14 DAY TRIAL // Namco Bandai Games America just unveiled another addition to the fighting genre, and it's another licensed title for the PlayStation Portable. Based on the very popular manga and anime, the latest beat-em-up from the publisher features all our beloved characters from Naruto Shippuuden and more. Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3 follows the same path as the anime and the number-one unpredictable ninja in his search for his best friend, Uchiha Sasuke. As the third installment in the series, the game will feature what we've come to like, as well as what we've disliked about the previous titles, but it will also bring some new traits as well.
"The Ultimate Ninja series continues to be one of the most popularNaruto video game franchises for fans of the anime and manga around the world," Todd Thorson, the director of marketing and public relations for for Namco Bandai Games, said. "Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3 continues to innovate and refine the series’ trademark fighting mechanics, introducing new characters, and ensuring gamers at any skill level can fight like a true ninja."
Among the new additions to the title, players will be able to engage in multiplayer matches that support up to four of them. This also means that the fighting engine has been scaled to accommodate the larger number of combatants, but also that there are a lot more characters available.
With over 50 available characters, the cast is made up of the popular ninjas of the Shippuuden universe, which also include Young Kakashi and Obito Uchiha, from the Kakashi Gaiden arc that was made a part of the anime series. The multiplayer will feature special co-op maneuvers and tactics, like a team-attack Jutsu or interrupt an opponent's Ultimate Jutsu to save one's partner from certain death.
The title also features a special Adventure mode, where players can follow the story of the anime all the way up to the Hidan and Kakuzu arc, and continue with two new missions. Also, these adventures can be shared in a three-player co-op via an ad-hoc connection, to represent the famous three-man cell layout of the shinobi. Players will also be able to take part in Battle or Action stages, where special objectives will have to be completed, like escaping from danger or very high-paced fighting.