Jump to content

Naruto: Clash of Ninja

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by DylanUchiha (talk | contribs) at 14:41, 1 August 2007 (Changed Temari to available in Revolution(revealed in Nintendo Power)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Cover art for Naruto: Clash of Ninja

The Naruto: Clash of Ninja series (known in Japan as Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen) is a series of 3-D cel-shaded fighting games based on the popular manga and anime series Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto. They are developed by Eighting and published by D3 Publisher and Tomy. Various installments of the series have appeared on both Nintendo's Gamecube and Wii. Four games are available for the Gamecube and two are available for the Wii. The first two installments are available in the United States and in PAL regions, with release of a third expected on October 23, 2007 for an exclusive North American release.[1] All other installments have been released in Japan.

Each installment of the series has had numerous methods of play with varying types of stipulations known as "modes." New games have introduced additional modes that generally appear in subsequent games. The player directly controls a character taken from the Naruto series, and uses their unique abilities to battle and defeat an opponent. New games in the series include more of the Naruto plotline in a "story mode," and it generally stays true to the source material. As a result, the character selection increases with each installment due to the inclusion of more of the Naruto plotline. With the newer games incorporating Naruto Shippūden, the second part of the Naruto series, many of the characters have been substantially redesigned, and the selection correspondingly limited. Reactions to each installment have been mixed, with many praising the simple and easy-to-learn fighting system, with others lambasting the fighting system, and the lack of significant unlockable content.

Gameplay

File:ClashofNinja2Gameplay.jpg
Sakura Haruno facing Kiba Inuzuka in Clash of Ninja 2

In each game of the series, the player controls one of many characters directly based upon their counterparts in the Naruto anime and manga. The player then pits their character against another character controlled by the game or by another player, depending on the mode that the player is in. The objective of each game is to reduce the opponent's health to zero using basic attacks and special techniques unique to each character that are derived from techniques they use in the source material. For instance, Naruto Uzumaki is able to use his signature Shadow Clone Technique, and Rock Lee utilizes many of his Strong Fist style techniques. To use these techniques, characters have available a chakra bar, which depletes upon the execution of a special technique. Most of these techniques are not executed in real time, and instead have an accompanying cinematic that takes place. All characters can use a Body Replacement Technique when enough chakra is available, enabling them to escape their opponent's combination. Furthermore, certain characters can transform into alternative forms when enough chakra is available.

Gamecube

Naruto: Clash of Ninja

Naruto: Clash of Ninja (known in Japan as Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen) is the first installment of the Clash of Ninja series and the first Naruto game released in Japan and North America. It was released in Japan on April 11, 2003.[2] On October 27, 2005, both this game and its sequel, Clash of Ninja 2, were confirmed for a 2006 release in North America.[3] It was released in North America on March 7, 2006.[2] The game has a total of ten characters that come from the Land of Waves arc and the start of the Chunin Exam arc of the series.[4] Masato Toyoshima, one of the executives of Eighting, stated that the game was designed to appeal to both casual and hardcore gamers.[4] The only significant difference made by Eighting in the development between the English variant and its Japanese counterpart were the voice-overs, which were done by the English voice actors in the Naruto anime.[4] Toyoshima claimed that the development team were especially "proud that [they] were able to accomplish" creating the cel-shaded graphics that closely matched the scenes in the Naruto anime and manga.[4]

Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2

Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 (known as Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen 2 in Japan and Naruto: Clash of Ninja European Version in Europe) is the second installment of the series. It was released in Japan on December 4, 2003.[5] It was announced alongside its prequel, Clash of Ninja, for a 2006 release in North America.[3] It was released in North America on September 26, 2006.[5] The game follows the plot of the series, in story mode, starting from Naruto's graduation from the Ninja Academy to the end of the Chunin exams. The game retains the characters from the first installment, and added characters from the Chunin Exam arc. This installment introduces the ability to have four players playing at any given time.[4] Unlockable features in this game are acquired by accomplishing certain tasks to add them to the game's shop, and then using money won in fights to buy access to the features.

Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3

Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3 is the third installment of the Clash of Ninja series. The game was announced on August 3, 2004, and released in Japan on November 20, 2004.[6] The game covers the events of the anime from the Invasion of Konoha arc to the Search for Tsunade arc. This installment introduces the ability to change forms during combat. All characters now have at least two specials, barring Akamaru. This game keeps the shop feature from Clash of Ninja 2, although the sequel Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 loses this feature.

Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4

Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 is the fourth installment of the Clash of Ninja series. It was released in Japan on November 21, 2005.[7] It covers the events from the Return of Itachi arc to the Sasuke Retrieval arc. The game adds a tag-team mode (referred to as 3-man cell) which allows groups of characters to fight each other in turn, with certain combinations of team members enabling special attacks. The game also introduces the ability for multiple characters to fight one another at once, ranging from a 2-on-2 match to to a 4-way brawl. Most noticeably, the game does away with the shop feature, and unlockables are now acquired by simply meeting certain criteria in the game's new Mission mode. Mission mode forces the player to fight increasingly stronger opponents under specific circumstances and with different methods of winning in order to complete each mission.

Wii

Naruto Shippūden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX

Naruto Shippūden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX is the fifth installment of the Clash of Ninja series. This game is the first Gekitou Ninja Taisen game to be released for the Wii in Japan, and was released in Japan on February 22, 2007.[8] The game uses the Wii Remote by waving the controller in different directions, but the GameCube controller and the Wii Classic controller can be used with the game as well. The game takes place during the Naruto: Shippūden series, specifically the Rescue Gaara arc. The game replaces the cast of characters in the previous games with a new set based specifically on the Shippūden series. The game was originally set to be released in North America as Naruto: Clash of Ninja MVZ, but this was abandoned in favor of Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution.[9]

Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution

Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution, originally planned to be released as Naruto: Clash of Ninja MVZ[9], is an installment of the Clash of Ninja series set to be released on October 23, 2007.[1] It is the first Clash of Ninja game to be released on the Wii in English, and is set to be a North American exclusive.[1] D3 Publisher has promised that "at least" sixteen characters will be available in the game.[10] Also in an interview, a representative has also stated that some characters not featured in Naruto: Clash of Ninja and Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 will be featured in the game.[10] Clash of Ninja Revolution incorporates the plotline from Naruto: Shippūden, the second part of the Naruto series; although, as the English adaptations of Naruto have not reached Naruto: Shippūden yet, the game will use the characters' initial designs.[11] Despite this change, Clash of Ninja Revolution will use the same gameplay engine as Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX.[9] The game utilizes the Nunchuk accessory for the Wii Remote, for basic attacks and for special attacks that require specific movements from both items.[11][10] The classic controller and GameCube controller are also compatible with the game.[10]

Playable characters

File:ClashofNinja2CharacterSelect.jpg
The character selection menu in Clash of Ninja 2

Each game in the series introduces new characters, and continues improving on old ones. As Gekitou Ninja Taisen EX takes place after the timeskip, characters in the Gamecube games differ from their EX counterparts.

