One of the first things I noticed about this game was its title, Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3. I mean really, does it need to be that long? Anyway, when I first fired the game up I had no real expectations for it since I knew very little about the game series. Having just recently gotten into watching Naruto, though, I was quite interested in seeing how good it turned out to be.
Seeing as I’ve only watched some of the original series thus far, that makes the story mode in the game rather awkward for me. Story mode apparently covers the first major arc of Naruto: Shippuden (which is a continuation from the original series), so if you’re up to that point in the show you’re fine. If not, however, I would recommend that you skip over the dialog to avoid spoiling things too much. That being said, there are still some spoilers to be found in some of the fights and even some of the characters themselves. According to a friend who is a big fan of the show and is up to date, the story mode follows along with the show somewhat decently, though deviates here and there to allow more fights simply for gameplay purposes, which is understandable and shouldn’t be much of an issue even for those who are big fans of the show.
The actual gameplay in story mode can be a bit annoying at times. For the most part it’s not too bad and is enjoyable, but there are a few of rather frustratingly difficult matches due to the circumstances. The “final boss” is of course cheap like any other fighting game’s last fight, but the way he can juggle you and kill you in seconds is more than cheap. However, if you can figure out how to fight fire with fire, you should be able to win. Aside from story mode, you have plenty of other options, such as missions, time attack, survival, and a few other variations of modes. Each mode provides its own fun and can give you plenty of enjoyment just playing by yourself. However, if you prefer multiplayer, then just grab some extra controllers and up to four people can play together. The game even supports Wi-Fi, though unfortunately, despite the nice looking system they have set up with in-game friend and rival lists as well as rankings, all of that can’t overcome the issue of lag. Out of the numerous matches that I have played, I never once found a match where there was no lag. I’d go as far to say it’s even worse than the online play in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Putting together combos feels next to impossible which pretty much defeats the purpose.
As for the characters available, there are 35 to unlock, so you’ll spend quite awhile just trying to get all of them. One thing that bothered me was some of the weird requirements to unlock certain characters, and even after unlocking them you have to purchase them in the shop. You’ll more than likely want to look up a guide to find out the particulars on how to get some of the more expensive fighters. The characters, though, are varied pretty well for the most part, so you won’t have a lot of similar ones. Plenty of depth can be found in the combos, so while a newbie we be able to play and have fun, there is plenty of room to work with for the more skillful and hardcore players.
The controls are solid as well with pretty much any way you choose to play, and you have the option to use any of the different controllers that work with the Wii. One thing I found to be an issue was that there are some things you can only do in the game with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk combo. Using these allows you to do hand signs which can boost your chakra (which is used for special moves) or attack power. Also, during your special attacks you will be prompted to do various motions that will give you a little extra power. Using any of the other control methods, you don’t have access to these features and can be at a slight disadvantage because of it. That being said, I prefer the Game Cube controller myself, so it’s still entirely possible to use the other controllers and do well.
The cel-shaded graphics work well for the anime style and feel right at home on the Wii. The character models hold true to the show and do a good job. There are some issues with the frame-rate in some modes. When it’s a simple one-on-one match it’s never a problem, but in modes where you have numerous characters on screen at once then there are times where some slowdown will occur, though it’s usually never enough to hinder the gameplay.
As for the soundtrack in the game, it’s pretty much your normal Naruto music and fits the game very well, and the sound effects all do their job to give that extra sense of satisfaction when a hit lands on your opponent. There is one problem, though, and that lies with the voice acting. If you watch the English dubbed version of the anime then you’ll be used to the voices, but for those of you used to the Japanese voices will be disappointed. Unfortunately there is no option to have the original Japanese voices and for those who watch the subbed anime, they’ll likely find the voice acting to be poorly done and annoying.
In the end, though, this is a very solid fighter. That’s not to say there are no problems. There is a minor issue with frame-rate at times and there’s also the annoying voice acting, but that’s nothing close to deal breaking. Now, if you’re hoping to play online then I would suggest looking elsewhere because it’s pretty much unplayable. However, if you’re happy playing single-player or multiplayer with your friends then by all means give it a shot. It can be real fun to play when you get others in on the action. As a final word, I would advise you to have at least watched some of the anime. If you haven’t seen any of Naruto, then perhaps you should look elsewhere because there are other options available on the Wii. Fans of the show, however, will likely find themselves satisfied.
