Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Heroes

Seriously, while I’ve fallen off the shippuden wagon a while ago, Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 makes me want to see if the current manga at least lives up to the level of hype that UNS 4 generates.

The cel-shaded art design might work against it in that respect, but if anything, its cel-shaded visuals should ensure that Ultimate Ninja Heroes ages better than the majority of games on the market. Whichever way you look at it though, this is one of the finest looking games of the generation and, as luck would have it, one of the most enjoyable too.

Luckily, while the Story Mode provides lore-a-plenty for fans of the series, the gameplay itself is fun enough to make it a viable option for just about anyone with an interest in fighting games while the Story Mode itself, despite being all but nonsensical to all but the most committed of ninja fans, is still a huge amount of fun thanks to its epic scale, gorgeous visuals and unique mechanics.

Additional moves are performed with partners, two of which you can take into battle from the large roster of characters. You can either opt to switch and control a partner completely, or call them in for limited use attacks. You can also partner up for finishers, expanding the number of wild moves at your disposal.

When it does come down to the more standardised battles that you will be undertaking during local competitive play and online battles, the option to choose three characters makes this both a unique and incredibly busy fighting experience.

Combine this with core mechanics that encourage perpetual, high speed motion across its relatively large scale arenas and you’re left with a fighter that stands out comfortably from the crowd while delivering just enough depth to make it an option for fans of the genre.

Counters, Chakra powers and an array of very cool evasion techniques ensure that highly skilled players will ultimately come out on top and there is more than enough to those rock solid core mechanics to justify the vast array of online options available.

Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Heroes to just about anyone because, well, great games transcend their genre, and the fact of the matter is a downright great video game.