Naruto: Narutimet Hero

            The game is presented well enough. There are 7 playable characters to start with, and three unlockable (Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, Haku, Zabuza, Rock Lee, Kyuubi Naruto, and Sharingan Kakashi). I believe there were 6-8 boards to play on, each of them very nice looking backdrops. As for playable modes, there's Arcade, vs 2P, vs CPU, Time Attack, Survival, Training...the usual, as well as an omake section for when certain modes are completed or played well.

            The graphics have their highs and lows. For one thing, the cel-shaded characters look flawless at all times.  Naruto also runs in progressive scan at 60fps making visuals a true treat. The backdrops themselves are also really crisp. On a negative note, certain stages, possess sprites in the background that look like they are from the original 8-bit Nintendo...why these were necessary to put in, I have no idea, since they take away from the overall beauty of the game.

            In terms of sound, the game runs on Dolby Pro-Logic II, so that's about the best you can get on the Cube. Unfortunately, Gamecube has no optical port for sound, so unless you want to go out and buy nice expensive stereo equipment, Dolby Pro-Logic II is the best you'll hear off of your TV. Honestly, for a fighter, it's perfectly fine.

            Gameplay is fairly simple. The game utilizes the 4 main buttons, the analog stick, and the L or R buttons on top of the controller. The game is not overly complicated like the "Capcom vs..." games, nor does it get into in-depth fighting (roman cancel, jump cancel, false roman cancel, flawless defense, etc.) like Guilty Gear X2. It's a simple fighter...each character has a set of moves they can do. The move sets are versatile, whatever you jam in on your controller, will look fantastic. Each character also has a special that only requires a push of a button to pull off. Now, this does not mean that anyone can just pull off a special at anytime they want and win. It's easy to avoid specials if they are just initiated from a standstill. Most can be avoided by (double) jumping out of the way. An options menu also has the choice of how much damage the hits dish out, amongst a slew of other things**. The L and R buttons dodge left and right, and can be used at any time to avoid certain punches, kicks, projectiles, throw attempts, and specials. There is a special gauge at the bottom of the screen. When full, a special can be used, or a counter. When an opposing player is comboing the crap out of you, hit the L or R buttons to use a counter. Much like in the style of the anime, the character poofs out of midair, leaving only a log in their wake, and appears behind the opposing player to give em a fresh one.

            So yea, the game is simple, yet still requires some skill to beat a good player. Naruto is quite a fun fighter. Was it worth $60 to import? I think so.

- Nick Corbo 04/22/03

*Freeloader is a completely legal region free boot disk from CodeJunkies (makers of Action Replay) that can be found at any game store.

**If requested, I can translate the menus the best I can.