GameSpy writes: "Like many anime-based fighting games, the original Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes for PSP was a passable, if pedestrian, title that made no effort to hide the fact that it was created solely for fans of the franchise. It should also come as no surprise that this sequel adds little to the experience save a subtitle (complete with awkward second colon!) and a story-based adventure mode to which the subtitle refers.
Once again, you take control of Naruto and the other cast members of the anime/manga series (there are over 20 this time around). Despite the 3D graphics, the fighting is purely on a 2D plane. You can, however, freely move between the fore- and background planes. The bulk of the fighting is handled by pressing the Circle button in combination with the d-pad. Other buttons allow you to toss projectiles or charge up your aura to use a special move, but these are used far less frequently during combat. This simple fighting engine makes the game much more accessible to casual players, but it also results in fairly dull fights after a while. Combine that with the fact that the characters tend to play the same, and you have a formula that quickly wears thin."
Pros:
-Simple fighting engine allows beginners to get into the game
-Game Sharing multiplayer
-Mugenjo mode is lengthy
Cons:
-Mugenjo mode is also kinda dull
-Fighting engine lacks depth
-No online multiplayer
PS3Life writes about the games of Naruto ever since the Naruto-games were available.
The Anime and Manga that besides being an element of success, and a conversion for video games also, Dragon Ball is an example of an anime that has already had dozens of games, Naruto is no exception. Shippuden Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3 is an exclusive title for the Playstation Portable that will come out this year.
GCM writes: "I cannot claim to be even the least bit knowledgeable regarding the Naruto manga brand, but I do know that the ninja-flavored animation series on Cartoon Network is one of the more highly regarded of its genre. Much like the American-drawn Avatar: The Last Air Bender series, the Naruto series provides an exciting and accessible anime experience for American audiences, with a lot less of the confusing plot structure of the standard Japanese fare like Pokémon and Dragonball Z.
As any cartoon series worth its weight soon finds itself wading into the sea of video gaming, the Naruto franchise already has nearly a half-dozen game iterations either in production or already released since its North American introduction in 2003.
The game we are looking at this time around is Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress (yeah, that's quite a title) for the PSP. A sequel to last-year's Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes, this version follows the Japanese development trend of taking a successful franchise, making only a few incremental changes, and then shipping the title to market. We have seen it with Dynasty Warriors, Gundam, and now Naruto. But unlike the other titles, Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2 is actually kind of fun, so we'll let it slide…this time."
