Naruto Games - Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2

Naruto Games - Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2
The Path of Ninja series isn't what you'd expect from a conventional Naruto videogame. An outlier in a licensed market dominated by Naruto fighting games, the first Path of Ninja concentrated on exploration and methodical character development in a role-playing-game setting instead of the hypersensitive reflexes and complex metagames of a Naruto fighter. Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 aims to expand its RPG roots, but its execution falls flat -- it's a largely forgettable advanture whose shortcomings overshadow its potential, and it's a largely unappealing one for an audience unfamiliar with the Naruto brand.

Even passionate Naruto fans (like myself) will have a hard time overlooking the problems. Path of Ninja 2's narrative lacks the energy to keep things interesting; bearing no relationship to the official timeline, the story revolves around the threat of a powerful Spirit Beast (a giant catfish!) that can only be stopped with five mirrors. Of course, Naruto and his friends must find all five mirrors before the catfish awakens. Throughout the game, plot devices rarely deviate from the story engendered at the beginning, and as a result, the experience becomes predictable and stale.
Naruto: Path of Ninja 2 is a missed opportunity, lacking consistency and polish. Fans may embrace the game for the Naruto brand alone, but the story and unadventurous level designs will fail to keep their interest. At least the battle mechanics are a step in the right direction