Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2

89%
Game Brain Score Based on 832 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 Game Cover
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"Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2" is an action-packed fighting game that follows the story arc of Naruto Shippuden. The game features HD remastered graphics, and an engaging battle system which allows players to unleash explosive team special techniques. Players can choose companions to fight alongside, making for a strategic and thrilling experience.

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Reviews

89%
Audience ScoreBased on 832 reviews
story99 positive mentions
grinding16 negative mentions
  • The game features improved graphics and animations compared to its predecessor, enhancing the overall visual experience.
  • The story mode closely follows the Naruto Shippuden narrative, providing an engaging experience for fans of the series.
  • Boss battles are well-designed and cinematic, adding excitement and depth to the gameplay.
  • The game suffers from performance issues, including slow frame rates and crashes, particularly on PC.
  • The open-world exploration is limited and can feel tedious, with a lot of backtracking and running between missions.
  • The substitution jutsu mechanic is inconsistent, often leading to frustration during combat.
  • story324 mentions

    The story in "Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2" is widely praised for its faithful adaptation of the "Naruto Shippuden" anime, covering significant arcs from the Kazekage Rescue Mission to the Pain Assault. While the storytelling is enhanced with cinematic cutscenes and engaging boss battles, many players noted that the pacing suffers due to excessive walking and side quests, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game is considered a solid choice for fans wanting to relive the narrative, with improvements over its predecessor in both storytelling and gameplay mechanics.

    • “One key part that makes this title stand out over the other Storm games is how they tackle their story mode.”
    • “The story mode is much better structured than the previous game.”
    • “The story is a massive upgrade; I liked how this game steps up its cutscene game, literally can watch the entire third of Naruto Shippuden through the game.”
    • “The story mode is a bunch of slowly walking around and wasting time on side missions and fetch quests, but then it delivers a good storytelling of the anime.”
    • “Walking and traveling gets boring and redundant fast, especially when swapping characters in the story.”
    • “The story gets cut and loses a lot of the emotional impact the anime/manga had.”
  • gameplay90 mentions

    The gameplay in this installment of the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series is generally enjoyable, featuring engaging combat mechanics and a faithful retelling of the story, though it is often described as less challenging and more simplistic compared to its successors. While some players appreciate the nostalgic elements and boss battles, others criticize the substitution jutsu mechanics and overall gameplay depth, noting that it feels dated and less refined than newer titles. Overall, the game offers a mix of fun combat and story-driven experiences, but it may not satisfy those seeking a competitive or highly intricate fighting game.

    • “Developed by CyberConnect2, this installment in the Ultimate Ninja Storm series offers a captivating experience for fans and newcomers alike, with its engaging combat mechanics, breathtaking visuals, and a wealth of content to explore.”
    • “The gameplay has become much more interesting and exciting; you will not even notice how 40 hours will fly by.”
    • “Awesome gameplay, the combat is cooler than in Ultimate Ninja Storm 1, but the grind for achieving a perfect game is real.”
    • “The gameplay is inferior to Clash of Ninja 2 (GameCube).”
    • “Worst game in the series, basically because of the downgrade of gameplay and also you can get a bug with your playthrough with Viper Fang and can't reach the last achievements of the game.”
    • “The gameplay is a pile of shit.”
  • graphics41 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the cel-shaded art style that effectively captures the vibrant world of Naruto, while others note that the visuals can feel dated compared to more recent titles. Some players appreciate the improvements over previous installments, highlighting the stunning detail in character designs and animations, though criticisms arise regarding the quality of free-roam visuals and certain graphical limitations. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered good, they may not meet the expectations of those seeking cutting-edge visuals.

    • “Developed by CyberConnect2, this installment in the Ultimate Ninja Storm series offers a captivating experience for fans and newcomers alike, with its engaging combat mechanics, breathtaking visuals, and a wealth of content to explore.”
    • “The cel-shaded graphics beautifully recreate the vibrant and dynamic world of Naruto, bringing the characters and environments to life in stunning detail.”
    • “Graphically, the game is on a very high level due to the cell shading graphics, which make the game appear in the anime look.”
    • “Free world visuals are disgusting, just some photos with some motion; the loot-everything mechanic is just a time filler, along with all those ninja tools, but it can be good for tryhards.”
    • “Sure it is nostalgic, brings back early Shippuden days memories, but other than that, for a 2017 game, the graphics, controls, characters, free roaming in campaign, and more little stuff is crappy compared to other games of that time, in my opinion.”
    • “The visuals and sounds, though improved, remain rooted in a budget-conscious realm—just a tad better than the initial release.”
  • music21 mentions

    The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many users praising its fantastic soundtrack and immersive quality that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the heartwarming and dramatic compositions that accompany exploration and boss fights, contributing to the game's emotional depth. While there are some mixed opinions regarding specific tracks, the general consensus is that the music significantly elevates the gameplay.

