NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM

CyberConnect2 has done a terrific job with the Naruto franchise. With Ultimate Ninja Storm being a PlayStation 3 exclusive, it’s evident that the developers took advantage of the hardware they were given. Fans of the series should be ecstatic, while newcomers may be surprised with how much they enjoy the game.

77%Game Brain Score

gameplay, graphics

story, grinding

77% User Score Based on 2,048 reviews

Critic Score 75%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm" is a 3D fighting game set in the Naruto anime universe, where players can battle as their favorite characters, using powerful jutsu attacks and acrobatic maneuvers. The game features a roster of 25 characters, each with unique abilities and the chance to unleash powerful Awakening abilities. It also offers free-roaming exploration of the Hidden Leaf Village and the Forest of Death, as well as head-to-head multiplayer fighting for up to two players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,048 reviews

gameplay75 positive mentions

story156 negative mentions

story
1,390 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
78%
11%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed to negative feedback, with many players criticizing its disjointed presentation and lack of depth. The narrative is primarily conveyed through text rather than cutscenes, leading to a feeling of incompleteness, especially as significant arcs, like the Zabuza storyline, are omitted. Additionally, the requirement to complete numerous repetitive side missions to unlock main story content has frustrated players, detracting from the overall experience of reliving Naruto's journey.
- “Additionally, reliving the classic story arcs is an incredible nostalgic experience.”
- “This game delivers an engaging story mode that captures the essence of the Naruto series wonderfully.”
- “The story follows (some) of the original series' plot, though just through brief text descriptions of the unfolding events before putting you in a battle.”
- “The story mode is a barely there collection of missions without more than a paragraph of explanation as to what's going on in the story.”
- “The lackluster part is that a significant amount of the story in the story missions is told through scrolling text on the screen.”
- “You can't do story missions all the time, you have to do some side missions to get enough story points.”
gameplay
261 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
57%
14%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its combat mechanics and character diversity, while others criticize its clunky controls, lack of tutorials, and repetitive mission structure. Players appreciate the engaging fighting mechanics and visuals, but find the overall experience marred by optimization issues, confusing mechanics, and a disjointed story presentation. While some fans enjoy the nostalgic elements and fun combat, many recommend exploring later entries in the series for a more refined gameplay experience.
- “With its stunning visuals, accessible yet deep gameplay, diverse character roster, and engaging story mode, it's a must-play for fans of Naruto and fighting games alike.”
- “The gameplay in 'Ultimate Ninja Storm' is accessible yet deep, striking a balance that allows players of all skill levels to enjoy the experience.”
- “Characters' depth, well-thought-out mechanics, and combat dynamics are simply unmatched.”
- “The gameplay design and story presentation of this game is confusing at best.”
- “The combat mechanics are shallow and unresponsive, with sluggish controls that make executing combos and special moves a frustrating experience.”
- “The gameplay is very boring and very, very repetitive.”
graphics
131 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The graphics of "Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm" are generally praised for their vibrant cel-shaded art style, which effectively captures the essence of the anime and has aged well since its 2008 release. However, some players note issues with optimization and performance, particularly on lower-end systems, leading to lag and graphical inconsistencies. Overall, while the visuals are considered good for their time, there are mixed opinions on their execution and the need for better optimization.
- “The game captures the essence of the series with its vibrant graphics and super smooth combat style, making every fight exciting.”
- “The cel-shaded graphics beautifully recreate the vibrant and dynamic world of Naruto, bringing the characters and environments to life in stunning detail.”
- “For a game that came out in 2008, the graphics are pretty good.”
- “Trash graphic optimization; graphics run laggier than Crysis.”
- “You need a NASA computer to run full graphics for a 2004 game.”
- “Environment graphics are fine, but character models look very outdated, like from an old PSP game.”
grinding
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
6%
93%
The grinding aspect of the game has received significant criticism, with many players finding the repetitive side missions and resource collection tedious and monotonous. While some enjoy the nostalgic elements and combat, the overwhelming emphasis on grinding for experience points and unlockables detracts from the overall experience, making progression feel laborious and frustrating. Overall, players suggest that the game requires a considerable time investment for those aiming for 100% completion, often leading to boredom and dissatisfaction.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The gameplay is extremely repetitive and grindy, especially if you want to 100% this thing, which is also tough because there are glitches on the achievements that you fix by connecting a controller.”
- “The forced side missions and almost no voice over, along with repetitive missions and tedious scroll collection, makes this game poor compared to all the other Storm installments.”
- “While boss fights and combat are fun, the menial side tasks and mission experience grinding just to see the next story element is repetitive.”
optimization
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
60%
19%
The game's optimization has received widespread criticism, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including frame rate drops, stuttering, and glitches that can disrupt gameplay. While some users managed to achieve stable performance by adjusting settings, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized for modern PCs, making it difficult to recommend at its current state. Despite decent graphics and gameplay, the optimization problems detract from the experience, leading to frustration among players.
- “Graphically, the game is decent for the time it came out and offers a good bit of graphical options/optimization in case of low-end PCs.”
- “I didn't have any performance issues at all, playing at 60fps and never had any problem with the QTEs, and I got a full bonus in all rank-s missions.”
