Thursday, December 28, 2006

instruments and music
i love the guitar and drums but mostly the drums and ilove relient k!!!!!! we are the pirates who dont do anything and i mean nothin
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more hayao miyazaki
One would think that after most of my peer group having spent two hours a day over the last decade or so watching The Simpsons, studios would get the hint and make intelligent cartoons adults could watch without feeling guilty or insulted. They might have tried with The Iron Giant, but even that film was still aimed at kids. As good as it was, parts were a little too... well, they had a child demographic in mind. Plus it made like $11,300, so the studios saw it as a total out and out flop. Anyhow Hayao Miyazaki's Mononoke-hime (Princess Mononoke to us round-eyed hairy devils) kicks so much ass it will have you screaming, "Fuck Bambi!" This shit is Ruthless. [Ed Note: If you happen to be an Asian fan of Ruthless, we apologize for Jonny's insensitivities. Oh and fuck Snow White.]



I really loved this movie. I can't stop thinking about it. I want to watch it again. Luckily my girlfriend has it on DVD, which not only means that I can watch Mononoke-hime whenever I want to, but also that I can watch it with subtitles instead of the dumb dubbing. I was talking to a coworker about the dubbing, and while he admittedly scoffed at the idea of watching a dubbed Fellini film, he saw nothing wrong at all with a dubbed cartoon. Horsepuckey I say. With attitudes like that, studios will do nothing but pump out more and more cartoons with 20 dozen overly cute talking animals and plots so fatuous that only those whose age has but a single digit will like 'em. Animation as a medium has quite a bit of maturing to do, at least outside of Japan. We're ready for it.

Mononoke opens up with an eight-legged worm-ridden demon thingy attacking a far-off village. This is where we meet our hero, Ashitaka, who proceeds to slay the monster. We learn that the worm-monster is really an ancient Boar God who has become possessed by something sinister. Before Ashitaka kills the fading god, the great boar is able to put a curse on him. One of the most Ruthless parts of the movie then occurs. As the Oracle explains it to Ashitaka, "You are cursed and will die as result." Could you imagine that shit in Monsters Inc.? Hell no. Ashitaka then sets out to see with "eyes unclouded by hate" the larger world and possibly find a cure for his flesh-eating curse. Without reciting the plot point by point, rest assured that all sorts of cool adventures befall Ashitaka. It is better if you just go and watch the film. Because it is just so damn good.



There are just a few more things I need to point out, though. One is Princess Mononoke herself. Holf shit!! [Ed Note: We're leaving "Holf" in cause Mononoke was raised by wolves and... we just think it's funny.] When we are first introduced to her, she is sucking blood out of a Wolf God's wound and spitting it out while staring at Ashitaka. And not just like once, but about four times. And she keeps wiping the blood off her mouth with her hand. If I ever have a daughter, Mononoke is going to be her role model. Imagine if that was how Disney introduced Pocahontas. Anyway, for a lead in a cartoon, she is even more ass kicking than Ashitaka. Actually, no, that's not true. As a result of his curse, Ashitaka has super-human powers and can do things like shoot a samurai's head clean off with a single arrow. Which he does at least twice. Also very cool and very refreshing are the talking animals. Instead of just being cute, cuddly bags of crap developed by a marketing team just so they can be turned into children's toys, the animals in this movie say things like, "Ah, you're awake. I was hoping you'd cry out in your sleep, and I could bite your face off." I imagine little kids would cry or get upset by that - some bad reaction at any rate. As I have said, I loved it.

