or
filler Shippuden episode. There are tons of unlockable extras and characters to
use in this game and Hero mode is a good way to catch up on the story from the
very beginning. Online play is still missing in action.
Multiplayer: 7.5
You can take on a
friend using a number of characters including the more familiar younger versions
of the Leaf Village Genin that ranges from Hinata to Shikamaru. Then again, why
go back to the old characters when an older Temari is far more effective than
younger Temari?
Overall: 7.5
It’s great to see
the next chapter of the Naruto saga unfold on the PS2 and Ultimate Ninja 4:
Naruto Shippuden is a fun game fans will certainly enjoy despite its few
weaknesses. Really, we don’t mind an original story to go with the main story
mode but the battles aren’t as enjoyable as the other modes in this game. Naruto
fans should definitely check this one out either way.
