This Xbox 360 exclusive is based on the in Japan, America and in many other countries very popular anime and manga series Naruto. It tells the story of Naruto and his way to becoming a Ninja. This story (more specific the first 80 episodes of the tv series) is the background for this new action adventure from Ubisoft.

On the E3 we got a demo of some single player sequences and we got a chance to play the Versus mode.

In the first part we saw some of the minigames your character had to get through to become stronger and to unlock new powers and missions. This is played in the city Konoha, perfectly resembling the city in the series.

The graphics are really nice and attractive with very detailed textures, a cozy 2D effect, high framerates and many colorful and impressive visual effects and movies. It actually feels like you're playing with a cartoon! Moreover, you get all the freedom you can think of to explore the village. You're only limited by your current powers to climb on certain buildings or to enter locations. New areas will be locked by taking on tasks that are related to the story.

In the mission we got to see, you had to take a backpack full of hot dishes to very hungry customers. You can choose to sprint through the little and cozy streets or to jump from one roof to another. Simple, but very fun. The result of a good delivery is some money and experience, but also the fact that the NPC will like you a bit more now (noticeable by the smiley above his head) and in the future he will help you in other missions.

A bit later, we got a second mission where we had to race in an afforested environment and alongside and in a river. The whirling water, the bending grass and the waving branches looked really good. The gameplay seems very fun with good controls, fast action and spectacular powers, called jutsu's.

Very interesting is the way you need to activate these powers. First you need to push both triggers and then you have to make a certain combination with both thumbsticks (for example, push both forward and then to each other). The result is funny, your character walks over water or runs vertically on a building. While you do that, you need to keep your balance so it always stays exciting.

After successfully ending the race, we had to fight in a 1-on-1 mode. You can play with Naruto, but also all the other characters of the game - each has his own moves and special attacks - are available. Even here we immediately noticed the nice graphics. Effects, fireworks, all kinds of animations,... are thrown at you so it looks like you're in control of an anime movie.

You can block, attack horizontally or vertically, jump and fight there. Of course, you're also able to perform jutsu's, like suddenly showing a beautiful girl to distract your opponent, clone yourself to confuse your enemy or just let lightning strike. There is a rage meter that's being filled as you get beaten and once it's full, you get more power and you're a bit faster. Two things that give you the chance to get victorious out of a hopeless situation.

Everything we saw was very promising. Although the series is a lot less popular here than in other countries, this game is something to look forward to for everyone who likes some action, platform and fighting and most certainly for those who love graphical cartoony games. It's a game directed to the somewhat younger gamers, but we can't wait to review it!