Review : Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 on Nintendo DS

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Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2

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Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2

By Brian Edey (Falelorn)
Posted on November the 3rd 2008 at 01:11:00 AM

Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 is an indirect sequel to the first game, but this one is an RPG instead of an action game. Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 is about a group of bad guys who are trying to raise a big nasty beast, and Naruto and his friends are asked to go out and try and stop this from happening. Using classical role playing game gameplay mechanics based in the Naruto universe, this is the RPG designed for the die hard Naruto fan.

Gameplay

As a Role Playing Game the game feels more like a bad attempt to emulate a game on the NES or SNES then attempt at creating a game worthy of the DS. The level design is rather bad and predictable and, it almost feels like it was created and never play-tested. Along with the bad level design the game has no sense of adventure as you travel the land, adding a sense of adventure to the game would have made it more fun for the non-Naruto fans.

The game is a basic turned based RPG with a very slight twist, the closer you are to an enemy means the more damage you will do to the enemy, but the farther away you are also means the less damage they will do to you. You can move your party around on the battlefield which is a nice way to help out your team if you are getting your team wiped, but it does not happen often. Some enemies, especially the big bosses use attacks which will hit several grid squares so managing your team’s placement is important in the grand scheme of things.

Annoyingly Naruto has too many characters and in the first 20 to 30 minutes you will have six characters then it will jump up from there. Making sure all of your characters are in and around the same level becomes a chore, making the game tedious.

If you have a Nintendo Wi-Fi connection you can play the games one good gameplay moment and that is the online mode where you go online and engage in online battles with your team against other people’s teams. These battles are fun and can be intense, but do not expect to win every game as other people will use different tactics and be geared differently.

Graphics & Audio

I was very disappointed in the graphics and animation within the game, finding both limited and lacking in a colorful design pallet and very simple shapes not using the strengths of the Nintendo DS, when it should. Audio wise the game uses a simple midi sounding music, poor sound effects and the voice over work repeated the same phrase over and over again during the fights. The repeating voice over work actually became the most annoying aspect to the game and I ended up turning off the sound very quickly.

Value

Overall the game is extremely limited by some very poor level and gameplay mechanical design and with out the player enjoying the interesting universe of Naruto those issues will bring down the game, ruining the experience for most and the actual replay value in non-existent.

Bottom Line

Naruto Path of the Ninja 2 is only for fans of the Naruto universe and not for general Role Playing Game fans as this game was made for people who enjoy the universe only. Naruto Fan – Rental, Everyone Else - Skip

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Pros

+ It is a Naruto game for Naruto fans… enjoy
+ Battle gameplay mechanics

Cons

- Only for Naruto fans, the non-fans will not find it very compelling or fun
- Gameplay is really lacking
- Graphics and Animation are not very good, even for a DS title
- Story… wow… I guess it is Naruto
- Action mini-games

Final Verdict

4.4

Breakdown :

Presentation :

4.0

Graphics :

4.0

Sound :

5.0

Gameplay :

5.0

Replay Value :

4.0

Our review : 4.4
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System :
Publisher :
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Category :
ESRB : E10 - [GameFocus' ESRB Guide]
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Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.

PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)

GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.

AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?

GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.

REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.

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