Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2

"Best Anime Based Fighter Ever!"

I have played many fighting games in my time. I really like Mortal Kombat and Dragonball Z Budokai Series and stuff like that. Any fighter is a sinch to learn how to play for me. This game is by far the best anime based fighter and probaly best fighter overall I have ever played. It is very uniqe and fun.

10/10 Graphics: The Graphics in this game are amazing, they stay so True to the series. This cel-shading is sharp and the backrounds are amazing. When I walk through Rpg mode through the Water Country on the Great Naruto Bride, I stop and look at the sunset as it gleams across the water. It sounds stupid but it is just like watching the real thing. The backround Graphics are just as good as the normal graphics! They are well made and deserve a 10/10.

10/10 Controls: I thought that these controls would stump me for hours before I got the game. R2 was to block and all the buttons were in places that I was totally not used to. I was wrong, I got used to these controls in a flash. They are very easy and sleek. It is easy as all hell. Most people were like I wish up was jump instead of X well guess what. That would be bad for this game. To dash you have to hit the jump button 2 to 3 times and hitting up would not feel right. After a couple of hours you will have mastered the controls and find that you can do anything as if you were using these controls on every fighting game you have ever played. Even the Jutsu's and Specials are easy. Your Jutsus are performed by down down o and up up o. Your specials are done by hitting triangle from 1 to 3 times then hitting your oppenent.

10/10: Gameplay: The gameplay is the biggest factor of this game. You can do so much as to Kawawirmi behind your oppenent to an Oi Uchi Sequence. It is just plain easy and fun. The AI can be tough on Very Hard but Friends should be a bigger challenge for you. This is where the multiplayer comes in. Train your friends on the game. Humans are much a more challenge than AI when you get to a certain level. Give your friends some time and they will catch on as quickly as you. This games gameplay is utter pwn-ness!

10/10: Storyline: With an Rpg mode that follows the story from when Naruto meets Jiraiya to a Kyuubi Naruto fighting Sealed Orochimaru you cannot go wrong. Chapters One and Two cover the Story from Uzumaki Naruto meeting Jiraiya to Tsunade fighting Orochimaru. That is not the end of it though. Chapter Three and Chapter 4 are What Ifs. It is a great what if story if you ask me. It is good to have some what ifs because if you are a major fan of the manga/series then you wouldn't be expecting this to happen. The story is very well thought out and it is great to play in it. You can replay the story chapters by going to the bottom selection in the triangle menu once you have come to chapter 4. That is not all though you can do missions. These missions have different Winning Conditions and Dificulty Levels. From D-S Rank missions it can be as fun and as challenging as all hell. Me I have not Done Not even a quarter of the missions myself. Also Shonen Jump and V-Jump in Japan release new S-Rank Missions Every Week I am pretty sure. To get to these you need to input some codes in Narutos Room to get to them though. I myself have not done it yet but I hope they are very challenging. Oh and If I may mention the customizing statisics on your characters. There are 31-33 Jutsus you can get throughout Storymode and equip your characters with other peoples Jutsus. You could have Shino with Itachi's Kagebunshin Sai (Exploding Clone). You can also up your characters stats and you are able to max out 3. They are in Order and here they are, Attack, Defense, Chakra Control, Speed, Status Immunity, and Weapon Powerups (i.e. Shooting out more Kunai or starting with poison bombs and teleport scrolls). These stats matter ALOT! One point can make a big difference! So that is all good too.

10/10: Sound/Music: The Sound and Music in this game is beutiful. Every Board has its great tunes that we all love. The sounds make it seem like you are hearing it straight from the series. Everybody talks in RPG mode even the villagers. It is all well done. Everything about the sound and music are two thumbs up.

10/10: Extra's: This is sort of a new category but this game has tons of extra's. They have Jiraiyas store where you can buy music, game cards, videos, and much more. It is a real great addition to the game and you can view all this in Naruto's Room. Oh and If I may add the items in the game are spectacular and they also have little animals from the series that attack you.

Buy/Rent: Well if you are in america like me you cant rent it but if you are japanese I dont even suggest renting it. I suggest Everybody to buy this! It just Pwnz all. Once you have your hands on it you will not stop playing. First night I played I did not go to sleep. Me and my friends all love it. Some of them know nothing about or have never heard of Naruto play it with me and they love it. But as for me and my friends who watch Naruto and Read the Manga...well we love it to its complete fullest. We cannot leave it alone.

10/10: Overall: This game is purely PWNZ! I love it. I have had it for about two weeks at the most. It is very fun to play and as I type my friend is replaying the storymode he never got to see. It is a great game and possibly if not the best anime based fighting game out there! It even takes over most of the non anime based games for me. The only Game that can stand in its way is the upcoming Dragonball Z Budokai 3 which many are looking forward to. I myself am and I think this game may even outdo that for me. Naruto 2 > Budokai 3. I hope this faq was very helpful to you.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/30/04