Complaints about character design aside, the combat has several strong points to recommend it. Combos are steadily earned over time, meaning that as you enter new fights you'll have new moves to try out. While your enemies might seem repetitive, your moves don't have to be.
Similarly, the Jutsus are well done. Jutsus are special moves that are, like the combos, earned as you progress through the game. They're done by holding [LT] and making various motions with the two analog sticks before releasing [LT] at the right moment. The staples of your Jutsu arsenal in story mode are Shadow Clone Jutsu (which creates copies of yourself); Sexy Jutsu (turns you into a sexy lady to distract your foes) and Chakra Concentration (enables you to run up stuff and
seems to increase your strength, but I couldn't be entirely sure).
Unfortunately, it seemed like a rare occasion when there was enough time to put together a Jutsu during combat when it was actually needed. They do come in useful during the adventuring/platforming elements of the game for the likes of breaking down barriers and winning over angry villagers, however, and serve to provide variation.
In terms of fighting, the Jutsus really come into their own when you're foregoing the story mode in favour of the fight mode. Different characters get different Jutsus, which gives the straight beat-'em-up mode a nice level of depth (and visual variation) to play with.
Similarly, the Rage Meter really comes into its own when you're engaged in the Fight Mode. It builds up at crucial points in a fight, allowing you to activate it at key moments and get a few seconds of near-invincibility and increased strength. As with the Jutsus, Ubisoft Montreal has really gone to town with the visual effects attached to each character's Rage Mode and it increases the level of depth on offer in a tussle.
Anyway, back to the core of the game - Story Mode. My last criticism of the fight sequences is the difficulty gradient. The most prominent example is when – after beating all and sundry - I ran up against Zabuza – a big chap with a suitably big sword to match. Fighting him became a chore that had my mate Gaz (graciously lending his flat to
Naruto at this point) threatening to chuck me out if I had to fight him again. Much swearing later and I finally put him down... only for the bastard to get up again for Round 2. After locking myself in the bathroom for ten minutes while Gaz threatened to do un-godly things to my family I came out to slog through the same bloody fight all over again. The only thing that kept me from throwing down the controller in favour of heading home to
Mario Galaxy at this point were the ‘Memo-Clips’ – powerful memories that enable Naruto, after much [A] bashing, to come around without losing his progress in the fight thus far.
