Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 for Xbox 360 Reviews & Ratings by IGN

I'm not super into the Naruto anime, and I'm not all that into fighting games, but I enjoyed the hell out of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja: Storm 2. It's so strikingly beautiful that it drew me into the narrative despite my general ambivalence to the TV show, and really won me over with its easy-to-learn-but-hard-to-master fighting system. Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is a fun fighter, with a well-fleshed out Adventure Mode and is a game any fighting game enthusiast should consider.



Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 takes place in the Shippuden story arc. The game has a host of playable characters (both good and evil), but the narrative in Adventure Mode follows the fate of ninjas Sasuke and Naruto. Adventure Mode is where players will explore beautifully drawn environments from the anime, taking part in pivotal (and sometimes trivial) fights from the show, as well as take on side quests for various minor characters. It fleshes out enough of the story that even those who are unfamiliar with the setting can figure things out, but it's clearly made for fans who want to relive their favorite moments from the show. Still, I'm not going to lie, the story is well told enough that I actually cared about the fate of the characters by the end.



Despite having some minor exploration elements, Adventure Mode is really just a super basic world that serves to provide narrative tie-ins for the fights. And while it can sometimes get a little tedious to listen to or read several minutes of exposition, the fights in Adventure Mode are generally worth the wait. Several of the biggest fights from the show that you take part in are more than just typical battles, with multiple phases and moments of grand spectacle. The battles are filled with special powers you won't see anywhere else in the game, with the game engine perfectly blending quick time events and fighting seamlessly. Sure, it sucks you're not directly controlling the characters during some of the absolutely crazy parts of boss battles, but the eye-candy you're given instead definitely helps to make up for it.

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Still, if you want to kill a bunch of time in Adventure Mode, you can. This game has a ton of side quests, as well as the option to go back and play through previous battles. Sadly, though, you have to find and collect tokens before you can access the battles you've already won, adding a tedious extra step before you can get to the fun part. That's pretty much par for the course with Adventure Mode -- while it's filled with really beautiful narrative portions that help flesh out the characters, it also has more than its share of pointless exploration that just eats up time. Still, you better be ready to play through the many, many hours of story because you have to if you want to unlock the full roster of characters. I'm all for giving people reason to play the story, but if I wanted a homework assignment I'd go to school, not pay $60.



Whether or not you enjoy the Adventure Mode, the crux of the game is the fighting, and it's a crowd pleaser. It's deceptively easy to pick up -- only one close attack button, one ranged attack button, a jump, and a block -- but it gets increasingly deep as you learn the game's nuances. One way you can change up your moves is by using Chakra. Chakra is essentially Naruto's version of Mana, and as it charges throughout the battle you can use it to modify your basic moves. This means that you can use Chakra to do a super jump or dodge, super attacks, and even throw powered-up ranged weapons. When you combine non-powered attacks with Chakra-powered ones, the game gets a whole lot more interesting.



But that isn't the end of what Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 does to intensify battles. Along with Chakra, players can also use a variety of items that reduce enemy stats, give their character boosts, or even directly damage their opponent. Support Characters are picked before a battle (if enabled), and specialize in Defense, Offense, or are Balanced between the two. Players can drop these support characters into combat on a whim, allowing them to mix up their move set, stymie their opponent's combos, and even build greater combos themselves. Of course, Support Character usage is limited, but they -- along with weapons -- add a lot to the player's arsenal. Suddenly a simple single-attack button game has become a rich, skill-based fighting experience.



You can play Vs. battles against the AI, but other players make the fights even more interesting. Playing online, I was surprised at how damn good other players are. Seriously, if you think that this isn't a real fighting game, or that it's not very complex, just try to play it online. Even locally the game's a blast, being just easy enough that anyone competent with a controller can have a shot in their first match, but also being deep enough that it stays interesting round after round. It really is a good party title for gamers, whether or not they're Naruto fans.



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