It’s not
surprising to find a game based on a popular Japanese manga or anime and it’s
equally not surprising that most of them turn out to fighting games whether it’s
a long-running series like InuYasha or Full Metal Alchemist.
Naruto, one of Shonen Jump’s current fan favorite, has already introduced
gamers to a few games based on the popular manga books and Viz Media’s animated
series (that is currently enjoying a good run on cable‘s Cartoon Network), but
so far only an excellent PSP game is worthy of the franchise. Naruto: Uzumaki
Chronicles 2 is a sequel with a lot to offer but it still just doesn’t quite
have the chops to keep up with our favorite spiky-haired ninja.
“Jeez, sorry, we’ll NEVER say anything bad about the Naruto Fan Club ever
again!”
Much like the
recent Naruto movie, Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow, the story
behind Uzumaki Chronicles 2 stands alone without connecting events that
occur before or after any events seen in the anime series. It’s an original tale
that puts you in the shoes of Naruto Uzumaki, the feisty Ninja Academy student
that lives in the Village of the Hidden Leaves. The story finds Naruto returning
from a mission when he runs into Kankuro, a friend from the Hidden Sand Village
that was on his way to warn Naruto’s village of an attack by the mysterious
puppet masters of the Shirogane Clan. This Clan not only plans to destroy the
villages of the various nations in search of Soul Orbs they can use to free
their leader, the Puppet Master. As always, Naruto jumps at the chance to take
on a dangerous mission sets out – with the aid of a number of familiar
characters – to put an end the Shirogane Clan’s devious plan.
It’s an
interesting setup but, sadly, the story in Story mode never really takes off and
it takes a backseat to the game’s fighting sequences. If you’re new to the world
of Naruto, you’re in for some confusion since the story never really
offers much insight on the characters or background the various nations and the
other village ninjas. The game assumes gamers know who these characters are so
if you’re a dedicated fan of the anime or the books you’ll be in for some
pleasant surprises such as numerous cameos and an interesting alliance between
the Naruto and the psychotic Gaara of the Hidden Sand Village. Sure, the levels
are set up in a way that they mimic an episode from the anime (including the
voice of Naruto announcing the title of the level the same way he
enthusiastically reads off the title of each episode) but the story feels
swallowed whole by the game’s action.
Unfortunately,
action is what the game doesn’t do right and we’re left with a button-mashing
experience that lacks the style and grace of each character’s fighting technique
and unique Ninjutsu skills. Each character has his or her own fighting stances
and moves but they hardly mimic those from the show in the same way that
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja for the PS2 handles the styles. Secondly, the
individual Jutsu skills are present but they don’t have the same polish as well.
Naruto’s Sexy Jutsu move simply fizzles here but his Shadow Clone Jutsu is the
best seen in a Naruto game yet. Naruto can even pull off his Nine-Tail Awakening
move if he has enough Chakra (the essence that allows ninjas to pull of
seemingly magical abilities). Fans will like many of the Jutsu skills since many
of them are true to each character. Shikamaru, for instance, can pull off his
Shadow Jutsu (a Jutsu that allows his shadow to snatch his enemies to hold them
still for a good beating). Sasuke has his Flame Jutsu and Kankura makes good use
of his puppet.
Bad Action Movie Idea #3: The Three
Stooges: Moe’s Revenge
You’ll run into
many enemies along the way that range from enemy ninjas to the puppets sent by
the Shirogane Clan but sadly the fights get repetitive quickly. There are boss
battles and they’re pretty challenging but even the boss fights can’t distract
from the frequent battles with the same unintelligent enemies that won’t attack
unless you make a move first. Speaking of frequent, the game contains some
lengthy and frequent load times that pop up for everything from moving within
the same environment to loading up every cut scene sequence. Some levels have
you teaming up with two other characters you also get to control on the fly
like Naruto’s closest friends Sakura and Sasuke just to name a few of the show’s
cast of characters that show up. Unless you’re playing the single-player game
with a friend, though, the ability to switch characters feels unnecessary since
you can very well whip all your enemies as Naruto or the powerful Kakashi
sensei.
