New Naruto Details Revealed Company: Tomy Ltd. TOMY recently solidified some of the rumors running around concerning the upcoming Naruto games, Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 and Naruto: Path of Ninja 2. Very little information exists concerning Clash of Ninja Revolution 2's new storyline, which has been written exclusively for the U.S. market. While the nature of the game's conflict still hasn't been revealed, we do know that it focuses on the universe's black-ops corp, the Anbu, and it is because of that story that two new characters have been created, Towa and Komachi. Also included in the game is an existing character that hasn't been seen in any prior Clash of Ninja game, Yugao. The developers at TOMY wanted to make sure that, while the two new characters looked very similar (they both have swords and where Anbu masks), they wanted to make play with each very unique gameplay experiences. Basically, they wanted to make sure they were more than simple pixel-flips. Towa will run chakra through his tattoos in order to create a wide assortment of weapons, while the female black-ops character, Komachi, will focus more on ranged attacks, mostly the pins in her hair that can be thrown with deadly precision. TOMY also talked briefly about the Tag Team Mode they are introducing for this release of Clash of Ninja Revolution. In this mode, players get to choose two characters and use the two in various combo attacks. While specific attacks weren't discussed, we do know that each character will have a generic attack for this mode, that will work with any other character's generic abilities, but when you have a very specific tag team in play, you will get treated with very specific cinematics, like the two Hyuga clan members (Neji and Hinata). Last on TOMY's reveals concerning this Wii fighting game was the addition of paper bombs. In the series, these are strips of paper (typically attached to throwing daggers) that act as fuses. Once the paper is burned away, a large explosion occurs. In Clash of Ninja Revolution 2, these act like grenades that you will either be able to throw at the ground near an opponent or at the enemy themself and it will stick to them. Since this attack uses quite a bit of chakra, and the process for throwing the paper bomb can leave you open for a few seconds, this new mechanic is designed to add an extra strategic element to the game. TOMY went on to talk about their other upcoming release, Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 for the Nintendo DS. We have already reported that this strategy RPG game will sport a pretty extensive Wi-Fi battle system, but what we didn't know was the use of "Region Cards" to help show who you've gone up against from around the country. Basically, by beating a person in another part of the country, you will receive a tradable card. Collecting these cards and earning points online will not only unlock new armor, items and equipment, but there are even a couple of characters that will be unlocked through extensive online play. Each state will have a Region Card, as well as Canada and Mexico. Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 will feature two types of online fight matching systems, one that allows you to play against any opponent no matter what the two players' level ranks, while the other one lets you choose opponents with a set level range. Players will also get extra points by playing between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM (Pacific Time) on Saturdays. With this new information about both games, it isn't a wonder why they are both highly anticipated by fans of the knuckle-headed ninja. With a brand new pair of characters to help support a brand new story, Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 should definitely be a unique experience. Meanwhile Path of the Ninja 2's multiplayer capabilities should really help to extend the game's replayability. Look for both games this October. -J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer Related Links: Our Preview of Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 Our Preview of Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2