I also need to talk about how mature the storyline is overall. Demons and Forrest Gods aside, the mythic pool underlying Mononoke is both deep and thought provoking. At first glance we have what appears to be another "evil man vs. innocent nature" fight for survival type of film. But then you learn that "evil man" is not only a woman (Eboshi), but that she rescues young whores and destitute lepers from otherwise horrid lives of misery. True, she employees them in her iron foundry where they manufacture firearms. However, she treats them all very well and her workers genuinely seem to have affection, and even admiration, for her. The Gods, who represent nature, are by no means perfect or wholly good. There is much infighting. The Ape Gods are primitive and cruel, and the Boar Gods have grown "fat and dumb." Nature oftentimes kills man. Or, in the case of the Apes, wants to eat man. Come to think of it, all the Gods try to eat man at one point or another. In the end, when the supreme God, the Deer God, gets its head chopped off, it begins killing indiscriminately, both nature and man. Basically, the lines separating the two are fuzzy, and there is no clear side to root for. Which causes you to think about the various characters and alliances and draw your own conclusions. Amazing.



Contrast this with Pixar's latest, Finding Nemo, a good movie by all accounts, but still aimed at the Rugrat demographic even if they managed to sneak the phrase "Pony Boy" past the censors. In Nemo, nature is all good. Sharks feel guilty about killing fish, pelicans can learn not to eat fish - basically, the whole ocean would be one big happy love nest if it wasn't for man. [Ed Note: There's probably more than a single grain of truth in that sentiment.] Pixar portrays humans (both in Nemo and in other movies) only as bumbling, unthinking, petty fools. While none of the preceding is untrue, it is only of course half the story. Miyazaki chooses to tell the entire story with nuance and balance. Man is no saint, but he ain't no wolf, either. Unlike Pixar/Disney/Dreamworks flicks, which while being very entertaining are nothing more than eye-candy, celebrity cameos and mass, mass-marketing, Mononoke-hime is an actual and fully-realized work of art intended for all people to watch, not just little kids. It makes you think, which in the end might actually be the best part of the movie and the reason why we won't be seeing too many more cartoons like it.




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howl's moving castle
The first thing I feel I must tell you about this manga is that it's not really a manga. It's the picture book version of a movie by the same people who created "Kiki's Delivery Service," "Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind," "Princess Mononoke," and "My Neighbor Totoro." I call it a picture book instead of a manga because the illustrations are fairly uniform sized stills from the movie with dialogue balloons inserted. The arrangement of the pictures displays none of the artfully varied compositional style typical of manga art. However, that being said, it is a lovely little book.

It's interesting to contrast the richly creative narratives typical of Miyazaki films to the largely calorie-free confections served up to the same target audience by the Disney corporation. To begin with, our heroine, Sophie, is a young woman, not a child. She is the plain older sister, not the vivacious younger one (who looks like she's just waiting to become a Disney princess). At the beginning of this story, Sophie is hassled by soldiers -- another thing that never happens in American children's films. In order to avoid them, she runs afoul of the Witch of the Waste. (I think I've actually met the Witch of the Waist before...) This temperamental conjurer turns Sophie into an old woman. Embarrassed to face her friends and family in this condition, Sophie takes shelter in the moving castle of Howl, a wizard who is rumored to eat the hearts of young women. She hires herself as his housekeeper and sets off for adventure in the company of this morally suspect creature.

The artwork is much in the same style as "Kiki's Delivery Service." To me, it looks like a children's book from the 1930's brought to life. Scenes are colorful and fantastically detailed. Character design is bold and attractive without being too cutesy. As it's own publicity proclaims, this little book is "a generous collection of stunning visuals." It looks as though each key frame of this portion of motion picture is represented. This thick volume is only number one of what looks to be a four-volume set. The creators are so generous, in fact, that they even include a glossary that translates the sound effects frame by frame.

This picture book gives a tantalizing taste of what promises to be a marvelously engaging children's film. Although I doubt the conservative parents' groups will ever allow it to be released in theatres in this country, I do look forward to eventually seeing this enchanting film when it reaches my local Blockbuster.






