Dispelling the jutsu: Naruto for the PS2

By Erin Chupeco, hackenslash Contributor INQUIRER.net NARUTO has been a breakthrough anime hit all over the world; Konoha headbands are bestsellers, and both anime and manga volumes of the series consistently top the bestseller lists both in and outside of Japan. Several video games have been spawned, and while these were mostly fighting games that enabled friends to pit a favorite character against another, the most recent offering of the Naruto franchise has produced a single-player action game entitled Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles. The story begins dattebayo! In the game, Naruto is pretty much the same: still loud, still unpredictable, and still determined to become strong enough to become the next Hokage leader. With the aid of his friends Sasuke, Shikamaru, Choji, and Neji, Naruto undergoes a series of missions not only to increase his skills as a ninja, but also to aid the elder Leaf Village ninjas in defending their territory. Unfortunately, the only way to increase his ranks and his abilities is by performing and finishing missions that may range from menial chores and trivial errands, to critical situations, all the while going through hordes of random ninjas who want nothing more than to destroy Konoha and its members. Missions found within Uzumaki Chronicles are mostly nonlinear; players are free to choose any available mission at random, which can range from delivering supplies to training less experienced ninjas, to hunting down bandits, depending on their preferences. In almost every mission, no matter how simple the duties assigned to him, Naruto always seems to be encountering random ninjas along his travels, all intent on preventing him from accomplishing menial tasks such as finding missing Tamasaburo candy, or preventing him from volunteering to be a stuntman in a local television show. Apparently, Naruto's enemies consider the lack of candy or the absence of stunt ninjas in TV dramas essential tools for world domination. Men on a mission Players normally start out with D and C missions, and eventually work their way up the ranks as more and more of these missions are accomplished. Unfortunately, the variety doesn't significantly change even at higher leveled missions, making most of the tasks that Naruto has to finish to increase his skills tedious, rather than interesting. Most missions will also require much traveling, and Naruto will spend much of his time going from village to village, as random enemies appear at intervals on the world map. Though opponents are numerous in battle and frequently spawn, the enemy AI leaves much to be desired. Rather than serve as a challenging battle for our protagonists as would be expected, most opposing ninjas seem content to stand still and come after the heroes in twos and threes like generic opponents in typical B-movie scenarios, enabling players to pick them off one at a time, and at their own pace. And since these random encounters happen almost every time Naruto sets foot outside his village, fight sequences can turn boring after awhile. The fact that some of the missions require that you not leave every stone unturned to seek out all the needed items, can also be tortuous. While the missions are disappointing, Uzumaki Chronicles almost makes up for it with their engaging version of skill trees, called "skill plates" in this particular game incarnation. Over the course of fighting enemy ninjas, Naruto can find health item drops, stamina-replenishing boosts, and virtue orbs. Virtue orbs are one of the important aspects of the game, as it allows the blonde protagonist to buy more health items and buffs, or skill chips, which can then be used to fill up these skill plates. There are several skill plates in the game that can help Naruto and his friends define the type of skills that they will eventually develop. Each skill chip can have a certain effect, such as resistance to certain damages, or an increase in jutsu techniques. Filling up a whole skill plate can also result in more additional bonuses. The gang’s all here! Uzumaki Chronicles wouldn't be complete without some of Naruto's friends along for the trip, and one of the best parts of the game are the different moves that can be executed by the characters. Each available character have their own special jutsu and skills, and can even work together to deliver a stunning barrage of attacks. (And yes, Naruto's trademark, the sexy jutsu is available for use, and can be combined with the shadow clone jutsu for humorous effect -- if there is anything funnier than a scantily clad female Naruto running around and distracting enemies, it must be several scantily clad female Naruto clones running around and distracting enemies.) Coupled with a good balance of different melee and long range attacks, learning to activate these skills is an easy task, and will require very little button mashing for the most part. Naruto can even tag in some of his other friends, such as Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, or Hyuuga Neji, all of whom can be controlled during battle for short periods of time, a treat for fans of the other Naruto cast members. Charge up enough power, and Naruto can even summon enough fox chakra and transform into his powerful nine-tailed demon fox persona. Unfotunately, these five characters are the only ones that players can control; given the large Naruto cast available in the series, this is disappointing. Popular characters such as Sakura Haruno, Kakashi Hatake, or Gaara take a back seat in Uzumaki Chronicles. Coupled with the slightly shallow storyline, many Naruto enthusiasts who love the compelling plot twists from the series will find very little in this game to meet their expectations. After being accustomed to the pretty graphics in previous Naruto fighting games, the current aesthetics of Uzumaki Chronicles can also be something of a letdown. While boasting 3D graphics with some changing scenery, many of the polygons seem dull and uninspired. The American voice work provided for is adequate, though these might feel a little overdone for those familiar with the characters' Japanese voices, and while the music carries with it a distinct feel of feudal Japan, there is no one score that distinguishes itself from the rest. Not bad for a first try Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles is a refreshing change of pace from the other Naruto fighting games available, but much work still has to be made to make the game an outstanding title in the franchise. The skill customizations and basic gameplay holds much promise, but much work still needs to be done in integrating engrossing storylines and plots, as well as a much more intelligent AI system to make these chronicles stand out.