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The Naruto series hits the GBA again. Though not the deepest game, Naruto: Ninja Council 2 is an entertaining game, especially if you’re a fan of the series.
In Ninja Council 2, you’ll once again play as Naruto Uzakami, the show’s protagonist. In the game, Naruto and his friends will be attempting to pass the Chunin Exams that they have to take at Ninja Academy. Of course, it couldn’t be that simple and Orochimaru, Naruto’s enemy, has plans to capture Naruto before he can pass the exams. Although Naruto remains the game’s protagonist, you have the ability to play as his two other friends. Switching characters is as easy as tapping the L button. The characters have their own combos and moves, although the basic gameplay is nearly identical for all three.
While the previous game had you doing a bunch of things, Ninja Council 2 focuses on combat. You’ll move to the right of screen in a number of levels although none of them are particularly exciting. You’ll find the typical levels here like the cave and forest levels. The actual fighting engine is serviceable but nothing extraordinary. If you’re fond of button mashing, you’ll find a lot to like in the game since you can progress through it quite well with button mashing. As mentioned above, the different characters have their own moves but changing characters doesn’t change the gameplay in a noteworthy way. The best part of Naruto is the ability to pull off super moves, which are satisfying and look great to boot.
The game is a good looking Gameboy Advance game. The character models are fairly detailed and since the camera is relatively close, this detail comes across clearly. The characters animate smoothly, as well. The effects are also impressive and manage to capture the spirit of the show quite well. The soundtrack isn’t particularly impressive though not a liability to the game. The sound effects are solid if uninspiring and the game includes a few voice samples.
Naruto Ninja Council 2 offers enough to make it worth the purchase for fans of the series. It includes a worthwhile multiplayer mode, the ability to play as a variety of characters, simple yet solid gameplay, and a good sense of style. The fighting engine isn’t the most inventive system out there so the core gameplay isn’t quite as strong as it could have been, but not bad by any means. -- Jake Wilson, PGNx Media
---- Oct 25, 2006
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