"An OK fighting game, but nothing special."

Having never watched Naruto other than the first eight episodes I do not claim to know a lot about the series. However based on what I do know, I can say that this game tries to capture the feel of the show, but fails to use the DS to its full potential.

Audio - 1/10
The sound is extremely annoying to say the least. It is very bland and it basically limited to three different music tracks and a bunch of useless sound effects when attacking.

Gameplay - 7/10
The actual fighting isn't as bad as it first seems but can be way too easy at times. For example the first battle in story mode is harder than the final story battle which just seems strange. The attacks are limited to a weak attack (Y), a heavy attack (B), two jumping attacks, and then each character has a super attack that can be used when the gauge is full by pressing Forward+A simultaneously. The gauge is filled up by dealing or receiving damage to your opponent using a combination of the Y and B buttons and the jumping attacks. Jumping is performed by pressing the X button.

Controls - 9/10
The controls are overall very solid but occasionally an opponent can somehow counter a special move, which shouldn't be possible as they are like mini cutscenes.

Story - 3/10
The story is almost non-existent and starts with Naruto VS Neiji in some tournament. After this fight the story rushes between other various anime battles such as Naruto VS Gaara and ends with a showdown of Naruto against some guy called Orochimaru or something.

Graphics - 6/10
The graphics are slightly above average but would have been better if animated like the Bleach games as opposed to bad quality 3D sprites which can be difficult to look at sometimes. The animations for the cutscenes are also quite good and are all unique, the funniest one being Jiraiya's huge fire breathing toad. Also the menus are easy to navigate and pleasing to the eye albeit there is a severe lack of options in the game.

Overall - 6/10
The game is not a bad attempt at making a fighting game but is severely lacking in terms of doing anything original in terms of the basic layout. Probably the game's saving grace in my opinion is the cutscenes for the special Jutsu attacks, but even then some are insanely imbalanced (compare Itachi's one which is almost an OHKO, to Temari's which does about a quarter as much damage). So I would only recommend this game if you are a fan of the series because it did not make me want to watch Naruto at all and so would most likely not be enjoyed by people who aren't fans.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 02/26/08

Game Release: Naruto: Ninja Destiny (EU, 02/15/08)