The Shippuden Arc comes to a close in this entry, but does it end on a high?
I’ve been reviewing the Naruto games for a number of years now and I have to admit, I still have absolutely no idea what is going on story-wise. For some reason, it just all gets a little too confusing for me…and I can watch some pretty complex shows and films. Maybe it’s just the random nature of Japanese anime that I find hard to follow, like how these people will suddenly start flying and then turn into gigantic creatures fighting each other.
But despite that, I actually do enjoy the games…especially the Ultimate Storm series, which looks about as authentic to the source material as you would imagine. This is the final entry in the Ultimate Storm series, but can the series go out on a high? Naruto fans will enjoy it, but will be dismayed that some sections of the Shippuden story are missing, which is a bit of a disappointment for the final entry. Instead of focusing on bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion, it does the bare minimum…lasting at only a few hours before it’s all wrapped up. The main focus of the final entry seems to be the multiplayer mode.
The issue with that is that it’s more or less the same mode we’ve been playing for multiple entries now. The roster does cover the entire Shippuden line of characters, which is impressive and the controls do feel the most refined they have to date, but it does feel very familiar. For the final entry in the series, it feels more like a “by the numbers” approach, which is unfortunate. It’s not terrible, don’t get me wrong…the game handles well and looks incredible, running at a smooth framerate throughout, it’s just been done before and has had more story content in the past.
CyberConnect2 has always done a great job with the series, which makes it all the more surprising that they didn’t bring their A Game to the table for the finale. Multiplayer works well, although it does suffer from the odd connection woe and sometimes the odd glitch, but that applies to single player too. It’s rare, but it can occur…and one thing that simply hasn’t improved is the game’s AI. Despite having a competent combat system, the AI isn’t up to par.
The Verdict
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 should have been the game to bring the Shippuden story to a close in a great way. Instead a lot of the story is missing and the main focus is on multiplayer, it’s a shame. Despite that, it’s still a great game with a decent combat system and is still highly addictive online, but Naruto fans will be disappointed by the lack of content compared to past entries.