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shcedual
CARTOON NETWORK TO AIR FOUR MIYAZAKI FILMS DURING


CARTOON NETWORK TO AIR MIYAZAKI FILMS DURING TOONAMI

The Cartoon Network has announced that Toonami will broadcast Spirited Away at 7:30 PM on Saturday, March 18, Princess Mononoke at 7:30 PM on Saturday, March 25, Castle in the Sky at 7:30 PM on Saturday, April 1, and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind at 7:30 on Saturday, April 8. The network presently has no plans to air any other Studio Ghibli films.





ANIME INSIDER SPOTLIGHTS ANIME HUMAN CHESS


December's issue of Wizard's Anime Insider magazine features a short article on the current popularity of Anime Human Chess matches at conventions around the country. The article (p. 25) confirms that MetroCon '04 was the first anime con featuring such an event.

Excerpt:

"After making its debut at MetroCon 2004, cosplay human chess has run at Anime Boston, Connecticutcon, and Vericon and..."



TCM to Air Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki Films in January


Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is scheduled to air nine Studio Ghibli films during the month of January including films directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The films will air on Thursday nights beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST in English and will be repeated early the next morning in Japanese with subtitles, excpet for Whisper of the Heart with will only air in Japanese with subtitles. The films will be shown in their original theatrical aspect ratios (widescreen). Here is the schedule (all times EST):


1/5 Spirited Away 8 pm/1 am
Princess Mononoke 10:15 pm/3:15 am

1/12 Nausicaa in the Valley of Wind 8 pm/12:15 am
Castle in the Sky 10 pm/2:15 am

1/19 My Neighbor Totoro 8 pm/1:15 am
Porco Rosso 9:30 pm/2:45 am
Whisper of the Heart 11:15 pm/4:30 am

1/26 Only Yesterday 8 pm/12:30 am
Pom Poko 10:15 pm/2:45 am


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game buiness
Hong Kong, October 24th of 2006 - Lik-Sang.com, the popular gaming retailer from Hong Kong, has today announced that it is forced to close down due to multiple legal actions brought against it by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sony claimed that Lik-Sang infringed its trade marks, copyright and registered design rights by selling Sony PSP consoles from Asia to European customers, and have recently obtained a judgment in the High Court of London (England) rendering Lik-Sang's sales of PSP consoles unlawful.

As of today, Lik-Sang.com will not be in the position to accept any new orders and will cancel and refund all existing orders that have already been placed. Furthermore, Lik-Sang is working closely with banks and PayPal to refund any store credits held by the company, and the customer support department is taking care of any open transactions such as pending RMAs or repairs and shipping related matters. The staff of Lik-Sang will make sure that nobody will get hurt in the crossfire of this ordeal.

A Sony spokesperson declined to comment directly on the lawsuit against Lik-Sang, but recently went on to tell Gamesindustry.biz that "ultimately, we're trying to protect consumers from being sold hardware that does not conform to strict EU or UK consumer safety standards, due to voltage supply differences et cetera; is not - in PS3's case - backwards compatible with either PS1 or PS2 software; will not play European Blu-Ray movies or DVDs; and will not be covered by warranty".

Lik Sang strongly disagrees with Sony's opinion that their customers need this kind of protection and pointed out that PSP consoles shipped from Lik-Sang contained genuine Sony 100V-240V AC Adapters that carry CE and other safety marks and are compatible world wide. All PSP consoles were in conformity with all EU and UK consumer safety regulations.

Furthermore, Sony have failed to disclose to the London High Court that not only the world wide gaming community in more than 100 countries relied on Lik-Sang for their gaming needs, but also Sony Europe's very own top directors repeatedly got their Sony PSP hard or software imports in nicely packed Lik-Sang parcels with free Lik-Sang Mugs or Lik-Sang Badge Holders, starting just two days after Japan's official release, as early as 14th of December 2004 (more than nine months earlier than the legal action). The list of PSP related Sony Europe orders reads like the who's who of the videogames industry, and includes Ray Maguire (Managing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Alan Duncan (UK Marketing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Chris Sorrell (Creative Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Rob Parkin (Development Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited), just to name a few.

