The Naruto series has had its share of mediocre games in the past, and before you go ahead and think "This one is going to be different", unfortunately it's not. Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising (say that ten times fast) is another mediocre expierence that will likely have you shaking your head in amazement. That's not amazement like this game is the best, it's amazement that Namco Bandai pushed out another rudementry beat em' Naruto game-- the same its has been over the years. Even though the vast majority of gamers won't find too much value in Akatsuki, Naruto fans still might.
The quality of game design and fun that can be found in a Naruto video game is largely dependent on its genre. The fighting games are often regarded as some of the best anime fighting titles since the Dragon Ball Z series and are pretty decent fighting games in their own right. On the other hand, the adventure games have wavered between fairly good to mediocre takes on platforming and brawling.
The glut of available modes is a little bittersweet because most beat-em-ups, even good ones, are severely lacking in the replay department. If Akatsuki Rising had satisfying or challenging combat this would be a great PSP title for fans of Streets of Rage 2 and its ilk from console generations past. Sadly, Akatsuki Rising is not that game.
Akatsuki's visuals and sound effects are crisp and exceedingly close to what is presented in the anime. This is a big plus for fans of the show, which is good as they are the only ones out there who will likely enjoy the title.
DIG writes: "Naruto has become the new Dragon Ball Z. The sort of franchise that seems to churn out video games and never reaches the bottom of the barrel. Its as if the franchise has no limit on the fans' patience, but it certainly tests mine. Waaaay back when I started this gig, one of the first games I reviewed was Naruto: Clash of the Ninja 2."
