I have to say that I had been wanting to get this game for years. It was right up there with Dragon Ball Z Raging Blast as the highest game on my list. It took me a few years to finally get it and I can say that it was as good as I expected. This is definitely one of the greatest games out there and now I’ll talk about why it’s so great.

First, I just want to explain why it took so long to get this game. I have loads of games on my list and while this was the highest one, it was also more money than some others. Why get Naruto for 30 dollars when I could buy 4 other games for that same amount of money? It’s the whole quantity vs quality debate. I admit that I usually go for quantity in that case because it’s fun to have a lot of options. Still, I finally got this game for my birthday with a few other games. (You can expect to see reviews for them at some point. I will say that DOA 2 Hardcore was also one of my Birthday games)

This isn’t the first game in the Ninja Storm series so you may already know the gameplay, but I’ll explain it just in case. It’s a 3D battle style, but don’t mistake it for Xmen Legacy or Iron Man 2! This is a deep 3D battle style and each character has a lot of attacks and combos that can be used. When you’re hit by an attack, you have to option to quickly turn into a log and stop the combo. You can’t do this forever as there is a new meter that prevents people from spamming this function.

You can use close combat techniques or launch a projectile jutsu and see how it fares. The gameplay is really fun, thanks in part to the large cast of diverse characters. This is one game where you may not spam final smashes quite as much as in other games because some of them can be pretty easy to dodge, which leaves you vulnerable to attack. You can play 1 on 1 battles or use the team system, which equips you with two other characters that you can summon as backup. It’s essentially the same system as in Marvel vs Capcom in that respect. Some characters also have an Awakening mode, which drastically amplifies their attack power and you sometimes get a whole new moveset. They’re really fun to use and they make sure that you feel every hit while in those forms. I suspect that the sound effects are increased during that time period to really get you ready for some action.

The graphics amplify the gameplay because they are pretty great. The attacks stand out and the colors are very flashy. You’ll notice this a lot if you play as the 4th Hokage since almost all of his attacks have yellow energy around them. This game also has fully animated cutscenes that look really good. You’ll think that you’re watching the TV show when they come on. Each Story episode typically has two big animated cutscenes and you can tell that they put a lot of work into this game.

The soundtrack is pretty good for the game, although it’s definitely not as strong as it could have been. You really won’t be paying much attention to the music while you’re fighting, but I would have liked some more rock themes. In Gaara’s opening, we get an incredible piece of music, but it never appears again and I can’t seem to find it online. Beyond that, Story Mode has a pretty catchy tune, but it basically shows up for every battle so it may get a little repetitive after a while. I would say that the music is average, but that’s still not bad. It definitely could have been a lot worse.

Story Mode is a mixed bag for me. Instead of going through the whole plot like the games usually do, this game decided that a few characters would just get their own story. It’s basically an Arcade Mode with an intro/ending as well as a short cutscene before each fight. The problem is that the story doesn’t really make a lot of sense this way. It’s enjoyable and you’ll still get what’s happening, but I would have preferred the traditional approach. One thing that you will definitely pick up is the fact that Naruto and Sasuke are the two most important characters. They have a big role in just about every story and you’ll realize that they’re basically invincible. Killer Bee gets his own story as well, but it’s basically filler and more of a homage to the character than anything. He doesn’t get any big cutscenes, but we get to see him rap and dance…that’s something I suppose. (Not a Killer Bee fan!)

Unlike some of the other games that I’ve been reviewing lately, this game has a lot of extra content that will keep you playing for a while. There are about a dozen tournaments to enter and completing them all gives you various titles and unlockables as well as a decent amount of money. Next, you’ve also got over a dozen levels of survival mode to play and unlock more content as well. Then we’ve got the traditional two player mode and you can have fun in team battles or standard play.

Replay Value is definitely not something that Generations is lacking. There are many things to buy at the shop and you’ll need to get a lot of money if you really want to buy them all. Getting some things to unlock in the shop requires you to play as all of the characters and use their final smashes. It may seem like a daunting task, but the gameplay is so fun that you probably won’t even mind.

Naturally, this game also has trophies to earn and boost your user profile. I haven’t acquired the Platinum this time, but the trophies don’t seem outrageous. There are some difficult ones in there, but none that I would consider unfair or pointless. Beating all tournaments and survival modes is a reasonable trophy since it’s something that you would be inclined to do anyway. Plus, as a customer, you want to get the maximum value for the game that you just bought right?

I suppose that it’s not a surprise that this game is so great. Naruto’s had an excellent track record as far as video games go. The first Ultimate Ninja Storm was great and the Clash of Ninja series has always been one of the better fighters. Ultimate Ninja is great and those games had a lot of characters and even the Dragon Blade spinoff was decent considering that the controls weren’t the best. Naruto is just one of those franchises that really knows how to make a top of the line game.

Overall, I highly recommend this game! It’s extremely fun and there is a lot to do. The character roster is pretty large so you shouldn’t have a tough time trying to find someone to play with. Story Mode may not be very clear, but you can still experience the story through various characters and its pretty fun. If nothing else, it can help you become a fan and start reading the manga or watching the anime. This is one of the select games that I can confidently call and All Star. There are very few games that beat this one so I would recommend buying it when you have the chance!

Overall 9/10