Naruto: Rise of Ninja Review

Believe it! An absurd blonde hair style and tattered orange clothing could signify only one thing: Naruto. Naruto: Rise of Ninja is an Xbox 360 exclusive video game that features the eccentric Naruto. This game comes from the same video game company that was responsible for games like Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, and Tom Clancy is Ghost Recon. Since the game takes numerous aspects from the television show, the plot in the game parallels the television show. Gamers will have an opportunity to witness the Hidden Leaf Village and view scenery that is eerily reminiscent to the cartoon. The gameplay in this game is a combination of both role playing and action. Players will comprehend how to talk to other civilians, bolster attributes, buy equipment and accessories, and accomplish mission objectives. At the beginning of the game, Naruto is somewhat of an outcast. He wants to become a Hokage, but Naruto fails miserably. In an effort to strengthen his self-esteem, he seeks to lend a helping hand to others in need of assistance. When you progress through the game, more and more pedestrians will admire your performance. There are two mission types in the game. One type is the core objectives that further the storyline, and the others are the optional side quests. The majority of the gameplay in the game entails platform jumping and fighting. Both the fighting and platform jumping elements in the game are done in a cohesive fashion. For instance, the combat emulates the Jutsu maneuvers that are prevalent in the cartoon. These techniques include summoning an attractive woman and cloning himself. The techniques varies depending on the characters on the screen. The fight sequences range from the rudimentary button presses to some fairly intricate button combinations that require timing. Moreover, there certain attacks that can only be performed based on the distance of the foes and the situation. This game has a well rounded fighting scheme that is engrossing.The platform jumping segments in the game are also well balanced. Naruto: Rise of Ninja is a challenging game that does not treat gamers like they are a bunch of immature children. The game does have its arduous moments, but they can be easily overcome with perseverance. I felt like the game developers were paying an homage to previous games in this same genre. In addition to the main gameplay, there are some mini games to play. For example, Naruto can partake in a racing mini game that tests his running ability. All of the skills that you will master is given at just the most opportune time. The game does a fantastic job of pacing you through the gameplay by keeping you interested throughout. There is the enormous gratification of defeating a boss and the disappointment of losing to an opponent. Naruto: Rise of Ninja does not skimp on the amount of content either. This game should take approximately fifteen hours to finish from start to end. There is some online multiplayer that incorporates a Tournament mode, and it even tracks statistics for players via Xbox Live. However, the Xbox Live online support is not the true bulk of the game. The graphics in the game does an accurate job of representing the tone of the cartoon. All of the architecture has a Japanese appearance to them, and the environments are representative of the television show. Cel-shading was used in this game as well as it was in games such as X-Men Legends and X-Men Legends 2. Gamers will actually feel like they are immersed in an episode of Naruto. It is just a breathe of fresh air to see something different from the typical next generation visuals the Xbox 360 has to offer. The audio in the game is about as grandiose as the graphics. You will hear all the characters from the cartoon reprising their roles in this game, and the music added some personality the gameplay. Overall, Naruto: Rise of Ninja might not necessarily be for everyone. Nevertheless, avid enthusiasts of Naruto will be entertained.

Naruto Animation: An Unbiased Review

The anime, Naruto, is based on Masashi Kishimoto's manga of the same title. The anime is produced by Studio Pierrot and aniplex and is aired in Japan's terrestrial TV Tokyo Network and several other networks worldwide. Naruto's animation is fluid and each Naruto episode is filled with gripping fight scenes and beautifully portrayed characters. It currently has over 200 episodes and still counting.

Storyline

The story is about a young boy name Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto, blond-haired and blue-eyed, is a spirited, hyperactive, and overly loud ninja. He is first introduced as a troublemaker, playing various pranks and being at the bottom of his class in the ninja academy. But Naruto is not your average neighborhood brat - far from it. Naruto, despite his obvious lack in the skills, manners, and intelligence department, has lots of self-confidence and even more determination. He, though loud and uncouth, has a golden heart and a power to inspire others. He aspires to be the Hokage - the leaf village's top ninja. He is revealed to be an orphan and to have a demon beast, the nine-tailed fox, sealed inside him, causing the villagers to shun him and even hate him. All he wants is the people's acceptance - which he gradually gains as the story progresses.