"Today is Sony Europe victory about PSP, tomorrow is Sony Europe’s ongoing pressure about PlayStation 3. With this precedent set, next week could already be the stage for complaints from Sony America about the same thing, or from other console manufacturers about other consoles to other regions, or even from any publisher about any specific software title to any country they don’t see fit. It’s the beginning of the end... of the World as we know it", stated Pascal Clarysse, formerly known as the Marketing Manager of Lik-Sang.com.

"Blame it on Sony. That's the latest dark spot in their shameful track record as gaming industry leader. The Empire finally 'won', few dominating retailers from the UK probably will rejoice the news, but everybody else in the gaming world lost something today."



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even more
Naruto began as a manga series which then became anime - and now it's a Playstation 2 fighting game. The graphics are quite impressive!

As with most fighting games, you begin with only a few characters and unlock more as you go. It unlocks items pretty quickly as you go - but unfortunately there aren't that many total characters for you to work with. There are 12 characters plus 2 modified characters (different forms of existing characters). Each person has his or her own support character.

I was really quite impressed by the graphics. It's not that they are photo-realistic - it's more like you are playing in a well drawn, artistic, smooth anime world. The shadows in the dusky treehouse area, the harsh brightness of the industrial area, each location has an integrated appearance. You can switch back and forth between some locations on command. The water has small ripples, the background items are often destructable.

When you perform actions, you get little "Japanese motion symbols" just as you would see in a manga. The cloud motion, light flares, shading are all done with a drawing style. It is really impressive to compare this with early fighting games to see just how far we've come from 'blocks of pixels moving' to a visual experience.

Unfortunately, the sound is just not up to the same quality level. The background noises get INCREDIBLY repetitive after only a few minutes. You're almost tempted to turn down (or off) the sound and play with your own music playing. Not only do the phrases get said thousands of times in a row - but some of the Japanese words are clearly mispronounced.

The fighting action is rather fun - surely by now fighting games have perfected the interactivity part of the game. You get a number of styles, and in addition to the quick-memorized button mashing portion, there is a high powered attack that involves both characters doing a quick combination of keys to perform the higher powered action.

The unlocking portion of the game is both fun and extremely tedious. It's fun because you can unlock hundreds of items - every single sound clip, every single video clip, etc. etc. If there's something you want to review, you can get it into your library. On the other hand, you would have to play for months to get enough points to unlock them all, and it's a random chance of what you get to see for a given unlocking.

Still, that's a minor complaint. All of those unlocked libraries are just extra, anyway. The main part of the game - the fighting - is quite fun and if you're a Naruto fan, there's not much more you could hope for from this. Enjoy!

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sorry

i poseted alot sorry
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more info for your info
Grab your kunai, practice your hand seals, and put on your forehead protector, it’s time for head to head ninja action! Play as over 16 of your favorite Naruto characters with new characters from season two! Battle up to four people at once, or live out battles from the show in story mode! Use signature attacks and battle your way one-step closer to becoming Hokage, the strongest in the village!

EYE-SPY
THE HOOK: I’ve been a huge fan of Naruto, following it through 105 episodes and counting. I tried this game out at Otakon, thought it looked great, and ordered it off the net shortly thereafter.

HOW IT LOOKS AND FEELS: The graphics in this game are vibrant with color and match the look of the show perfectly. The characters are cell shaded very nicely and have an animated look identical to their anime counterparts. The battle backgrounds are fantastic, boasting a lot of color and detail. It’s the little things like recognizable people cheering for you or nicely rendered frogs bouncing in the background that makes the different areas stand out. My only disappointment with the different areas is their lack of interaction.

The game controls are pretty simple. The B button controls physical attacks while the A button throws a shuriken (throwing knife) or does a slightly stronger attack. The L and R buttons let you side step left and right, the Z button can switch your target in four player mode, the X button performs your special attack, and the Y button performs throws.

