Behold the fifth and final installment in the Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Storm series, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, and the name cannot get any longer.
This game , according to me holds a 75:25% ratio on the good:bad scale. It has its own ups and downs as a game. I am a huge Naruto fan and an avid anime fan, therefore I expected a lot of intense action sequences followed by dramatic entries of characters and an amplified story telling and this game delivers it. The characters and the beautiful battles look and feel great. The combat system in this game holds its name for one of the best combat systems. The fights are really immersive, with beautiful anime style graphics and special effects. The disappointment which I faced while playing Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution was completely gone and I felt that this game is worth it (though there are a few “but,” moments).
Now lets get to it in detail.
- The Battle.
The combat system here is really good and immersive. The fighting is fluent and smooth with very few minor bugs. Each and every fight is treated like a boss battle. There are a lot of powerful jutsus at the player’s disposal with cinematic angles and special moves. I remember complaining a lot about the controls when I played the previous installments but, that is not the case here. The controls are pretty responsive and fluent whether you are on a keyboard or on a controller . The thing I liked the most about this installment is that the ability to switch between your character and support characters i.e if I choose Naruto as my primary character and Sasuke and Sakura as my support characters then I can switch between the three of them and fight as Naruto, Sasuke or Sakura. Another plus is that the wall running ability has returned and the we no longer have to select between drive types or ultimate jutsu type or awakening type because all the three are seamlessly integrated in the combat system.
- Story Mode.
The story mode starts with the intense and pretty amazing fight between the God Ninjas , Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju. The first battle will get the die hard Naruto fans drooling all over their keyboards or controller. The fights in the story mode are pretty intense and enjoyable with fast paced QTEs and well timed in-battle cut-scenes . For a Naruto fan, the story mode will be the most satisfying experience . You even get to play as the Nine Tails , Gamakichi and Madara.
There is a downfall to the story mode too. Instead of nice 3D animated cut-scenes I was presented with long motion picture cut-scenes with voice overs. I was looking forward for real anime footage but was disappointed . There are some parts in the story mode where there are some in-game cut-scenes but, the lip syncing in both the Japanese and English are off, which created an awkward situation for me. Other than that its pretty awesome , specially for the fans who are following the anime and are eagerly waiting for the ending.
- Online Battles.
Online gameplay is average in my opinion. I experienced problems with matchmaking nearly every time I tried. Though there are a lot of game modes , 61 characters and different costumes with plenty of jutsu moves, it becomes really frustrating when you are faced with a high ping and lot of connection issues. The online gameplay is a failure.
- Conclusion.
[symple_clear]This game is good for its story mode , adventure mode and if you want to enjoy a fighting game with your friend together. It is plagued with a poor AI and a bad online experience.
