Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 was first released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by Namco Bandai Games in March 2013 in North America and Europe, and in April 2013 in Japan. A PC version is also available. CyberConnect2 developed it as the fourth installment of the Ultimate Ninja Storm series, adapting Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto manga. It is a fighting game, and its story mode drew mixed reception.
Trailer, via GameSpot.
The Fourth Great Ninja War
The plot picks up after Ultimate Ninja Storm 2. The five village leaders face Sasuke Uchiha, who wants to kill acting Hokage Danzo Shimura. Madara saves Sasuke and declares war on the ninja forces. Naruto Uzumaki trains to control the Nine-Tailed Fox’s chakra with help from Killer Bee and the spirit of his late mother, Kushina Uzumaki. Then the war begins against Madara’s White Zetsu army and Kabuto Yakushi’s reanimated ninja.
The game opens with a flashback to the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox’s attack on Konohagakure, with Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi trying to stop it and Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze facing Madara and the fox. The story mode is similar to Storm 2 rather than Generations, and that means boss battles and quick time events return.
Eighty Characters, and a Reason to Use Them
The roster is the headline number: 80 playable characters and seven support characters, rising to 81 and seven in Full Burst. The Awakening Mode gives certain characters enhanced abilities when their health drops low. The item system now splits healing from offensive items, and players can store items for later fights.
Assist characters matter more than they did. Each fighter can bring two, and those assistants add thirteen combos. They have health bars of their own, and they go down when those bars empty. One support character means ten health bars; two means five each. Leaving an arena can make a player lose a fight.
Ultimate Decision Mode
Ultimate Decision Mode has the option of changing battle difficulties, with higher scores if greater difficulty is chosen. The hack and slash mob battles, borrowed from Koei’s Dynasty Warriors, were criticized for being under-used. Regular fight controls carry over, and players can move to a new enemy after a kill.
What Holds It Back
The fighting mechanics lack depth, and the hack and slash scenarios are under-used. Reception of story-mode development, based on the number of cutscenes, was mixed. Those are fair complaints. Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 is at its best in the boss fights, where the quick time events and the Ultimate Decision system combine into something that feels authored rather than assembled.
KEY FACTS
- Released: March 2013 (North America, Europe); April 2013 (Japan)
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
- Developer: CyberConnect2; Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
- Roster: 80 playable characters, 7 support (81 and 7 in Full Burst)
- Full Burst re-release: October 22 and 24, 2013; Europe January 31, 2014
- Score: 7.7/10
The game had positive reviews and good sales, surpassing its predecessors from the series. Critics praised the return of boss battles from Storm 2, the Ultimate Decision mechanics, and the improved graphics and controls. Reception of story-mode development, based on the number of cutscenes, was mixed.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 scores 7.7 of 10.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
