Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 review

Similarly, the two-against-you fights, while accurate to the cartoon, do get pretty pissy. And fighting Gaara like five times in a row is too much.

We can forgive the overt similarities, though. The easy-to-get fisticuffs make for some of the most slap-happy scraps we've seen in a 3D fighter. Attacking and blocking fill up a meter that, when charged half way, gives you the ability to teleport out of danger and sucker-punch the other guy from behind. This leads to some lightning-quick flurries that even seasoned gamers will watch in awe. Fill the meter all the way and you unleash a life-ending mega move that can change the course of a battle in mere seconds.

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The best part is, the fighting system is not Soul Calibur. It's designed to be dead simple yet versatile enough to give vets a chance to cut loose. Counter attacks, parrying and teleport moves keep everything moving, always - you will never be bored at any point in Ninja 2, there's just no time to even think about anything else.

Of course, we could say the same thing about the first game. We're talking same graphics, same levels and the same music from March. Think of this as a director's cut - there are plenty of tantalizing additions, but essentially you're buying the same thing. This means the same problems (like characters frequently facing the wrong direction andbutton-mashy fighting) exist as well. We're still able to look away from the screen, pound on the A and B buttons and win a surprising number of fights.