Narutimett Hero 3 also contains an adventure game mode and mini-games as described below.
NCS Game Notes
* After Naruto shouts out, the intro begins with Sasuke and Naruto engaged in battle against each other with cel-shaded graphics before other bouts between assorted fighters are shown. The animation cuts back to Naruto and Sasuke engaged in a fierce battle. At one point, a black & white photo of the three original genin (Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto) and their teacher Kakashi is shown. The intro ends with a chakra fuming battle between Naruto and Sasuke with each fighter shouting the other's name.
* Naruto jumps by pressing "X" and double jumps when "X" is pushed again while aloft. To switch between foreground and background, press in the direction you wish to go + X. Throw shuriken by pressing the SQUARE button. If an opponent is in the foreground and he's in the background, Naruto will throw stars diagonally to reach the opponent. To switch between throwing stars and using other items such as bombs, hit the L1 trigger and choose the bomb icon. When engaged in close combat, "O" throws out punches and a leaping doppelganger. To fight cheap, keep hitting an opponent with the doppelganger for 24 hit chains. To block blows, hit either R2 or L2 to guard against attacks.
* When Kiba Inuzuka fights, his little dog Akamaru always stays on top of his shoulder. Tayuya is a weak fighter but her flute makes up for her lack of skills. She can blow out beast attacks (down, down, O) as well as harmonic blasts which range the entire length of the battlefield.
* In the "Now Loading" screen in Story Mode, a single leaf floats and wavers in a pool of water as ripples radiate outwards. In the "Now Loading" screen in Versus Mode, Tayuya plays her flute. The animations for the other modes' loading screens also differ.
* When time runs out during a match, a big alarm clock appears in the middle of the screen and rings.
* During a match, special moves are shown in a superimposed window along with how to perform them. When a fighter ignites a powerful special combo attack, it is shown in an animated cut sequence where the attack button "O" is pushed to move it along.
* There's a gallery mode where a vast amount of character portraits, artwork, and BGM may be checked out. Unfortunately, everything is locked when the game starts.
Story Mode
* In the Story Mode, an intro recounts how the Nine tails fox demon threatened the village but was sealed within baby Naruto. An animation starts with Naruto taunting someone by slapping his left cheek before disappearing and joining Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi on the training grounds. The first match is between Naruto and Kakashi in the familiar 2D + foreground/background field of fighting. The bout starts in the background section of the level where Kakshi reads a book while fighting. He'll also hum from time to time to show his disinterest and lack of conviction in Naruto's skills. The camera zooms in and out of the action as the fighting close in on each other and away for seamless coverage of the action as the fighters range the battlefield. After Naruto defeats Kakashi, he is left panting for air in the area where the Genin train.
* The next scene shows Sasuke staggering before collapsing into the ground and Naruto calls forth his chakra before battling a masked fighter named Haku who is Zabuza's apprentice. Haku is trained in water style ninjutsu and the battle takes place on a bridge above a waterway with the sky painted red by the sunset and the water sparkling in the background.
Adventure Mode
* There's an adventure game mode in Narutimett Hero 3 where Naruto explores a town and talks to various people such as Neji and Kiba. Control is fully action based and Naruto may walk on walls just by running into them and he'll scale them without any difficulty. To earn some money, run to the NE corner of the map and destroy the crate there for 100 credits. There's another crate on the SE corner of the map that gives up 200 credits. Naruto may use the money to buy a ramen lunch for 100. Although you don't see him eating the ramen, you do hear him slurping it up something fierce. Once Naruto has explored the ground, jump and double jump to explore the rooftops of the buildings in town and collect more coins...
Mini Games
* There is a great little mini-game that's playable from the main menu where Naruto races up a tree against another player or a COM-controlled Sakura. The game is viewed in 3D from behind Naruto so he's seen running upwards into the tree and moving from left to right grabbing 1-up bonuses while avoiding falling rocks as well as branches. If Naruto smacks into a branch, he'll stop for a spell while Sakura continues her ascent.
* In another mini-game, Naruto faces off against Rock Lee in a 1-arm pushup contest. Pump the "O" button as quickly as possible and you'll earn 31 pushups vs Rock Lee's measly 30... The push ups are followed by a jumping exercise, and a Dance Dance Revolution-like game where button cues must be tapped so Naruto performs tai-chi moves.
* The third and final mini-game is a shuriken throwing contest where dummies appear in the distance with X, O, SQUARE, or TRIANGLE signs on them. The first one to hit the corresponding button to throw a star at the dummy earns the point. If two stars are thrown at the same time at a target, they'll bounce each other off and the first one to throw the next star wins. The game ends with big dummies that appear which require multiple hits to knock down.
Versus/Practice Modes
* In the Versus and Practice Modes, a total of 19 fighters may be chosen but there are locked roster slots for an additional 21 fighters which makes a total of 40 fighters in the game. In Versus mode, 20 stages are available (all unlocked) to fight on including one where a massive snake observes the action from the background and moves it head from side to side, a bouncy bridge in front of a waterfall, and tree branches. If you look at the background portion of the tree branch level, there are three birds nests with a total of five big eggs in them... There's also a potted plant.
* New gamers may test their skills in the Practice Mode where the time is infinite and health always regenerates. Choose a fighter from the large roster and get into the groove with a fast and highly responsive fighting game where moves and combos may be chained together with ease. Even bad fighters will look like they know what they're doing when the special effects and maniacal moves are strung together with button tapping chaos. A D-pad and button-press register keeps track of every single move that you're inputting on the bottom of the screen to check what you're mashing out.
Jan Code: 4582224491483
Region Lock-out
Please note Japanese Playstation 2 games will not boot on USA or European PS2 consoles due to the inherent region-lockout on Playstation 2 game discs.
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