“My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I will be Hokage … believe it!” The short young student with spiky blonde hair and the puffy orange jacket boasted proudly. Suddenly, the group of students he was standing before erupt with laughter to the point that the only thing the young kid could do is walk away. He hears classmates snicker as he passes, pointing out the fact that he couldn’t even pass the first of three exams to become a ninja so what made him think he could one day be head of the village and the school? In Naruto: Rise of a Ninja for the Xbox 360, we get to see Naruto start as a student nobody respects to a ninja that will play a role in saving the village and school from a dangerous foe.

Unlike the Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles games on the PS2 that tell new stories of our favorite ninja and all the characters that make up the popular manga or the popular anime featured on the Cartoon Network, Rise of a Ninja starts from the very beginning and thus introducing Naruto not only to a next-generation platform but also a new audience of gamers. The game even begins with the snippets from the first episode of the show, giving us an idea of who this young boy is and later the impact he will make on the very village that scorned him.

For those who know Naruto’s story well, the opening is really a quick reminder of the show’s first two episodes but for those who don’t, I’ll run through it quickly. You see, you assume the role of Naruto, a young orphan who lives in the famed Hidden Leaf Village. He’s a rebellious youth who is one day caught defacing the Mt. Rushmore-like monument to all four Hokages (who are major chiefs) outside town (known as Konoha) and during his punishment a sensei sees potential in the boy and allows him to come study the way of the ninja with the other students. Naruto makes bold claims of one day being the next Hokage but it isn’t until one day he is tricked into stealing a valuable scroll for another master. It is a trick that leads Naruto to unleash his skills and proving that he’s more than just a failure.

The boy from Konoha

Rise of a Ninja’s Story mode doesn’t just relive some of Naruto’s early days but also has him branch out and do things we haven’t seen in the manga or anime. In fact, after the introductory mission, you are free to explore the town of Konoha and there’s a lot of ground to cover if you know the show well. It’s a treat to be able to run through the familiar streets, heading to Naruto’s favorite haunts like the Ramen dive or the roof that overlooks most of the town. You’ll discover a number of townspeople along the way, many who - at first - won’t give you the time of day while others will like you enough to point you in the right direction. You’ll even find a number of the show’s characters including your friends Sasuke and Sakura to name just a few of the dozens of characters. Many of them will actually send you on short quests, offering you items or money once completed. For example, the owner of the ramen store will offer ramen delivery missions while the owner of the scroll shop will ask you to run errands for her as well.

Like a role-playing game, Naruto begins with basic skills and attacks that start out weak but you can upgrade everything from his combo list to his Jutsu moves by purchasing upgrades via various teachers (including the mellow Kakashi-sensei) or from the Scroll Shop. Naruto can even purchase weapons like the familiar Kunai (bladed weapon) and certain missions unlock cool Chakra moves you can use not only during battle but also while exploring. For example, your first Jutsu move you learn is your Sexy Jutsu (basically, Naruto can temporarily transform into a blonde bombshell that males will find irresistible) and later he will learn a Jutsu move that will allow him to run up walls to get to those hard to reach areas.

Gaara, Orochimaru and final exams ... Oh my!

As I mentioned above, the game offers some original missions as well as some that relive various moments in the first 50 or so episodes from the show. The various original missions will have you performing a number of tasks within the village but also outside the village in the forest area. One mission, for example, has you tracking bandits that made off with an expensive and powerful scroll. Not only will you have to get the scroll back but also you must defeat all the bandits including the group’s lieutenant and boss. Other missions are given to you by the Hokage himself, sending you on a mission to aid a respected ninja or carry out an escort mission.

The best missions, however, come from moments that actually happened in the manga and show. You’ll relive the training exercise Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto receive when they first meet Kakashi-sensei for the first time all the way down to the battles in the other exams including Naruto’s memorable battle against Kiba and his dog as well as his final exam battle against the powerful Neji. The game goes a bit beyond that and introduces the brutal battle against the conflicted Gaara of the Sand Village and finally goes up against the main villain Orochimaru. Naruto fans will certainly find a lot to love about actually getting to play all these great moments from the show.

I never give up because that is my ninja way ...

