Customer Reviews

Naruto: Rise of a Ninja

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nintendo and Sony have seen their fair share of Naruto games on, both, console & handheld so it's nice to see Microsoft getting some of that love now. To be honest, it's one of the reasons I bought an Xbox 360(the other being the game Blue Dragon). Naruto: Rise of a Ninja is one of the most stunning games I've seen on the system. Everything in the Naruto universe is so richly detailed. At times, it's breathtaking.

While I was looking forward to an all-new experience with the game(like the completely original storyline in Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles 2), Rise of a Ninja plays it safe and follows the first season of the anime starting with the tale of the Nine-tailed Fox and how it could have destroyed Konoha Village were it not for the efforts of the Fourth Hokage who trapped the demon within the body of a young child whom we all know as Naruto.

Most of the game and it's playstyle is nothing that Naruto vets haven't seen before. Yet, one thing that sets it apart from the rest is its' fighting system. To perform your jutsu, you have to do a series of hand gestures like they do in the anime(by using a series of thumb gestures on the Xbox 360's analog sticks) to execute them. The fighting can get downright intense at times but, considering the lack of opponents & the variety of them to face in the game, it left me wanting more. Although using your jutsu to accomplish certain tasks in the game proves to be quite fun.

Considering this is the first American made Naruto game, I think the fine folks that developed the game did an excellent job. One that Japanese developers should take note of and implement into future Naruto titles. This is, definitely, a title all Xbox 360 owners should add to their library. Believe it!

Every single video game I have ever played that is based off of an anime has generally been a disappointment. Not so with Rise of the Ninja. Honestly, this is probably one of the most well thought-out video games in existence. Someone actually sat down and made a video game that totally and completely simulates the "Naruto" experience. You are not playing a standard type of video game that just-so-happens to have the Naruto characters in it. You're playing a video game that was designed around the events of the series itself - from the graphics to the gameplay. And they did an amazing job, from the way you form hand signs to the way you focus chakra to run up buildings and over water. If you are not a fan of the series then I would still recommend this game since it is visually unique, a ton of fun and the core of the game is a really nifty fighter. However, if you are a fan of the series then you need to own this. Don't have an Xbox 360? Then buy one.

Both my girlfriend and I are not hardcore anime people, but at some point we both became fans of this series (we don't remember how) and neither one of us (she hates video games) could put this game down. It's like Naruto heaven. They built and rendered the ENTIRE Village Hidden in the Leaves. Really. The whole thing. And not just the horizontal portion either...you can literally explore the city from the little alley ways, to the tops of buildings without loading. It's amazing. All of the characters from the first 80 episodes, all the jutsu, the weapons and ninja goodness are all there. You really experince the storyline of Naruto from the beginning, and they don't leave out anything important.

I normally do not buy video games 'new' since I am a not a hardcore gamer, however I bought this one new.....and it was worth every penny. I haven't had this much fun playing a video game since I was a wee lad.

I'm not huge on video games (the last one I actually finished was Gauntlet Dark Legends for PlayStation2) and I get really frustrated playing most other games on the 360, but my husband bought this and being a pretty big fan of the Naruto anime, I wanted to give it a shot.

I loved the Naruto experience watching everything from the very beginning as he goes through the process of gaining popularity with his villagers, learning basic jutsu, meeting his village friends, teammates and other enemies.

I'm not very good, but I still enjoy playing this game. Normally when I'm not very good at a game it's because I feel frustrated and defeated. Not so with Naruto. Not to say it's a super-easy game. My husband plays a lot of video games and managed to finish this game in about 12 hours over a couple weeks (it will probably take me much longer)but he looked forward to playing this game as much as he looked forward to playing Halo and when he finally finished he basically said "wow, I wasn't expecting it to be this fun."

I don't have much to compare it to in the world of video games since I'm no pro, but to me, the graphics looked awesome - I loved watching the old clips from the show as I went through the game and there's plenty of fun just speeding around collecting coins and doing personal missions. I did watch my brother play through Twilight Princess on the Wii and would say the story and activities would put it in the same category and feel of that game - maybe not as much depth, but just as much fun.

The only downside (and I'm not sure if I just haven't figured it out yet) is that I had previously read that this game was going to be released in the USA with the option of having the Japanese voices and English subtitles. I watch the show in Japanese so it would have been great to hear those familiar voices while playing but we couldn't find that option anywhere in the menu so I don't think those rumors are true (unless someone knows a secret code!**EDIT** the Japanese voice over has since been released on XBox Live - I highly recommend it - it's awesome, but not everything is in Japanese) :)

I all I can say is wow, maybe I am biased because I enjoy the Naruto Anime Series, but this game is awesome so far. I just recieved it yesterday and played it for two hours, but I felt like I actually watching the anime series. It is a brilliant mix of fighting, RPG and story line. Though I own Halo 3 and Command & Conquer, I will not be playing them for quite a while, since I am very into this game.

