Naruto: Clash of Ninja

"A must-have for Naruto fans, though others should proceed with caution."

Naruto: Clash of Ninja is one of the first Naruto games to reach the Western shores, alongside Naruto: Ninja Council for the GBA. Known as "Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen!" in Japan, the first installment in the "Clash" series focuses on, approximately, the first 20 episodes of the popular anime series. The game offers an amazingly well-made fighting system, although the game is a little too short for most to fully enjoy it.

Story: 3/10

Confused by the score after saying all of those nice things just a second earlier? Well, if you've seen the TV show and played the game, you'd understand why. Watching the first 20 episodes of the series will take up about 10 hours of your life, and not in a bad way. The characters are well-developed, the animation is fantastic, and the voice acting, despite what some may say, is quite well done. "Clash," however, MIGHT take up to 10 minutes in order for you to travel from the Village Hidden in the Leaves, to the Land of Waves, and back again, completing the 20 episode section of the series. There is little character development, if any, and the voice acting, despite being done by the same people who lend their skills to the show, is bland and emotionless (although you can see the character's emotions thanks to the multiple pictures used to show what the character feels at the time). The story mode is a pathetic 6 battles (7 battles if you haven't been beaten and used the continue option), and each battle can be finished in about 30 seconds, if you use the right moves. This small time-frame doesn't leave much for story development, so the best parts of the series (up to Episode 20) are left out, leaving you wondering exactly why you're fighting all of these people for no apparent reason.

Gameplay: 10/10

This is where "Clash" really shines. The game's fighting system is among one of the best in any fighting game that I've ever played. The action is almost always fast paced, and that makes for an entertaining time, at all times. Despite the simplistic controls (control stick to move, jump, run, back up, etc., B to attack, etc.), there are multiple combo attacks to use for each character, and they are all unique looking, dealing different amounts of damage and having different effects on the "receiving" character. The controls can be figured out by simply pushing buttons, but that's not always a bad thing. After getting a hold of the controls, you can start using more advanced techniques that deal a lot of damage and, more importantly, look cool (^_^).

Extras: 6/10

There are a ton of extras to be found in "Clash," but the majority of these are the "emotion pictures" you see in the Story Mode, among other pictures. The other extras are simple: a Sound Test, 3 secret characters, and information on all of the characters (which is, unfortunately, only 8). The Sound Test is nothing special, and contains the few variations of music from the game. However, there are also the Sound Effects from all 8 characters, which must be unlocked as well. All of the unlockables make the game last a little longer, so you can enjoy the game for the great fighter it is.

Replay Value: 8/10

Despite the lack of story or worthwhile extras in the game, the fighting system is enough to keep the majority of gamers playing. Plus, if you have a friend or two, the game can become a lot more challenging, as the CPU in the game doesn't provide a great challenge.

Total: 27/40 --> 67.5/100

In conclusion, Naruto: Clash of Ninja is great game for the time that it lasts, and should be enjoyed with more than one person, if possible. I suggest renting it for those who are new to the series. If you love Naruto, however, don't hesitate to spend your money on this game.

NOTE #1: From this point on, I will not include a Visuals/Graphics section or a Music section in my reviews. Although Graphics and Music are factors in deciding whether or not to pick up a game, they are, widely, the least important factors, and should not be a large consideration in choosing your games. For example, many will look at "Clash" and think that because it's cel-shaded, it's bad (which is far from the truth). When choosing your games, think of gameplay, story (although some don't care much for story), and replay value. What gamers really need is a game that makes them want to keep playing over and over again. Graphics and Music are not sound, deciding factors in the quality of a game.

NOTE #2: Please remember that this, and all other reviews of any kind, are opinions of the writer. They are not to be taken as the complete truth, and should only be used as considerations for picking games up. If you are ever in doubt, rent the game first.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/29/06, Updated 06/07/06