It doesn't retread territory already covered in the anime, which is admirable. What's immediately unfortunate about Path of the Ninja 2 is that initial story set-up - the plot premise is fair, but forgettable. I+don't+know+that+I'd+call+Tonton+awesome.+I'm+more+of+a+Gamakitchi+kind+of+guy. He gets himself psyched, gathers up some allies, and sets out to be the hero once again. And, predictably, Naruto is the one she assigns to offer that aid - this time investigating the matter of the sinister Spirit Beast that is said to have been released from the Valley of Great Evil. The story begins as many Naruto stories do, with a small band of mysterious ninja causing trouble somewhere in the world, and the distraught local citizens traveling to Naruto's Hidden Leaf Village to plea for aid from the Hokage there. Like last year's first Path of the Ninja, it seeks to take Naruto, his world and his friends and present them all in a gameplay context you'd more expect to see associated with a 16-bit Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest design.
Though you might expect a versus fighter, action game or adventure, Path of the Ninja 2 is, instead, a fairly traditional role-playing experience.
So Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 appears on an already overcrowded scene of other games bearing the same license, and seeks to distance itself from its cousins by altering the core genre.
From console fighters to adventure games and several cross-over designs in-between, the popularity of the brand hasn't been allowed to rest as fans of the series are continually looked to for their spending support - it's not so hard to believe that. It's hard to believe it, because during that span of roughly 36 months, almost 20 different video games starring the knucklehead ninja have arrived on our shores.
It's hard to believe it's still so young, but the Naruto anime has only been on the air in America for a little over three years now.