Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress (PSP)
It's hard for fans of the Naruto series to keep track of the avalanche of various tie-in games. Not only are there a huge number of titles floating around (and on the way) for various platforms, but several of those titles also have different publishers and developers. This review will take a look at Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress for the PlayStation Portable from Namco Bandai and CyberConnect2. Does the game with the long name bring anything new to the table?
alt="Raaahhhhh!" />The Phantom Fortress, like the original Ultimate Ninja Heroes, is a basic fighting game in the vein of the Super Smash Bros. series. Like SSB, the characters and environments have a somewhat 3-D look, but the action takes place on a strictly 2-D plane. Also like SSB, the controls of Phantom Fortress are skewed towards the simplistic so that newcomers can hold their own against fighting game vets. The visuals here are richer than SSB, however, with an extra coat of cel shading to better mimic the feel of the Naruto cartoon.
If you're a hardcore gamer looking for a deep fighting experience with an encyclopedia of moves and combos? well, keep looking. But, if what you want is a fast paced button masher where the most important things to remember are when to block and when to hit that Circle button? The welcome mat is out for you, my friend. For the most part, the gameplay mechanics of Phantom Fortress follow the rule, "He who hits the buttons fastest wins." Admittedly, there's not a lot of meat to the fighting here, but it still manages to be a tasty snack for fans of the property.
alt="Fight scene" />But what does Phantom Fortress bring to the table that's new from the original Ultimate Ninja Heroes? Truthfully, not a hell of a lot. The look, feel and sounds are essentially the same, repackaged for another hit at the wallet. Aside from a few new characters and a couple of different stages, you'd be hard pressed to tell any difference between this game and the first one? at least until you check out Phantom Fortress' new Mugenjo Mode.
Mugenjo Mode takes the player on a dungeon crawl-like adventure, adding some semblance of a plot to the game's otherwise repetitive action. The gist of the plot involves a mysterious building being summoned out of thin air near Hidden Leaf Village. Despite the danger the building represents, Naruto charges in. Exploring the titular Phantom Fortress, Naruto faces off against illusionary copies of friends and foes alike, eventually recruiting some extra help to bring the fortress down.
In Mugenjo Mode, players navigate from room to room, uncovering Drama locations that further the plot and often yield an enemy to fight. Players can also use scrolls uncovered in the course of the exploration to unlock mini-games like answering Naruto trivia or and Simon Says-style memory games. Players also have to keep track of their characters' health, swapping out for fresh teammates when needed. Overall, the Mugenjo Mode does a decent job of adding a few more hours of gameplay to the Ultimate Ninja Heroes experience, though it's ultimately just a watered down plot device meant to tie together fights.
alt="Power Burst" />Rounding out Phantom Fortress' gameplay features are Heroes Mode, a string of plotless team battles; the Ninja Store, where players can use points earned in the game to unlock characters, stages and other such bonuses; and ad hoc multiplayer options, with game sharing capabilities for those without their own copy of the game.
Visually, Phantom Fortress remains faithful to the source material. The cel-shaded characters look sharp and detailed on the small PSP screen. Sometimes when the camera pans out for a wider view a lot of details get lost, but overall the game's graphics should satisfy fans. As for the audio, purists will be thrilled to know you can switch between English and the original Japanese at any time. Unfortunately, the background music is bland and uninspired.
In the end, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: Phantom Fortress is a game that hardcore fans will love. However, by following the, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" axiom so closely, the developers really don't give more casual fans any reason to shell out 40 dollars for an experience that's virtually identical to the original Ultimate Ninja Heroes, which, incidentally, is now available for only $20.
This review was based on a retail copy of the game purchased by Crispy Gamer.
