While this may not be the typical storm series experience we know & love, the game does stand it's ground....

User Rating: 9 | Naruto Shippuden: Narutimate Storm Generation PS3
The Naruto Ultimate Ninja Series has been there for almost a decade now , the developers CyberConnect2 introduced changes to the product in each iteration , some minor some major but one thing they have always shown is consistency in quality & promise that the game will be worth your hard earned money !

With Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations , the developers have decided to bring together past & present Generations of the Narutoverse , from the First Hokage to Kyuubi mode Naruto , the game consists of a wide roster of characters from the Epic series & each one grown on you with each passing battle :hug:!

[img]http://i.imgur.com/fAPIK.jpg[/img]

Generation updated on the beautiful visuals of Storm 2 with graphics that show awesome blend of the bright coloration of the anime & the detailed artistic touches such as fine bordering of the manga , the symphonic melodies of the soundtracks in the game instantly empties your mind of every unnecessary thought & makes you feel at peace , the Ultimate Ninja Storm series has always been good at refined visuals & the soothing sound which make you feel as if you are living the anime itself :thumbsup: , this experience feels complete with the option of playing it with either English Audio or Japanese Audio with English Subtitles , the english voice acting is good & never feels off , though i'd recommend using the J-Audio and Eng Subs .

[img]http://i.imgur.com/pTgIo.jpg [/img]

The story mode for this game is divided into story arcs of some 10+ characters each one unlocking as you complete the available ones. The story mode is a mix of narration along with still shots , cutscenes which cover the important story arcs of the character you have selected & acts as a build up to the main fight of that arc. I Personally quite liked the idea of having a simple arcade story mode for this particular game , the game had to cover so much of the story from kid naruto to the current story arc of naruto mastering the kyuubi chakra , some people would have been annoyed playing free roam for hours of a story that is really vast , especially since the heart of these games is the actual fighting itself and many would want to get to it ASAP.

Anywho , moving on to the gameplay , the controls are the same , easy to pick up like the predecessors with 4 Face buttons , 1 for Projective weapon like kunai , paper bombs etc , 1 for Jump , 1 for Combo attacks & 1 for Chakra Load & the triggers are used for defense , 1 for substitution jutsu & 1 for Blocking , there are some significant changes to the gameplay mechanics too , there is now a bar for Substitution Jutsu which limits the use of this defensive Strategy to 4 times , the Substitution Jutsu bar recharges automatically but it takes some time to do it , this results in more strategic gameplay than just spamming the moves that work for you , this is especially a major relief when you go online as the predecessors of Generations have suffered largely in terms of online spamming of substitution jutsu. I also noticed that the game has improved air combat , i was able to do new combos in air & could chain them for a longer duration than i did in Storm 2,. Awakening Mode is balanced , now defeating itachi or sasuke's susano is less trouble than before.

The various Free Battle modes range from VS Battle , Survival , 4-8 Participant Tournament & Training all having Single Match or Team Match Option , the training modes gives you basic setting to play with & list of normal commands & combos , you still have to figure out how to do those team moves , though you can get the hang of it as you play along . The online netcode is good & connecting with other players is a breeze , during my battle i experienced no lags & had a smooth ride. The Online gameplay is updated with 4-8 player tournaments , Spectator mode allowing you to watch a raging battle even if you are sidelined , you can also watch replays of battles & download them , it is really a nifty feature to have if you want to beat that eternal rival of yours :bigyellowgrin:

[img]http://i.imgur.com/zgo62.png[/img]

The game has tons of unlockables in the shop available for purchase via the in game currency " RYO " which you either earn by going through the story mode or playing free battle. You can buy substitution items & Ninja Tools which can be used in battle , Ninja Info Cards & Titles which you can customize & show off online , Eg. you could be called "the demon of the mist" & have Itachi's card image as you online avatar , you can also buy images of characters & some additional anime footage gets automatically unlocked as you progress in the game which is of approx. 60 mins as stated by the devs.

Pros :

- Beautiful Visuals & Symphonic Sound
-Fast Entertaining Flashy Combat
-Online Mode with Tournaments & Spectator Support
-Good Netcode , Had No Troubles connecting online

Cons :

-Some of the really cool characters are support only
-Basic Training Mode

Closing Statement, "While this may not be the typical storm series experience we know & love, the game does stand it's ground as a potential character reunion series"

A good game to have in your Game collection, especially if you are a anime/manga fan