craveonline

Wow, there are still different anime games coming out. My personal knowledge doesn't go beyond Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, but there are many more that people love, hence the One Piece and DragonballZ series. Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 is the latest from Namco Bandai, so producer Yusuke Sasaki and director Hiroshi Matsuyama answered my questions about the PS2 entry.

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Crave Online: Since Namco Bandai also produces the One Piece games, are there any similarities between adapting the two animated franchises for gamers?

 
Yusuke Sasaki: Both Naruto and One Piece are fantastic games but their stories, characters and worlds are completely different.   Also, there are very little similarities between the two teams that create the games. The only similarities that I can think of are that we try to take advantage of the great content each has available and the development teams both feel strongly about their franchise. Of course, no one can beat my affection for Naruto.

 
Crave Online: How were scenes from the cartoon adapted to the game so that players can re-enact the fights?

Hiroshi Matsuyama: Ultimate Ninja 3’s Hero’s History mode will provide players the opportunity to battle through the climactic events of the animated TV series, except when the heroes and villains fight, that’s when the player steps in to administer the beat down. 

 
Crave Online: How were the controls designed keeping in mind the potentially younger players for this game?

 
Hiroshi Matsuyama: One of our mottos is “easy play for everyone.” We designed the controls so that users would have an easier time playing without the hassle of learning complicated button combinations.

 
Crave Online: What are you doing to entice older gamers to keep an interest in Naruto?

 
Hiroshi Matsuyama: As a fighting game, we’ve integrated some new functions to the series such as linking combos after knocking an opponent to the ground, and combo counters. In other words, we are introducing more mature elements that fighting game enthusiasts are familiar with.

 
Crave Online: Since the anime viewers may not play this game, how vitally can the new story elements impact the overall story of the show?

 
Hiroshi Matsuyama: We believe the story of Ultimate Ninja 3 doesn’t really affect the animated series. We always get official approval for details of the settings and ideas from Shueisha, Studio Pierrot the animation company, and its director, Mr. Hayato Date. As a result, some of our original Ninjutsus have actually appeared in the animated series. The development team of the game was very happy to see those in the show.