Naruto: Rise of a Ninja

Not only do you get a fairly rich role-playing experience, but you also get the jumping and exploring bonus of "Crackdown" and a thoroughly awesome fighting game as well.

Fighting in Naruto: RoaN is such an important part of the game play that it has been given its own online modes.

Forget the other Naruto games; Naruto: Rise of a Ninja is the best one of the bunch … believe it.

I've thoroughly enjoyed playing Naruto: Rise of a Ninja. I find the character to be an excellent balance of oddball wacko, to someone you feel and care for.

Surprisingly enjoyable. Once you get past the first hour, the single-player campaign becomes a real treat. And the combat system, while not deep, is a lot of fun.

Naruto: Rise of the Ninja is not one of the best ninja games to hit the market, but it is one of the best anime-based games ever released.

It is remarkable how much hard work has been put into a game that will generally only appeal to fans of the original subject matter.

In the end, it hints strongly at a sequel, leaving you salivating for more. That is all you can really ask of a game.

Naruto: Rise of Ninja is not the kind of title many gamers would pick up from the shelf and give it a look, because let's face it – those anime titles tend to be a bit rubbish unless you love the show. Thing is, this is a game that stands on its own as a worthy action-adventure or fighting game.

A little rough in terms of transition from scene to scene, but otherwise solid. Both platforming and fighting systems are easy to learn, but tough to master.

Ultimately, it's one of the best, deepest, and most eye-candy-packed animation crossovers to land in the 360's lap. [Dec 2007, p.81]

The game looks phenomenal. Vivid colors blanket the backgrounds and characters alike, and the detail work, from waving grass to rippling waterfalls, is remarkable. While the plot and humor at play here rarely reaches for anything beyond immature power fantasy, the gameplay package is far more than you (or I) would have expected.

A compelling introduction to next generation consoles, and a break from the normal formulaic anime genre, if you don’t like the game, you’re asking too much of it. Great action and good fun throughout with a multitude of missions and mini-games, Rise of a Ninja is a delight for both anime fans and casual gamers new to Naruto's great adventures.

While it's rough around certain edges, this ninja's Rise stays on the up-and-up.

We loved it from start to finish and, when we finished, we just carried on fighting online and against our mates to keep the fun alive. Naruto: Rise of a Ninja is the incredibly well balanced and varied game that the Naruto universe has been crying out for.

Rise of a Ninja defies categorization with its open-world structure, RPG pacing, and eccentric mix of min-games and one-on-one combat. [Dec 2007, p.74]

Naruto: Rise of Ninja is easily one of the better games to have been inspired by an anime series, that both fans and non-fans can enjoy together.

The story mode is worth the price of entry alone, and the fun fighting and excellent online matches are both wonderful bonuses.

If anything, this is a great sign of things to come for Naruto games.

Although the game is short, it manages to stay fresh thanks to the way new areas and moves are doled out.

The look and feel of Naruto is spot on and coupled with gaming moments such as being able to leap from branch to branch with timed button presses and looking sexy as hell in the process, then moments like in the heat of battle pulling off an amazing jutsu, make this game what it is.

A pleasant surprise and a pretty good introduction to the show. [Christmas 2007, p.80]

Despite certain underdeveloped elements, this is the most ambitious and accessible Naruto game yet.

The no-frills adventure portion of the title offers a twist on the exciting fighting formula, although the unpolished reliance on platforming might turn off players who are looking simply to crack some skulls as the orange-clad Hokage hopeful.

Rise of a Ninja is decent for what it is, in that it's a solid first attempt at the Naruto franchise on a modern console.

As a roaming RPG it's fun, quirky and worth picking up; as a promo for the wider world of Naruto, it's excellent. [Dec 2007, p.94]

Enjoyable enough, but it will take the forgiving nature and steadfast devotion of a fan to really get the most out of it. [Issue 26, p.96]

The phrase "one for the fans" has never been applied more honestly than in this case; it may be flawed, but we're happy to recommend Rise of a Ninja to Naruto fans - albeit with a few reservations. Believe it.

Naruto: Rise of a Ninja is good enough that non-fans of the show would do themselves good by playing it.

There is an innocence to it all that is hard to describe, as if the game comes from a time more pure and simple.

Visually, Rise of a Ninja is one of the system's best-looking games. But from a game-design standpoint, it's less successful. [Holiday 2007, p.80]

Has all the ingredients to be good, they're just used in incorrect amounts. Shame. [Dec 2007, p.78]

Rise of a Ninja, if nothing else, is undoubtedly a good foundation for something better the next time around. The graphics are fantastic, and running and jumping around the Naruto world is as convincing as it is compelling. If only the activities of this world were made of sterner stuff than rote replication of the source material's events or mind-numbing coin-collecting chores.