Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja, known in Japan as the Naruto: Narutimate Series (Japanese:
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Naruto: Narutimate Series | |
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Genre(s) | Fighting game, Role-playing game |
Developer(s) | CyberConnect2 |
Publisher(s) | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
Composer(s) | Chikayo Fukuda |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
First release | Naruto: Ultimate Ninja October 23, 2003 |
Latest release | Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Legacy August 25, 2017 |
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja series
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja | |
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Developer(s) | CyberConnect2 |
Publisher(s) | |
Composer(s) | Chikayo Fukuda |
Series | Naruto: Ultimate Ninja |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Fighting game |
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja, known in Japan as Naruto: Narutimate Hero (
There are special techniques and jutsus that can be used. Some characters feature the ability to activate special mode by inflicting the special techniques which enhances their status and gives them new abilities. It also features several items, like shuriken and kunai. There are many multi-layered stages from around the Naruto universe, including the Hidden Leaf Village, the Chunin Exam arena, and the Forest of Death. The game also uses support characters such as Naruto's support being Iruka, or Sasuke's support being Kakashi Hatake. The game features an arcade style story mode. Although the game loosely covers the events in the original manga from the Introduction arc up to the Invasion of Konoha arc, the game's twelve stories are meant to depict the events from different characters' perspectives and as the result some of them deviates from the original source (such as Neji being declared the winner in his fight with Naruto). Each stories consist of up to six battles divided by dialogues in a manga style display, one of many homages to its source material.
In the original Japanese version, there were only 12 characters; however, Namco Bandai has added the ability to separately select both the Curse Mark Sasuke and Nine-Tailed Naruto as bonus characters in the North American and European versions. As these characters were already available in the Japanese version as transformations (of Sasuke and Naruto respectively), both of these characters have lost the ability to transform into their stronger versions during battle. The original Japanese transformation would later served as the ground up for the transformations in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3.
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2 | |
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Developer(s) | CyberConnect2 |
Publisher(s) | |
Director(s) | Hiroshi Matsuyama |
Composer(s) | Chikayo Fukuda |
Series | Naruto: Ultimate Ninja |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Fighting game |
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2, known in Japan as Naruto: Narutimate Hero 2 (
Ultimate Ninja 2 features a similar gameplay experience to Ultimate Ninja, featuring many of the same gameplay elements and geography. The game replaces the arcade-style story mode from the original game with an RPG-esque story mode that loosely covers the events up to episode 96 in the anime as well as a filler arc made up for the game involving a special seal made by Orochimaru. This is the last game to feature support characters until Ultimate Ninja 5 as they were excluded in Ultimate Ninja 3. This time, the support characters are no longer fixed and all characters in the game have the ability to become support characters.
There is a total of 32 characters featured in the game (33 in the Japanese version with the inclusion of Doto Kazahana as a promotion for the movie Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow. The promotion also include two stages from the movie that were not included in the overseas version). All characters have the ability to activate special modes during battle (unlike the original game which restrict the modes to several characters).
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 | |
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Developer(s) | CyberConnect2 |
Publisher(s) | Bandai (Japan) Namco Bandai Games (North America, Europe and Australia) |
Composer(s) | Chikayo Fukuda |
Series | Naruto: Ultimate Ninja |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Fighting game |
Naruto Ultimate Ninja 3, known as in Japan as Naruto: Narutimate Hero 3 (
Additionally, the Japanese version comes with a bonus DVD that includes a special 26-minute anime OVA. It features many characters from the series, both living and dead, making it a non-canon release. The basic plot centers around a Battle Royale tournament, providing players with hints to be used in the RPG mode contained in the game.
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja 4
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 4 Naruto Shippūden: Narutimate Accel | |
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Developer(s) | CyberConnect2 |
Publisher(s) | Bandai Namco Games (Japan) Namco Bandai Games (North America, Europe and Australia) |
Composer(s) | Chikayo Fukuda |
Series | Naruto: Ultimate Ninja |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Fighting game role-playing video game ![]() |
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 4 known in Japan as Naruto Shippuden: Narutimate Accel (
The game only covers halfway through the Kazekage Rescue arc in the Shippuden storyline (roughly at episode 15 in the anime), though to make up for the lack of story, a filler arc is made up for the game that takes place before the Shippuden storyline called the "Black Shadow". Hero's History mode from Ultimate Ninja 3 is also retained, now retelling the events of the original series more faithfully and includes completely redone and improved scenes from Naruto Ultimate Ninja 3 as well as redone CGI scenes.
