There are
some genre forms that die with the passing of each era. Aside from ports of
old titles, we don’t see new retro-style fighting games. The old fighting
style involves more than a dimension (2D or 3D); it leans on the very essence
of what it meant to be a fighter in the early 90s. Those gameplay nuances were
forgotten a long time ago.
Single-player fighting games – AKA beat-‘em-ups (and in weapon form,
hack-n-slash) – are a different story. They receive semi-3D sequels with each
console generation and new retro-style iterations with every handheld. The
genre has also found its way into properties that did not exist when it was
first invented, such as Naruto. Separate from the Namco Bandai-published
titles, Naruto: Ninja Council is from Tomy and D3Publisher.
Having
received much acclaim from the Naruto fan base, Ninja Council has been given
not one, but two sequels. The latest, the simply titled Ninja Council 3, is a
straightforward romp more than 20 of the series’ characters. Play as Naruto
Uzumaki, Tenten, Tenten, Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Rock Lee,
Neji Hyuga, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Harumo, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Choji
Akimichi, and about 15 others.
Plat
Performer
You can’t
have a platform without someone who knows how to jump. As far as the games are
concerned, every Naruto warrior is a jumper – thus, you can’t have this Naruto
game without several platforms. Ninja Council 3 has an endless array of them.
The game is separated by missions that may be completed in nearly any order
you please. Each mission, selected via the “Mission Bingo Panel,” contains
objectives that differ from the standard beat-‘em-up menu, but not so much
that the game strays from the genre.
Objective
Examples:
-
Defeat 30 wolves
-
Defeat 20 snakes
-
Destroy all rocks
-
Break objects and find the
dog -
Get to the checkpoint
before [character] -
Get 10 weapons
-
Attack [specific
character] with [specific secret technique]
The
defeat creature objectives are just as they sound – travel the stage in
search of the designated beast. When you find it, attack until it has been
defeated. Multiple animals and other enemy types may be defeated through
cluster pummeling (ex: by attacking a wolf standing next to another wolf).
However, if the requirement involves their extinction, you will not get points
for pushing them off a cliff. It defies the logic defined by our game
development ancestors, but it’s a rule you’ll have to follow if you want to
win. The time limit is usually the most difficult thing about each mission.
Wolves will re-spawn after being pushed off a cliff, but it’s unlikely that
you’ll have the time to pound on 30 of them if you have to wait for one to
reappear.
Get 10
weapons – that
just means you have to find 10 weapons (any type) hidden in the stage. This is
a cakewalk challenge because weapons reappear in the same area after a certain
amount of time. You’ll lose one weapon for falling off a cliff, which causes
your character to re-spawn. But most weapons will re-spawn with your
character, making your job several times easier.
The
checkpoint objective is a platformer race where you’ll run back and forth
between a particular stage. Checkpoints appear in a few locations – find them,
run back to the beginning of the stage, and repeat until the mission has been
completed.
Similar,
But Different
If you’re
like me and play every fighter and beat-‘em-up available, chances are you
won’t see a huge difference between the 20+ playable characters. But there’s a
cool gameplay element that makes their presence important: secret technique
sharing. Secret techniques are this game’s answer to the special attack – a
move where the supernatural becomes natural and everything in its path is
destroyed. These moves are generally interchangeable. Pick any playable
character, access any of that character’s own special moves, and add other
characters’ moves to that character! The chosen moves are accessible
via the touch screen (all actions play out on the upper screen), where a
simple tap is all it takes to activate a secret technique.
But don’t
count on the touch screen to get you through a battle. Special attacks are
limited by the Chakra Gauge, an easily-depleted tank of secret technique
juice. The tank refills on its own, but you’ll be slaughtered (and in some
cases, run out of time) if you allow such constraints to dictate the course of
each battle. That’s why the basic punch, combo, and ranged attacks are used so
frequently – and is why the game hangs on repetition from beginning to end.
The first five minutes aren’t that different from the last five minutes.
However, the
game is fully playable – there aren’t any grossly disturbing technical
problems to keep the game from satisfying the core Naruto audience. On that
note, Ninja Council 3 effectively uses the given license to achieve a greater
level of Zen with the beloved anime property. This game might not win any
awards, spawn a new fan base, or instill Streets of Rage fans with any sense
of nostalgia. But if you love Naruto, you’ll find value inside this beat-‘em-up.
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Gameplay: 6.8
Naruto: Ninja
Council 3 is quality fun hampered by an insurmountable dose of repetition. The
level objective variety sounds more appealing than it actually is. The
one-on-one battles and secret technique objectives are fun. But chasing after
wolves, a creature that shouldn’t be considered a villain (unless they’ve been
infected by the T-Virus), is really just a task that needs to be bypassed
before you can get back to the fun. The same can be said for the checkpoint
and item collecting games.
Graphics:
4.0
Primitive, below-SNES-quality
visuals. Ninja Council 3 isn’t an ugly game, but there aren’t any details or
cool graphic effects to speak of. The game itself uses the license well, but
the graphics seem to have forgotten that this game had a cool license from
which to pull interesting material.
Sound: 4.0
As low-tech as
the visuals. Fails to take advantage of the great Naruto license. Fails to
deliver a memorable soundtrack.
Difficulty: Easy
Cheap moments
aside (the time limit is a bit annoying), Ninja Council 3 is a simple game.
Concept: 7.0
A beat-‘em-up
platformer action game meets touch screen “secret technique” move activation.
Multiplayer: 5.0
More than one
game card is needed to engage in Ninja Council 3’s multiplayer mode. The
repetitive nature of the single-player combat makes it hard not to question if
it’s worth the trouble.
Overall: 6.6
Gamers with an
undeniable need for Naruto gaming action will be amused – if only on the first
play-through – by the gameplay this sequel distributes. On the other hand, if
you’re looking for a beat-‘em-up with something more substantial than license
amusement, you may want to look elsewhere.
