Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2

Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 is a fighting game for the Nintendo Wii. It is due out on October 21, 2008, and all 4 of the normal control set-ups for the Wii are going to be able to be used.

Last year saw the release of Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution, the popular orange-clad ninja's first entry into the world of Wii fighting games. Unfortunately, that particular entry wasn't the most sparkling one. What many saw as a limited cast of characters and a lack of fresh content kept the game from carving out a special place in the hearts of Naruto fans. With Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2, Tomy is aiming to right these wrongs with a new storyline and gameplay modes while delivering a larger, more balanced cast of characters.

Last year's game offered a selection of 20 characters. That number has been bumped up this time around to a portly 35. A light sprinkling of brand-new characters designed just for the game is included in that figure, but the vast majority should be familiar to fans of the series. And at the risk of sounding overly cryptic, we understand that a pair of particularly interesting characters from the show will be making an appearance, but we'll have to wait a bit longer to get firm details on that front.

Besides just adding to the roster, much of the focus this time around has been on balancing characters. The developer found many characters to be a bit overpowered last year, so now it has gone under the proverbial hood with an eye on keeping characters on a level playing field. But when playing as these fighters, you'll find that they still control much the same. The weak attack is done with a remote waggle, while the strong attack is used with the A button. Special hand signs can be done by tracing remote gestures on the screen, which help power you up. In addition, you unleash special attacks after you've built up enough chakra power, which triggers a long, dramatic cutscene in which your character does his or her thing for the camera. Similar moments of dramatic flair are shown when a fighter is knocked from one level section to another because each setting comes with the areas that can serve as battlegrounds. The number of fighting environments has also been bumped up to 15 for this go around.

The Story mode will feature 24 missions and an original plot not seen in the television show or comics. However, certain points in the story will intertwine with what fans have experienced in the series, so it won't be a completely foreign viewing experience. The Mission mode will build upon this number with 300 missions.

Visually, the game looks similar to last year's, but it has a bit more crispness, thanks to newfound support for widescreen displays and progressive scan. It's still far from the prettiest of all cel-shaded Naruto games, but the sheer speed of battles combined with the blizzard of visual effects goes a long way to compensate. Naruto makes another appearance on the Nintendo Wii with Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2, a sequel to last year's release. The popular manga and anime featuring the spiky-haired, hyperactive boy in an orange jumpsuit is back in an original storyline that expands the Naruto universe and delves deeper into the backstory of some of the other characters. The new content should bring something fresh to Naruto fans and be easy to follow for newcomers who want to see what all the fuss is about. Publishers D3 and Tomy stopped by to give us a glimpse of what's new and brewing in the upcoming fighter.

Like its predecessor, Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 is a fighting game. Those familiar with the game will find that this sequel is much larger in terms of characters and stages. There are 15 stages to choose from as well as 35 characters, including four original characters, two of whom are part of Anbu, a black ops organization. Yugao Uzuki from the anime series will also make an appearance. We had a chance to play with Tag Team mode, in which four players can get involved; it's a one-on-one fight but players can swap out and take turns. If you can pull it off with a partner, you can initiate combos simultaneously. Different pairings can yield some special combinations when you choose from the large roster. For example, if you happen to pair a teacher and an apprentice from the story, together they will pull off a unique attack as compared to any other random pairing. Those who are well-versed in Naruto lore should be able to figure out which characters have a special connection.

In Multimatch, you can play with three other friends in a free-for-all mode, either three versus one or in teams of two. This seemed by far the most intriguing mode because everyone loves to beat on three of their friends at the same time. When someone pulls off a jutsu attack in this hectic mode, the sequence will occur for the attacker and the one being pounded, and the other players will have to wait for them to duke it out before the game continues. For players who may not like that there are objects onscreen or the ability to transition to another part of the stage, there is the option to turn these features off, so purists can fight each other without the environment getting in the way.

On top of the usual Mission mode, there are Score Attack, Time Attack, and Survival modes, all of which you can play cooperatively. There is now a mission list in which each character has a list of challenges and unique objectives to complete, so there is plenty to do. There is also a Kumite mode, in which you will fight an increasing number of opponents until you're up against a giant mob.

