I've always been a fan of the
CyberConnect2's Naruto Storm games. Not only were they the first game to
truly nail not only the anime aesthetics, they were also the first to
offer completely simplistic yet exhilarating combat, that delivered on
the promise to make it feel like you're playing the anime series. The
latest venture, dubbed Generations, gives fans not only a crash course
into the original Naruto storyline, but the more grown up Shippuden
storyline as well. Does this mash-up of generations make this the
ultimate Naruto game?
Yes and no. Generations is an
odd end-result of a line of games that were both extremely fun and
informative (when recapping the story) and completely approachable by
anyone willing to pick up a controller and take a stab at it. Ultimate
Jutsu's were only a button press away, stylish air dashes and
substitutions were pulled off with ease, and each and every battle was a
spectacle to watch. The first two games also had a nice sense of
exploration and had players venturing through Hidden Leaf Village in
Storm, and even surrounding areas in Storm 2. So where does Generations
stand in all of this?
Right in the middle.
The combat is still as
simplistic as ever. With one button, you can pull off incredible and
fluid combos that will have your character kicking your opponents ass
from one side of the arena to the next. There are absolutely no button
input combinations a-la Street Fighter, instead, pressing the action
button with various directions will yield different combos. It's a neat
system that helps make the game feel more like the anime. A ranged
button will throw shurikens and kunais at your enemies, and your Jutsu
button will activate your aura to either execute a super move, or an
ultimate move.
If you're at all used to any of the
previous Storm games, chances are you'll feel right at home here, but
rest assured there are a few tweaks. The biggest one is a substitution
meter. In essence, previous games relied on a precise block button
input, right as you're about to get hit. This will turn your character
into a stump of wood, or whatever element they represent, and pop up
immediately behind the attacking character. This was a great system
which allowed for players stuck in combos, to quickly change the flow of
combat and get an upper hand. The problem here was that this could be
used over and over by both characters, resulting in a substitution duel,
rather than an actual fight. The new substitution meter only gives a
certain amount of substitutions each character can pull off, until it's
replenished. It's a welcome addition that doesn't make that system feel
cheap.
You can still select up to two
support characters to take along to the fight with you, but you still
can't switch to them mid-combat, instead you can call upon them to jump
in and perform their offensive or defensive move. Call upon them enough
and your Support Drive will fill up, meaning they'll jump in and help
regardless of you pressing their button. Another sweet addition are the
Ninja Info Cards. These can now be tied to your profile which not only
personalize it, but each card grants a certain buff in game. These are
especially useful when taking the fight online.
Where Generations differs
greatly from it's predecessors is the presentation. I was excited to
hear that both the original and the Shippuden storylines were being
included in the game, as I was really hoping to play through them in a
similar manner as Storm 2. I wanted to once again explore the lands that
the world of Naruto takes place in, and once again experience the
battles that made the series so heart pumping. Instead, the game decided
to go completely back to basics. The story is now even more abridged,
with a ton of key fights not even present in each story, but the
exploration was completely taken out. Now, each story is essentially a
short anime cutscene, and then a bunch of voiced over stills, followed
by a short fight. Was I a bit disappointed? Definitely.
The exploration wasn't the only
thing that was cut. Some of the key fights that don't appear in the
game, were actually some of the most exhilarating ones from the previous
games. Where is the fight with Naruto against Gaara, where Gaara
unleashes his Jinchuuriki, and then Naruto is forced to fight the giant
beast that resides within him. Or for that matter, I also miss the mid
battle cutscenes that resulted in a few QTE instances, which always had
some epic animations associated with it. Instead the game is completely
stripped bare down to the essentials, which results in short fight after
short fight, with some exposition thrown in between. With that said,
the other characters you can play as in Story mode offer some truly
great back stories that were not touched on previously in Naruto games,
such as the tale of Zabuza and Haku.
I think what also bothers me the
most about the game is that despite the minor tweaks to the fighting
mechanics, I could almost not distinguish this game from it's two
predecessors. Though there are 38 stages, a lot of them are exactly the
same ones we've been seeing in the past games. It's tough to improve on
something graphically that already looks so damn impressive, and this I
understand, but at the same time, I shouldn't be feeling like I'm
playing the same (or very similar) game I've played before. But then
again, I can't even imagine how Call of Duty players feel like year
after year. I said it.
Don't get me wrong however,
Generations is still an extremely fun game. The fact that it's devoid of
many of the features that I've grown to love in the series does not
negate the fact that the fighting is still incredibly fun. There are
still a ton of things I love about Generations. For one, the sheer
amount of characters that you unlock (yes you heard right, unlock!)
throughout the game are all fun to play as. Sure there are a few
versions of Naruto and a few versions of Sasuke, not to mention young
and older versions of his friends, but luckily each of these come with
varied movesets, that don't resemble their counterparts. The total
number of playable characters is a massive 72, along with 15 more
characters that can only be used as support.
You can take the fight online like I
mentioned previously but this experience is hit or miss, or at least it
was in my attempts. When trying to set certain parameters for finding
other people to play, I would usually time out, or by the time I was
presented with other players, it said they're room was already full.
Quick Matches yielded better results here and there, and when it
actually did work, it was a blast! Though be prepared to know your
Jutsu's, people are truly relentless online.
There is also a ton of
collecting to do in the game. Each fight nets you a Ryo (currency)
bonus, which you can use to spend on items in the shop, such as
different substitutions, new Ninja Info Cards, or titles which you can
adorn your cards with. It's not all amazing stuff, but those into
collecting everything will have tons to do in Generations.
I've already mentioned that the
game is damn near impossible to distinguish from its anime counterpart,
save for the extremely fluid animations, but it also sounds amazing.
Fans of the show can use the original Japanese voices or the American
dub as well, and the soundtrack is brimming with Naruto goodness.
Honestly, these songs range from epic Asian influenced combat songs, to
somber and moving tunes which only enhance whatever the current scenario
playing out is.
I don't have to tell Naruto fans
twice, as they've had this game pre-ordered for months I'm sure or
already have it in their systems now. Outsiders that want to break into
the Naruto franchise might actually have the best chance with
Generations. Though I've stated that some key battles were left out of
the main storylines, you can still get a gist of what the storyline is
about, and walk away with a general understanding of the series. Though
Generations won't impress the hardcore fighting fans with it's
simplistic combat, it's still fun enough for anyone to pick and play,
and have a great time with. Believe it! (Sorry, I just had to)
Source : gamezone.com
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