NOTE: Some text has been added to the original review (2/9/08).

Going into this game, I was definitely a bit skeptical, though I’m not sure why. Perhaps it was just my general skepticism about licensed games, or maybe it had to do with a series popular for fighter games moving to an RPG. Whatever the reason, I was pleasantly surprised to find that, despite some misgivings, TOMY and D3Publisher had created a solid, enjoyable game.

First things first: the story. If you’re looking for a compelling narrative, you might as well stop reading here. The story is exactly the same as the anime, up through the end of the Chunin Exam/Invasion of Konoha story arc, but it’s very much so watered down. Several story elements, especially those involving characters other than the main three, are sometimes omitted altogether, and the emotional scenes are given a rather unsentimental treatment. Nothing kills the mood of a death scene more than the dying character switching instantly from a "standing" sprite to a "lying dead" sprite.