Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact was an exclusive entry in the Ultimate Ninja series for the PSP, and it differed fundamentally from the arena duels fans of earlier installments had grown used to on home consoles. Developer CyberConnect2 opted for an approach close to the musou genre here – the player rushes through open battlefields packed with dozens of enemies, taking them down with strings of flashy combo attacks and ninja techniques, rather than focusing on one-on-one combat.

The campaign retold key arcs of the Naruto Shippuden manga and anime, from Pain's assault on Konoha to clashes with members of the Akatsuki organization, and drew on a recognizable roster of characters with their signature abilities – from Naruto's Rasengan through Sasuke's Chidori to the genjutsu and ninjutsu of other ninja. Battles were rounded out by quick-time events and massive finishing techniques meant to wow the viewer just as they did in the source material, and between battles the player progressed through a series of missions mirroring key moments from the show. The game thus resembled an action adaptation of the anime more than a traditional fighting game, which let it offer faster pacing and clearer combat on the handheld's smaller screen.

For fans of the series, it was a welcome change of style, showing that the Naruto license could work outside the established arena formula native to the main Ultimate Ninja Storm line, and the portable format also made it possible to play similar action away from home consoles, without having to sit down in front of a TV.

Why play it: Flashy musou action that retells the key battles of the Shippuden saga at a fast pace, right on the go.