Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! 4

"Best Naruto game ever? Believe it. (I deserve slapped for that.)"

Finally! A Naruto game that deserves a score of 9 or higher! When I first played Gekitou Ninja Taisen 1, I felt this series wouldn't ever become a future hit. Well, damn was I wrong. Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 is easily one of the cleanest and most accessible fighters ever released. I'm going to break down my review into 5 sections. Gameplay, Graphics, Audio, Replay Value, and Overall Fun.. First, let's start with the Gameplay...

Gameplay Score: 10

Reason: Easily the highest point in the series as far as gameplay goes. Throwing out an effective combo at your opponent has never felt so good, thanks to the new addition of the Y-cancel. (It basically allows some combos to be cancelled, so a new one can be performed. This links your combos together, often resulting in a hell of a lot of damage.) Most things from the past Gekitou Ninja Taisen games have returned, such as special moves, escape jutsu, all that fun stuff. A small, yet very critical addition added to the game is the ability to choose whether you want to attack your opponent to escape a combo, or simply escape the combo and distance yourself from your opponent. Pressing R while being attacked will result in your character attacking the opponent to end their combo, while pressing L will put you behind your opponent (without attacking). Though it's a small additon, it goes a long way. The controls are also very responsive, making the gameplay in this game near flawless.

Graphics Score: 8

Reason: The graphics in the game are quite good. The characters look exactly like they do in the anime. They are cel-shaded, which is definately a plus in this case. The environments could use a little work, though, for the most part look pretty good as well. A few fugly stages bump the score down a point. Some of the textures could definately use some smoothing out, though you won't notice any of this, unless you're nitpicky and have sharp eyes like I do. >_>; One thing thing that does bug me; however, is the pixilation that occurs on the loading screens. At first glance, it shows your characters clearly. But after a second or two, pixils show up. This can be very unflattering on a large TV. (Though some newer TVs actually smooth out the pixilation.) It's a small complaint, but it bugs me having to see it every time a match is loading. My last complaint, is the frame rate during some battles. Kankuro, Kiba, and any other ninja that uses clones to fight, will affect some 4 player battles. It won't screw your combos up or anything, but like the pixilation on the loading screens, is noticable. All these small complaints aside, the game still looks pretty good.

Audio Score: 10

Reason: The voice acting is great. The voices are taken directly from the show. The sound effects are all fitting as well. The music, though, is the main reason for the perfect score. The music is catchy, fitting...it just feels like it was taken directly from the show or something. Very well done audio overall.

Replay Value: 10

Reason: This game, is like Super Smash Bros. Melee in this aspect. The single player is fun, and it will take a long amount of time to complete everything and unlock everything the game has to offer. Take those 40+ hours of single player and add in an unlimited amount of multiplayer playability, and you have a game that keeps on giving. I can picture myself 2 more years down the road still playing this game on weekends with my friends.

Overall Fun: 10

Reason: The single player alone is a blast, but when you have up to four friends playing all at once, it is MAYHEM. Take my word for it - you will have SO much fun playing this game, particularly with friends. This game is what videogaming is all about - sheer fun and good quality.

Now that you've read all of that...here's my overall rating, and why.

Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 rightfully deserves a 9.5 out of 10. (rounded up to a 10) It's fun, it lasts forever, and it delivers everything a game should. It's not quite perfect in every aspect, but it's still without a doubt, the greatest Naruto game of all time.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/29/07