To team with the release of the Naruto: Clash of Ninja series on GameCube, publisher D3 has been simultaneously sending out handheld adventures to go with the franchise's console counterpart. When the first Clash of Ninja game hit stores, Naruto: Ninja Council was released for GBA. Now that Clash of Ninja 2 has made its way to the states, we're again seeing a simultaneous release with Naruto: Ninja Council 2.

Released over two years ago in Japan, Ninja Council 2 has now made its way to the states to compliment the rising popularity of the anime. Like the first Ninja Council game, the story follows the show's protagonist Naruto Uzamaki as he teams up with friends, fights evil, and pulls off insane super-attacks that can only be found in good ole "Japanime". Unlike the previous game, however, Ninja Council 2 has taken on a new developer, follows a different design, and makes some admittedly odd gameplay choices. For starters, the overall presentation of the game is much closer to the characters, allowing for Naruto and the bunch to take center stage on the screen, with the necessity of showing off the license as a top priority. In addition, the game has gone from being a mix of combat, platforming, and exploration to being primarily combat-based, and unfortunately the gameplay just isn't there.

In Naruto: Ninja Council 2, players have a chance to use not only Naruto himself, but also his friends Sasuke and Sakura as they attempt to pass the Chunin Exams at the Ninja Academy. Unfortunately, the evil Orochimaru has sprung a trap to catch the young ninjas, forcing Naruto and his friends to not only pass the exams, but also thwart Orochimaru's evil plans in the process. At any time in the game, players can switch between the three fighters with a tap of the L button, bringing in a fresh fighter with new super attacks, different combos, and varying attributes. Regardless of who you're controlling, the basic premise of the game is still the same; run to the right, kick the crap out of baddies, fight the boss, and repeat.

Unlike its predecessor, Ninja Council 2's level design is amazingly bland, usually banking off a single hook for each level. In the opening forest level, for example, there's very little vertical movement at all, as players merely run to the right, jump over fallen trees and stumps, and beat up on enemy thugs. The game tries to add flavor to the levels by including simple themes for each world (such as a cave level where fighters will have to battle on the backs of giant snakes), but the entire feel of the game is amazingly void and uninspired. In the previous Naruto GBA game players could run up walls, gain new spells to use, platform across tons of environmental hazards and find hidden areas. In Ninja Council 2, it simply feels like you're running from boss to boss.

Even the lack of inspired level design would be justified if the game's battle mechanic was stronger than the previous game. After all, the Clash of Ninja franchise exists purely on character combat, so a 2D title of the same nature could be a successful take on the franchise. Unfortunately, the gameplay feels very clunky, and doesn't have the balance necessary for an enjoyable fighting experience. The gameplay works on the most simplistic of levels, allowing for basic button-mashing, but when it comes to depth, Ninja Council 2 missed the mark. Player control is far too touchy, as even the simple act of turning around will take an additional tap when coming out of a run. Fighter collision is very uneven as well, having players making contact with punches that miss by 10-20 pixels away. It's hard to show off a strong fighting mechanic when players are taking damage from clear misses, and as we played through the game it became amazingly apparent that Naruto's looks were far more important than the game's feel. Sure there are a few awesome supers to pull off, sending enemies into a vortex of pain, but when general movement doesn't feel right, it just doesn't hold up. Sealing the deal, the game's aerial combat lacks a smooth feel as well, so not only is the combat difficult to work with on the ground, but also the air.

Despite the unintuitive controls, the game definitely has a strong style. Character animations are fluid and the overall look of the game is very flashy. Characters attack with a good deal of effects, and the amount of attention that went into each super is definitely apparent when watching the scripted attacks in motion. Even the audio includes a few snippets of English dialogue, and while the music isn't anything special, it's a solid all-around effort in the presentation category.

Closing Comments
Naruto Ninja Council 2 is a poster-child for the phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The original game wasn’t amazing by any standards, but it was still a solid action-adventure game. Ninja Council 2 attempts to focus more on the fighting and less on the exploration, but fails to retain the tight gameplay of the original in the process, making for a game with far more detail and style, better character animations, but a weak overall feel. The level design is very sloppy, the collision detection is off, and the super attacks – while entertaining – can’t make up for the lack of overall melancholy combat execution. The addition of multiple characters was a great choice, and the gameplay can be fun at times on the most simplistic and mindless level, but even the most avid fans will find themselves frustrated at the poor combat and shallow environments in no time. The game offers a multiplayer mode for co-op and vs. battles, but Naruto fans would do better to enjoy the more solid execution of the original Ninja Council game for GBA, or invest in Clash of Ninja 2 for GameCube than play through this flawed, dated, and completely average feeling action game.

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Labels: Action, Adventure, RPG