Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! 4

"“Recycled To be The Best!”"

Naruto GNT4 is the sequel to three of its predecessors. Since the first Gnt game it has been improving in some aspect and in the end many. GNT 4 is certainly an impressive game as it introduces more characters (mainly the villains) and new ways to battle. Naruto fans should instantly fall in love with this game while those who are not fans will have a good run.

Game play: Sadly to say the fighting system has in some way stayed exactly the same since the first GNT. However, this doesn't hinder the game in the least. The many modes and unlockables are enough to keep you busy for days. GnT places you in many scenarios to battle your opponent there's the classic one-on- one, In which you face off against a A.I. controlled player or a friend, Two-on-two which may involve you and a friend down to simply you and the A.I. battling it out. In the beginning this can get confuse as you must stay locked on to one person at a time and someone else can come up from behind and start punishing. There is also the classic arcade mode, time attack, and survival. The game also offer a new Mission Mode Ranked C, B, A, or S. This mode will place you in different situations where conditions must be met to clear it. The higher the rank the harder the mission. Clearing mission will unlock more character and stages. However, Mission mode is unlocked once arcade is cleared once. With a list of 39 characters players you will be going through missions for awhile but it is very well worth it. Lastly the Three-on-three tag team which allows you to put your favorite teams together (i.e. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto) and beat anyone else who thinks there better! One great new aspect of the three-on-three is the team super which has been re-done to fit each team. So you can now catch your opponents off guard as Sasuke Lights them up with his Katon Technique while Naruto prepares his Rasengan. Getting into a little more detail with the fighting you basically have your classic life bar and A chakra bar the chakra bar lets you perform special, which are executed with the X button, and chakra also allows you to perform evasive techniques such as Instantaneous movement or (our favorite) The replacement technique. The combo system is very deep and each character has his or her own strategies from Ten Ten's expert weapon use to Kankurou's puppet techs. All in all the game play should keep one entertain for awhile and soon enough you'll find yourself strategizing on how to beat each different character especially when played with a friend.

Sound: The sound in the game is excellent. Though in Japanese the sound is very well done. Those you understand the Japanese language will enjoy this even more as you can hear your favorite character use famous lines from the anime. The Japanese voice actor did as great a job as in the anime. My personal favorite is the chirping of the chidori when executed. Also, the music is some of the best you'll hear in any anime based video game. GnT4 manages to sound just like the music is straight out of the anime. In other words, all the music is very much Naruto-ish like.

Story: As for the story. There is a story mode which takes you through the later half of the story as shown in the series. Though not re-enacted scene for scene it still get to the point. Since fans already know the story there isn't much of a need to drag this mode on.

Graphics: The graphics are all on point. GnT4 presents each and every character exactly like there anime counterparts. The cutscenes for the supers, the special effects of the Rasengan and Chidori are simply amazing and gamers should be pleased. The stages range from very colorful to gloomy to set the mood for each match. The creators did a great job on trying to set the mood for each battle. There are many stages to choose from so battles won't become stale easily.

Overall, Naruto GnT4 may be a recycled version of the previous games but it was made a lot better and will keep Naruto fans entertained for hours. It is well worth purchasing even if you're a not a fan.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/04/06