Let me cover this from two aspects - as an anime/manga adaptation and simply as a game.

Ok, I'm not a Naruto expert. My son started watching it on Cartoon Network and got really into it so I (trying to be a good parent) looked into it to make sure I was cool with the content - which I was. He has since also been reading American Shonen Jump. So, most everything I know about Naruto is simply due to proximity to my son. :) That being said, I do like Naruto story and characters quite a bit.

I also am an anime fan and have bought many games on different platforms that were based on manga or anime I liked. I think most anime fans, when they buy these games, are looking for faithful recreations of the characters and universe they love. They want to be able to interact with these people and places. If that is the criteria, this is probably the best I have ever played. All the voices (either the Japanese or the English versions) are the same actors as in the anime. The conversion of Naruto's world to 3D is remarkably well done. The "village hidden in the leaves" looks perfect, all the character (down to their special moves and fighting style) are dead on, and it faithfully recreates the first 80 episodes as the primary story thread you follow through the game - integrating scenes from the episodes themselves as the cut scenes in the game. For Naruto fans as well, this is the only Naruto game that includes story based, role playing elements as well as fighting game elements. So, from the perspective of an anime adaptation, I would give this game an A+. Really outstanding.

But what if you aren't a super-otaku Naruto or anime fan? You are in luck because this also happens to be a really fun game. Think of any character/story driven platform game (Ratchet, Jak, Sly, etc.). This game develops the characters and story as if you have no context, and does it very well - so you can simply think of this game as a platform game about a boy ninja and never worry about the anime. The game mechanics are very good, using a good variety of components to keep things interesting while never getting complicated or overly frustrating. You will see a lot of familiar aspects, like platform jumping and rail grinding, as well as new things like wall and water walking. You will see familiar activities, like object collection and timed races, and some more unique ones like hide-and-go-seek and healing broken hearts. And finally, the fighting aspect of the game is fun and fair (even for people who aren't into fighting games) while not being too easy.

My biggest complaint is that the game is pretty short and the missions can start to feel repetitive at times. So, while I find every aspect of the game of the highest quality and extremely fun, based on how short it is I would give the game play a B (but not enough to bring in down from 5 stars).

I've been a fan of Naruto for many, many years. I've never tried any of the Naruto based games, because they were all fighting games. So when I first saw this game, I knew I had to buy it. Let me just say that this game is amazing. The Hidden Leaf village is huge and you are free to roam the entire village. The fighting system took me a bit of time to get used to, but it is very well thought out. I love the fact that I can do hand seals to perform the jutsu. My only complaint is the English dubs. Of course, that's more of a personal preference. If you really can't stand the dubs, just download the Japanese pack from XBL. It removes some NPC dialogues but to hear the game in it's original language is well worth it. Overall, if you are a Naruto fan, then you should definitely pick this game up!

I loved this game. I love the Naruto world and this game was amazing. The fighting sequences of the game were very fun but seriously challenging at points. There's quite a learning curve when it comes to mastering the fights. Exploring the city is very fun, it's massive and with the help of the mini map it almost reminds me of a Naruto-Grand Theft Auto mix. The only real drawback I've noticed has been that in the animations, the mouths of the characters don't move. It can be a little unsettling at first and looks awkward. I really feel like the designers just got lazy and didn't feel like making mouth animations. All in all this game earns it's four out of five stars mainly due to the unique fight sequences and varied gameplay.

Being a hardcore Naruto fan playing Naruto games are nothing new for me. I own Uzumaki Chronicles 1+2 (PS2), Ultimate Ninja 1+2 (PS2), and Ultimate Ninja Heroes 1+2 (PSP)...so naturally once I bought an Xbox 360 this game was a must have on my list. I'm sure other reviews have stated the pros and cons of the game already, so I'll mainly focus and compare for those other hardcore Naruto fans who have played the other games on the PS2. (note: Ultimate Ninja Storm for the PS3 is not out yet during the time of this review, neither was the upcoming sequel Broken Bonds)

Voice Acting:
But first, I'd like to comment on the English and Japanese voices. One of the major hypes for fans of the series (especially those who hated the dub) was the option of the Japanese voices that could be downloaded from xbox live. However, there is something I'd like to be slightly point out that may or may not irk hardcore fans. Be warned, some of the voices are diffrent in both the English and Japanese version.

In the English version - for the most part, the main major characters keep thier dub voice actors. The three major ones who change are the Hokage, Iruka and Jiraiya; it's made even more apparent when anime cut scenes feature the original dub actors but change dramatically during gameplay (just something to note if you're picky). You'll also suffer through horrible mispronunciation...ie "Naruto" becomes NURUTO and NAROOOOTOH...also it is funny how ramen is suddenly RAYMEN.

