Published: 18.10.11
Cult manga and anime hero, Naruto, gets another outing on the PSP; this time encompassing the 4th Shinobi World War and the, erm, Pain arc...
For noobs to the series, fret not once you get past such geekboy Wiki-esque trivia, the game boils down to you punching people. A lot. But first the science, well, history bit Naruto is a wee (fictional) lad who always wanted to be a kick-ass ninja. Huge in Japan because of his manga comics and animated series, the young upstart has become something of a cult figure here in the West with several games already gracing consoles (eight million units sold to date not a figure to be sniffed at).
This latest instalment sees a mass of cel-shaded bad guys crowding the PSP's screen, all hellbent on mashing you to bits, as you pile into them with 'banned-in-Britain' weaponry in Story Battle mode. Once you've injured and ninja-ed 'em, you'll come up against all manner of bosses to dehorn and humiliate. Those too timid to face such odds alone can katana their way through over 20 co-op missions with a friend and, once you're done being all buddy-buddy, you can shuriken each other silly by fighting in the Versus Battle mode.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact then will leave you beaten and battered by the sheer scale of its battles and perhaps more importantly, it acts as a shining example of what a pocket rocket the PSP still is. We just can't wait to see what Naruto will do next... Vita anyone?