Naruto: Ninja Council [GBA]

If you mentioned the name Naruto to a kid in the States just one year ago, odds are pretty good you'd have gotten a blank stare as a response. Now, thanks to the manga appearing in Shonen Jump and the anime series debuting on the Cartoon Network, kids everywhere not only know who Naruto is, they can't get enough of him. Answering the call, D3 and TOMY put all that ninja action in the palm of you hands with Naruto: Ninja Council for the Game Boy Advance.

If you're one of the few unfamiliar with the story of Naruto, here's a quick rundown. Naruto Uzumaki is a young orphan raised in a village of ninja. After being shunned by his fellow villagers, he eventually learns that within him lies the spirit of the Nine-Tailed Fox, a demon once responsible for the destruction of the village. Despite this, Naruto is still determined to become the greatest ninja in the land. Joined by his classmates Sasuke and Sakura, as well as his teacher Kakashi, he must hone his ninja skills and learn the discipline required to become a true master.

Naruto: Ninja Council is a classic side-scrolling action title following the adventures of the young ninja and his crew. Players can choose to take control of either Naruto or Sasuke as they fight their way through a series of challenges presented in the form of an old-school beat-'em-up. Players use their martial arts skills and ninja projectiles to take out foes, while running up walls and crawling under barriers to advance through each level.

Some of the most interesting moves in the game, though, are the special Jutsu attacks each character has at his disposal. By holding down the B button, the player charges up a meter to unleash one of four of special moves unique to each character. These range from Naruto's Sexy Jutsu, in which he transforms into four scantily clad women stunning most foes, to Sasuke's Phoenix Flower Jutsu, in which Sasuke shoots off a barrage of fireballs in every direction to clear the screen of enemies. These Jutsu moves add some extra variety to the basics of the game, and they have a cool look when correctly executed.

The controls are easy to pick up and jump right into, making the game appealing to even the most casual of gamers. The overall feel of the game is sure to make older gamers fondly reminisce about the days of games like Ninja Gaiden, Golden Axe, and most other arcade games from the late '80s. In fact, if there's one thing that detracts from the game at all, it's that most of the visuals look as if they came from that same era. Naruto: Ninja Council was originally released in Japan more than two years ago, and the graphics don't look quite as sharp as most GBA titles on the market today. Even so, the title's high entertainment value and the popularity of the license will likely overshadow any visual shortcomings in the game.

The Naruto license fits nicely with the old-school style of gaming present in Ninja Council. The title has the type of addictive gameplay that's easy to pick up but hard to put down. It's an easy bet that fans of the anime and manga series will snap up the game when it hits store shelves early next year. But even if you've never heard of Naruto before and simply yearn for the days of old, Ninja Council is shaping up to be a great addition to your GBA library.

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