NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM – OUT NOW!

[Shin-Ra]

NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORMs PS3 Tomorrow!
+ Posted by Hiroshi Matsuyama // CyberConnect2

Hello PlayStation.Blog readers around the world! My name is Hiroshi Matsuyama from CyberConnect2, the developer of NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM.

Last time I spoke with you, I covered some of our basic game features. Today, as promised, I’d like to share some of our development secrets with you so that you can learn about how we made this incredible game.

We began work on the game in January 2006, while most of our company was still working on the .hack//G.U. series for PlayStation 2. We hand-picked a team of our 10 most obsessive developers which constantly grew in number as the project progressed. The team expanded from 10 to 20, 30 and eventually 65 people, which were all working on the game for the last 9 months of development. Our basic concept for the game was to eliminate the lines between traditional animation and video games. This is a pretty serious goal! We knew that to meet this goal, we would have to produce a game the likes of which nobody has ever seen.

Fundamentally speaking, I think CyberConnect2 is good at action games. After gameplay, we pay a lot of attention to graphics. With Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, we knew we couldn’t just advance our graphics technology by just one step – we had to aim for two steps. Everyone here is a fan of every type of animation such as cel animation, cartoons, CG, and flash. Of course, the NARUTO TV series was our biggest influence for this project. I know a lot of fans feel that Japanese animation is unique because it has a special hand-drawn look to it. It’s hard to totally nail down exactly what it is, but we studied a ton of animation to make sure our game had these same qualities.

We also upgraded our development environment to take on this game. We started using LCD graphics tablets which allow us to use a stylus to create hand-drawn textures. We also installed round tables over the artists’ workstations to prevent light reflections from interfering with their work. This is an example of some of the steps we took to create CG graphics with a hand-drawn feel.

Our animation team regularly watched the NARUTO animated series while they worked to keep the same sort of tempo of movement and frame progression. As you can see, each animator has three monitors at their desk. The one on the left allows them to see the graphics as they will appear in the game, the one in the middle is the CG tool program, and the one on the right plays animation throughout the day as inspiration and reference material.

Of course, we have a lot of reference material beyond animation. We have almost 1,000 NARUTO comic books and NARUTO-related magazines and books in our office library.

We also have a huge DVD collection. The list of these little animation secrets go on and on, but the key one is that everyone working on the game loves NARUTO. I really believe this group loves NARUTO more than any other group in the world.

These are some of the elements that helped us create NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM. I think the game will really satisfy fans and also be accessible to people who may not know much about NARUTO.

Thank you all for this great opportunity to talk about the game. It comes out tomorrow - Tuesday, November 4th - so I really hope you all get a chance to check it out!

Namco Bandai Announces Free Downloadable Content for Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm

New support characters and single-player missions highlight five months of original content for Naruto's PlayStation 3 system debut

US, October 29, 2008 – Leading video games publisher and developer Namco Bandai Games America Inc., today announced plans for free downloadable content for Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm (based on the popular Naruto animated series from VIZ Media), exclusively for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. From the week of the game's retail launch on November 4, 2008 through March 2009, new support characters such as the infamous Sound Four and original single player missions will be made available for download on a regular basis, giving players even more ways to fight and explore in the world of ninja.

The following support characters, each accompanied by an additional single player mission, will be available for free download from the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 system on the dates below:

November 6, 2008: Shizune
December 4, 2008: Asuma
December 18, 2008: Kurenai
January 8, 2009: Anko
January 22, 2009: Jirobo
February 5, 2009: Kidoumaru
February 19 2009: Tayuya
March 5, 2009: Sakon

"With the huge cast of characters and massively detailed storyline offered by the Naruto franchise, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm is perfect for downloadable content, giving us the opportunity to continue to build upon the core of the game long after it is released in stores," said Todd Thorson, director of marketing and public relations at Namco Bandai Games America, Inc. "Packed with fan-favorite characters and fun new single player missions, this content will always be free and will further add to the depth and scope of this already impressive title."

Evolving the head-to-head fighting action of the Ultimate Ninja series, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm introduces full 3D ninja combat across huge environments and all-new free-roaming gameplay in Naruto's Hidden Leaf Village. Taking advantage of an original next-generation graphics engine, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm utilizes fluid animation and incredible high-definition visual detail that allow gamers to become a part of the world of Naruto like never before.

Developed by CyberConnect2, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm is rated "T" for Teen by the ESRB. For more information on the game, please visit www.ultimateninjastorm.com and www.hokagesroom.com. For more information on Naruto, please visit www.naruto.com.

NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM Hits Next Week, Only on PS3
+ Posted by Hiroshi Matsuyama // CyberConnect2

Hello, PlayStation.Blog readers, I’m Hiroshi Matsuyama from CyberConnect2, the developer of NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM. I’m very excited to have this opportunity to speak with you all about the game. Since this is my first post, I’ll cover the basics today.

I’m sure some of you that have seen our trailers for the game have thought “I bet this is just a pre-rendered movie” – but it’s not! Everything from all of our trailers is 100% real-time footage from the game running on PLAYSTATION 3 hardware that you will all be able to experience when the game is released next week.

[view trailer]

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm features two main game modes for players to enjoy – “Free Battle Mode” and “Ultimate Mission Mode.” In Free Battle Mode, you can play as one of 25 characters from the animated series. The battles aren’t strictly one-on-one either - you can bring two support characters into every battle, who will help you out in short bursts. This is the same three person team structure as the TV series, but now you can create your own teams with all sorts of original combinations. We’ve put a lot of effort into our battles to make sure they match the look and feel of the animated series. You can perform all sorts of amazing moves with your favorite characters and even fight on walls and run over bodies of water.

Ultimate Mission Mode lets you take on 101 missions across Naruto’s Hidden Leaf Village, which acts as a hub for the game. Here, you can acquire new Jutsu moves, purchase items, and even chow down on a bowl of noodles at the Ichiraku Ramen shop! The game’s storyline covers episodes 1-135 of the Naruto animated series, so it’s incredibly comprehensive. In addition to the head-to-head battles, you’ll encounter huge boss battles, races through the forest and tree-climbing battles in this mode.

At the strong request of our fans in North America, the game offers full voicing in both English and Japanese with all the original actors from the animated series. We’re also going to be releasing downloadable content for the game well into next year. It will mostly focus on new support characters and missions and best of all, it will all be FREE!

These are just the basics of the game, but if you want to check it out for yourself, we have a playable demo that you can download from PSN right now. In my next post, I’m going to give you an exclusive look at how we made the game, so check back here soon!

http://www.ultimateninjastorm.com/

Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Developer: CyberConnect2
Platform: Exclusive to the PLAYSTATION®3 Computer Entertainment System
Genre: 3D Fighting Adventure
Players: Single-Player, 2-Player Vs
Rating: “T” for Teen

Released on Blu-ray Disc: North America – OUT NOW | Europe – OUT NOW | Asia – January 15th 2009

LIMITED EDITION

Packaged in a deluxe SteelBook™ case featuring alternate artwork with a protective slip cover, each copy of the Limited Edition comes with an exclusive soundtrack music CD featuring 18 original tracks, an individually numbered limited edition Laser Cell™ depicting Naruto and Sasuke in battle, and two exclusive limited edition collectible cards.

The NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM Limited Edition will carry a suggested retail price of $69.99 and will be available through GameStop, Best Buy, GameCrazy, Amazon.com and other select retailers.

OVERVIEW

The No.1 Head-to-Head Fighting game franchise based on Naruto arrives on PLAYSTATION®3 for the first time to reign supreme in the next generation of video gaming. Armed with gorgeous cinematic quality HD graphics, a revolutionary next-gen battle system, interactive multi-dimensional battle grounds and seamlessly explorable world of Naruto, Naruto Ultimate Ninja STORM will capture the heart of any Naruto fan! Your dream to LIVE AND BREATHE THE SHOW will come true!

FEATURES

• Experience Jaw-Dropping Cinematic Quality HD Graphics: Witness the cinema-quality animation comes to life in high definition. The line between Naruto animation and game graphics will truly disappear!
• Roam Freely On Dynamic Multi-Dimensional Battle Grounds: Prepare to battle on robust, multi-dimensional battle grounds. Take advantage of the unique characteristics of each battle field! Battle is no longer limited to flat ground surfaces.
• Unleash Your Ninja Dream Team: Form your own three-man dream squad to battle your opponents! Unleash your allies to defend you in battle, or order them to perform cooperative attacks against your opponents!
• Discover A Brand New Mission Based Adventure Mode: Challenge a total of 100 compelling missions in Ultimate Mission Mode and experience the original animated TV series storyline up through the Sasuke Retrieval Arc!
• Unleash Massive Secret Techniques on An Unprecedented Scale: Using the power of the PLAYSTATION®3, you can now destroy your enemies with bigger, meaner, stronger and more cinematic secret techniques than ever before!
• Master 25 Fully Transformable Warriors: Behold your characters transforming into powerful superior warriors in battle! All characters will possess amazing power that will expand the very scale of a battle to the next level!