Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! 4

"Does that mean Clash of Ninja?"

I recently imported Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! 4 after just getting into the Naruto series. It is the 4th game out of the Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen (Clash of Ninja) series, and is highly acclaimed to be the best. My expectations were high so let's see how it went.

Story:
First off it's Japanese, so if you want this game for the story and aren't fluent you better steer clear. I for one have been watching and reading the Naruto series as its been released in Japan so I knew what was going on even though I couldn't understand it. Story Mode consists of 4 chapters that range from after the Chuunin Exam up to Kyuubi Naruto and Curse Seal Sasuke fighting. Even though it is in Japanese all you have to do is just defeat people, there aren't any actually mission type parts. Having knowledge of the show though will make it much more enjoyable.

Gameplay:
One of the best features of the Gekitou Ninja Taisen series is the combat simplicity. B is to melee, A is to use projectiles and other character associated specials and X initiates a super attack when your chakra bar is full. Hitting people or blocking attacks increases the bar. The more combos you do, the more chakra you get. R and L are sidesteps and Y will grab a person if they are blocking. It's very simple and in the same simplicity as the Super Smash Bros series, although also similar in that it also has some advanced techniques that can be difficult to master. For those who have played any of the Super Smash Bros. series, Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 is on a similar level when it comes to learning the game. That is, controls for the game are very simple, yet for players wanting to take it to a higher level there are advanced techniques to be mastered.

Every character has at least 2 specials, with some having even more. A new feature is Team Specials which is when all 3 players chakra bars a full you press Forward and X to initiate a Team Special that does devastating amounts of damage. If the three characters have some relation, the special will be quite unique, such as Team Sharingan using their Sharingan-powered abilities. Different combinations of characters in a team will yield different Team Specials. For example, Team Sharingan (consisting of Sasuke, Itachi and Kakashi) will produce a unique Team Special using each of their Sharingan abilities.

The UI is much similar to previous titles. You have your HP and Chakra bar. Your chakra bar goes up when you hit and or block (when you hit or block,) and goes down when your guard breaks or you use you're special. Chakra is used for two main things: Executing specials and using body replacement technique. The former can use up all chakra or 3 or 2 bar segments, and the latter will always use 3 bar segments.

The gameplay consists of several modes including; Story, Single Player Team/Solo (basically arcade mode) and your normal Multiplayer and Training Modes. Another game mode is the popular Mission Mode. There are four different ranks of missions (C, B, A, and S, all increasing in difficulty). Some missions are extremely easy (getting a certain number of hits in a combo) and some can be really hard (3-on-1). Completing missions gets you a new character, always unlocking them in intervals of five. The mission can become daunting with some ranks having over 100 missions. There are many types of missions, such as defeating your strongest rival, getting a certain score before beating 10 people, beating 10 people in a certain time limit, or defeating 5 enemies by using specials to finish them off. These are usually recycled e.g. “Score 50, 00 in time attack…..Score 100, 000 in time attack etc.

Graphics:
The graphics are cel-shaded and very well done. The character move very fluently and their isn't any noticeable frame rate issues. Little effects such as characters having a sparkle when their chakra bar fills really make the game stand out. The specials are also very well done going into a little cinematic whenever one is pulled off. The stages are also very detailed and help in setting the mood for that special fan showdown of Naruto and Sasuke.

Sound:
I was a little disappointed when I started the game waiting to hear the song Go!! seeing as it was the 4th opening theme of the show and this is the 4th game. However I quickly got over it and was treated to some of the best music I have heard in a video game. Contained were many songs from the anime as well as some original compositions which were also very good and fit in well with the game. The voices are all done by those of the anime and sound great. The sound effects are all very fitting, too. When you punch, kick, etc. someone, it makes the appropriate "whack" sound. Kunai, shurikens, and other weapons make loud "slash" noises when they hit someone too.

Replayability:
With a total of 39 characters, hundreds of missions and an arcade esque mode it really is hard to put this game down. There's just so much to do and to unlock you won't be able to stop playing, especially if you're a fan of the series. Even after you have completed al the missions you can still get your friends over and have some 1v1 or 4 player free for all madness going.

Import?
If you're a fan of Naruto you do not want to miss out on this. If your worried about the language barrier have no fear, there are many menu and story translations on the web. Even without the story it is still a very solid fighting game and will fill in nicely if you grow tired of smash bros (which I still regularly play). If you wish to buy I have a Play Asia coupon, just send a pm and I'll set you up.

Story: 8/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 8/10
Sound / Music: 9/10
Replayability: 10/10

Overall – 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/16/07