PG 1 | PG 2

The Mechanics of Fighting
There are two types of fights in the game: solo and team based. Solo fights are straightforward one-on-one battles. Team based fights allow the player to have up to two different support characters. By pressing RB or LB the support player mapped to that particular button will enter the fight and offer a small amount of support. These support characters can offer enhanced attacks or can block incoming attacks. Using these characters in tandem with main attacks can create some truly devastating moves.

There are basically five different types of attacks a player can use during battle. There are standard physical attacks and combos, ranged attacks, aerial attacks, throws, and chakra attacks. Chakra attacks are governed by pressing the Y button (on the Xbox 360) in conjunction with the attack buttons. Pressing Y once will allow for some fast movement and/or some powerful attacks. Pressing Y twice in conjunction with a physical attack will offer even more powerful and spectacular attacks. Holding Y will recharge chakra but leaves a character open to attack and unable to move.

Learning how to combine all the different attacks and items effectively is essential to mastering the combat. Knowing when to call in support, when to throw an item, when to use chakra, and so on offers some amount of depth and strategy to the stunning fights in the game. However, the controls are generally simple once one learns what each button does. This simplicity of controls allows the player to pull off spectacular moves with ease but can hurt the depth of the combat.

“To be Naruto, or Not to be Naruto”
One of the strongest aspects of the story in “Ultimate Ninja: Storm 2” is the use of multiple characters. Throughout the story the player will control a myriad of different characters that all have unique fighting styles (though they all control the same). At times there are two or more battles occurring at once with different characters. This layering of fights gives a sense of urgency to the events and a sense of companionship between the characters.

Many of the characters in the main story are playable in multiplayer. Playable characters in multiplayer are unlocked throughout the course of Ultimate Adventure. The playable characters can also be unlocked through multiplayer play by gaining “Storm Points” through multiplayer victories but playing through the story offers more variety of gameplay than simply battling against the computer or an opponent online.

Multiplayer
There are 2 types of multiplayer games: Free Battle and Online Battle. Free battle is an offline versus mode that allows the player to compete against the computer or play against a friend on the same system. Online multiplayer has unranked and ranked matches with a limited matchmaking system. Each ranked fight won offers Battle Points that add to an online leaderboard (the more BP the higher the ranking). Both online and offline multiplayer modes can be played as a solo match or team match (meaning the player can have 2 AI support characters controlled with the RB and LB buttons). The lack of multiplayer modes is a bit disappointing but the online and offline multiplayer matches add to the overall experience of the game and offer some extra hours of gameplay.

With solid, though simplistic, fighting mechanics, gorgeous graphics, 14+ hours worth of singleplayer gameplay, and online matches “Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2” offers a fair amount of content for Naruto fans and newcomers to the series. The incredible boss fights and visuals really set this game apart and are stunning to watch and play. The game’s multiplayer options are rudimentary but the multiplayer does add to the overall package. Naruto fans will certainly enjoy this game and even those new to the franchise will find that the visuals, story, and battles all add up to an enjoyable gaming experience.

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Spectacular Boss Fights Gorgeous Visuals Engaging storyline Travelling the game world becomes tedious Lack of multiplayer options Clichéd dialogue Quote: "Naruto fans will certainly enjoy this game and even those new to the franchise will find that the visuals, story, and battles all add up to an enjoyable gaming experience. " Reviewed by James Farrington | 11.09.10

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