Though the controls are simple, the fighting is intense. The game lets you use Kawarimi (or Replacement technique) just like in the show. By pressing L or R while you are stuck in a combo, you can teleport out of the combo and counter attack your foe to catch them off guard. Special attacks and kawarimi are done by using Chakra (or energy) from a bar that collects as you attack and block. The game also has a useful counter-attack system. Pressing A and back will put your character into a stance or position. Once they are attacked in this position, they’ll automatically counter-attack and take miniscule damage. Though very useful, the stance only lasts for a couple seconds and can leave you open while shifting back to fighting mode.

HOW IT SOUNDS: The game’s music is blend of guitar, flute and drums similar to the anime. Though quieter and not as vibrant or original as the music in the show, the music flows nicely with the rest of the game. Strangely, it will cut out at times before playing again in a loop. The sound effects are a tad cartoony, but match the game’s bloodless brawling. The voice acting in the game is identical to the show and captures each character’s personality flawlessly. Fans of the show will appreciate the amusing dialog before/after the fights and the different interactions between characters.

EXTRAS: As the case is with many fighting games, most of the game needs to be unlocked. The game only starts you off with a couple of characters and leaves you to buy the rest at Anko’s shop. You can also unlock game mode, sound tracks, character bios, extra stages, and a lot more. Even after well over twenty hours of play, I still haven’t unlocked one hundred percent of this game!

CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE: Aside from the intro made up of clips from the show, to game doesn’t really have any. There are the little intros the characters have before they fight and the small cut-scenes for special attacks, but there are no real cinematics here, not even in the game’s Story mode.

BEST PLAYER: Shikamaru and Zabuza were my top choices when it came time to fight. Shikamaru has fast sneaky attacks and a quick special attack while Zabuza has good strength and a difficult to dodge special. The game boasts a good character variety and includes some unique abilities (such as being able to counter special attacks) that only one certain character can do. Though some are quite useful, other characters (Karasu and Akamaru) seem to be more gimmicky.

CHEAT CODE YOU NEED: The game doesn’t have any…but there is one character so cheap you can win almost any fight in seconds by using him. If you’re playing as Rock Lee, you can press down and X twice during battle to power him up. During his second stage of power, his health will decrease rapidly and his Chakra will increase rapidly. Doing his special in this form will not only seek out the opponent in a nearly un-counterable rush (and probably KO them in one hit), but give his meter enough time to charge back up to 100% power by the time he’s done! The catch is that if he takes just one hit, he’s KOed. It’s worth it for the cost if you want a cheap win, but your friends will anger quickly and hurt you if you do it too often…not that I’d know or anything…

CHEAT CODE YOU WANT: It’s not really a cheat code, but something this game could have offered is more characters. It’s true that there are 20 playable characters, but some seem to be only ½ a character (Karasu and Akamaru) while some are just another character with slight changes. Some characters seem to have not been added deliberately so they could appear in the next game.

OH MAN! MOMENT: They don’t call it hard mode for nothing! Turn up the difficulty and the AI can get surprisingly vicious!

GLITCH ITCH: Besides the afore mentioned Rock Lee, the game has other slight problems. Because the characters in the game don’t turn around very fast, characters with the ability to disappear and reappear behind you can get very annoying. Another problem is that the camera in the game sets itself back pretty far in four player mode and rotates around the arena as you fight. This wouldn’t be a problem except for the fact that the only way to block is to walk backwards, and if the camera spirals you’ll start walking forward and get attacked.

FAN SERVICE: Since most of the characters in this game are twelve, I’m happy to say that this game contains no fan service.

END GAME:
This game is definitely meant for Naruto fans. Taking away the association leaves those who don’t know what’s going on with a fun, but average fighter. The game is mostly a button masher with simple controls and combos. This is fun for those who like picking up a game and not being destroyed for not knowing complicated combos, but may bore fans who are use to memorizing complex sequences of attacks. It’s also disappointing that there is only one special attack per character, while most other games in the genre have several. Besides the fact the navigating the game is hard due to the language barrier, extra expenses and lengths are needed to get a game like this. If you’re not a fan of Naruto, you might want to become one before picking this one up.

