Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst Review

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, published by Namco Bandai

With a furious heart and maniacal finishers, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst is a blast of enjoyment; whether you play vs. mode, online battles, or ultimate adventure mode the combat is frantic, quick and easy to learn, yet difficult to master.



I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy the game, but I nevertheless gave it a purchase at the behest of a family member; all I can say is that it's a great thing I listened. Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 blows me away with its intangibles and well-polished visuals. Intangibly this game has heart and character. Tangibly, visual and design wise, this entry into the Naruto Ninja Storm series materializes a vibrant and well-choreographed reproduction of the popular manga and anime.  Fans and non-fans of the series will find something to embrace with this title. I find that with myself I am an off and on again fan, never really finding a quintessential balance. So, I can say, with reasonable experience, that it isn't solely on its fanatical embrace of the canon that this vagabond fighter is lofted--in my opinion, of course--to great combative heights, but, rather, it is how this commitment to fan expectations is achieved that gives me cause to praise the entire package that is Ultimate Ninja Storm 3.


First off, the core game-play is that of a simplistic, few button requisite combo-masher; or so it may seem at first. The circle button--on the PS3--is used to perform a number of combination attacks that only differ in input ever so slightly. For instance, the basic combos for every single character may boil down to four circle button presses on the controller, and that would be it. But I tend to think that this sheds itself of some of the excess of other fighters (read, by fight-fans: complexity and depth); this streamlining, if you will, doesn't mean less mechanical depth, on the contrary, there are--as I had to discover--quite the few nuances hidden within the games design. The triangle button--used to load one's chakra (energy/chi/Qi--life force)--adds another layer to each basic button function; it acts as a modifier allowing one to perform Ninjutsu (ninja techniques) and Ultimate Jutsu. The triangle button also allows the player to modify their movement speed (using the triangle and X buttons in combo) and throw energized kunai/shuriken (using the triangle and square buttons in combo), which when utilized effectively allows you to close the distance between yourself and an opponent--this is a more costly and proficient version of ninja dash, which is itself performed with a double-tap of the X button--and deflect opponents attacks. Add ninja movements--stylish, acrobatic maneuvers; ninja items--including attack/defense boosters, bombs, chakra refills, etc.; squad constructions-- both in their implementation within team battles and in the unique construction of certain character combinations and their special finishers/ jutsu's; and the ability to use powerful states called awakenings and you have some very interesting and varied mechanics and systems at play. 

 *Jutsu moves are hosts to embellished, screen-filling productions that are unique to individual characters* 

Pokémon X and Y Review

Refreshing, Spirited, Enticing and a Heck of a Lot of Fun. 

Pokémon Y From Nintendo

 

Pokémon X and Y are brilliant entries in the long running franchise, and they also mark the series debut on the Nintendo 3DS. Welcome to the world of Kalos-- beautiful sprays of warm, bright colors  are mixed with small and large graphical touches that spruce up the familiar and introduce a sense of joy that I have not garnered from a Pokémon entry in years. Yes, Black and White and their sequels, Black 2 and White 2, were great games in their own right, but it is the leap forward in polish afforded by the 3DS and the simultaneous streamlining of the experience that pushes X and Y just beyond the reach of their predecessors, once removed from nostalgic goggles, that is. 

You are a Pokémon trainer. You set off at a young age to challenge other trainers, capture Pokémon and become the champion of your regions Pokémon League. The game is expansive, sporting main city hubs and routes to explore--with Lumiose City being quite distinguished and familiar, not unlike the very grand and splayed Nimbasa City of Black and White. X and Y introduce Horde battles, which pit your Pokémon against a select group of congregated wild Pokémon of up-to five VS one. Then there is the fact that you are now given two starter Pokémon, yes, two. This sense of reward continues as these main entries are the first to introduce mega stones; These unique items offer in-battle evolutions that grant specific Pokémon, wielding specific stones, incredible new evolutions with new typing/new abilities  and boosted stats that set them way apart from their peers. Mega stones can feel overpowered to an extent, but they never felt too out of step with a felicity permeating the game. New Pokémon--over 60, Sky Battles, cafe battles, berry field breeding and more. The dazzling, unraveling thread of splendor is at a constant high-octane throughout the experience of the game. 


Speaking of the experience, it is clear that Game Freak, Inc.--developers of the main-entry Pokémon games (such as X and Y or Heart Gold and Soul Silver )-- and the long-time series director, Junichi Masuda, have taken the best of the series and refined it into a substance that is more palatable. How? you may ask. Well, from the very beginning the game gets you straight into the experience with little barriers. The player starts the game by picking their gender as usual, but, also, in a very welcome change to the formula--however slight--you can now select from up-to three character skin tones. This new wrinkle, if you will, to the customization formula is coupled with the ability to dress your avatar in a number of bite-sized fashion ensembles and articles of choice. The meat of the experience, the game that many fans have come to enjoy, is as it always has been--a rock-paper-scissors, turn-based, strategic collect-a-thon. What's more engaging, enjoyable, and inviting about the meat of the matter is the quicker pacing to the turn-based battles; the absolutely exquisitely rendered Pokémon character models (Yes, they are that good-- eye-candy that endures the entire journey and continuously brings a smile to my face whenever I revisit the game) and the additional immersive factor that is Pokémon-Amie. In Pokémon-Amie, the player is allowed to pet and play with their party of Pocket Monsters, raising their affection levels--which can lead to unexpected effects, among other things--and increasing the bond between Pokémon and trainer; this bond actually has in-game benefits, with enough care you can make your Pokémon fight more effectively in battle--they withstand blows that would normally knock them out, and they have an increased chance of making critical hits, just as a few examples.