Naruto: Ultimate Ninja

"Naturo: Ultimate Regret"

Gameplay
This was the biggest let down in the game. Everyone has the same combos (No I'm not kidding) and the controls are unresponsive at time. No matter how fast you press your character will only complete the combo as fast as their animation will allow them. This feature will frustrate a lot players with quick hands and reactions.

Despite the 3D-ness of the game, it plays like a crappy 2D side scroller and you can only move between the foreground and the background, which makes you feel restricted. There are no special attacks, just generic combos and cut sequences that require the player to put in the button combination in order to go to the next sequence. All of the combos and cut sequences do the same damage. The characters can also throw shurikens, but the little damage and don't make that much of a difference.

The game steals ideas from DBZ Budokai and Powerstone. If you play the first DBZ Budokai, then you know how much this game sucks...but worse.

Sound/Music
The voice acting was good, but not the best. The voice actors were reading directly from their scripts, which sucked all the life out of their performance. During battles, their voices were hard to make out. The music was awful as none of the background music fitted any of the stages nor did they bring a sense of life to the game.

Graphics
3D Cel-Shaded, but again despite the illusion of the 3D-ness the game plays like a 2D side scroller. In fact, the game reminded me more of Paper Mario then DBZ Budokai. While the cel-shaded graphics look nice, it still doesn't help the fact that this game sucks.

Story
The story is based on the manga/anime series. In story mode, your character will repeat some of the dialog and events from the television series. The game doesn't have it's own story so don't expect anything new. You'll meet other characters from the show as you progress through the game.

Extras
They are some unlockable characters (from the show), gain access to secret videos and in-game cards that feature characters or sceneshots from the show. All of which can be unlock in a matter of 6 hours. Boring...

Overall
Don't buy this game, either rent or leave it on your shelf at the local video game store.

Reviewer's Score: 1/10, Originally Posted: 08/08/06