Reviewed: December 4, 2008
Reviewed by: Kyle Crow

Publisher
Tomy

Developer
Eighting

Released: October 21, 2008
Genre: Fighting
Players: 1-2

6
7
7
6
6.0

Supported Features:

The gameplay for Naruto Clash of the Ninja Revolution 2 is quite simple. You face off against another opponent and you must defeat them. The game gives you a great amount of options. You can do one-on-one, two-on-two, triple threats, gauntlets (where you face many different opponents at once), and timed matches. You can also change the time limits and the number of knockouts needed for a win.

You have over 30 fighters to choose from. Most of them are unlocked when you first start playing. The others must be unlocked as you complete goals in the game, such as beating the story mode. There are also many locations that you can choose from. All of them are based on Locations in and around the Hidden Leaf Village. During matches, you can also knock opponents off of the battlefield and unto new territory. For example you can knock someone off solid ground and end up fighting in a bay.

The story mode is an original story involving major characters of the Naruto cast. This game also has the Anbu ninjas as a part of the story mode. I will not spoil the story, but you get to fight as Naurto and his friends such as Garra, Rock Lee, Tenten, Hinata, and Sakura. As you progress through the story mode, the challenges and opponents you face get dramatically harder. Being that I have not played another Naruto game before, I had difficultly beating the last few fights of the story mode. Some levels also impose certain rules, restrictions, or objectives that do not allow knocking out an opponent, or using a special jitsu to defeat your opponent.

The controls of the game are arranged in a vast array. You can use the Wii remote by itself, combo it with the Nunchuck or Classic Controller, or use a GameCube controller. The Wii Remote and Nunchuck combination allows for movements with the controller as you go. I personally used the classic controller. I feel that the more buttons on the controller, the easier it is to learn. Using the training mode in the game, I was able to learn the basic moves, how to use the special Jitsus, and how to use combo moves. The training mode will help you to master the learning curve.

The graphics on the game are not bad. They look like your watching the anime show. The fights have a cartoon feel to it, and the special Jitsus have a cartoon like feel to it as well. The cut scenes are still pictures, but the creators did a great job at presenting the cut scenes, thus not The only flaw that I could give to the graphics, is that when you are in an intense battle (say one on three), it can get real busy on the screen and make things a little slower. Otherwise, the realism and anime feel give this game a great graphical epic.

The game has intense music that heightens the battle mood and gets you into the battle. There are grunts, slaps, and voices during the battle, just like in a fight on the TV Show. The cutscenes have music and really clear voices for the characters. All of them are voiced by the people who voice them for the cartoon show. Personally, I would think this would be a great game for surround sound, if it was available. However according to the box, it doesn’t look like there is support for it. Otherwise this game would be perfect.

There are a few things that could be improved to make this game more worth the money. The multiplayer mode is great for playing with your friends. However, outside of CPU opponents, there are no other challenges. Nintendo Wi-Fi support would be great for this game. The multiplayer options allow for matches between you and your friends, with the same game play options as the single player mode. I am not sure if the Story Mode allows co-op playing, but that would also make the game better. There is some replay value to the game, to allow for unlocking characters and other items, however not enough to justify excellent replay value, like Mario Kart Wii.

Naruto Clash of the Ninja Revolution 2 is a great game if you’re a fan of the anime or previous games in the series (chances are if you are a fan of one, you’re a fan of the other.). If you want to try a fighting game out, like I did, you will probably enjoy this game, but it's probably best as a rental unless you are a collector of all things Naruto. In essence, it is a good game, but it needs more features to make it a great game.