Naruto has taken the US anime market by storm over the last couple of years, replacing the once dominant Dragon Ball Z and Yu-Gi-Oh! as the new anime to watch. However, as is usually the case, Naruto has been huge in Japan for a while now and obviously something that big in the land of the rising sun is going to have some videogames tied into it. That's why in 2006 the US shores got their first 3D Naruto title - but unfortunately it's a game that's three years old.

Back in 2003, Naruto: Clash of Ninja came out in Japan and for some reason instead of porting the latest release of Clash to the US (the Japanese market has four, with a fifth on the way) we've started from scratch with the very first title. That'd be fine if there was a lot to learn, but there simply isn't - in fact, Clash of Ninja must be the one of the most feature-lacking fighting games I've ever played!

Starting with the Story mode, you watch static cut scenes accompanied by text and overdubs from the US cast before battling enemies one-on-one for two rounds. After a very small amount of rounds you'll be shocked to discover the credits roll... but you've unlocked a new character! Okay, if every character has a story then I guess that will make do. But that's not the case! Naruto's story is the only one in the game; the rest of the characters simply fight seven different battles and then the credits roll and you're rewarded with unlocking something new. No ending, no anything. To the game's credit there is a lot to unlock - getting everything requires beating the game with every fighter at least twice.

Clash of Ninja could redeem all of this with a solid engine though! The fighting mechanics have a lot of potential but they suffer from a lack of variety. Unlike most modern fighters, pushing up on the joystick actually makes Naruto jump instead of sidestep (sidestepping is carried out using the shoulder triggers). The triggers also unleash a teleport counter attack that consumes your power meter, so if you don't want to use your power (such as wanting to store it for a special move) then you'd better not sidestep! Regular kicks and punches are mapped to one button, while special moves (such as shooting fire or... turning into a girl!?) are on another. Using the joystick in conjunction with the special move button carries out different attacks and there are specific air specials as well. This applies to the regular attacks too, but in a very limited way - for the most part every character only has a couple of major combos and you'll see them all over and over again throughout the game. In fact, by the time you've finished a few fights you'll likely be bored with your character, since you will have seen all of the attacks they have to offer. Each fighter has one super move that's activated by simply pushing one button, solidifying Naruto's status as a genuine button masher.

Maybe that's a good thing though - there are a lot of young fans of the show and it will attract non-gamers to try it out and play as their favorite characters from the show as well. Youngsters who pick the game up will have a blast just beating the controller and seeing spectacular results on screen, but veteran fighting game fans will definitely want to stay away from this one. Fans of the show will be interested that you can play as eleven fighters in total (the newest Japanese release has well over thirty!) including Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Rock Lee, Haku and more. There are only seven stages, one of which has two versions (one with mist) and there is no interaction on any of them at all, something that has become commonplace in many fighting games - all the good ones, at least.

Graphically, Naruto looks like it should; using cel-shaded graphics it captures the spirit and appearance of the animated show and helps you feel like you're really controlling Naruto and his friends. The visual effects applied to special moves and even small touches like the dust rising from the ground during battles are implemented well and again represent the show nicely. There's nothing mind-blowing or different about how Clash of Ninja looks, but it will please fans of the show, which is what this is all about. As for the sound, the game has the backing of the US voice cast but they aren't utilized a whole lot. You'll also probably hear Naruto say "Believe it!" every other sentence during the story mode. Characters also speak during combat occasionally, which I'm positive is never a good idea because it causes extreme repetition very quickly. As with the graphics, fans of the show will appreciate the sounds and voice acting but non-fans will probably find it a bit annoying.

The very short lifespan of Naruto: Clash of Ninja hurts it a lot, but that's almost a good thing, because the gameplay grows tiring very quickly due to the limited amount of moves and possibilities during matches. You can only play for so long before each match starts to feel too similar to the last and all of this really makes me wonder why the latest Naruto was not ported over first. Why not start with an established engine with tons of characters, instead of the bare bones basics? Who knows how far advanced the latest game is compared to this? We likely won't find out for a while, because after Clash 2 the next version will be a US-only installment for the Wii. Clash of Ninja is only recommended for big fans of the show, particularly the youngsters - anime fans in general looking for a fighter should look at the Dragon Ball Z games, some of which are very deep as well as being lots of fun to play. Clash of Ninja just can't compete with them yet, or with most other fighting games on the market for that matter - here's hoping that later releases in the series build on the solid foundation here to increase the depth and appeal for fighting fans, rather than just catering to young fans of the anime upon which it is based.

Reviewed by Christopher Martin for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).