- “Performance: I was pleasantly surprised when I started it because it runs solid 60 fps, with no lag or anything. I didn't experience any input lags on the quick time events and/or in-game. The cutscenes and the gameplay have been remastered perfectly into 1080p; this category is a solid 10/10.”
- “The game is a terribly optimized port for PC.”
- “This is one of the worst optimized games I've ever played.”
- “Game has serious optimization issues and save files are deleted by the game itself.”
music
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
71%
9%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its coherence and emotional range, likening it to the soundtracks of the Naruto anime. While some find the compositions enjoyable and fitting for gameplay, others feel the music is not particularly memorable or immersive, with a few noting issues like sound bugs. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a solid addition, enhancing the experience despite some clunky elements in its integration.
- “Despite not being fully immersed in this game's music, I can see the appeal, as they're long enough compositions to incorporate different feelings and moods while you listen.”
- “As for the music, it's good, what you'd expect from a Naruto game if you're familiar with the anime and previous Ultimate Ninja games.”
- “The soundtrack fits really well both in menus and missions.”
- “I don't believe any of the songs that play in the game come directly from the anime, but utilize similar instrumentation for their composition.”
- “But the music itself was not memorable for me.”
- “Silent voices, loud music, suddenly changing volume and even once I had a sound bug where a sound effect got stuck in the background and I had to restart the game.”
stability
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
88%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs and glitches, particularly on PC, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences, including crashes and lost progress. While some users found the game playable and enjoyable despite these issues, others described it as a "buggy mess" that detracts from the overall experience. The PS4 version appears to perform better, but completionists may encounter achievement-related bugs that require workarounds.
- “The game runs great on Steam Deck, except for the Chunin Exam arena.”
- “It's a shame because the PS4 version runs great.”
- “This game feels more polished, with no glitches, no bugs, and no crashes.”
- “Buggy and laggy as hell.”
- “Only play this game if you got it in the legacy bundle at a low price; this game is not worth more than $5.00. It lags and performance on PC is sad for a Storm game. The glitches are a game-breaking issue that I wish they would fix; some have been known to make you wipe your game and start from scratch.”
- “I've given up playing it after putting more time into troubleshooting problem after problem than actually playing the game.”
replayability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
59%
18%
The game's replayability is generally viewed as limited, with many players noting that it offers only artificial replay value through repetitive missions and minigames. While some find it worth the investment for its content, others suggest waiting for a sale due to its short length and lack of substantial replay incentives. Overall, the consensus leans towards a desire for more depth and variety to enhance replayability.
- “Overall this game is worth the money, and it has lots of replay value.”
- “A pretty short game in general, there is some slight replay value if you want to retry previous missions with the goal of getting a higher rating.”
- “🔲 infinitely replayable”
- “Really just artificial replayability.”
- “A pretty short game in general, there is some slight replay value if you want to retry previous missions with the goal of getting a higher rating, but in only 26 hours I managed to get all of the achievements and walk away with what I wanted out of this game.”
- “I would wait until it goes on sale like I did, not much replay value otherwise.”
humor
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding moments of genuine hilarity, particularly in character interactions and absurd scenarios, such as Naruto's antics. However, some reviewers feel that the humor is inconsistent and overshadowed by gameplay challenges, leading to a desire for more comedic content. Overall, while the game has its funny moments, it may not fully deliver on the comedic potential expected by some players.
- “Game is repetitive on some points and there are a couple of hard missions, but for me, the game is funny and that is the most important.”
- “Naruto cannon into a wall is genuinely the most hilarious thing I've ever experienced in a fighting game.”
- “Funny ramen boy beats up people he cares about.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, particularly through its nostalgic references to the Naruto series and impactful moments, such as Naruto's transformation and character dynamics. However, some reviewers felt disappointed by the omission of key story elements, like the iconic first episode, which diminished the emotional weight of the narrative. Overall, the game successfully evokes feelings of nostalgia but leaves some fans wanting more from its storytelling.
- “The game does a good job of touching on the nostalgia I once had for the show.”
- “I was very disappointed though in the opening of the story mode because they skipped episode 1 especially; they don't show Naruto fighting Mizuki and the big moment where he pulls off the multi shadow clone jutsu and the whole emotional crying scene with Naruto and Iruka sensei.”
- “Naruto turns into his fox form and says, 'I am Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm.' I cried from the cinematic writing.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
Character development in the game is largely criticized, with many reviewers noting that important plot points are overlooked and character growth is minimal compared to the source material. Despite some attempts to introduce original content through side missions, these efforts do not significantly enhance character depth.
- “The game clearly shows inclinations towards making original content in the form of side missions with their own snippets of story and character development.”
- “Important plot points are glossed over or omitted entirely, and character development is virtually nonexistent.”
- “Not this one though, they barely show any character development (very different from the show).”
- “Which is weird because the game also clearly shows inclinations towards making original content in the form of side missions with their own snippets of story and character development.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, primarily targeting Naruto fans, which detracts from its overall potential and quality.
- “This game could have been a lot more, but it feels like a cash grab aimed at Naruto fans.”
- “The monetization system is overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “I feel like the developers prioritized profits over player experience, which really detracts from the overall enjoyment.”