Now for those of you who are fans of Naruto, this game is for you. The way the characters look, sound, and fight has been recreated perfectly. Story mode stays pretty true to the show by including battles that happened, and battles that didn’t but could have just as easily. Like in most fighters, the multiplayer is more fun that single player mode, so having a friend or three to beat up doesn’t hurt. The inclusion of kawarimi and the counter-attacks, adds an innovative twist that does an excellent job of simulating Naruto style combat. The special moves though lacking in number, pay homage to each character’s abilities and are very fun to pull off. The game is also full of the same jokes and character interaction from the anime, making confrontation between certain characters interesting or comical.

The game is entirely in Japanese and can only be played on a Japanese Gamecube. More the most part, the language barrier doesn’t take too much away from the game. Once you rotate through the game menu a couple of times, you’ll figure out what everything does. The bulk of the problems I encountered were in knowing what I was buying from the shop and in changing game settings. For the most part, fighting is the same in any language and this Naruto: GNT2 just proves that you don’t have to know what someone’s saying to beat the snot out of them.

If you love Naruto and don’t mind the extra effort needed, you won’t regret picking this one up. Fans of energetic and hectic anime fighting will also enjoy this one, but may not be up for the extra effort and cash. If you’re a fan, you want to know that this game only goes as far as the Chunin exam. Naruto: Gekito Ninja Taisen 3 will include newer characters and is scheduled for a Japanese release on November 20th. If you can overlook this fact or if you just can’t wait that long, Naruto: Gekito Ninja Taisen 2 won’t disappoint you.


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naruto games more info
It seems Naruto will soon sit next to Dragon Ball Z in terms of popularity. It certainly feels that way, anyway. Naruto has invaded the world of entertainment through comics, television shows, toys and videogames. The latest product - Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles - has just landed on store shelves. Unlike previous Naruto videogames, it takes a fresh approach to life as a cartoon ninja.

Where most titles in the past had players fight in arena-style combat, Uzumaki Chronicles opens things up considerably. Players can explore the world and take on missions as they see fit. There's also a bit of story throw in, though it never amounts to much. Some of the dialogue and mission objectives will make players giggle, but none of it ever qualifies as riveting narrative. Not that it absolutely needs it, but it would have been nice to see a Naruto game with some drama - even if it's of the kiddie variety. Half of the reason why kids love this stuff is because of the characters and their personalities, so it wouldn't be a stretch to add more of that into videogames.


Still, the fact Uzumaki Chronicles adds a little more depth than the average Naruto title definitely helps. Players start the game by receiving "D" and "C" class missions and work their way up the ladder. Missions in Naruto make up one of the game's highlights but also one of its biggest flaws. To start, it's cool they're there. Choosing which missions to complete helps the franchise move forward. Every mission has a little story thrown in, which also helps the franchise move past its action-only roots. At the same time, missions suffer from a lack of variety. Players have a choice, sure, but most of the time it all boils down to the same handful of tasks.

Which, of course, somewhat invalidates the choice to begin with. For the most part, players spend their time protecting a villager's assets or finding items scattered about the gameworld. But all this means is that players need to kick the crap out of everything in sight. Having to safeguard a merchant's cart of goods is cool and everything, but it should only happen a few times. Fortunately, the scenery changes as players roam from village to village, so there's a nice aesthetic break. Ultimately, it feels like there's a definite purpose to what happens during a mission, even if the objectives themselves lack depth.

On the plus side, the action itself works well. Players can execute moves, techniques and combos with little trouble thanks to intuitive controls. It's all simple stuff, like everything else in the game, but it works out fine nonetheless. Even the most complicated maneuvers will only take a few button presses. Plus, enemy AI is abysmal. In many of the earlier missions, rival ninjas or outlaws simply stand there awaiting execution. They honestly make no effort to save themselves half the time. And when they do, they'll just swing one or twice and then stop. They go down easily, so players will cut through a dozen in a matter of seconds, but a little enemy AI would have gone a long way.


