"What the hell happened here?"

Introduction

Yeah this is my first review. This game is based on the Naruto Anime Series, and while it is easy to see who is who from the anime, and how several special techniques were copied from the series, it doesn't appeal very much to people, or at least to me.

Gameplay - 5/10

It's basically a 3D fighter like Tekken, except with little to no help. It doesn't have a training mode to let you practice, it doesn't teach you how to play, or anything. It just pushes you straight into a battle where you learn the things by yourself. To me, it's a horrible approach, especially since the computer's are quite ruthless. The game's controls are rather awkward, since you can only throw your weapons when you are in mid-air, after jumping, and most of the attacks are not very helpful. You win the battles usually by knocking the enemy into a confusion and then killing them with your secret technique which destroys the enemy's health by 1/2 to 3/4. There is no interactivity either, once you use your technique, it just shows the animation, and you watch the enemy be WTFPWND! by your power. When I got the game, I expected it to be like Ultimate Ninja, but I was wrong, I suppose.

The Kawarimi is ridiculous too, you can do it whenever you want to, and you can just do it repeatedly until you kill your enemy or run out of chakra. You can combo them into hell if you want to, it's not hard. The game doesn't make use of the touch screen either, other than pressing those little boxes.

Story - 7/10

It copies the anime series directly, there isn't much to say.

Graphics/Sound - 4/10

You could've done better, my friends.

You can see how horrible the graphics are as soon as you enter the game, where the text's black outlining is shoddily cut and not blended at all. The menu's are ugly and could be from a Gameboy Advance game. The game itself, by which I mean the fighting, is okay. It looks ten times worse than Naruto : UN1, and the special attacks are insignificant in terms of graphics. Take for example, Neji's special attack. It's just Neji hitting someone and blue stuff coming out. nothing cool at all.

And the sound.. why no voices? Even if just for the special attacks, it would be nice. The music is also annoying. They should've just taken it out from the anime.

Play Time/Replayability - 2/10

The play time won't take you much more than a day. Replayability is at the minimum, the only thing to get are more characters.

Final Recommendation - Don't get it :/

Unless you are a true fanatic, don't get the game. At all. It'll lower your expectations for any DS 3d fighter in the future.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 03/03/08

Game Release: Naruto: Ninja Destiny (US, 02/26/08)