The orange ninja and his crew return to your console once again in Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja STORM Revolution, available for the PC, PS3 and XBOX 360. With even more characters and powerful Jutsu from the main storyline than ever, this game brings them ALL (or almost all) onto the battlefield. With enough shinobi heroes and dastardly villains to fill an entire village, this game is pure fun for anyone with even so much as a passing interest in the world of Masashi Kishimoto's bestselling manga.

Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution has far and away the largest cast in any Naruto Video Game to date, a staggering number of which is available at startup. There are well over a hundred fighters to choose from overall (many being younger or older versions of the cast), and over two-thirds of them are yours to command from the get-go.  And that includes heroes, villains and Kage, so no worrying about having to invest over a hundred hours into game play before you’re allowed to play anyone halfway decent. (Which, by the way, is one of my biggest deal breakers with fighting games.)

As for game play itself, the entire experience is pure, simple fun without much else to get in the way. The main Single Player part of the game is the Ninja World Tournament Mode, where every version of every Naruto character with a name has joined a massive tournament, giving you the option to choose any of them as your champion. 

And by any, I do mean any. Seriously, scripted events become downright hilarious once you realize that you can select literally anyone in your roster to be your Player Character. I myself had a blast making friends with Naruto and the gang, and they were quite oddly forgiving of me, considering that I was playing Kabuto in Dragon Sage Mode. Heck, even the shopkeepers were falling all over themselves to sell me (and my giant navel snake) whatever we needed!

By the way, in case you're wondering how any tournament could actually bring together so many characters—living and otherwise—into one place without their grudges and/or ambitions destroying half the planet...well, keep wondering. I myself suspect that this is all happening in some strange judgment-free afterlife where the current Kage are still in charge. Or that we’re seeing Kishimoto-sensei's own Infinite Tsukuyomi room. Or maybe... Okay, okay, back to the review.

That’s not to say that Ultimate Ninja STORM Revolution is entirely perfect, especially if you like your games to come with a significant helping of story to balance out the action. The Tournament Mode definitely has lots of amazing landscape-altering brawls (and that is AWESOME), but the last game's storymode was very meaty and this one isn't quite on the same level. 

Then again, if you are jonesing for some Naruto plot, then just select “Ninja Escapades” Mode to play through several unique mini-storylines. For instance, in "The Creation of the Akatsuki", you watch as Obito, Pain, Zetsu and Konan slowly assemble the varied whackadoos that make up the Akatsuki by—what else?—bludgeoning them until they agree to join up. (Maybe I’ll give that a shot if things go south during my next job interview!) Both your character and your opponent are pre-selected for each of these fights, and it’s a great way to get out of your comfort zone if you tend to focus too much on just one fighter. To make things even more fun, each of these fights is separated from the others with hand-drawn cut scenes, almost as if your battles were in an episode of the actual Naruto Shippuden anime. The animation really doesn’t look too shabby either!

A great new edition to the game is Mecha Naruto! A strange robot that Naruto discovers while accompanying Hinata on a mission to the tournament's site. The robot looks exactly like Naruto, even calling itself Mecha Naruto! He instantly takes a liking to Hinata, but declares all-out war on his counterpart. Yet even as he’s telling his meatbag alter ego to bite his shiny metal hindquarters, Mecha-Naruto realizes that his memory is missing! Looks like he's got a quest! 

Now, some of you might actually want to play with another human being in this fighting game based on a manga that’s all about the power of friendship. (ASTOUNDING!) That’s where its two other play modes come in: Online Battle and Free Battle. Online Battle, as per the title, let you challenge other players across the net, rather than just throwing down with the built-in AIs. Of course, you'll need a good internet connection (along with an XBOX Gold account if you're going with the 360). 

There's also Free Battle if you happen to have both an extra controller and another human being ready on hand. (And stranger things have happened!) With this mode, you can select your own characters and fight to the end without ever getting off the couch. You can make the battle as complicated or simple as you like, with things like handicaps, items and so forth available to enhance the experience.

If you're a complete n00b—er, complete BEGINNER (like me)—then Free Battle’s Practice Mode will soon be your best friend. By default, the opponent you select will be an immortal mannequin that’ll just let you go for combo after combo without so much as a complaint. (Of course, if you DO want them to fight back, or not be immortal, you can use a menu to change all that.) This mode is a great way to perfect combos and techniques without worrying about anything else. You can get a feel for your character and learn his or her limits, ranges and so on. (Then there’s the added benefit of just getting to smack around that one character you hate forever and ever and ever! Huzzah!)

Also in Free Battle, you may setup a tournament, engage in League-type battles, or customize your character until they’re right for you! Whatever you choose, I'd actually recommend starting here just so you can get a sense of how the game works. Unless you already know your stuff, in which case congrats! 

The battle system itself matches up with Ultimate Ninja STORM 3, so your muscle memories should serve you well. And by the way, have I mentioned that there's a really, really, REALLY big character roster? Because these guys are legion! Original copies come with download codes for free DLC content, including unique fighters and an anime episode to watch as soon as you're done turning your enemies into hamburger patties.

Bottom line, what you want out of this game will decide how much you’ll enjoy it. Story-wise, it’s a tad anemic, but then again fighting games aren’t usually about the storyline anyway. In every other way, this is the biggest freaking Naruto game to date! And did you know that Naruto’s mom is a player? It’s true! I think that at least makes this game worth a look and a try! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some 3D ninja faces to make a bit more 2D, if you know what I mean!

Hint: To unlock Mecha Naruto, you'll have to beat the Ninja World Tournament! 

by Chris Turner

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™: Ultimate Ninja® STORM REVOLUTION

game software ©2014 BANDAI NAMCO Games America Inc.

©2002 MASASHI KISHIMOTO / 2007 SHIPPUDEN All Rights Reserved.