For some reason it feels like I've started off my last several articles talking about how I'm an avid fighting game fan. I guess it's good that I've been writing about a genre I'm very familiar with, but at the same time, it gets old when all I have to write about are poor excuses for games. Luckily, I finally get to write about a fighting game that's deserving of praise. TOMY and D3 Publishing are currently preparing to release Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 on the Nintendo GameCube later this year.

I've owned the import version of Clash of Ninja 2 for about three years now. It's certainly not a new game, and the fourth installment in the series has been available in Japan for nearly a year. We're finally getting the second title over here in the US, but that's mainly due to the late arrival of the anime and manga the title is based on.

Most anime fighting games only cater to fans of the series, and offer very little for anyone else. This is especially true when it comes to anime fighting games. Almost every anime fighting game currently available falls miserably short of real fighting games such as Tekken or Virtua Fighter. I would take the 15 year old Xbox Live Arcade port of Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting over most of the more recent anime fighting game releases. In fact, aside from Super DBZ and the original Naruto: Clash of Ninja, you'd be hard-pressed to find an anime fighting game that appeals to anyone outside of the anime fan base.

Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 and the entire Clash of Ninja series were some of the first anime fighting games that could actually hold their own against the big names in the fighting game genre. In fact, starting with Clash of Ninja 2, the series has seen heavy rotation in tournaments across the US. Think about that; three years ago an import title had a tournament scene in the US. Mortal Kombat can't get a tournament scene going, but an import title based on an anime can? That just shows how solid this fighter truly is.

In contrast to the 8 characters featured in the first Clash of Ninja, the roster has been given a huge bump to 22 characters in Clash of Ninja 2. I won't spoil the character list for those who have not played the game, but let's just say that almost every fan favorite can be found, with multiple versions of a couple characters and a few surprises (especially for Kiba fans). Based on the progression of the anime in the US, Clash of Ninja 2 contains just about all of the main and secondary characters featured in the anime up to the current point it's at in the US.

One of the nicest new features in Clash of Ninja 2 is the ability to play four player combat. This isn't quite like four player Super Smash Brothers, where everyone is just going crazy. In Clash of Ninja 2, the fighting mechanics that make this title tournament caliber are still retained for the most part. You can only target one opponent at a time, but you can't go into fights like you would a one-on-one match. You have to be careful of multiple opponents teaming up against you.

While Clash of Ninja 2 is a 3D fighting game, you won't have full freedom of movement like you would in Soul Calibur or Tekken. Instead, you'll be able to use multiple sidesteps to move into the foreground or background. Just like any other 3D fighter, you'll be able to dash, jump, duck and attack with a large array of punches, kicks and projectiles. There's a basic attack button that will dish out your punches and kicks, a special attack button that will generally house your projectile attacks, but will vary depending on your character of choice, a throw button, and a super attack button. The shoulder buttons perform a sidestep to the left or right and will perform a counter if you use them while you're being attacked. However, a counter will drain a good portion of your super meter, so you'll need to be careful when using them.

Clash of Ninja 2 features a much more intricate combo and juggle system than the original, and allows advanced players to mix things up and create devastating attack strings. At the same time, things are simplistic enough to allow newcomers and fans of the series to get in, mash some buttons and still see decent results. The game is surprisingly deep, with the ability to sidestep incoming attacks, build your own combos and juggles, counter incoming attacks and unleash super moves to finish off your opponent, but it still offers a lot of fan service for people more interested in Naruto than fighting games.

It's sad that the US is getting Clash of Ninja 2 so long after the game first hit Japan. With the GameCube on its way out and the Nintendo Wii on the horizon, it's tough to determine if D3 and TOMY will release the third and fourth installments in the Clash of Ninja series. The franchise only got better as time went on, with tournaments still held regularly for the import version of Clash of Ninja 4. Hopefully D3 and TOMY will release the last two installments in the series at some point, but if not, Clash of Ninja 2 should be more than enough to satisfy fans of the series and fighting game fans in general.