Naruto: Rise of A Ninja [360]

Naruto, shunned by most of his village, vows to become the greatest ninja around. This Xbox 360 exclusive features mission-based gameplay, with fighting action as well.

In the main Story Mode, players take control of Naruto as he fails his final martial arts test. Shunned by the other residents of the village, he sets of on various quests in order to restore the town's faith in him and earn their respect. Consisting mainly of fetching and collecting items, ramen delivery quests, and timed races; the game follows the first 80 episodes of the anime series. Naruto can also earn training points, used to visit the Ninja Academy and learn new skills to use when fighting his enemies.

Visually, the game's cel-shaded look won't surprise many, though it does have a higher level of detail than expected. Cut-scenes that further the plot appear to have been pulled from the series, which seems appropriate, but compared to the game look washed out. There's also a strange type of letterbox on the sides of the screen, making the footage taller than it is wide. It's a bit jarring aesthetically, but relatively minor. Sound-wise, the game features music and voice-work that's neither noticeably good or bad, except that a majority of the game's characters pronounce the word ramen incorrectly upon receiving their delivery.

The controls are straightforward when guiding Naruto around the village, but jumps aren't as smooth as in the studio's other titles, causing the occasional missed ledge. Things get more complicated when fighting adversaries, as the action becomes a more conventional fighting game. Naruto can learn and perform special moves by moving the control sticks in various directions, which require good timing and give players the feeling of doing more than just mashing buttons.

Fans of the anime series are certainly going to enjoy this title, with its somewhat open-ended gameplay. The game also brings more to the fighting engine than expected, and both offline and online Versus play help extend the replay value.

8/10