Naruto Clash of Ninja Review

Naruto Clash of Ninja: Gameplay

If you head into Naruto: Clash of Ninja expecting a Tekken-like fighting experience, you'll be quite disappointed with how this game plays. The majority of the fighting is done simply with the A and B button, performing ninjitsu (replacement techniques, throwing kunais, and the like) and ninjitsu (punches and kicks) moves, respectively. Every character is used in almost exactly the same way, with long combos being strung by pressing the A and B buttons in a particular sequence. Individual moves are not called upon by "charging" or "half-circle" motions, like you'd find in Street Fighter titles. Rather pushing forward and A at the same time produces a different move than back and A at the same time.

The "Special Jutsus", or super art techniques, are performed by a simple press of the X button when the Chakra bar is full. In this way, the gameplay is not particularly deep, allowing for even children to pick up a controller and start playing. The learning curve is not steep at all, making Naruto: Clash of Ninja an excellent party game, but one that more advanced players will become bored of quite quickly.

Naruto Clash of Ninja: Game Modes

There are seven game modes in all in Naruto: Clash of Ninja.

• Story: Follow Naruto as he embarks on a series of battles to seek acknowledgement.
• One Player: The typical "battle through all of the characters" fighting game mode
• Two Player Battle: A versus mode that lets you take on a friend (or rival)
• Play Against Computer: A single match, no strings attached
• Survival: How long can you last? You regain a little bit of health between battles.
• Time Attack: How fast can you get through all seven opponents?
• Training: Learn how to perform all the basic moves and test them on a dummy opponent

Naruto Clash of Ninja: Characters

Naruto: Clash of Ninja is already in its fourth incarnation in its home Japan, but this is only the first version being offered in English. For fans of the Naruto anime and manga series, you'll be somewhat disappointed to hear that the storyline only goes as far as the misty bridge battle with Haku and Zabuza. When you first boot up the game, there are only seven selectable characters:

• Naruto Uzumaki
• Sasuke Uchiha
• Sakura Haruno
• Kakashi Hatake
• Iruka Umino
• Zabuza Momochi
• Haku

There are also three unlockable characters - refer to the Naruto Clash of Ninja Cheat Codes article for details on how to gain access to them:

• Rock Lee
• Kyuubi Naruto
• Sharinagan Kakashi

Naruto Clash of Ninja: Graphics and Sound

The look of Naruto: Clash of Ninja isn't exactly the most advanced you'll find on current generation consoles, but it suits the series very well. The characters are presented in cel-shaded fashion, which works very well, considering the manga/anime heritage of this game. The backgrounds are similarly "cartoony", and you do battle in a three dimensional arena. The details are great, and the "Special Jutsus" are all accompanied with rather elaborate sequences.

For example, for Zabuza's Hidden Mist Technique, the screen fills with fog as the enemy looks around with a confused look on his/her face, trying to find where the masked shinobi went. Zabuza subsequently comes flashing through with a series of slashes.

The voice actors for this video game are the same as the English version of the anime series. They've added in pre- and post-game taunts, the former of which seem to be customized to the situation. For instance, when Rock Lee faces off against Sakura, he says, "If I win, you must go on a date with me," and she replies, "Nooooo waaaaay!" This addition makes the game have an extra bit of appeal for fans of Naruto.

Naruto Clash of Ninja: Conclusion

A great party game, Naruto: Clash of Ninja is easy to pick and enjoy right off the bat. However, what this means is that the game lacks some depth, and players looking for a more complicated control scheme and a game that takes more time to "master" will be disappointed. Furthermore, the lack of characters makes for a lack of variety; however, if you can get your hands on the current Japanese version, it is said to have over 30 characters -- including such favorites as Kiba, Hinata, Chouji, Shikamaru, and others.

Overall, Naruto: Clash of Ninja is quite a fun game. Yes, Naruto, one day you'll be Hokage. Believe it!