The Naruto Series has been far from shy concerning Video Game adaptions. Though it seems that most were largely based around the original franchise. Well most Naruto fans have move far passed the original story arc and have branched into the Shippuden Series where Naruto and Crew have grown in age. I myself have been patiently awaiting more Shippuden Games especially after the DS Naruto Fighter. TOMY luckily was thinking the same thing with recent launch of the Naruto Shippuden Clash of the Ninja Revolution III . With the review copy in hand figured it was time to test my ninja skills.  How does this game hold up compared to the already establish TOMY Franchise of Naruto Fighting Games??

Gameplay

If you have ever played any of the TOMY Naruto Fighting Games you know roughly what to expect. Those that haven’t the game is a simple game to pickup but difficult to master. The buttons are broken up into Weak Attack, Strong Attack, Jutsu (Super) and Side Step/Substitution Jutsu. Much like most fighters you have a super bar, as it fills up you can do specialized moves. That’s where the Side Step/Substitution Jutsu comes into play. If timed correctly you can side step you opponent and start whooping up. In order to use the Substitution Jutsu you get attacked then hit Side Step/Substituion Jutsu, your character will then teleport behind your opponent giving you the advantage. This costs 75% of your Super Bar also keep in mind that your opponent can do the same thing after you. This quickly becomes a very strategic game with juggling Substitutions while managing you super bar. The Game features 35+ Characters from the Naruto Series which can be purchased at the In Game Store. (Kinda like Marvel vs Capcom 2) You earn money by completing Story Missions or Fights from any of the different Gameplay Modes.That being said you do get a added perk of having played other TOMY Naruto Fighters. When I switched on the game I instantly was given 100,000 to play with :) The downside to this game is I felt the difficulty in Story Mode was a little unbalanced. Some fights would be pretty simple while others seemed unforgiving. Though it seems the game largely made up for this with it’s Multiplayer options including a Online Component. A first for the TOMY Naruto Series but largely needed.

Graphics/Visuals

Considering that this game is on the Wii this game looks fantastic. I’ve played various iterations of the TOMY Naruto Fighters and none have looked this good. Each Character model looks great and all move quickly. That being said there is little to no load times. The backgrounds were also really flushed out and everything looked great. In one of the waterfall levels I was really blown away by just how nice the level looked.

Sound

This was a mixed bag for myself. While the Soundtrack really fit the series and brought forth the environment the game features a English only Dub. Now that’s not to be said that the Voice Acting was bad. Far from it. The game features in game cut scenes with full voice acting. Most were pretty good and I was actually surprised how good Grandma Chiyo sounded. That being said my personal preference is to have both Japanese and English Dubs in anime games.

Overall

A pretty decent addition to the already established Franchise. Though it seems this game is more geared to seasoned fans of the Naruto Series. If your looking for an interesting fighter and you like Naruto this game is certainly up your alley.