The game's visual presentation is pretty nice, melding 3D characters with 2D backgrounds and effects that mesh well together with an overall cel-shaded style . The secret technique scenes are also pretty spectacular, but tend to extend some fights a lot. The voice acting is spot on but as I mentioned earlier Naruto can get on your nerves just like he does in the anime series. At least he's consistently agitating.

Ultimate Ninja 2 is more of the same but with a fresh coat of paint. In my opinion it's got enough meat on its bones to recommend to fans of the original and beat 'em up fans in general. But while the action is pretty easy to get into, the game's victory conditions might prove frustrating to some. The worst part of Ultimate Ninja 2 is that Naruto gets to talk - I just hope that he'll hit puberty before the next game or get a prescription for prosac...