Review: Naruto: Ninja Destiny

Rated PG for the Nintendo DS

HUH? In Nartuo: Ninja Destiny the main character is seeking revenge against an enemy who humiliated a friend. Or something.

Relevant offers

Games

Preview: RE: Operation Raccoon City Preview: Spec Ops: The Line for Xbox 360 PlayStation Network merged with other services Spec Ops: The Line hands-on Kiwi gaming industry's best-kept secret Digital copies need to be cheaper Review: The Darkness II for PS3 Is Tim Schafer a genius? The Artist dog wins 'spokesdog' role Kiwi game industry worth more than $179.6m

It's because I'm not a huge Naruto fan that I found Naruto: Ninja Destiny a confused mess right from the start, but for fans of the pint-sized ninja this game will provide plenty of beat-'em-up action to keep them satisfied for a while to come.

It seems the basic story is that Naruto is seeking revenge against some powerful ninja for the way he humiliated a friend of Naruto's during an examination fight at the ninja training school.

However, for those of us who know very little about Naruto, the back story to the grudge is glossed over and you jump straight into a fight, not really knowing what has gone on before.

Fans of Naruto might know what is going on, but casual gamers sure as heck won't.

In terms of the fighting, it's good with different buttons giving different moves and you can select special moves or equipment from the DS's touch-sensitive screen by tapping it with the stylus.

My only gripe with this is that you have to select the special move or item mid-fight, which often interrupts the flow of things and can often lead to your opponent gaining the jump on you.

Graphically, the game looks very nice, with nicely cell-shaded characters that are animated well, and bright anime inspired backgrounds.

The story mode won't take you long to complete and the game also offers a wireless battle mode where you can select a character and take on your friends but you'll both need a copy of the game.

Naruto: Ninja Destiny will appeal to fans of Naruto more than anything, but even hard-core fans may be disappointed at the lack of content and depth that the game has to offer.

One to keep an eye out for in the bargain bin.  

- © Fairfax NZ News