Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2

"If not original, still quite a beautiful work of anime art"

Ok, let's face it: this game isn't too far from another DBZ Boudakai game. Even so, Bandai has made its best work ever, which normally isn't that much, so give them a hand this time around. Let's get down to business here.

Gameplay [9/10]
Take Digimon Rumble Arena 2's platform-fighter style, take Soul-Caliber's heavy combo style, take Dragonball Z Boudakai 3's projectile style and slick-yet-easy control scheme, and then throw in some sweet multi-tiering, and what do you get? You guessed it! Sure, all the moves may be quick flick-of-the-stick and O mashing, but they make out in a mean combo-link. The hyper-combo system is kickass too, but it's the only thing that prevents this game from being 4 player. Nothin like mashing /_\ 3 times and going mad in an FFX button throw. The game just goes so sweetly.

Story [8/10]
Okay, the Naruto manga+anime were a lot better in quality. Still, this game has the basis of the standard storyline, and it doesn't work out half-bad. The only thing I could wish for is that the storyline roll more consistently and not start off at episode 50**. Anyone who's seen the anime or read the manga knows how things roll, and this shouldn't be too bad off.

Graphics [10/10]
It is extremely hard to punch the full potential out of a PS2, but it's been done, and who knew that some corp like Bandai could actually pull it off? The standard cell-shading is nice, the particles are great, the comic-book line effect works well, the polygon-textured backgrounds are developed, and the hyper combo cutscenes are the best I could ever have seen on a video game.

Sound [10/10]
A reasonable choice of music to match each scenario. The traditional Japanese style flows through the game to make a perfect match to the series. Some of the background songs are just very catchy, especially the first Orochimaru fight scene.

Value [8/10]
The storyline may be short, but a good anime fan will want to clean through it in one move. Plus, the story has replay value just for the heck of getting all unlocks. Should it matter though, there is a cheat system. The standard versus sadly lacks 4 player action, which feels fitting from NGT, but makes up for it with a nice hyper-combo system that fits best in two player versus.

Overall [9/10]
A serious piece of work. No anime-based game, and very few fighting games, could well match the effort shown from this. Any fan of either should get this game promptly.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/18/05