    • “The music, animations, and places you explore are all heartwarming.”
    • “Not to mention the awesome soundtrack.”
    • “The story and roster are fine and the music is fantastic.”
    • “The soundtrack of the game totally sucks.”
    • “Yeah they did omit some stuff but I get it, if it was the whole story of Shippuden it would take at least 100 hours to beat the story mode not including additional stuff like the battle records and collecting all the battle scenes and music.”
    • “Fun and masterpieces of boss fights and music and does better than the boring bad animation fillers that are nonstop in the show that don't have effort in the dub unlike this game.”
  • grinding17 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspects of the game to be excessive and tedious, particularly due to the need to complete numerous battles with every character and the constant back-and-forth travel across the map. While some enjoy the adventure mode and the nostalgic feel of the anime, the repetitive nature of item gathering and achievement hunting detracts from the overall experience, leading to frustration and a sense of monotony. Many reviewers suggest that the grind is not worth the price of admission, as it often feels lazy and poorly designed.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
    • “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
    • “You have some ridiculous grindy achievements, needing to complete 30 battles with every single character and also online battles.”
    • “The material gathering and the continuous going back and forth for the side missions becomes tedious really quick.”
    • “The ratio of walking simulator in this game just makes no sense; it's boring, grindy, lazy, and terrible.”
  • optimization14 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users noting it as a poorly optimized port, particularly on PC, leading to occasional stuttering and performance issues. However, some players report that with proper tweaks, the game can run well, especially at higher resolutions. Overall, while the gameplay is enjoyable, the optimization concerns can detract from the experience, making it a point of contention among players.

    • “Edit: Performance is good on 4K resolution with very decent anti-aliasing.”
    • “This is a fantastic game in the series and is optimized well.”
    • “This is probably the best Storm game optimization-wise.”
    • “Awful port, bad optimization like every Naruto game from the series.”
    • “The gameplay is fun, but the thought of knowing that the game can stutter at any second makes it nerve-racking.”
    • “My reasoning is because this is an example of bad PC optimization.”
  • emotional10 mentions

    Players find the game emotionally impactful, with heartwarming music and animations that evoke strong feelings, leading to moments of genuine tears. However, many feel that key emotional scenes, particularly those involving character deaths, lack depth due to missing dialogue and poor pacing, resulting in a diminished emotional resonance compared to the original anime/manga. Additionally, some criticize the use of 3D models and voice acting, which can undermine the gravity of the emotional themes presented.

    • “The music, animations, and places you explore are all heartwarming.”
    • “Even with those things missing, it still made me want to cry a second time.”
    • “I cried 3 times while playing this.”
  • humor7 mentions

    The humor in the game is consistently highlighted, with players enjoying the comedic scenarios and character interactions that have become a staple of the series over its 20-year history. While some missions may be basic, many offer unique and amusing experiences, contributing to the overall entertainment value despite some criticisms of the game. The absurdity of certain gameplay elements, such as the lack of ninja-like movement, adds to the humor, making it a fun experience even amidst its flaws.

    • “The post-content is a victory lap and what possibly extends to 10+ hours of content replaying missions, doing side missions with other characters and the usual humor of the series sprinkled here and there.”
    • “While some of them are basic fetch quests, others will have you tackling unique and sometimes humorous scenarios involving many of the staple characters in the series.”
    • “The complete lack of ninja-esque movement makes it hilariously absurd, at least in my eyes.”
  • stability6 mentions

    The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting frequent freezes, bugs during boss fights, and significant issues with audio settings. Many players express frustration over the game's performance, describing it as a "buggy mess" that detracts from the overall experience.

    • “Game concept is great, but it freezes a lot.”
    • “The boss fights ruin this one for me. Gaara vs. Deidara, for instance, is super buggy; Gaara's aim is behind the opponent for his combos, so this fight takes like an hour.”
    • “I can't even get the game to work; it's extremely buggy and a bad port. It won't even detect my headphones, and eventually, it got to the point where it won't play any sound at all.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with players noting its immersive qualities and nostalgic appeal, particularly in the context of its engaging story and memorable boss fights. The game is also described as a perfect choice for those looking to relax and enjoy the richly crafted world, despite some slower-paced segments in the story mode.

    • “One of the best storm games I've ever played. The atmosphere of playing this game is so awesome! Best boss fights, good story, and gameplay. It's so nostalgic to come back to Storm 2.”
    • “There is a lot of walking in the story mode, so you should play this when you just want to sit back and enjoy the atmosphere of this world.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Players highlight that the game offers significant replayability due to the abundance of new missions and challenges available even after completing the main story, encouraging continued engagement.

    • “After finishing the game, there's still a lot of new missions to complete and new challenges added for the main story battles, which significantly increases the replay value.”
    • “The variety of choices and outcomes in the game makes each playthrough feel fresh and engaging.”
    • “With multiple character paths and endings, I find myself coming back to explore every possible scenario.”
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Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

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