To help alleviate things, Uzumaki Chronicles adds depth in the area of character growth. Players can modify a "Skill Plate" by earning a form of currency, known as "Virtue", and buying new abilities. This Skill Plate is only so big, and each new skill requires specific space, so it's cool having to budget things. Players need to decide whether they want more health and stamina for a specific fight, versus something like a powerful attack. In addition, the game also lets players permanently increase vital statistics, too. All of this adds variety and strategy to a product that could use all it can get.


Closing Comments
Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles takes the Naruto property forward a few steps. Letting players choose missions and explore the gameworld is a definite plus, as are additions in the area of character growth. It definitely has the right idea, but a few key factors keep it down. Enemy AI could use serious reworking, for instance, and missions suffer from a lack of variety and depth. Fans should check it out.

IGN Ratings for Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles (PS2)
Rating Description
out of 10 click here for ratings guide
7.0 Presentation
Lacks pizazz, but otherwise decent across the board.
7.0 Graphics
Performs well, though characters and locales could use more detail.
7.0 Sound
No serious crimes in the areas of voice work and music, though it's all ho-hum.
6.5 Gameplay
A good set of ideas curtailed by poor enemy AI and an overall lack of variety.
6.0 Lasting Appeal
It's a rather short game, though it's fun while it lasts.
6.8
Passable OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

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naruto games
If you've been frequenting IGN GameCube for the last few months, you've most likely seen new assets or hands-on play for Nartuo: Clash of Ninja 2. Not only is the game one of the last solid GameCube titles we'll be seeing on the system, it's also exclusive to Cube owners only, making it a high-profile game to keep in our sights. More importantly, however, is that the Clash of Ninja franchise is extremely solid not just as a licensed videogame, but as a fighter in general. The character roster is deep, the combos walk the line between simplistic and overly-complicated (for you hardcore gamers out there), and the team over at Eighting studios (responsible for the Bloody Roar series) have done an awesome job on the franchise, treating it less like a licensed product in need of shelf space, and more like the kick-ass fighter that it truly is. And with the anime growing more popular here in America as the days go on, it's no surprise that we're now seeing Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 hitting shelves here in the US.

For anyone not familiar with the Clash of Ninja franchise or Naruto in general, fear not; it's a simple series to get into. Both the game itself and the anime/manga series follow the story of Naruto, a young ninja student that dreams of becoming Hokage, or "master ninja" of his town. What he doesn't know, however, is that beneath his seemingly harmless and carefree surface is a fire from his past that will come back to both haunt and aid him along his adventure. Naruto has inside him the magical power of the "nine-tail fox", which nearly wiped out a civilization years ago. From there, the anime basically routes into the same week-to-week tempo so familiar to its genre. Naruto meets new allies, fights baddies, learns, loves, and lives on. Simple enough.


For the Clash of Ninja franchise, Eighting decided to go all-out with the gameplay, offering the same speed and style of the battle anime in playable form. In the first Clash of Ninja, players could chose from just a handful of the series favorites, such as Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Zabuza, Rock Lee, and a few others primarily featured in the first season of the show. With Clash of Ninja 2, however, the character base is far deeper, allowing for over 20 fighters to be unlocked. We can't go into the specifics about the roster quite yet (as D3 wants to make you do the dirty work), but we have been featuring each of the fighters in our "Fighter Profile", which is finishing up next week with the final unlockable characters. We can tell you, however, that the amount of depth and complexity in the new characters is just awesome, featuring abstract weapons and very unorthodox fighting styles. If you're a fan of the anime, you most likely have an idea of who else you'll be fighting with. When/if you achieve 100% completion, you'll have a wide array of fighters at your disposal, featuring good guys, baddies, masters, students, and even alternate forms of pre-existing characters.

