Pros: Fun gameplay
Cons: voiceovers and sounds
The bottom line: A great game that everyone will love!
(I redid it since my first review wasn't good)

I’ll try doing a good review =p

For those of you who don’t know who or what Naruto is, you are missing out on a great character and a great series! Based on Masashi Kishimoto’s manga, the story has become an anime, a card playing game, and yes, you guessed it: a game. So let’s discuss about Ultimate Ninja 2.

This is a relatively easy fighting game to get the grasp. Jump, attack, special, dash, area switch, kawamiri… All these will become quite easy to perform after the first half hour. Also available is Iruka’s training which will help you figure out the basics thanks to his explanations. Also, the game has 3D graphics but the fights happen on 2 horizontal planes.

You start out with 18 characters and as you play through you’ll be able to unlock a bundle of characters (32 characters total). Each one of them being unique and fun in their own way, they come with different techniques and different specials. All of them still respect’s the series and it really shines on the game’s results.

The fighting can become quite intense at times, because the speed is always fast-paced. When you start doing combos with the circle button, unleash techniques that will give mini cinematics with the up+up+circle buttons or the down+down+circle combo. You go and pound the enemy until his life drops. Though everyone can block and do kawamiri no jutsu (replacement technique) which starts a timing sequence between the two opponents to land the blow first.

Another interesting thing is the special attack (Also called Ougi attacks in Japanese). This puts both attacking and defending character into a situation of duel to follow a sequence in order to: stop the special attack, half the damage or increase the damage. Sometimes, the blow can be quite deadly.

Let’s not forget the possibility to customize your characters techniques! You can make Rock Lee’s Konoha whirlwind be used by Naruto for example! So be creative with these!

Both techniques and specials require some chakra (spiritual power if you want to call it that way) in order to be used. The more chakra being used, the more a special can become deadly. Different cinematic sequences will be shown depending on the amount of energy used. Chakra can be gained with items or by charging it.

Let’s not overlook the stages! You can battle it out on rooftops, inside towns, in the forest, in an assassin’s lair or even a swamp. All these stages come with 2 areas: the front area and the one behind. You can switch from one to another quite easily so the action can go different ways quite fast. The stages can often interact with the characters (and holes are not a good place to wind up XD). Support characters will pop-up once in a while to lend a hand with useful items, but you got to go to your support character or else it won’t give you anything.

Items can vary from the recovery of your health or your chakra to status change items to attack items. Try experimenting with each of them to see their benefits and their potential. Also forgot to mention that items can be found in objects in the stage like crates or scarecrows!

Besides duel mode, there’s also Ultimate campaign, where you take part as the characters from the series and you follow a storyline. Since it’s an RPG, it is possible to upgrade your characters stats with fighting experience. Though be careful, 9999 is the max experience you can have with one character. What? You level a stat you didn’t want? Have no worries! Since the Yondaime (Tsunade) will be able to re-allocate your points (for a small fee of course). Back to the main subject, through out the campaign, you will encounter friends and foes, walk in around town, talk to people and get missions. As you pass this mode, you will unlock all the characters. Some missions can be harder then others, so be prepared!

Something I really like when I feel like goofing off are the mini-games. From climbing the tree for chakra training to racing against Gai on your hands to doing a push-up competition, it can get really fun and enjoyable. All that can be done versus a computer or a friend.

With duels and the RPG mode, you will get Ryo that you can spend in Tenzaku’s market on videos, character figurines, audio content and character profiles. A fun addition to the game.

Now for the graphics! I must say they do have a nice appeal to game and it fits with the series and the genre of the game. Sure, it won't look as outstanding as final fantasy or zelda (or insert name of game using amasing graphics), but it has a nice appeal.

All the characters have their voices done by the english voiceactor crew of the Naruto series. Those who know and like the japanese voiceactors will probably despise the english dubs, but generally, people will be okay with the voices. (Though I can find some screams to be a bit agressives...) That aside, the voices are well done.

I must also warn all of you… When you select an option, a “YOOOO” sound will play.... which will eventually annoy you. So try to laugh it off with some friends! As they say, the more the merrier.


To finish up, I enjoyed Naruto Ultimate Ninja 2 a lot and it has given me hours of addicting fun while playing with my friends. I strongly recommend it to any fighter lover, anime lover, or just plain gamer. So remember, you got to believe it before you can beat your opponents –dattebayo!