When Namco Bandai first announced that it was porting Naruto: Narultimate Hero to the US in the form of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja, I wasn't very pleased. I've owned the import version of the PlayStation 2 game for several years now, and it's just not all that fun. However, after taking a look at the US version of the game, and some of the changes that are being made, US Naruto fans should be pleased. For a more detailed look at the Japanese original, you can take a look at my import review from 2003.

The original import featured 12 characters, including: Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Rock Lee, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Gaara, Neji, Hinata, Zabuza, Haku and Orochimaru. The US version features all 12 of those characters, as well as several new characters. Unfortunately, we couldn't get Namco Bandai to spill the beans on who the new characters will be, but here's hoping for Itachi or possibly a few of Gaara's fellow Sand Ninjas.

Of course, the major change to the US version of the game is the inclusion of the US voice actors. If you're accustomed to the Japanese version of the popular anime, you've probably noticed that Naruto uses the phrase, "Dattebayo" quite regularly. This has been replaced in the US version by the phrase, "Believe it!" While most US Naruto fans love to hear those two words, I personally find it very annoying, which is why you won't often find me watching the US version of Naruto. However, staying true to the US version of the anime, you'll hear Naruto saying, "Believe it!" numerous times are you play through the game.

Speaking of playing through the game, the title will include a story mode, as well as mission and versus modes. Since the original Japanese game was based on the manga (comic book), and not the anime, the story mode plays out like you're reading through the manga. Every fight will have a manga-style intro complete with pages turning and multiple dialogue boxes on each page. At times throughout the fight you'll even be able to switch to a different stage, at which point a page will turn and both characters will transfer to the new stage. The end of each fight is also treated with a manga-style dialogue between the two characters.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja plays out like a cross between a standard 2D fighting game and a Smash Brothers style fighting game. Each stage has two planes the fight can take place on, the foreground and the background. Only projectile attacks can cross the two planes of combat, but the characters can move back and forth at will. Allies of the two characters battling will also appear throughout each match at various points in the stages. These allies will drop helpful items such as projectile weapon upgrades or chakra to replenish your super meter. However, if your opponent gets to your ally first, they will simply disappear.

I've been playing the import version of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja for years, and while I still prefer the Clash of Ninja series on the GameCube, if you own a PlayStation 2 and you like Naruto, Ultimate Ninja can be a fun game with friends. The addition of new characters has also made me want to pick up the US version when it hits later this year. Hopefully Namco Bandai will bring over the second and third titles in the series, which add an RPG feel to the single player portions of the game. We'll have more on Ultimate Ninja in the coming weeks.