Dorkgasm Gonzo Is God

            When we last left off with the Naruto storyline on the Nintendo DS, Naruto was fighting his way through the Chunin Exams in an RPG. This time, however, we are treated to the first 3D fighter featuring the cast of the imported ninja cartoon. I do have to say though; out of all of the Naruto fighting games, this one may be the best so far.

            The game has a couple different modes to sate your interest. They include a story mode, which takes place from the third round of the Chunin Exams during which we get the reappearance of Sasuke all the way to the search for Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage. There is also an Arcade Mode, where you just fight without the added pretentious storyline. Finally, there’s the wireless option of taking on a friend, but said buddy must also have the game. Since I do not know anyone who was cool enough to buy it, I am in the dark about the fun I could be having. However, I am not here to focus on what I am missing, but what I played, and play I did on this one.

            The graphics on this game are around “Playstation the First” quality, with most of the models having wonky shadows and jagged lines. However, they are fairly smooth, with only occasional frame rate issues. The characters themselves are recreated fairly well, with as much details packed into them as possible. When this game was originally released over in Japan, it had a lot more problems than it does now, and the publishers decided to not only fix the graphical issues, but added three more characters (Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru). The music is what I expected it to be, as it is a mixture of rock-like guitar and a little Asian mysticism thrown in for good measure. The fighting engine is actually superb, and this is where the game is better than the previous fighters are. In the Gamecube, and even the Wii editions, the Naruto fighting games have always been a tad slow on the combat side and have never been able to reproduce the manic fighting style of the show. However, this game does the series justice. On “Normal” mode, the fights are fast and furious. You are able to use the Substitution Jutsu liberally and you are encouraged to do so. Furiously mashing buttons will take you through this level just fine. However, switch it up to “Hard”, and things go absolutely mental. Punches and jutsus will begin flying so quickly that it actually takes thinking to master this fighting style.

            This game differs from every other one so far, offering a power-up system that is available during the matches you are fighting that is accessed by using the touch screen portion of the DS. Power-ups include health restores, chakra (magic point) restores, and various other items which either help you or impede your opponent. At the beginning of each match, you are given six random power-ups that may or not be useful in your match, but half the fun is timing the release of your power-ups so they will be the most effective. Your opponents do not have these power-ups unless you are playing a wireless round against a friend.

            Overall, I really enjoy this game. It is incredibly easy to pick up the controls and start playing. It is even easy to grab for a bathroom break and knock out a couple fighters. I would recommend this game to anyone who wants a fun, but slightly ugly fighting experience on the DS and is not satisfied with slow fighters.