Sadly not a Tekken 6 machine in sight, but there were still plenty of goodies on hand for fans of fighting.
The highlight of the booth was a surprise playable demo of Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm and while the graphics are still anime quality, the most impressive thing shown was the game’s camera system. Ditching the standard panned-out camera angled out from the combatants’ sides, you will have a dynamic camera that slowly shifts around the battle, shooting dynamic angles from behind each fighter as they attack and move. The lighting on the characters and their special attacks are simply stunning. These factors combine to bring cinematic fights that look like they were pulled straight out of the anime. You will get to chose from over 25 characters to fight with, as well had a handful of support characters. You’ll be able to call in these support characters for a few seconds to land a few hits on your opponent or pull you out of danger. You can look forward to lots of ninja action this fall, exclusively on your PS3.
The other big dose of fighting was the newest iteration in one of Namco’s classic franchises, Soul Caliber 4. And good news; it’s very much Soul Caliber. Unfortunately Yoda, Vader, and the Apprentice were not available in this demo, but we did get a taste of newcomer Hilde. She fights with a combo of spear and short sword, giving her reach as well as plenty of tactics to mix it up close. The demo I got my hands on also had mainstays Mitsurugi and Siegfried. Both of these character felt much closer to their Soul Caliber 2 incarnations, but if any of the fighters don’t feel right to you, Bandai Namco is including a deep character creation system similar to the one found in Soul Caliber 3. The game looks great running in 720p, with arenas coming to life and great detail on the characters. Hair and fabric flow as you move, and armor will shatter under your enemy’s attacks. Most importantly, the Announcer is back, spouting all sorts of cryptic fables. You can look forward to seeing this demo on Xbox Live and Playstation Network in a few short weeks.
Also in the booth, we got a good look at Tales of Vesperia, which will mark then tenth anniversary of the Tales franchise. This will be the first Tales game on current-gen systems, and as a result the game looks wonderful and vibrant. Tales of Vesperia will be hitting the Xbox 360 exclusively this fall. I also got a quick peek at a Naruto Ultimate Ninja 2 for the PSP. In my short time playing, it came across as a very close approximation of the last-gen Naruto fighters, featuring a diverse cast and huge arenas, plus a new game share feature so you and a friend can battle with only one game disc.
All in all, Namco had easily one of the most impressive line-ups of the show, and it was a real treat to get my hands on this stuff. Make sure to stay tuned to the site for more info on these games.