Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 (DS)

A face only a fanboy could love
10/21/2008 5:43 PM | 0 Comments | Page 2 of 2

Party members can unleash special "Jutsu" attacks, which can range from Naruto's multi-attack Shadow Clone Jutsu and Shikamaru's foe-stopping Shadow Imitation Technique to Orochimaru Summoning Jutsu, which calls forth a huge snake to take a bite out of the enemy. Choosing any of the Jutsu attacks triggers a mini-game using the DS' features. Usually this means scribbling or tapping on the touch-screen, matching on-screen cues, and occasionally even blowing into the microphone to power up the Jutsu attacks. While these mini-games break up the monotony of battle, you still can't help but feel like a lot of them are forced.

One major saving grace of Path of the Ninja 2 is multiplayer gameplay via Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection. After playing through the Story mode to get your feet wet and build up your initial team, you open up the ability to take your team online to compete against others around the country. You set up your battles and jump right into action, and online games run smoothly without any hiccups. Winning battles earns you bonus points that can buy new power-ups, characters, and equipment in the main game.

In one of the more interesting multiplayer features, you can win special ninja cards in battle, and some cards are specific to the region of your opponents. This gives completists even more reason to find online opponents. If nothing else, the online features help to make the shortcomings of the Story mode a little more palatable.

If you're a hardcore Naruto fan, the odds are that you'll be able to look past all of the shortcomings of Path of the Ninja 2 and find something to love about it. But for the rest of us, the game's watered-down presentation and repetitive gameplay leaves us thinking this adventure should have stayed out of sight in the Hidden Leaf Village. As Naruto would say, "Believe it!"

This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.