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja 5
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja 5 Naruto Shippūden: Narutimate Accel 2 | |
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Developer(s) | CyberConnect2 |
Publisher(s) | Bandai Namco Games (Japan) Namco Bandai Games (Europe and Australia) |
Composer(s) | Chikayo Fukuda |
Series | Naruto: Ultimate Ninja |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Fighting game role-playing video game ![]() |
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 5, known in Japan as, Naruto Shippuden: Narutimate Accel 2 (
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes series
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress | |
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Developer(s) | CyberConnect2 |
Publisher(s) | Bandai (Japan) Namco Bandai Games (North American, Europe, Australia) |
Composer(s) | Chikayo Fukuda |
Series | Naruto: Ultimate Ninja |
Platform(s) | PlayStation Portable |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Fighting game |
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: Phantom Fortress, known as in Japan as Naruto: Narutimetto Pōtaburu - Mugenjō no Maki (
While some characters retain their old techniques, others, such as Neji, have theirs upgraded. The game contains an original storyline involving moving up a haunted castle in the sky to the 100th floor (or 30 subfloors if playing the Hidden Mugenjo Mode.) Each floor has several "blank" rooms where the users place randomly generated scrolls to determine the type of action that will take place in the room. The scrolls include Battle (a player vs. CPU fight) and five mini game scrolls: Tree Climbing (Naruto dashes up a tree and dodges broken branches), Shadow Possession (Simon-style button pressing), Amusement (slot machines), Riddle (answer Naruto trivia) and Clone (the shell game where the player tries to follow the real clone). Non-blank rooms include Treasure Rooms, Healing Rooms and Drama rooms (where the story progresses and cut scenes take place). Other game modes include vs. CPU and ad hoc wireless battle mode where players can fight against a friend using game sharing (only one UMD, but two PSPs).
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes | |
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Developer(s) | CyberConnect2 |
Publisher(s) | Namco Bandai Games |
Series | Naruto: Ultimate Ninja |
Platform(s) | PlayStation Portable |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Fighting game |
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes, known in Japan as Naruto: Narutimate Portable Zero is a North American and European-exclusive fighting game. It was released in North America on August 28, 2007 and in Europe on September 14, 2007. It is essentially an edited version of Naruto: Narutimate Portable, as well the Japanese dub are not included in this game. which also happens to be a scaled down version of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2.
Story Mode, Kabuto, Shizune, The Third Hokage, and two stages were removed in this release, while Naruto & Sasuke's secret techniques were modified to prevent spoilers (as the English dub had not reached the Sasuke Retrieval arc yet). To compensate for these removals, the game now has a 3-on-3 battle system, similar to The King of Fighters; where the first team to defeat all three members of the other team wins. The game features 20 characters, eight Stages, and several new features, such as a three-on-three fighting system, wireless two-player battles, and "Hidden Team Skills", which grant special abilities to a certain combination of characters.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3 Naruto Shippūden: Narutimate Accel 3 | |
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Developer(s) | CyberConnect2 |
Publisher(s) | |
Composer(s) | Chikayo Fukuda |
Series | Naruto: Ultimate Ninja |
Platform(s) | PlayStation Portable |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Fighting game |
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3, known as Naruto Shippuden: Narutimate Accel 3 (
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Impact | |
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Developer(s) | CyberConnect2 / Racjin |
Publisher(s) | Bandai Namco Games |
Composer(s) | Chikayo Fukuda |
Series | Naruto: Ultimate Ninja |
Platform(s) | PlayStation Portable |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Adventure / Fighting |
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Impact (Naruto Shippuden: Narutimetto Inpakuto (
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, known in Japan as Naruto: Narutimate Storm (
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, known in Japan as Naruto Shippuden: Narutimate Storm 2 (
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations, known in Japan as Naruto Shippuden: Narutimate Storm Generations (
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, known in Japan as Naruto Shippuden: Narutimate Storm 3 (
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst is the updated re-release of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, which includes revamped visuals, all costumes previously available as DLC except Naruto (Goku) costume and Sakura (Hello Kitty) costume and 81 characters and 7 support characters and a new story chapter and a new Challenge Mode, which consists of 100 missions with varying objectives that unlock various in-game items and HD illustrations. It is the first game in the Ultimate Ninja series to be released for PC and Steam.
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution, known in Japan as Naruto Shippuden: Narutimate Storm Revolution (
Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, known in Japan as Naruto Shippūden: Narutimetto Sutōmu 4 (
An expansion, titled Road to Boruto, features characters and elements from Boruto: Naruto the Movie and was released on February 2, 2017 in Japan and February 3, 2017 in North America and Europe.
A Nintendo Switch port of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 - Road to Boruto is scheduled for release on April 24, 2020. A Next Generations DLC pack update will coincide its release with Kinshiki and Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki as playable characters. This is in celebration of the NARUTO Ultimate Ninja Series selling over 20 million copies worldwide.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy/Legacy
In April 2017, it was announced that Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst will be bundled and ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Nintendo Switch in the Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy. The trilogy has enhanced graphics and is upscaled to 1080p. It was released on July 27, 2017 in Japan, while a digital-only western release on August 25, 2017 (each of the games can also be bought separately).
