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PS2 | Fighting | Naruto: Ultimate Ninja

Publisher: Namco/Bandai
Developer: Cyber Connect 2
Release Date: 07/30/2006
Genre: Fighting
Number of Players: 2
ESRB Rating: Teen
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19 screen shots

GRAPHICS: 4.00
SOUND: 3.75
CONTROL: 4.00
FUN FACTOR 4.00
AVG USER SCORE 4.0
AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.6

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Review: Naruto: Ultimate Ninja

Review by JohnnyK | 06/22/2006 | 12:05:46 PM PST

PS2 fans have been screaming for a Naruto game to call their own and their frenzied cries for help are finally getting answered. Enter Naruto: Ultimate Ninja -- part brawler, part Saturday morning cartoon, and all fun.

PS2 gamers have been screaming for a Naruto game to call their own for some time. After all, in the US, the "Nine-Tailed Fox" has appeared exclusively on Nintendo consoles (the GameCube and the GBA), leaving PS2 gamers out in the cold. Well Sony fans of the hugely popular anime and manga series are about to get a mega-dose of their favorite wise-cracking ninja in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja, a game that takes brawling to a whole new level. Thanks to some enjoyable gameplay features and a visual style that seems taken straight from your favorite Saturday morning cartoons, the wait for Ultimate Ninja has definitely been worth it.

Whether your playing by yourself or with a group of friends, Ultimate Ninja offers up a myriad variety of modes to keep you entertained. The main single player offering, Scenario mode, has you picking one of six Naruto series characters and then fighting through a multi-stage, story-driven scenario.

To Become Hokage Is My Dream

Each level is filled to the brim with interactivity, including characters in the background that throw out helpful items. If you're low on health or need an attack boost, the background characters prove to be invaluable. But, you'll need to get to them quickly, since they'll also throw out items to your opponent. Each stage is set up in a three-tier level system, one in the foreground, one in the middle of the screen, and one in the background. If the level you're playing in doesn't tickle your fancy, you can also completely change levels mid-fight. Every so often a text box will pop up when you playing, letting you know that you can change the level that you're currently in. It's a neat feature and helps to change up the pace of the game dramatically.

But despite that neat feature, the real draw of the game is in its fighting action. Each character has a standard attack that, when strung together, unleashes fairly powerful combos. If you want to fight from a distance, each character is also capable of utilizing a projectile attack, although they usually don't do too much damage. Dishing out major damage requires the use of special attacks that come in up to three different power levels. As you play through a fight a special on-screen meter will fill up. Once full, you can unleash a powerful special move with your character. This meter, however, can be filled up to three times, thus increasing the power of the move you'll unleash.