If you've read even this far -- past the point at which some poor souls skimming across GameCyte articles will likely see anime-styled characters, turn up their nose in disgust, and don't bother to read so much as the first sentence -- then I believe I have a game you'll enjoy. It's a pick-up-and-play fighting title called Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2, and whether you're already a fan of the anime series, a fighting game enthusiast or a complete newcomer to both, it has something for you.

And in honor of that fact, what you're going to get after the jump is three reviews in one -- so that no matter your gaming background, you'll be able to make an informed decision.

Choose your own adventure:

What's a Naruto, and why would I want to fight it?

This looks lame, but I love myself a good fighting game, and I haven't reached my ninja beating quota for the day.

So... is this a glorified GNT4 or what? How's the story, and are the ANBU worth the price of admission?

What's a Naruto, and why would I want to fight it?

See that spunky yellow-haired kid in the swirling yellow orb? That's Uzumaki Naruto, the annoyingly optimistic star of a long-running Japanese anime series about an academy that trains kids to be powerful ninjas, then sends out them on dangerous escort, delivery, espionage and assassination missions in foreign countries -- which usually have their own ninja that fight back. "Clash of Ninja" is the name of the English version of the 3D fighting game series based on that anime, and "Revolution 2" is the latest -- and in many ways, greatest -- installment.

But you don't need to know anything about the anime or the video game series to have fun with Clash of Ninja: Revolution 2, and in fact, given that this particular game's story doesn't reflect well on the series -- and that each title in the series builds upon its predecessors rather than heavily innovate -- you'll probably get more enjoyment out of the game if you don't.

Though the game has a 3D environment and health bars for its fighters, Clash of Ninja feels much more like a Super Smash Bros. than a Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, because there are no complex motions and careful timings to memorize. Like Smash, there are only two attack buttons (or one, if you enjoy waving your Wiimote), and you can tilt the analog stick in a direction before your first button press to modify a move. But in many ways Clash is even easier to pick up and play than its all-star Nintendo rival. With just a series of taps of a single button, you can bust out a smooth, acrobatic ninja combo using any character -- and on the receiving end, you can block every attack of that same combo just by standing still. (Ninja know how to defend themselves.) When you've built up enough power in your special meter, you can unleash a storm of shuriken, a giant fireball or a spectacular, character-specific, magically infused combo with a single button press. And if you're taking serious damage from a foe's combo, it is again a single button press to activate your ninja's Substitution Jutsu (a magical illusion technique whereby you trick your opponent to think they're hammering on you while you're actually somewhere else) to teleport out of harm's way and launch your counter-attack.

Since players never have to wrestle with their controls to make their characters perform, their attentions are free to handle other, more interesting tasks -- like analyzing the opponent's weak spot, anticipating and reacting to attacks, and setting up traps for overzealous foes. With a pair of well-matched players, battles unfold remarkably like those in the anime series, with a player's thrown shuriken deflected just in the nick of time here, a damaging martial arts combo dodged over there, an attempt to teleport-backstab deftly sidestepped here, before the victorious player anticipates the other's attack a split-second before it comes and intercepts it with the final blow.

Of course, I could be talking about any game in the Clash of Ninja series -- but Revolution 2 is the perfect entry point for those who have yet to experience the formula, with an incredible amount of characters and stages to choose from compared to the last English release, as well as the most refined version of the fighting system yet available. Just make sure you have some friends to play with, because the game's single player mode is rather lacking, the AI predictable and the most fun to be had anyhow in Revolution 2's mayhem-filled four-player arena mode.

This looks lame, but I love myself a good fighting game, and I haven't reached my ninja beating quota for the day.

Well, there are plenty of ninja to beat up here -- 35 in all, with hardly a palette swap or recycled move in the lot -- and wonder upon wonder, the vast majority of them are actually reasonably well balanced against one another. Moreover, though I wasn't lying when I described Clash of Ninja as a two-button fighter, that fact is more enabling than limiting, because there's a surprising amount of depth to be had for those who play around with the game's basic controls.

If you hammer on the physical attack button as fast as you can, you'll usually pull off a combo that the opponent will be unable to intercept or sidestep, and forced to block in its entirety to avoid getting hit -- because once one solid hit lands, the attacking player can complete their entire combo and/or juggle for massive damage if the defender doesn't have enough chakra (ninja energy) to teleport away. But most combos, when complete, have considerable recovery time -- which allows the opponent to get their hit in. Thing is, by timing your presses, you can slow down the speed of your attacks, allow your opponent to think your combo is over, and then pummel them when they begin a move of their own. But if you're not attacking at full speed, then they can sidestep around you... or find time to pull off a counter.

