Naruto has a huge fan base and following that ranges from kids to adults. This is one of those anime that will probably be around when I’m too old to even care, much like Dragon Ball Z or Bleach. It’s a no brainer that companies would want to cash in on that success by making videogames. The majority of these types of games tend to be ultimately flawed and boil down to something only a fan should even bother renting. This game, however, stands a cut above.

Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 (Could this have a longer title? I mean, really.) Picks up just after Naruto is trained by Jiraiya in the Shippuden series. The game then follows Naruto and friends up to the battle between Naruto and Deidara. If you’ve seen this part of the anime, you know all that will transpire in the game and if you haven’t and hate spoilers  you should know to avoid this game for now.

Gameplay is pretty simple, with one Weak and one Strong attack button. There are other buttons, but due to the system used in the game, you’ll be hammering away at these two as all combos are a succession of them. This is a game that REQUIRES button mashing. Super Moves are done with the press of a single button, and tend to end matches seemingly quicker than they would in other fighting games. Matches do not tend to last very long as all, with some being over in seconds flat. The Story Mode tries to avoid this by having most of the matches require the enemy be defeated by a Super Move. This tends to ultimately lead to frustration in that Guard Breaks will eat away at the Chakra Meter as will Dodge moves. Then there are the extreme cases, such as the second to last and last boss who seem to be only defeated through pure luck (I spent HOURS trying to beat Deidara).

Control for the game is great, save for a few minor things that get in the way of enjoyment. While it is possible to play with four people at the same time, it tends to get confusing as to who is fighting who. Then there is the issue of characters not turning to face their opponent if they get behind them. Turning around, instead of just tapping in the direction, requires a double tap. This left me jumping in reverse many a time (you can’t turn around while in the air)or open to attack. There are also some balancing issues, with characters like Gaara being nigh unstoppable.

By winning matches in Story Mode you get money which is used to by new characters, levels, and modes of play like Survival and Time Attack. To get everything would require someone to play this game a whole hell of a lot. This is where the odd part of this game comes in. I’m a grown up and I had a lot of trouble beating this game, even setting the game down to the easiest difficulty seemed to have no effect on Deidara. So how is it that kids, whom the show is aimed at in the states, are expected to beat this game? This is not the game you want to get for a kid as they might just end up frustrated. There were a few moments I almost chucked the controller, and I really have no idea how I won that last match at all.

If you are looking for a good fighting game for the Wii, look no further. The game is placed somewhere between Smash Brothers and Street Fighter with enough depth to satisfy the more hardcore player and the simplicity to allow the non-hardcore set some enjoyment. if you aren’t a big fan of Naruto (like myself) and prefer fighting games like Street Fighter this will be a pass for sure. The rest of you should at least give this game a rent. There is a lot of enjoyment to be had, but it’s not exactly a perfect game.