Beautifully rendered cinemas introduce the action and lead the story along. As the game begins, the ninja in training are all summoned to a schoolmarm Tsunade's office where she hands out their mission and the urgency of the day. Missions are ranked from D-level to S-level with the sinister Akatsuki organization involved in the higher difficulty levels. The team members then head out to battle their way through ranks of opposing ninja and bosses. The action is fast paced with punches, kicks, and chakra attacks shown in fluid motion. Blows are shown with light effects and sparks for shiny eye candy displays. When Naruto shuffles on the landscape, he'll kick up little dust clouds and puffs of air for a realistic reaction from the environs.

   Naruto's special attacks and techniques are shown in full blown motion with his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu doppelganger trick where multiple versions of himself burst onto the battlefield and rain down the fists on some hapless victim. Then there's the Oiroke no Jutsu where a sexy bikini-clad girl with pink hearts swirls and bedazzles enemy attackers, and other mighty moves such as the Rasengan and the Uzumaki Naruto Rendan.

   As Naruto goes further in the game, new companions will join him in his adventure including Chouji, Gaara, Neji, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and others. Players may switch characters on the fly - for example, run as Naruto and then shift into another character in one smooth motion to press the attack. All of the ninja have their own special techniques or jutsus that they may call forth such as Sasuke's Chidori and Gaara's Sabaku Kyuu.

   An overhead world map keeps tabs on Naruto's world movement where he sashays from major area to major area. Powerful villains may be met where chakra attacks come in handy as well as combination attacks. Professional voice acting serves to convey the emotion during cinematic scenes.

Bonus Schwag
   In an homage to Naruto's Kyūbi chakra, orders will include a dark green Gamabunta (Boss Frog) bag which ships rolled up like a little scroll while supplies last. Peel it from the velcro liner, unfurl it, and use the bag to tote old clothes, groceries, pet frogs, and other items. When opened up, the bag measures 15.25 x 14.50" and appears to be made of polyester. Photos may be viewed on the link below.

Also known as Naruto Uzumaki Shinobiden.

NCS Game Notes
* During Tsunade's lecture at the outset of the game, Naruto seems like he's falling sleep while standing up at one point but is the most energetic one when it comes to enthusiasm for the upcoming mission.

* Naruto has a little training session afterwards where he practices jumps, hits, L1 targeting, and chains together running/jumping/hitting for fluid motion attacks. The instructions are in Japanese but look for the PS2 Dual Shock button cues in the instructions to get an idea of what to press and check the illustration screen caps to mimic the moves that are shown. A practice ninja serves as fodder for your attacks and combos. All of Naruto's attacks, special attacks, and chakra attacks are run through for a thorough introduction to the various moves that are available. This part of the game cannot be skipped and one has to play through the entire tutorial.

* When Naruto isn't being moved, he'll wrap his fingers behind his head and relax. His right leg will move back and forth like a horse pawing the ground with its hoof.