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Ninja Council is a standard side-scrolling platformer / fighter. You can choose either Naruto or Sasuke (or later Kakashi) to beat your way through a number of minor enemies, check corners of the map for special items and weapons, and battle against other characters from the show in boss encounters. Each character performs hand-to-hand attacks with the B button, jumps with A, and tosses projectiles with R. Despite having two unused buttons on the GBA, elemental scrolls, such as fire, wind, and water, (which have absolutely nothing to do with the Naruto series) are selected by holding the R button until the weapon switches and used by releasing the button – which can be quite annoying.
Likewise (but making a little more sense), special moves are performed by holding the B button to charge a gauge and releasing the button at the right time to perform a move. Each bar that you fill represents a different move, with four moves per character. There are both red and yellow sections of the bar, and if you release the button when the bar is in the red, the move will fail, producing either a less effective version of the technique or an almost entirely useless action like Naruto letting a huge fart. Both the scrolls and specials use chakra, which builds up automatically whenever you're standing still.
The main levels are structured as simple mazes, requiring you to climb up and down a stage to find a path to the end. The various scrolls allow you to pass obstructions in your path – fire burns dead trees, earth digs holes underground, wind gives a boost to your jump, etc. Sections of the map are "darkened" so that you can only see the enemies and items in that area by entering it; thereby "darkening" the area you just came from. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason for this, with some sections being mere corners of the map.
The enemies along the way aren't much to contend with, especially if you use specials liberally. Most of the ninjas in your path pretty much stand there and wait for you to hit them. The more problematic enemies tend to be flying creatures, which are difficult to hit, and ninjas waiting at the tops of vertical shafts, knocking you down as soon as you get to the top. In addition, some enemies simply pop up when you're right on top of them, and if you happen to knock an enemy out of its territory without killing it, it will vanish and pop up again in the original spot. Most enemies don't drop any goodies, so it really doesn't matter if you kill them or simply avoid them and go on your merry way.
At the end of each short level is a boss fight with a character from the show. The majority of bosses are easily dispatched in one of two methods: you either crowd in and attack continuously, or you dodge the opponent's attacks, build your chakra meter and hit the character with special moves over and over. You're completely invincible while charging a special, so that puts a sly defensive ace in your pocket. Even if a giant snake attacks you, it's no problem; you're concentrating. Out of the eighteen total bosses in the game, only four are challenging enough for it to be worth studying their attack patterns and forming strategies – and a handful of bosses can be dispatched almost instantly if you use your knowledge of the show to use the right moves against them.
Ninja Council's fourteen stages take about an hour to blast through all of them, or a bit longer if you try to explore every little corner. There are some rewards to encourage replay, including a free mode that allows you to go back to any stage you've played, and "night missions", which are just a slightly more difficult pallet swap of the original stages with a different set of bosses at the very end. Naruto and Sasuke have significant differences – Sasuke is faster and stronger with basic moves, while Naruto has more powerful specials. If you complete the game with both of them, you'll unlock Kakashi, who is much faster, can pull off more specials in a row, and has an insane jumping ability that allows you to simply leap over the majority of enemies and obstacles. Still, there are only so many times you can play an hour-long game, and it's easy to have everything unlocked in a weekend.
Fans of the license will probably have more to complain about than someone who has no idea what Naruto is even about. I mentioned the elemental Ninjutsu scrolls earlier, which have more of a foundation in generic game design than in the Naruto series. Story-wise, fighting your allies makes a bit of sense as a training exercise, at least until the village is set on fire and Neji still feels the need to have a friendly match. When you finally do face off against invading ninjas, they include completely out-of-context battles with Haku, Zabuza, and Orochimaru in the mountains above Konoha. Last, but not least, is the oddly poor quality of the character portraits. It appears that rather than digitizing official artwork, the designers must have copied the art by hand, because most of the character's faces simply don't look right at all. And to think there's actually an image gallery to unlock!
In all Naruto: Ninja Council is a decent amount of fun, but it is way too short and requires little thought or skill. Certainly not a title you should spend thirty bucks on.
Pros:
Lastability: 2.0
There are rewards for players who do replay the game several times. However, that does not even approach off-setting the mere hour it takes to plow through a single run with the game.
Final: 4.0
Naruto: Ninja Council has some old-school fun while it lasts, but that isn't very long. Endless continues and a lack of challenge make the game even shorter, and even with replay incentives, you'll have your fill of the game in six or seven hours.
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 30, 2006--
With 24 of the Top Players in the World Including Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick and Venus Williams, Top Spin 2 Returns for Another Victory
2K Sports, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), today announced that Top Spin 2 for Xbox 360(TM) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Nintendo DS(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance is now available in stores across North America and will be available at stores in Europe on April 7th. The Xbox 360 version supports worldwide online play through Xbox Live(R) online game service.
Making gamers feel like they are on the court and in the match, Top Spin 2 combines all of the elements that made the first version a success with an assortment of new features and gameplay options. The game allows players to compete against, play as or team up with an incredible lineup of the world's top-ranked tennis professionals including Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Venus Williams and James Blake. Gamers can play in a wide variety of venues including all Grand Slam tournaments such as The Wimbledon Championships. Every tournament and venue is alive and dynamic with environmental elements that react to your play.
"Top Spin 2 for Xbox 360 combines the power of the next generation platform with all-new gameplay features including smoother animations, improved ball physics and better control," said Christoph Hartmann, Managing Director of 2K Games. "Top Spin 2 truly provides the best video game tennis experience to date."
Featuring a wide variety of shots including slices, drops, top spins, lobs, and drives, Top Spin 2 enables players to play their style of tennis. For experienced players, the game adds depth with a number of new risk shots and all-new advanced controls, allowing gamers to pick apart their opponent piece by piece. Top Spin 2 also includes the peerless Player-Creator. Through this powerful feature gamers can customize a wide array of characteristics to create their own, totally unique player with an amazing level of detail.
Top Spin 2 Key Features:
Xbox 360
-- Play as or against 24 of the world's top ranked professional tennis stars like Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Lleyton Hewitt, James Blake, Amelie Mauresmo and more!
-- Create realistic player models by choosing gender, name, skin color, outfit and nationality as well as customizing details such as hair, face shape, and attitude.
-- New risk shots and all-new advanced controls enable a variety of shots like slices, drops, top spins, lobs, and drives.
-- High-definition technology delivers silky smooth animations and vibrant colors bringing tennis to life on the Xbox 360.
-- Worldwide online play allows gamers to challenge other players through Xbox Live(R).
Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance
-- Choose to play as or against 16 of the world's best players including Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Andy Roddick and Roger Federer.
-- Customize the ultimate player by choosing from gender, name, skin color, hairstyle, outfit, and nationality.
-- Play like the pros, mastering every stroke - forehand, backhand, service, smash, volley, lob, and passing shot - while playing against the world's best players on any type of surface including clay, asphalt and grass.
-- Rise up through the ranks, serving and volleying their way to the Top Spin 2 Championship!
Top Spin 2 is rated "E" for Everyone and is available at retail stores across North America for a suggested retail price of $39.99 on Xbox 360(TM) and $29.99 for Nintendo DS(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance. The title will be available in Europe on April 7th.
For more information, please visit http://www.topspin2.com.
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Prices for the NDS Lite have dropped to more manageable levels and we are offering the three colors (Crystal White, Enamel Navy, and Ice Blue) for US$209 each. Shipments are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.
