As time goes by, the American population seems to be more enthralled by Japanese cartoons known as anime. You can just go to the local mall and see people wearing t-shirts with various characters on them or even turn on your television and see it there. Ever so often there is a series that really takes off and pretty soon there are numerous video games based off that franchise because people want to “be” in the game and act out everything that happens on the shows. Well, a few months ago a game entitled Naruto: Clash of Ninja came out on the Nintendo GameCube with a lukewarm response and now there is a sequel released that claims to be bigger and better. Does it live up to its claim? Read on to find out!

Here is a rundown of the series if you are unfamiliar with it. Naruto is a young boy who dreams of one day becoming the leader of the village that he lives in. He has had a very hard childhood and is known for acting out, just to get attention from the village residents who have shunned him. This game stretches out further into the series than the previous one, which means that you get a wider variety of characters to use.

The gameplay for Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 will be either hit or miss with each gamer, depending on their preference. The game is very simplistic in nature and will have anyone performing the super moves in no time. This also means that there is very little depth in the fighting game, and makes the battles redundant and a button-mashing fest. On the other hand, this latest game allows more people to battle at the same time, meaning some two on two, one on three, and vice versa, which makes it more like the anime show. This is also a good thing for fans of the series.

A common theme with this game is that it has more of everything: players, people to fight at one time, levels, and even gameplay modes. There are more than 14 game modes that will have you using your best skills as a ninja to conquer them all. The modes range from the story mode, which takes you through the shoes of Naruto's various trials, an arcade mode, and even multiplayer modes where you can battle with up to four characters at one time. All the modes make this game a lot better and gives players something to keep coming back to. There is also a shop that you can visit where you can buy various things, such as concept art, videos, and other hidden goodies that will help you out as you play through this game.

The graphics for Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 are pretty well done. What is nice about the game is that the developers strived to get the same look and feel as the TV show so they used cel-shading technology to bring this game to life. Also just like the first game, you will see that the developers managed to get a lot of details from the show included here, such as the whiskers on Naruto’s face, various locations where the characters battled on, and many other things. The special effects from the various Jutsu’s (special moves) are well done and look like the show's counterparts which makes players feel that they are actually living the show out.

What stood out to me in this sequel is the framerate of the game. Since you can now battle up to four people at any given time, with all of the special effects going haywire it is nice to see that the game still keeps up a steady and nice framerate. This is a very good thing, especially if you have four of your friends on your couch and dueling it out to become the best ninja.

Just like the first game, all of the characters have the same voice actors as the television show on Cartoon Network. This is a good thing for people who have seen the show and can easily identify with all of the characters. Another thing that is nice is that you will hear the character's trademark phrases when you are fighting as that makes it all the more real to the players. Just like the voice actors, the music is taken directly from the show as well, which is great thing because this makes it even feel more like the show.

Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 is rated Teen for cartoon violence. It will take up to 2 blocks on your memory card for game saves.

Gameplay: 7.1
To me the game is still lacking in this department. The game is still really simplistic, which is fine, but there needs to be a little more depth to the controls. The good thing is that now you can battle with up to four people at one time, which helps re-enact the show more. If you have played the first game you will know exactly what to expect.

Graphics: 8.1
Just like the first game, the visuals for Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 are really good. What makes them good is that they mimic how the TV show looks and it gives it a real cartoon feeling to it.

Sound: 7.2
The dialog is taken straight from the dubbed show, which is a good thing because people will be able to recognize it immediately. The music is pretty decent as well.

Difficulty: Easy
This game is really easy to get into and players should have little trouble performing some fancy moves, en route to beating this game.

Concept: 7.3
I really liked that in this game you were able to have more than two people on the screen. For instance, there are a couple of battles that will show three-versus on. This made the game feel more like the TV show.

Multiplayer: 7.0
The multiplayer for this game is way better the than first one, with the inclusion of letting four players battle it out at once time.

Overall: 7.4
Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 is a fun game that fans of the series will find enjoyable. What I don’t like is that there is not a lot of depth to the controls. Also I really don’t like that the eight returning characters do not have any additional moves that wasn’t in the first game, which is a huge disappointment. If you really enjoy the series and looking for another game for the game-starved GameCube then you will want to check this out.