Fighter 1 2 3 4 EX Revo.
Naruto Uzumaki Green tickY Green tickY[12] Green tickY[13] Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY[9]
Demon Fox Naruto Green tickY Green tickY[14] Green tickY1[13] Green tickY1 Green tickY1 Green tickY1
One-Tailed Naruto Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN Red XN
Sasuke Uchiha Green tickY Green tickY[12] Green tickY[13] Green tickY Red XN Green tickY[9]
Sharingan Sasuke Red XN Green tickY[14] Green tickY1[13] Green tickY1 Red XN Green tickY1
Cursed Seal Sasuke Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN ?
Sakura Haruno Green tickY Green tickY[12] Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY[9]
Kakashi Hatake Green tickY Green tickY[12] Green tickY[13] Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Sharingan Kakashi Green tickY Green tickY[14] Green tickY1[13] Green tickY1 Green tickY1 Green tickY1
Rock Lee Green tickY[4] Green tickY[15] Green tickY[13] Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Neji Hyuga Red XN Green tickY[16] Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Tenten Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY ?
Might Guy Red XN Green tickY[16] Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Choji Akimichi Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN ?
Shikamaru Nara Red XN Green tickY[15] Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY[9]
Ino Yamanaka Red XN Green tickY[15] Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Kiba Inuzuka Red XN Green tickY[15] Green tickY Green tickY Red XN ?
Akamaru Red XN Green tickY[14] Green tickY Green tickY Red XN ?
Shino Aburame Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN ?
Hinata Hyuga Red XN Green tickY[15] Green tickY Green tickY Red XN ?
Awakened Hinata Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN ?
Gaara Red XN Green tickY[15] Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Kankuro Red XN Green tickY[16] Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY ?
Karasu Red XN Green tickY[14] Green tickY Green tickY Red XN ?
Temari Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Jiraiya Red XN Red XN Green tickY[13] Green tickY Red XN ?
Orochimaru Red XN Green tickY[14] Green tickY Green tickY Red XN Green tickY
Tsunade Red XN Red XN Green tickY[13] Green tickY Red XN ?
Third Hokage Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN ?
Iruka Umino Green tickY Green tickY[16] Green tickY Green tickY Red XN ?
Mizuki Red XN Green tickY[14] Green tickY Green tickY Red XN ?
Anko Mitarashi Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Red XN ?
Zabuza Momochi Green tickY Green tickY[16] Green tickY Green tickY Red XN ?
Haku Green tickY Green tickY[16] Green tickY Green tickY Red XN ?
Itachi Uchiha Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Kisame Hoshigaki Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Sasori Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Deidara Red XN Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN
Jirobo Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN ?
Kidomaru Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN ?
Sakon/Ukon Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN ?
Tayuya Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN ?
Kimimaro Kaguya Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN ?
Kabuto Yakushi Red XN Red XN Red XN Green tickY Red XN ?
Notes:

1. This marks an in-game transformation of said character.

Reception

Clash of Ninja has received mixed reactions from critics, recieving criticism and praise from reviewers. Metacritic, a website that compiles scores from numerous video game publications, gave Clash of Ninja a "universal score" of 72/100.[17] IGN gave the game a positive review and a score of 7.8/10, lauding the game's battle system as "very balanced, amazingly quick, and still a lot of fun."[18] In addition, IGN commented on Clash of Ninja's "impressive visuals" and "strong audio," but noted that the battle designs were "a bit basic."[18] GameSpot provided a more negative review, deriding the game's different modes as "seriously boring and predictable," as well as criticizing the lack of significant differences in the playing style of the game's characters.[19] GameSpot characterized the voice acting as having "some of the worst stereotypes of anime voice acting," and noted the lack of unlockable items and other incentives to continue play.[19] G4's X-Play gave Clash of Ninja two out of five stars, lambasting the fighting engine as "ridiculously basic," and "shallow."[20] It also criticized the lack of a story or use of cutscenes or extras.[20] GameSpy also commented on this, noting that "considering the charm of the source material, [the game] is really a disappointment."[21] Despite the average reviews, the game sold well, becoming part of Nintendo's set of Player's Choice games, which lowers the retail price to $19.99 if the game has sold at least 250,000 copies.[22]

