Fortunately for us all, however, the Naruto: Clash of Ninja series brings a different meaning to the words "licensed game", as the bran has come to life in a solid series of fighters on the Cube. We had a chance to chat with Laura Yoshioka, Senior Marketing Manager over at TOMY, about the state of the Naruto series, and how the Clash of Ninja series has helped bring the anime to America .
IGN: The original Clash of Ninja game has now released in both Japan and
America. How has the feedback been overall? Is the American audience very
similar to the Japanese, or have you seen more/less support in one region?
Yoshioka: Feedback on the first Naruto video games has been great. The first Clash of Ninja game was released in Japan in 2003, so US fans have been waiting for a while for the first US release. The game reviewed well and sales have been great (the game recently achieved "Players Choice" status). Naruto has been immensely popular in Japan for several years now whereas the US fanbase is still growing. When the first game released in Japan, it did very well, but our sales in the US have surpassed that level already. It's hard to compare the fans from the two regions, but we just hope that they continue to enjoy the games and that we can continue to do justice to the storyline and characters.
IGN: The number one question fans ask, is "what is different" with Clash of Ninja
2. Can you go over a few of the newer game modes?
Yoshioka: The biggest difference in CON2 is the addition of the 4-player modes. The latest game features versus modes for 2-4 players as 2 vs 2, 1 vs 3 or free for alls. In single-player, we added a survival mode and "Oboro Mode" which is a continuous defeat mode featuring Oboro from the TV show. We also extended the story mode for the latest game to 30 episodes.
IGN: The first Clash of Ninja game was very solid, but it was a bit on the short
side. How as the team worked to lengthen the gameplay for fans?
Yoshioka: The story mode now follows the storyline from the show as far as we could go without giving away too much of the plot from the TV show. It takes you up to the battles from the Chunin exams. In addition to that, the game also now includes 14 playable modes; single and multi-player. Add to all of this the increased number of characters to choose from and it's really a much deeper experience.
IGN: Clash of Ninja offered ten total players. How many fighters does Clash of
Ninja 2 bring to the Cube?
Yoshioka: There are now 23 total characters to choose from, with 10 default including Gaara and Rock Lee, as well as Naruto's team, and then another 13 unlockable characters.
IGN: Does Clash of Ninja 2 follow specific seasons of Naruto? Is it essentially
the second season, or a combination of multiple seasons?
Yoshioka: We follow the storyline of the show according to the main story arcs, CON2 will take the storyline up to the Chunin Exams.
IGN: How many arenas are available in Clash of Ninja 2? Are any of the original
areas brought back from the original game?
Yoshioka: The game has 17 different stages, including all the original arenas from the first game, plus 3 completely new arenas and several new effects such as rain or nighttime versions.
IGN: The original Clash of Ninja game offered three unlockable players, as well
as character art and music. What does Clash of Ninja 2 add to the extra
content?
Yoshioka: There are a lot more unlockable characters, as well as stages and modes.
IGN: There are currently four Clash of Ninja games for GameCube in Japan. Now
that the Wii is Nintendo's primary system, will we see Clash of Ninja three
and four on the way to Wii? Are we still going to get the games in some
form?
Yoshioka: We are very excited about the Wii and are watching the launch closely. We will definitely have more Naruto games in 2007, and will announce the platforms and lineup soon.
IGN: Fans are constantly asking if Clash of Ninja three and four may be re-done
to include the Wii controller support. Can you comment on the idea of
making those games into "Wii-makes"?
Yoshioka: Unfortunately we can't comment on this at this point.
IGN: Can you comment on any possible Wii titles in the works right now? Is it a
system you're looking to work with in the future, if not now?
Yoshioka: We're excited to be the Naruto licensee for Nintendo platforms and will continue to bring Naruto games to the US market but no specific announcements about games in 2007 have been made yet.