In addition to an array of physical attacks, ninja techniques and weaponry that can be integrated in combos, all Clash of Ninja characters have one or two moves that are designed specifically to punish attacks that you can anticipate, either in the form of a special stance that allows them to immediately parry and counter an incoming attack, or a push maneuver that will automatically block or absorb the first hit or two of an opponent's combo while delivering a blow of your own.

But Clash of Ninja is built so that when anticipated, every action has an appropriate counter or two. At long range, thrown ninja projectiles (which do chip damage) can be deflected, jumped over, or sidestepped -- the last of which can be immediately followed by a dash to clear that distance. Airborne players trying to use the game's powerful jumping attacks can be taken down with anti-air moves. Characters that teleport behind you can be sidestepped, or you can leave a trap for them to fall into. When knocked over a wall into a stage transition sequence, and you believe your opponent will choose to attack during the transition, you can evade with a button press. The first Revolution added destructible elements of cover scattered about the stage that one can use to evade attacks, and Revolution 2 adds explosive traps that can be planted around the stage -- or on that destructible cover -- to limit the opponent's freedom of movement. And we haven't yet spoken about the game's ultimate counter -- the Substitution Jutsu.

Whenever you hit, or are hit, attack or block, break your fall with a tech roll -- or in Revolution 2, perform a special "hand sign" with the Wiimote that is hard to pull off and leaves you temporarily defenseless (read: not recommended) -- you fill up a portion of your chakra bar, providing your character with energy to power supernatural attacks (like creating a vine out of thin air to ensnare a foe), perform super moves, or, when being throughly beaten, teleport to safety. It takes 75% of your chakra bar to teleport, but since you're accumulating chakra whenever hit, there's no such thing as an infinite juggle in Clash of Ninja. However, since the move uses up valuable chakra you probably want to save for the game's super moves (which can turn the tide of battle with as much as 70% damage all by their lonesome), you'll only want to use it when it's absolutely necessary -- and this often leads to Clash of Ninja's most engaging mind game.

If they know you're going to teleport, they can cut their combo short, evade your potential counterattack and keep on pummeling you -- but if you don't teleport, they may well continue their combo... and chop off more chunks of your lifebar. If they've been beating on you, they've been building up their chakra and will likely be able to teleport right after you do... but not if they're saving it up for a super. If you can find a way out of a tight spot while conserving your chakra, you'll always have the edge.

New in Rev. 2 is the game's tag-team battle mode, which adds an additional layer of strategy by allowing ninjas to swap out -- even in the middle of beating or getting beaten -- at the cost of chakra.

As a whole, Revolution 2 actually isn't the most polished game in the series. There are a variety of noticeable bugs and glitches, including the odd jitter of one character's long white hair; the enemy AI is easily exploitable and makes stupid mistakes; and the character unlock system is incomprehensible. But the core gameplay mechanics are as solid as ever, the characters' flashy movesets enjoyable even to those who don't know their anime origin... and in an effort to appeal to hardcore fighting fans like yourself, every effort has been made to allow the player to keep the game as pure a fighter as possible. Stage transitions and cover can be turned off entirely, and the GameCube controller is not only supported, but actively provided for -- every menu's selection options translates from Wii to GameCube buttons as soon as you plug in the controller.

Oh, and if you're still not convinced... ever heard of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom? Well, it just so happens that highly anticipated fighting game and this one share a developer.

So... is this a glorified GNT4 or what? How's that "original" story, and are the new ANBU characters worth the price of admission?

Now you're speaking my language. No, this is not a glorified Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 -- it's far better, even if the words "480p widescreen," "redesigned visuals," and "new stages" mean nothing to you. First, let's talk briefly about what is missing. In your array of 35 unlockable ninja, it's true that the Sound 5 are absent from the roster, and I will miss Kimimaro's ridiculous Bone Prison super. Swordsman Zabuza and androgynous companion Haku, as well as Mizuki, Iruka and the Third Hokage are also MIA. As discussed above, there are a number of glitches, and the fairly incredible, if inhuman AI featured in GNT4 has lost some of its smarts.

