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Games based on popular anime series tend to disappoint. When a game from a franchise such as Dragon Ball Z or Samurai Champloo is released, it tends to sell well enough, but the game itself is generally rather lacking. In recent years, the quality of these games has increased; though they're not stellar, they are certainly a level above their predecessors. With the entry of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja, audiences are certainly treated to an experience better than previous titles, albeit not by much.

Developed by CyberConnect 2 (who brought us the .hack games), we are given an overall presentation that is a touch better the .hack series. The visuals are clean, utilize the style of the cartoon well, and translate faithfully into the game. Complete with voice acting by the cast of the U.S. show, it's hard to dismiss the level of care and attention to detail that has been put into the presentation here. Levels are gorgeous recreations of environments from the series and are multi-tiered, allowing for players to switch to different planes, which keeps things fast and kinetic. On the downside, the audio is a bit muted, as if someone is holding cushions over your speakers. It's not so bad that it ruins the entire game, but it's certainly noticeable, and inexplicable as to why it's so muddled.



The gameplay is both bizarre and unique; it takes some getting used to. Though the mechanic is rather simple, with primary attacks assigned to the circle button, there's still a bit of a learning curve before things start to make sense. The downside is that for those who are playing for the first time, it's easy to think that the mechanic is simply a rather poor button-masher, with constant tapping on the circle button in the hopes of inflicting some damage on the opposition.

Characters all control more or less the same and inflict the same amount of damage. The only differences are in the visuals -- while Naruto has his Uzumaki Barrage and his Sexy Jutsu, someone like Rock Lee will have his Leaf Hurricane and Leaf Whirlwind. The incentive of playing one character over the other will simply be which character players prefer. On the plus side, finishing moves are easily the best part of the game, as they are used to inflict heavy damage on opponents, keep players on their toes, and provide some visual treats for players. These maneuvers require the use of your chakra meter and are fairly simple to initiate but a tad more complex to execute. When the attack is started, a Simon Says type of scale appears, having players push a sequence of the face buttons within a limited time frame. This is where all the charm and wonder of the series shines through, as they certainly keep the dramatic elements intact and still retain the trademark sense of humor from the show.

Ultimate Ninja provides players with four gameplay modes, with a few others that have been put in place to allow for unlockable goodies. The Scenario mode guides players through storylines for the various characters in the series; the Mission mode bears the meat of the game, with players completing various goals to progress; the Free Battle mode is the equivalent of a versus mode; and a practice mode allows players to refine their skills. Unfortunately, the only way to have a multiplayer game is in the Free Battle mode, which allows players to choose one of the unlocked characters for a sparring match, but it manages to be as fun and frenzied as the rest of the game. Though the modes are rather sparse, they do offer a fair amount of gameplay options to keep fans coming back.

The Scenario mode follows the story of the Naruto series, but it is definitely handled better than Clash of Ninja, which was released earlier this year. Rather than only following Naruto, players can experience the story of a given character, with each battle handled as if it were an episode, complete with the episode title screen. As each battle can take up to several minutes, an appreciated feature that was implemented is the option to save your game after every battle so you can finish the story later.



The mission mode is a great introduction to new players as it is goal-oriented, requiring players to learn skills in order to progress. Though it certainly is a help when it comes to helping new players familiarize themselves with the controls of the game, the objectives that have been laid before the player can sometimes be a bit vague. Objectives are given that are along the lines of finding a specific object, but without a description of what the object is. This may require players to go over levels again and again before they achieve their goal. Despite that grievance, the mission mode and the practice mode do more than enough to help players figure out how to play the game.

When it comes down to it, the question remains as to whether or not Naruto: Ultimate Ninja is worth your time. If you're just a casual fan of the fighting genre, there are certainly better choices out there that would provide a better overall experience. On the other hand, if you're desperate for something new or if you're simply a fan of the series, you'll probably dig the game, as it has all the characters and action that audiences have come to know.