In the Japanese version - things become a bit more bearable to listen to...at least they can say Naruto and ramen right. Yet, if I'm not mistaken the voice cast changed a bit as well. Now, it may not be apparent, but if you are a sub watcher [raises hand] you may be able to tell the difference. The ones I noted who changed were the Hokage and Sasuke (though I didn't get I chance to evaluate anyone else).

Graphics/Visual:
Being next gen...yeah the visuals are pretty amazing. Ubisoft really went into detail with reconstructing the Leaf Village, so exploring can be a blast. Cel shading keeps with the theme of the anime cut scenes. An interesting detail is how Naruto interacts with the enviroment, meaning if you speed dash you can actually crash into people and objects and are then treated to Naruto spinning around in a daze for a moment. Also if you jump off from too high a building, Naruto face plants himself into the ground (loosing some health to boot).

As far as I can tell, unlike Uzumaki Chronicles 2, you can't enter any buildings within the village, you just jump, climb on, over and around them. The one thing I would have like to see was Naruto's home, but the closest thing you get is a building that sort of resembles Naruto's house, but there is nothing too major really.

Gameplay:
You don't have to be a fan of the anime to play the game. Since the game incoorperates the actual abbriviated anime scenes you'll be able to get the jist of what's going on and basically that's all you need to know really. That's a major plus considering other Naruto games are really aimed for fans of the series and don't concentrate on growth and development. The game plays like a mix between platform, rpg and fighter. You collect coins which help you buy things and strengthen Naruto, you retrieve objects, deliver ramen, race around the village or diffrent places, do side quests, explore and fight enemies and bosses. Exploring can be fun at times, but for a ninja universe it was kind of interesting to note the corridor like layout of the game. Basically it was like going down a winding road so there wasn't too much guess work in where you needed to go for missions.

One of the biggest suprises was the lack of team play in the game. Uzumaki Chronicles (PS2) had the benefit of recruiting teammates for a mission and using thier own special skills to help...however, Naruto really plays a solo gig in game. If you were expecting Sasuke or Sakura...heck even Kakashi to help you during missions...too bad, your teamates are only there for optional vs. matches within story mode.
Fighting and abilities are diffrent from the models seen previously on the PS2 games. In short...practice makes perfect.

Personally I prefer the fighting style of the PS2 games then that seen on the 360. If you like a little challenge when battling, then this may be your cup of tea. Pulling off jutsus require a bit more timing and precision then compared to the simple combos and triangle button in the Ultimate Ninja series (PS2).

There is no Kyuubi or curse seal transformation for Naruto and Sasuke persay...instead they have "Rage Modes" which all chracters have anyway so it seems less special. Substitution jutsu does not work in mid-air and really weapons usage is almost useless. Overall, you could say Rise of a Ninja's battle system is more "realistic" as far as the difficulties of performing a jutsu in mid-battle, dodging and using weapons, which makes sense since you are starting Naruto from the bottom up. But personally, I think it's more fun to speed dash in mid-air, use substitute when I'm grabbed by an enemy instead of just watching as I'm face planted and play with a variety of weapons like windmill shurikens, poison bombs and scrolls (Ultimate Ninja PS2).

One annoyance I had was when you messed up the timming of a jutsu. It's a quirky little detail, but it does get annoying especially during a race. If you mess up a jutsu you are treated to a mini scene of a deformed clone (shadow clone) or Naruto passing gas (chakra concentration). Again it could be viewed as more "realistic" but the amount of time Naruto needs to get over it wastes too much time during a race...seconds count man! Does he really have to do it everytime he messes up? Ah well...

Online play is something I can't comment for the moment...but I heard a mix of good and bad things, so do your HW if you are really are into that. Note, you'll need an xbox gold membership to do so though.
The main story is SHORT...really, you'll be done before you know it. As I said before, Naruto pretty much fights solo. You fight each major boss (Haku, Zabuza, Neiji Gaara...yeah that's pretty much it) twice. The game is basically over when there is nothing left to do (still working on the side quests).

Overall not a bad game...especially for being around $20 (I got mine used for around $15), so it's worth the price. For a Naruto game taking it to the next level it really does a good job. Sure it can get repetative, and the stupid racing (I suck at timed things) does irk you every now and then...but really...it's not bad. Not a master piece, but very diffrent from Uzumaki Chronicles and Ultimate Ninja. With Broken Bonds and Ultimate Ninja Storm comign out soon, there really will be something to compare.

Got this as a gift for someone, who said it was pretty fun though a little repetitive at times. Pick up coins...deliver ramen...pick up coins...deliver ramen...hear annoying voice...pick up coins...sexy jutsu. But that it was definitely a much better game than he had expected.

This game and the Broken Bond by Ubisoft are better than storm. The fighting system is way better. In Storm, you spam one button using the control stick in either direction. In this Series, you use x, y, and the control stick resulting in more combinations of attacks plus The jutsu gameplay is more challenging and more fun. It's a shame they lost the rights to Shippuden games.