The game, sadly, is entirely voiced in repetitive English, but you can't exactly fault Tomy for that -- after all, several of the characters are exclusive to this game, and thus never had any Japanese dialogue to begin with.

And if you play GNT/CoN because you're looking for an extension to the Naruto story, well... look elsewhere. The single-player story in Rev. 2 has to be up there with the worst filler episodes I've ever seen, and consists of -- brace yourself -- the entire ninja village falling under a spell that makes them attack their allies, and you beating sense into them before attempting to figure out whodunnit... and beat some sense into them, too. Believe it.

But most everything else that has been added -- and retained -- is golden.

Like Revolution before it, Rev. 2 mostly retains the GNT3 fighting system, complete with non-nerfed specials that can only be busted out when at critical health, Shikamaru actually able to dodge attacks, D-pad support on the GameCube controller, and plenty of damage to go around -- but also with the dashing sidesteps and cancels of GNT4; the 3D ninjutsu, scene transitions and destructible cover of the EX series; the hand seals of EX2; and the all-new paper bomb traps. But the tweaks don't end there:

Fire breath no longer does unblockable chip damage.

Ino has a new special that doesn't make her look like an utter weakling.

Gaara's giant Shukaku arm is no longer a cheap homing missile of ultimate destruction.

Itachi can no longer spam nonstop jumping shadow clones, as he must recover briefly when landing.

Kabuto can only recover health up to the point at which he was last damaged.

The game's Kumite mode (the Shadow Battle from GNT3 and 4) has you fighting what seem to be real ninjas, and is far more challenging.

The mission mode now selects the appropriate stages for series rival face-offs, and doesn't allow you to cheat by adjusting the difficulty of the AI in the options menu.

The tag-team battle mode from GNT4 has been reduced from 3 to 2 characters per team -- but this proves to streamline battles considerably, and there are more team specials this time around.

When you select Naruto and Ultimate Nine-Tailed Naruto, or Sasuke and Second State Sasuke as a tag-team, you cannot tag out -- but instead, when you take 100% damage, Sasuke or Naruto will transform into their advanced state.

And though some of the new characters are initially hurt by their introduction through the game's horrible story, are confusing to unlock through the game's counterintuitive menu and mission system (and are an annoyance to select on the awkward diamond-shaped character roster screen) they are all fun to play, and welcome, balanced additions to the series:

Towa is a fast, enjoyable brawler who could probably benefit from a bit more damage, but whose drill-like chakra attacks are great for stopping enemies in their tracks;

Komachi proves an excellent replacement for Haku, who similarly uses floating bladed hair spikes but also possesses a variety of useful teleports and a pair of strikes that incapacitate unblocking enemies in an instant;

Yugao, as the game's first short-range swordfighter, is incredibly agile and has a deadly dash;

Asuma is a damaging teleport-friendly character who uses bladed chakra knuckledusters like a whirling dervish wielding lightsabers;

Kurenai is slow and relatively weak, but gifted with some very powerful stuns and counters that utilize her illusory charms;

Bando is a tank in every way, with a pair of giant cannons and slow, powerful punches;

Kagura wields thin, blade tipped wires to trip foes up, bind them and piece them through the ground;

and Baki blends the styles of Temari and Gaara to provide a powerful character who forms blades of wind to devastate at short and long range.

If you already own Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4, are satisfied with the GameCube-era graphics and these characters and changes don't particularly grab your interest, then perhaps Rev. 2 isn't worth your $50. Wait a few months, perhaps, see if it comes down in price.

But if you're coming from the last English release -- the original Clash of Ninja Revolution -- and getting the other seven proven characters (including Awakened Hinata, Second State Sasuke and Ultimate Nine-Tailed Naruto) as well, this one is a no-brainer.

For substantial value, great fun, and giving me the ability to finally retire my Japanese GameCube, I confer upon Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 our Official GameCyte Seal of Approval.

GameCyte Giveaway: Even as an excellent fighting game, we know that Naruto won't be for everyone. But how about you?

Submit a comment below explaining why you feel you'd like to give this Naruto fighting game a shot, include a valid email address we can reach you at, and in a week's time we'll choose one lucky GameCyte reader to be the recipient of our very own slightly-used Nintendo Wii review copy.

Full disclosure: At time of publication, D3 Publisher was a client of TriplePoint PR, a firm managed by Richard Kain, owner of our parent company Pantheon Labs. We spoke to a TriplePoint representative in order to obtain our review copy.

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