A physical western release, titled Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Legacy, contains the three games as well as Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4: Road to Boruto, and was made available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows on August 25, 2017.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Blazing
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Blazing | |
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Developer(s) | GREE, Inc. |
Publisher(s) | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
Series | Naruto: Ultimate Ninja |
Platform(s) | iOS, Android |
Release | July 14, 2016 |
Genre(s) | Action role-playing game |
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Blazing, known as Naruto Shippūden Narutimate Blazing (
Players engage in combat by strategically moving their characters. These characters can level up, known as ‘awakening,’ to beat stronger opponents. After that, they can ‘limit break,’ to achieve an even stronger state. The game features the following playable game modes: Story, Emergency Mission (Missions to get items that improve your ninjas or new ninjas), Trial Missions (get Trial Coins to Limit Break characters), Phantom Castle (fight against Teams of other players and ascend to Floor 100 - prices for each floor), Ninja Road (get an Acquisition Stone to unlock an ability of a character you own by beating all 20 maps in a row), Ninja World Clash (PvP: Build a Team and play against online opponents). The game is free to play, and offers in-app purchase.
Reception
Game | Metacritic |
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Ultimate Ninja | 75/100[9] |
Ultimate Ninja 2 | 73/100[10] |
Ultimate Ninja 3 | 75/100[11] |
Ultimate Ninja Heroes | 70/100[12] |
Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress | 64/100[13] |
Ultimate Ninja 4 | - |
Ultimate Ninja 5 | - |
Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3 | 61/100[14] |
Ultimate Ninja Storm | PS3: 75/100[15] |
Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 | PS3: 76/100[16] X360: 74/100[17] |
Ultimate Ninja Impact | 59/100[18] |
Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations | PS3/X360: 74/100[19][20] |
Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 | PS3: 77/100[21] X360: 70/100[22] |
Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst | PS3: 73/100[23] X360: 66/100[24] PC: 80/100[25] |
Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution | PC: 61/100[26] PS3: 73/100[27] X360: 62/100[28] |
Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 | PS4: 79/100[29] XONE: 80/100[30] |
Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 - Road to Boruto | PS4: 70/100[31] XONE: 77/100[32] |
Various Ultimate Ninja games have become Namco Bandai's best-selling games with Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 being its second best-selling game from 2010 behind Tekken 6 with 1.1 million units sold.[33] In January 2012, Namco Bandai announced that they have sold 10 million Naruto games worldwide, including 1.9 million units in Asia, 4.3 million in North America, and 3.8 million in Europe.[34][35] In celebration CyberConnect2's CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama participated in the 2012 Paris International Marathon while cosplaying as Naruto Uzumaki, thanking fans.[36] By 2016, more than 15 million units were sold.[37] As of 2019, 20 million units have sold.[38] In 2017, the mobile game Ultimate Ninja Blazing grossed ¥10.5 billion ($96 million ) in China.[39]
Critical reception to the games has been positive. G4's X-Play gave Ultimate Ninja a three out of five for a creative comicbook feel and stylish cel-shaded graphics, but complained that the controls are too simple, and that the English voices are "slightly questionable."[40] Both IGN and GameSpot noted the game was both accessible and enjoyable and praised the anime/manga-inspired graphics.[41][42] Titles for the PlayStation Portable received considerably lower averages in gaming sites.[43][18] Ultimate Ninja Storm was also the only video game to win the Excellent Prize in the Entertainment Division of the 13th annual Japan Media Arts Festival.[44]
References
- "NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 4 ROAD TO BORUTO - Nintendo Switch Announcement". Youtube. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
- "Nintendo Switch Version NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 4 ROAD TO BORUTO Available on 23rd April 2020 in Southeast Asia". BANDAI NAMCO Official website. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- "IGN release date for Ultimate Ninja 2". Retrieved 2007-04-10.
- "Ultimate Ninja 4: Naruto Shippuden - playstation 2". Naruto videogames.com/it. Archived from the original on 2009-09-25. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
- "Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3". Naruto videogames.com/it. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
- "Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3". Namco Bandai. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Narutimate Storm 3 [Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3]". The Magic Box. September 10, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- "NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Blazing BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment". NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Blazing BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- "Naruto: Ultimate Ninja for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- "Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- "Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- "Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes for PSP Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- "Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress for PSP Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3 for PSP Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- "Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact for PSP Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 - Road to Boruto Expansion for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 - Road to Boruto Expansion for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- Anoop Gantayat (October 30, 2011). "Tekken and Naruto Were Namco Bandai's Best Selling Games Last Year". Andriasang. Retrieved May 10, 2010.
- "NAMCO BANDAI GAMES CELEBRATES OVER 10 MILLION NARUTO™ AND NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™ GAMES SHIPPED WORLDWIDE". Namco Bandai Games. January 13, 2012. Archived from the original on January 16, 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations' New Video Posted". Anime News Network. December 21, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
- "Video of CyberConnect2 CEO Running Paris Marathon in Naruto Cosplay". Anime News Network. May 21, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
- Kollar, Philip (September 14, 2016). "This is the final Naruto: Ultimate Ninja game". Polygon. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZkSaipWJZE&feature=emb_title
- "중국진출 일본게임 VS 일본진출 중국게임 실적 분석". Mobile Index (in Korean). 2018-06-07.
- "X-Play review of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja". Retrieved 2007-07-07.
- "IGN's review of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja". Retrieved 2007-07-07.
- "GameSpot's review of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja". Retrieved 2007-07-07.
- "Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact for PSP". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
- "2009 13th Japan Media Arts Festival: List of Award-winning Works". Japan Media Arts Plaza. Retrieved 2010-02-08.