Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 review

People often rip on Madden for coming out every year with nothing but minor tweaks. Well, we feel inclined to mention that the first Clash of Ninja was released in March...of this year. It was an exceptionally energetic anime scrapper that looked just like the cartoon on which it's based upon and offered enough action for all styles of fighting fans. And here we have Ninja 2, essentially the same game with just a handful of enhancements. And you know what? They're more than enough.

First off, you're getting an updated roster of 20-plus fighters that mirrors the current slate of episodes on Cartoon Network. Ino, Gaara and Shikamaru are just three of the top-tier ninja-kids who you can control, plus bushy-browed Rock Lee, previously only available as an unlockable character in the first Ninja.

Then there are the multiplayer face-offs. The fleshed-out story mode in Ninja 2 recreates key moments from the series, and as any fan can attest, many of those moments involve several students teaming up on one unlucky aggressor. So, you get three-against-one fights (and all the different variations on this setup) in single-player and multiplayer modes. The Z button switches your current target, letting you hop from one person to the next or pound the same one until they're out.

Considering how crazy the fights can get just one-on-one, getting used to four characters flinging around in all directions can take some time.