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Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles
Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles is the latest
anime video game to arrive on the PlayStation 2 that is "almost" based
on the Japanese cartoon series of the same name. The hero of the title
is Naruto Uzumaki who resides in a secret Ninja village where he is
called by his people to help uncover a plot that threatens the very
village itself.
With the help of his friends, Nartuo starts
down a deadly road of cat and mouse in an attempt to save Konoha from a
nefarious evil. The gameplay of Uzumaki Chronicles is a combination of
adventure/arcade and fighting that has the player engaging in a variety
of diverse missions that eventually lead up the main storyline of the
title. Even the characters you encounter in the game are all intertwined
with the story which definitely helps set the astmosphere of the game.
In its essence, Uzumaki Chronicles is your
thinking mans button masher as you defeat enemies, you are awarded orbs
that can then be used for experience points and powerups. Naruto's
abilities can be further augmented by the use of "skill plates," that
can be used to increase your characters strength ,abilities and special
attacks.
The combat of the title is relatively
straightforward, however the gamer also needs to rely on other ninjas in
the game such as Neji Hyuuga, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Sasuke
Uchiha, and Kakashi Hatake. Each one of these characters has unique,
overpowered attacks that can be used to assist Naruto in critical
situations. You can also swap to your main character during the battles
which does spruce up the battles in the game.
One of the annoying aspects of the tile is
the save feature that only allows you to save before or after a mission.
This is quite frustrating on those difficulty missions and to compoujnt
the situation, the cut scenes cannot be skipped which does become
repeative on those difficult missions.
In conclusion, Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles is a strange game that heavily
borrows on the anime series with above average gameplay. The title is
unfortunately plagued with a few flaws, however the original story,
enjoyable combat and great graphics will easily appease most gamers who
love this genre. |