The game does
try to mix things up during Story mode by allowing you to move within a world
map RPG-style and you can upgrade each character’s skills and abilities or even
buy Jutsu abilities in the game’s store or Skill Plate menu. Story mode is
always the way you unlock new characters you can use in the game’s other game
modes that unlock after playing the brief story prologue. There’s 2P Battle
mode, a game mode that allows you to battle it out against a friend using any of
the available characters. The real treat comes in the form of Missions mode, a
game mode that offers objective-based missions set up in the Naruto
universe grading system. One mission has you destroying a bandit camp’s
stockpile and another one has you providing backup for fellow ninja Choji.
Survival mode pits you against a seemingly endless stream of lowly ninjas and
while it’s a nice addition, it really gets old fast.
When it comes
the visuals, though, Uzumaki Chronicles 2 might not be very pretty but it
does a good job of mimicking the anime’s visual style. All the characters look
the way you expect them to look and while the character models don’t show any
emotion during conversations (or lip movement), the dialogue screen shows
character art from the show that conveys emotion. Then again, the animation is
stiff during cut scenes, making characters move like robots at times. The camera
doesn’t often offer the best view of your surroundings as well. Jeez, for a game
based on an animated series, you’d expect some fluid movement from the
characters and better art direction when it comes to the backgrounds.
“I told them not to ask Lindsay
Lohan for an autograph.”
Fans will get a
kick out of hearing the show’s cast from the North American dub so every
character is voiced by the same voice actor from the show and movie. It’s not
just voice clips either but actual dialogue written for the game. Even the
soundtrack sounds faithful to the series and it never gets repetitive throughout
the game. Sadly, the sound effects just don’t cut it and sound pretty dull
throughout.
In the end,
Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 might have all the pieces in place for an
original Naruto game but it’s a game that’s missing style, substance and
that charming spark of personality that makes our favorite ramen-loving ninja so
loveable. With a story that just isn’t interesting, poorly conceived fighting
gameplay and frequent load times, there’s very little to like about this game
even if you are a big fan of the show or manga. If I had to recommend one
Naruto game this year, it would be the far superior Naruto: Ultimate
Ninja Heroes for the PSP or the fun Naruto: Ultimate Ninja game for
the PS2.
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Gameplay: 5.2
Uzumaki
Chronicles 2
isn’t a very inventive fighting game and you can easily get through the levels
just mashing buttons. You can switch characters on the fly but you can very well
play through the game playing as Naruto. Missions mode adds some extra replay to
the game and you can always play the single-player mode with a friend. Speaking
of friends, the camera isn’t one at all so be prepared to manually move it
around frequently.
Graphics: 5.5
Graphically
speaking, the game tries hard to bring the show’s animated style to life and,
for the most part, it gets it right. Then again, the animation can look really
stiff during cut scenes and the action doesn’t look fluid during gameplay. Even
the visual effects aren’t inspiring.
Sound: 6.0
The show’s
English dub cast is present and the game’s score sounds faithful to the series
so expect Naruto to sound just like he does on the show and the music to get
intense during battles. There are some sound effects but they sound repetitive.
Difficulty:
Easy/Medium
Facing off
against hordes of ninjas won’t challenge even the novice gamers and even when
you are ganged up on you can always call on your Chakra-reducing specialty
moves. There are some challenging boss battles in this game and things don’t get
hairy until the later chapters.
Concept: 5.5
It’s a
completely original story that doesn’t coincide with any episodes from the show
much like the Naruto movie and you’ll even get to control some familiar
favorites like Shikamaru or Sakura. Unfortunately, the story isn’t good and
there’s very little depth to the levels. On the plus side, though, there are a
nice number of side missions and extra modes.
Multiplayer:
5.0
Unlock all the
characters in the single-player mode and you get to use them in the game’s 2P
Battle mode or even Survival mode. The two-player battles are fun for a while
but gets old fast. The real multiplayer goodness comes from playing the
single-player mode with a friend taking up the role of a secondary character …
and your friend can jump in at any time.
Overall: 5.2
Sadly,
Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2 is a button-masher devoid of all the things we
love about the show or fighting games in general. Even fans of the show won’t
find the story intriguing or the fact that all the characters lack the style
they possess on the show. Sorry but this sequel lacks the Chakra needed to make
it fun.
