"Believe It" or not, this is a darn good fighter...
Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution is Tomy's third North American installment of a fighting game series based off of the popular anime featuring the spiky, blonde-haired shinobi-in-training. As previously mentioned, it's also the first Wii title in the series (hence the Revolution reference), with the first two being on the GameCube. Those who played the first two games will no doubt feel right at home with things right out of the gate, but this title also serves as a solid introduction for anyone who hasn't played the series. Regardless of which group you're a part of here, there are a number of key additions to this game that promotes the evolution of this franchise.
Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution (N:CoNR from now on), features the majority of the modes that you've come to expect from a modern-age fighter. Single player play includes the typical Arcade-like mode, Survival, and Time Attack challenges shouldn't be new to anyone, plus these are also 2 player co-op affairs in this game. With 4 players around, you can also take part of the 'Battle Royale' and Team battles with different ways of arranging teams. The game's experience is capped off by a single-player, story-driven "Mission" campaign (somewhat-loosely based from a portion of the anime), Wii Remote based mini-games, and an "Extras" area where you can check out high-scores, listen to various tracks, and other game-related info.
A typical fight in this game also isn't much different from what you might expect. As one of the 20 characters from the series, you're required to get rid of your opponent's (or opponents') health bar using various fighting techniques. You're also given a 'chakra' meter, which you'll use to prolong certain moves, activate a "Substitution Justu" in order to avoid additional damage from combos, perform your character's signature special move(s), etc. The game also introduces obstacles to strategically hide behind and the ability to knock an opponent into another area of a stage, while providing the ability to add additional damage or get in position for setting up longer combos. While not exactly brand-spanking new, these things do add a nice touch to battles and gives you a little more to think about during the course of a fight.
Concerning the characters themselves, while you aren't given overly complex combo commands for any of them, you're still treated to a game that requires you take time to learn the various characters and their unique styles. Instead of following the famous "master one, master them all" rule, there's actually a distinct difference between the simple, but somewhat wild fighting style of Naruto's, the quick and exclusively hand-to-hand techniques of Rock Lee, the primary long-ranged and weapon based offense of TenTen's, and so on, meaning you have to play according to their strengths. What's just as important is that this is a game that feels like it makes an effort at trying to balance out the characters within the game, and with acceptable success. It's comforting knowing that you can take your favorite character and be great in a game like this, even if that favorite character of yours isn't considered one of the most popular or powerful characters in the series.
Despite having its share of fanservice, the more you play this game, the more you get the sense that it aims to be a great fighter. The majority of the game's additions also help in fleshing out the series' relatively simple battle system. While some of the additions like the aforementioned obstacles and stage transitions, mid-battle transformations for certain characters, and multiple special moves for all characters are more obvious, it's really things like the option of having offensive or defensive substitution options and combo-cancels that really start to add some hidden depth to the game and series in a major way. Once you get the hang of all of what this game has to offer, it's not difficult to spend hours on trying to make the most of it.
To compliment the game's improvements, N:CoNR also manages to incorporate several different control options, allowing you to use the Wii Remote/Nunchuk combo, the Classic Controller, and the GameCube controller. Wii Remote/Nunchuk users are also given the option of motion-based weak attacks or button-based attacks of the same type (with use of the d-pad). While neither of these options are what would be considered 'ideal' for any fighting game, they can work if you have nothing else. It also comes as a bit of a consolation to know that you're able to make special attacks a little more powerful exclusively through the motion controls of the Wii Remote/Nunchuk. It can probably be seen as a bonus for those who can actually master the game with the setup (more power to you *laughs*).
The game's production values are about what you might expect. The cel-shaded models of the game's playable cast aren't the best on the Wii or a major jump from the GCN games, but they work. The stages fare a little better, though, especially considering that they're all dual-levels now. The voices of the characters are taken directly from the North American anime dubbing, so one who is familiar with that probably knows what to expect and already has an opinion to it (yes, you will hear "Believe It " once or twice). The game's soundtrack features a few catchy tunes, although some have been recycled from previous games. And lastly, the game's overall presentation, with it's Japanese/Ninja-based layout, is solid, and while it has it share of symbols from the 'Naruto' manga/anime, they don't overwhelm you in any way.
Really, the game's biggest 'flaw' is the fact that it has already been surpassed by a sequel that just offers more in every significant area and (for the most part) is better balanced. (and at the time of typing this review, another sequel that's on the way). Understandably, this won't be every person's cup of tea, and those who aren't fond of the series will probably not find quite as much to enjoy as others. Still, one of the game's best qualities is that you don't have to be a fan of the 'Naruto' brand itself to like this game, and that alone encourages a look. Picking up this game at value-price or renting it wouldn't be the worst choice you can make, especially if you're curious about the series in general. Despite being one of many, Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution is one of the few licensed-based fighting games that [IMO] actually 'gets it right'. It's also a very solid fighting game for a system that doesn't have many of those to cling to.