Game: Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm

[Buffalobiian]

So......yeah..........




-Jumped straight onto multiplayer and pretty much ran through all of the default characters. There's team mode, or single player mode. To be honest, while single player may seem like a good idea, it's pretty boring. Having a team keeps the momentum going when you're down, avoids unevenful chakra showdowns, allows the use of distractions and balances each player's weaknesses against the enemy a lot better. Not to mention the scary team combo!

- There's no longer a charge bar for ninjutsu techniques, which makes things interesting, to say the least. The overall feel is that it seems "less technical", but that's not true. Save for a few characters (Guy's dynamic entry, for example), many of the characters have had their ninjutsu casting time slowed time, so a ninjutsu attack after substituting out of receiving a combo tends to be met with a guard. Compared to that, a throw is pretty damn fast to use. Ninjutsu is integrated into combos better though, on the other hand. Back in UNS, the slight pause due to the combo "break" in order to cast ninjutsu, as quick as the actual casting was, was enough to set up a block. The integration here (depends on timing) makes it a seamless follow-through. Neji's ultimate is pure eyegasm to look at.

-Awakenings play much bigger role in this game. You'll almost always get to use it. They reduced the life bar by one whole bar, so you're still low on health, yet the mode is available relatively early. In fact, quite often both parties will get to awaken multiple times. Some of the stuff they come up with is pretty hilarious (like Kankuro's).

-Character-wise, there are some that are uber sweet, and some that are pretty crap. I haven't found a way to integrate ninjutsus into Shino's combos. Sakura's got some pretty major flaws in her complete lack of range. (her awakened mode is hax though - her rock shattering punches throw you just far enough - to let her jump and smash you again - and again!). Any character that has a quick ninjutsu casting time gets my vote - and from memory, Asuma's a complete beast. Konoha's Green Beast is pretty powerful too, as he retains his lightning quick dynamic entry.

-"I find that there's a lot more reading of the opponents to figure out what move you should use on your opponent compared to the older UNS." <- true for most ninjutsu, untrue for Ultimate ninjutsus. If anything, Ultimates are way easier to cast and hit in UNS2. Bummer that there will no longer be any pre-battle button mashing though (and with that, jutsu clashes).