Other Important Characters

The story starts when Naruto is placed on a genin team composed of a girl named Haruno Sakura and a boy named Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura, a pink-haired girl who cares more for her looks rather than being a ninja but has great intelligence, is Naruto's love interest. However, she resists all his advances, even to the point of beating him up. Incidentally, Sakura is in love with Sasuke, Naruto's 'rival', along with several other girls, all of whom are blatantly ignored and scoffed at by the said boy. Uchiha Sasuke seems to be everything Naruto is not, perfect looks, prodigious intelligence and skills, a cold and aloof personality, and the respect and love of several people. The boy does not seem to care though, and treats everyone condescendingly, especially Naruto. They are placed under the wing of Hatake Kakashi, a very mysterious figure who has a habit of reading a lewd book. Together, they go on several missions, eventually building a strong, albeit hesitant and grudging, friendship wherein they would do anything for each other. As the series progresses, various elements are thrown into the mix, a witty blend of comedy, action, and a little bit of romance. The plot deepens, leading to the revelation of Sasuke's bitter past and his eventual descent into darkness and Naruto and Sakura's desperation to save him from his demons, all the while battling enemy ninja with their own evil agendas.

This anime is popular for a reason. It will have you falling in love with the plot and the characters, laughing with them in the happy moments, and even crying with them in the sad ones. This anime is definitely worth watching. Even if you are not yet an anime fan, you will enjoy it.

Does the animation Naruto contain life lessons beyond entertainment?

There is no doubt that Naruto is one of the biggest anime that hit the US market today, but can Naruto be educational? From its origin from a more Eastern background, animation in general has come a long way since its first inception. Starting back in the old days with the original dragon ball series where it was first created all the way to Naruto today, there have definitely been a lot of changes that have been taken place in the animation world.

The population of kids attracted to Naruto is growing by the day and I believe there is a clear reason why it is the most popular anime or cartoon here in the US today besides its artistic values in comparison with numerous cartoons that are shown in our television screen on a day to day basis. Lets take a look our cartoon Batman for example. The plot or a single episode usually involves with a villain shown in the story and causes trouble with a certain amount of people through their special techniques. However, their evil deeds are eventually squashed toward the end of the episode as Batman saves the day. In the cartoon itself, there is nothing wrong with it. The good prevails over evil, and the single episode is ended with a happy ending. What the problem with these cartoons however is that they are very interpersonal and kids and teens cannot relate themselves to them. Kids nowadays are more intrigued with interactions then ever before. This is shown through the popularity of the internet and social sites such as Myspace, Facebook, Blogger. They have grown tremendously due to its fundamental pitch to allow kids to relate and connect with each another.

What has made Naruto so powerful is as an anime is that they have developed their characters so well that their ability to relate to kids is tremendous. Similar to a soap opera, we are able to see each and every single character develop in their own way. We see that the animation characters often time interact with the kids through numerous contests and promotions related to interact with the kids. This type of close and very personalized interaction, you can think of it similar to the strategy that McDonald uses to make kids feel like at home. It is no wonder that kids love McDonalds and the same way goes with Naruto.

The adult humor aside, Naruto is also very educational in my opinion. The focal point of the animation itself remains between the fight of good and evil. However it becomes educational throughout various episodes when we are provided the background of various characters. For example when we examine the life of just the main character Naruto; not only is he a below average kid, he is always the underdog in terms of his studies beside the fact that he is also unpopular with others. The crucial point that the animators have it a success is how Naruto reacts to these oppositions. He tries even harder! Similar in our society unlike the baby boomers who in majority have worked with the corporate world for many years and an overwhelmingly amount of them have pensions and benefits to assist them after retirement, the people from Generation X are faced with even greater challenges. Besides massive layoffs and work sent overseas, the problems just keep stacking up. Along with kids that grow up nowadays, the piles of stress have pushed them toward the edge in many ways. That is why we see kids running into the malls and shooting others all the time in our news today.

Not only does Naruto try hard in his daily training to overcome others that are smarter or have talents, the greatest success that animators have in developing Naruto Episode is depicting how normal he really is. It implies in many ways that hardships will always come in our way and hard work will always payoff in the end. This is something that is lacking in today is society where the richer gets richer and the poorer gets poorer. Doesnt matter if you are poor or rich, one must always work hard to achieve success. Obviously a little bit of luck would always help too. This is one of the only small lessons that Ive observed in the anime Naruto, if you havent watched Naruto yet, you should definitely eitherwatch Naruto by yourself or with others. Who knows, you might learn something from it as well!