Is it any better than the previous installments?

I've played both ultimate ninja 2 and heroes and i have to say i was greatly disappointed with what they did with it. Just the way how they made it so easy to counter every single move was ridiculous, i remember playing it with friends for about 10 min per game because we kept countering each other's counter...

If i'm gonna get this i want at least some new characters and maybe a harder way to perform the ultimate jutsus as well since till now 1 lucky shot could easily give you the win.