Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes

"well, it still has naruto..."

Another Naruto game, another review for me to write. I got bored on a business trip and went out and bought a PSP and got this game thinking it would cure my Naruto jones. Well it did, but at the same time left me wanting a whole lot more. Why you ask? Lets go to the tape...

Gameplay:

As with all Naruto games, the control scheme is really easy to figure out and within a matter of moments you are pulling off insane combos and unleashing cool jutsu. What really grind smy gears however is the fact they took out the interaction with the super moves. No hitting a line of buttons correctly, mashing the same button over more times than your opponent, nothing. I always enjoyed that part of the game and am disappointed to see it taken out. Other than that, gameplay was simple and solid.

Graphics/Sound:

I can't get over how well the graphics look on the PSP. The characters look great, the jutsu looks great, and the environment looks great! Personally I think it looks better than the PS 2 graphics, but that could just be me. But this is the strong area of the game and should be taken in. The sound is your typical affair, with the add-ins during the fight and the normal pre and post fight smack talking. Nothing new, but it's not a bad thing either.

Story:

What story?! They took it out completely from what I understand. What we get here is nothing more than a Street Fighter style 3 on 3 fighting game. Not that I don't mind the senseless carnage, but I know I follow Naruto for the story. Every character has something to input and they took it away from us. If they are going to continue to port games from Japan to us here in the states, I hope they don't continue this trend of short changing us. ::coughcoughuzumakichroniclescough:: Sorry a bug in my throat...

Final Thoughts:

Like I said, I liked the gameplay I just wish there was more here. The mission portion of the game gives you some replay and of course fighting your friends is always fun. A solid PSP entry into the Naruto family, it'll just leave you wanting more than it can give. The score out front says 7/10, but in reality its more like 6.5/10. Good for fans of the series but it's not going to win any new ones.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/14/08

Game Release: Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes (US, 08/28/07)