Even more important than the cast of characters in Clash of Ninja 2 is the amount of depth added to the actual battle system. With the first Clash of Ninja, battles were one-on-one only, and while there was still a fair amount of added modes, the mechanic eventually wore thin. With Clash of Ninja 2's ability to have up to four players battling at once, the depth of the fighter increases exponentially. The challenges in story mode now have Naruto going up against multiple enemies at once, and the two-on-two fights make four player multiplayer extremely entertaining. Combine that with an abundance of unlcokables (art gallery, voice tests, character profiles, the list goes on), and you've got a game that looks and plays like the original, but has a ton of added depth through the character roster and gameplay modes.


In fact, the general theme for the entire game centers around expanding what was already shown in the original. Players who mastered the previous Clash of Ninja game will already know the core players and their combos (though more moves have been added even to the original cast), and the same fighting strategies that worked in game one will still work in game two. Zabuza is still amazingly lethal with his sword, while Rock Lee continues to be the counter-attack master. Obviously keeping the original fighters true to the first game (as well as the series in general) was important, but in our experience it was far more entertaining to check out the newer fighters than it was to go back to the classic ones. That being said, the balance and feel to the game is still just as solid as it was in the original, as players can air-juggle and link combos together if they've mastered the timing and button presses from the original. We would have liked to see a bit more attention put into the special attacks, as they still get repetitive rather quickly, but with the amount of fighters and tactics in the game, it's a minor complaint.

On a presentation level, Naruto manages to bring a bit more to the table this time around. There's a far more in-depth story mode, though cut-scenes are handled with basic boxed portraits of the fighters rather than full-sized cut-outs, but the overall depth is definitely there. Clash of Ninja has more characters, more modes, an overall sharper look (especially in the animation effects department), and a ton of recorded voice work that, as with the original, fits in nicely. Is there room for growth in the series? Yes, and importers that have played Clash of Ninja 3 and 4 have already seen the series get consistently better version after version. Is Clash of Ninja 2 worth the asking price? Definitely.


Closing Comments
At its surface, Clash of Ninja 2 may look like the same old run-of-the-mill roster update, taking what players enjoyed from the original Clash of Ninja game, and simply expanding the amount of fighters. Anyone who gives the game a fair shake, however, will see that there’s far more to this than a few new fighters. The addition of four player battles alone makes Clash of Ninja 2 a worthy purchase, as the already frantic fighter is now doubled in intensity. Team fights are a blast to play, and the 3-on-1 fights are brutal as well, pitting the best player in your party against everyone else simultaneously. In addition, the cast of characters has more than doubled in size, and the overall play time needed to unlock the vault of extras will range in the 20+ hr range. The game offers multiple story modes, survival mode, time trials, classic arcade mode, as well as a deceptively deep four player mode. For fans of the Naruto series, Clash of Ninja 2 is a no-brainer, as it features nearly every major character from the series, and is filled to the brim with unlockable fan-service extras. Simply put, Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 is a blast to play, as it once again does the anime series justice.

IGN Ratings for Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 (GCN)
Rating Description
out of 10 click here for ratings guide
8.0 Presentation
The look is retained from the first game, though the cut-scenes are a bit too basic. Great overall feel though, especially during special attacks.
8.0 Graphics
It runs in progressive scan, looks better than the original, and has a solid overall look. It piggybacks off the first game with levels, art, and animation, but is still visually appealing.
8.0 Sound
There’s a ton of recorded VO and character-specific conversations. The pacing on the voice acting is a bit slow, but the overall sound production is solid nonetheless.
8.0 Gameplay
Everything from the original game has been retained, and more modes, characters, and multiplayer has been added. The four player mode rocks.
8.5 Lasting Appeal
23 total fighters, tons of game modes, art galleries, character profiles, concept art, four player mode, and different play styles with each character.
8.2
Impressive OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

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