Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes
By: Eric M. Martin |
Wednesday August 01, 2007 |
 |
A new Naruto fighter for the PSP |
| Once again, Static Multimedia had the chance to speak with Andrew Davis, Localization Specialist for Namco Bandai, in regards to two new Naruto releases that will hit American shores and shelves close to the end of the third quarter of 2007. The first is Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes for the PSP, which has a release date of August 28, 2007. Staying within the same lines as the Ultimate Ninja titles released for the PS2, Ultimate Ninja Heroes is a two-dimensional fighting game similar to Street Fighter, but with a lightness in appearance similar to Super Smash Bros., although there will be nothing light about the blows that will be traded. Ultimate Ninja Heroes boasts 20 playable characters from the Naruto universe over eight stages of fighting and several modes of play, such as Heroes Mode, VS CPU Mode, and Promotion Test Mode, where you can satisfy certain combat requirements in order to increase your ninja rank. Heroes Mode holds the highlights and the ability to better your fighters. At the beginning of each battle, you are presented with a list of achievements. Completing these achievements earn you more power points, which are used to boost the parameters of your fighters. However, power points are not in a communal pool. If you want to level up certain characters, you have to play as those characters. Fighting is much more than just a one-on-one showdown. You have the chance to fight as a team of up to three fighters. Your choice of the number is completely up to you. Along with the team options, the PSP’s Ad Hoc multiplayer lets you fight against another player and show off your skills. Sadly, there is no online play due to technical limitations. Here are some of the questions that were answered throughout the course of the call, in order to give you more of an idea what this title is all about. Static Multimedia: ”Is the 3-on-3 gameplay going to be similar to older King of Fighters setups, where you choose the order of your fighters, or will you be able to “tag out” between your team members during the fight? Also, if one character is defeated, does your whole team lose?” Andrew Davis: Teams of up to three characters are allowed. You can choose a premade team or create a custom team. When one of them loses, the next character in the order you’ve selected takes their place. There is no tagging out. Also, if you create a team that has a “special affinity”, then you can unlock special team skills before the fights, such as power down the team members, lessen their chakra, or even poison them. Static Multimedia: “When trading profiles, will there be extra slots for each profile variant, or will “better profiles” overwrite current profiles?” Andrew Davis: Online profiles are much like a calling card, where you can show off how well you’ve done in battles over the span of the game. Static Multimedia: “If you choose to fight alone instead of with a team, will you always fight one-on-one, or will there be unbalanced scenarios? If so, will there be adjusted handicaps?” Andrew Davis: If you choose to fight alone, you’re basically saying “I have enough confidence to take you all out with one character.” There are no adjusted handicaps, but you get a major multiplier for power points. With a lack of fighting games out these days, Namco Bandai seeks to revitalize a seemingly dormant genre by harkening back to some slam-tastic basics. Sporting insanely speedy load times between battles and a host of customizable battle lineups, Ultimate Ninja Heroes is sure to be a solid smash! |
|
|
|
|