Another new feature that we were shown was the paper bomb, which is the ability to drop land mines or throw them directly at your opponent by holding down the Z and C buttons and pressing A. You can also attach them to objects and detonate them at will. The controls are very similar to the first Clash of Ninja Revolution, so veterans should have no problems picking this one up. There is a tutorial mode available from the menu for those who want a refresher course.

Known facts

 * There will be 35 characters, including 7 never before seen in a Naruto: Clash of Ninja or Gekitou Ninja Taisen! game - four of which were made exclusively for this game. The story present in this game was made exclusively for the game, as well, and takes place after Sasuke's defection to the Hidden Sound Village.
 * While it has been confirmed there is no online, other features include 15 stages, fully animated cutscenes by Studio Pierrot, destructible environments, and the hand seal system from Naruto Shippuuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! EX 2. Players will have the ability to turn off obstacles and stage jumping, the latter of which is also accompanied by tier selection, allowing players to play on either one of the two parts of a stage. This effectively doubles the number of stages from 15 to 30, but leaves players unable to stage jump during a fight; however, this trade-off would obviously be intentional.

Playable Characters and Specials Jutsus
''An asterisk (*) denotes new characters to the American versions of the series. Two asterisks (**) denote characters never before featured in any Gekitou Ninja Taisen! or Clash of Ninja game.''


 * Naruto Uzumaki=Naruto Uzumaki Barrage, Rasengan (40% of Life Bar) and Nine-Tailed Naruto=Nine-Tailed Berserk
 * Ultimate Nine-Tailed Naruto*=Demon Fox Rasengan, Vermillion Slash
 * Sasuke Uchiha=Lions Barrrage and with Sharingan=Chidori and Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu
 * Sasuke Second State*=Flapping Chidori and Fire Style: Great Fire Ball Jutsu
 * Sakura Haruno=Inner Sakura and Super Inner Sakura (40% of Life Bar)
 * Kakashi Hatake=Lightning Blade and with Sharingan=Lightning Blade Strike
 * Rock Lee=Primary Lotus and with Gate of Life open=Hidden Lotus
 * Neji Hyuga=Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin
 * Tenten=Rising Twin Dragons and Rising Twin Dragons Dance
 * Might Guy=Youthful Embrace and with Gate of Rest=Youthful Leaf Lotus (40% of Life Bar)
 * Hinata Hyuga=Eight Trigrams Palm and Eight Trigrams Spirit Palm
 * Awakened Hinata*=Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms
 * Kiba Inuzuka=Fang Over Fang
 * Shino Aburame=Parasitic Insects Jutsu and Insect Pillar
 * Kurenai Yuhi**
 * Shikamaru Nara
 * Choji Akimichi*=Human Boulder and Human Boulder Bounce
 * Ino Yamanaka
 * Asuma Sarutobi*
 * Anko Mitarashi*
 * Towa**
 * Komachi**
 * Yugao Uzuki**
 * Temari
 * Gaara=Sand Burial
 * Kankuro
 * Baki**=Blade of Wind
 * Jiraiya=Fire Style: Toad Flame Bombs and Summoning Jutsu: Bring Down The House Jutsu
 * Tsunade=Legendary Heel Drop and Ninja Art: Mitotic Regenaration (40% of Life Bar)
 * Orochimaru=Five Pronged Seal and Kusanagi Guillotine
 * Kabuto Yakushi*=Chakra Bisturi
 * Itachi Uchiha=Tsukuyomi and Clone Explosion
 * Kisame Hoshigaki=Shark Skin and Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu
 * Bando**
 * Unidentified white-haired woman**

Trivia

 * This is not the first Naruto game to have an original story or characters, but this is the first game, second, counting Konoha Senki, that allows you to play as these characters.
 * While never explicitly stated in the anime or manga whether or not Yugao knows that Baki killed her lover, using her Special Jutsu, the Dance of the Crescent Moon, against Baki will result in her yelling "Revenge for Hayate!", revealing that she does know, although the canonocity of this game is easily questionable.
 * The names of the two new ANBU operatives, Towa and Komachi, mean eternity and belle or beauty, respectively.