The controls are another highlight since you’ll be able to pull off some great combos during the 2D battle (everything else in the game is handled in 3D) and the more moves you learn the more stylish combat becomes. One of the best elements in the game is the Jutsu moves that require you to hold down the left trigger button then use both analog sticks to pull off the trademark hand signs. You don’t simply press a button or two to use Sexy Jutsu or Naruto’s trademark Shadow Clone Jutsu (where you can make clones of himself to aid him in combat), but you have to match the signs accurately for it to work. While this sounds like it could be infuriating, it actually works within the context of the show. Oftentimes in the anime, Naruto isn’t fast enough with his hand signs and is hit by the enemy. It only makes sense that it happens in the game and it actually works.

When you want a break from the game’s Story Mode, you can always launch into Fight Mode, which is essentially and arcade-styled fighting mode. You can fight against the computer or a friend in a Vs match or you can relive the tournament-styled Chunin exams using just a few of the game’s characters including bad guys like Orochimaru or Zabuza. The game does support downloadable content down the line so here’s hoping gamers can download extra characters like Hinata, Shikamaru and Ino. You can also take the game online and it runs at a steady framerate.

Graphically speaking, Rise of a Ninja is also easy on the eyes. The game uses cel-shading but it looks delightfully like the show itself so it’s actually difficult to tell when the cut scenes (which are made up of clips from the anime) and when the game actually starts. It’s a nice touch that works beautifully for this game and it makes the visual effects really stand out. Even the game’s environments look great and if you’re a hardcore fan of the show, you will be quick to point out the various familiar locales scattered throughout. The game’s sound is also handled well since it does use music from the anime. If you heard it in the show, you will hear it in the game so even each character has his or her own theme music. It’s a nice touch but sometimes the soundtrack tends to repeat itself. Still, the music doesn’t get annoying at all. There’s plenty of voice work in the game and it comes from the show’s cast, which is a major plus. Even the sound effects are good.

Naruto: Rise of a Ninja for the Xbox 360 does a magnificent job of capturing the spirit of the anime and manga, which makes this the best Naruto game. With a deep story mode that allows gamers to explore practically every street corner and ramen dive of the Leaf Village, it’s hard not to get hooked into its involving tale and various fun missions that will have fans enjoying every minute of the adventure. If you’re not familiar with the series, this game should be your first stop. If you’re already a loyal fan of the spiky haired ninja, well, you will definitely fall in love with one.

Gameplay: 8.5
The game’s story mode does a great job of retelling the Naruto saga from the start to the memorable Chunin Exam finals that is the dramatic turning point for all the characters in the series. Exploring Konoha is a definitely highlight as is upgrading Naruto’s skills by interacting with familiar characters. There are some fun missions and the fights can get fierce at times.

Graphics: 8.5
The colorful graphics look and feels like the anime and manga and watching it mix in with the slightly realistic backdrop will not fail to impress. Still, loyal fans of the show will love the fact that there are clips from the show that act as cut scenes and that various key locations are present throughout the game.

Sound: 8.5
The Cartoon Network English dub voice cast provide the voices for every character and even the show’s great soundtrack can be found in the game … although sometimes it can repeat a bit too often. The sound effects come from the show as well.

Difficulty: Medium
Naruto gets into a number of fights in the game with a number of unsavory characters but the best ones relive memorable bouts with some dangerous foes like Gaara with this deadly sand attacks or Kiba and his lightning-quick movements.

Concept: 8.5
Unlike past Naruto games, Ubisoft decided to start from the very beginning of the series, recalling some favorite moments. Sadly, the story ends a bit too quick and the fighting game modes doesn’t have enough characters but in the end there are way too many things that make this a great Naruto game.

Multiplayer: 7.5
You can battle it out against a friend and even take them on in a tournament-styled battle much like the Chunin finals. The best part is that you can play the game online and challenge Naruto fans to some great battles in a number of maps.

Overall: 8.5
Forget the other Naruto games; Naruto: Rise of a Ninja is the best one of the bunch … believe it. Staying true to the series, Rise of a Ninja is a deep, involving and surprisingly fun experience that will give fans plenty to see and do. Consider this a 'Must Have' for any Naruto fans or for anyone who is a wee bit interested in an RPG-styled fighter with a lot of personality.