Critical reaction for Clash of Ninja 2 has been similar to its predecessor, with mixed opinions from critics. Metacritic compiled a "universal score" of 74/100 from 22 reviews for Clash of Ninja 2.[23] X-Play praised the game's animation, commenting that it "[nailed] the look of the cartoon characters," and referred specifically to the characters' special techniques animation as "remarkably impressive."[24] IGN agreed with this assessement, noting the game's "sharper look" and "overall depth."[25] GameSpot, echoing its sentiments with Clash of Ninja, called the fighting system "simple," to the point that it made the game's expanded roster "irrelevant," and the game "not very satisfying to play." [26] Although GameSpot remarked favorably on the game's "high-energy Japanese-themed background music," it criticized the "obnoxiously repetitive" voice acting, and its constant presence in the game. It went on to remark that Clash of Ninja 2 "ultimately [did] little to improve upon the original," and felt more reminiscent of an "upgraded game than a true sequel."[26] IGN heavily disagreed, claiming that although the game was similar to the original, it had a "ton of added depth" in the fighting system and character options.[25] IGN lauded the game's characters' "depth and complexity" as "awesome," and "a blast to play."[25] GameSpy focused on the game's four player multiplayer, comparing it to the best-selling Super Smash Bros. Melee and that it was a "recipe for plenty of fun."[27] Like its predecessor, Clash of Ninja 2 achieved the 250,000 unit sales benchmark, earning it a spot in Nintendo's Player's Choice games.[28]

Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3, 4, and EX haven't received reviews from most sources due to them not being released outside Japan, but reader reviews have praised these games for improving the character roster and the numbers of features.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Bozon, Mark (2007-03-13). "Tomy and D3Publisher of America Announce Naruto Fighting Game for Nintendo's Wii System". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-07-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b "Naruto: Clash of Ninja - Game Profile". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  3. ^ a b Surette, Tim (2006-09-01). "More Naruto coming to North America". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-07-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f Casamassina, Matt (2006-02-14). "Naruto: Clash of Ninja Interview". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b "Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 - Game Profile". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-25. Cite error: The named reference "ClashofNinja2GeneralInfo" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  6. ^ IGN Staff (2004-08-03). "Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3 Announced". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Naruto: Clash of Ninja 4 - Game Profile". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  8. ^ "Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution - Game Profile". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Casamassina, Matt (2007-05-31). "Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ a b c d Roper, Chris (2007-07-12). "E3 2007: Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ a b Davis, Ryan (2007-07-13). "E3 07: Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution Hands-On". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-07-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ a b c d Bozon, Mark (2006-09-29). "Naruto: The Complete Fighter Profile - Page 1". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i Alfonso, Andrew (2004-09-26). "TGS 2004: Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen! 3 Hands-on". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Bozon, Mark (2006-09-29). "Naruto: The Complete Fighter Profile - Page 4". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ a b c d e f Bozon, Mark (2006-09-29). "Naruto: The Complete Fighter Profile - Page 2". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ a b c d e f Bozon, Mark (2006-09-29). "Naruto: The Complete Fighter Profile - Page 3". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Naruto: Clash of Ninja (cube: 2006): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  18. ^ a b Bozon, Mark. "Naruto: Clash of Ninja Review". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  19. ^ a b Davis, Ryan (2006-03-21). "Naruto: Clash of Ninja Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-07-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ a b "Naruto: Clash of Ninja Review". X-Play. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
  21. ^ Vasconcellos, Eduardo (2006-03-21). "Naruto: Clash of Ninja Review". GameSpy. Retrieved 2007-07-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (2006-11-17). "Narutos katana-slash prices". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-07-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 (cube: 2006): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  24. ^ Smith, D.F. "Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 Review". X-Play. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  25. ^ a b c Bozon, Mark (2006-09-22). "Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ a b Davis, Ryan (2006-09-28). "Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-07-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ Villoria, Gerald (2006-10-09). "Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 Review". GameSpy. Retrieved 2007-07-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 Reaches Sales Milestone". GameSpot. 2006-04-03. Retrieved 2007-07-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

  1. Official D3 Publisher site Template:En icon
  2. Official D3 Publisher site Template:Jp icon
  3. Official Eighting site Template:Jp icon
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Naruto:_Clash_of_Ninja&oldid=148505266"