For whatever reason, the Ninja Council series just hasn't found a perfect niche to fit into just yet. The series changes with every iteration, as it moves from one-on-one fighter to level-based adventure game, and now back to a hybrid of the two with arena-based mission and fighting levels added together. In Ninja Council 3 players have a chance to go head-to-head (to-head-to-head, actually) in up to four player bouts, utilizing over 20 characters from the show. Battles include anything from beating up wolves and bats with a character of your choice, to full-on battle royal fights between up to four characters.
Since the game is again mission-based rather than totally linear, players who dive into the single player mode will find a virtual bingo board of sorts to deal with. Each space on the board is another mission, and the more you win, the more you unlock. Along the way you acquire new fighters and the ability to share super-attacks between them (So Naruto could conceivably use fire-style jujitsu, the Uzumaki barrage, and leaf whirlwind during the same battle should you choose) making the overall amount of fighter combinations nearly never-ending. Also included is a fairly robust multi-card mode, which lets players duke it out in a variety of modes taken from the game. Battle in free-for-all or team fights with any of the fighters in the game; just be sure each player has a cart to do it.
As a straight-up arena fighter, Naruto: Ninja Council 3 does a fine job at bringing the feeling and entertainment of the Naruto world to the DS. Players can run around gigantic 2D fighting areas similar to Jump Superstars or a more spread out Smash Bros., jumping, attacking, or using on-screen touch icons to unleash any of four selected super attacks. Included on the bottom screen is a mini-map, which also helps to keep the chaos in order a bit. Overall it's a decent button-mashing experience, though the button layout is enough to drive any seasoned gamer crazy. The main three buttons - attack, run, and jump - take up the Y, B, and A spots respectively (with run being in the middle). While this works as long as you stick to the ground, holding in B to run while pressing Y over and over to attack, trying to pull off a jump attack or running jump attack is a total pain, forcing you to hold B, then press A, and then slide your thumb over to Y to actually attack. Why run or jump wasn't added to L (a little used button, actually), or why the addition of pressing up to jump as an option wasn't included is beyond us, and the result is a somewhat clunky button layout that manages to make a three-button setup difficult with six usable buttons. Just odd.
Another somewhat-wonky issue resides in the game's physics, which can be a bit of a pain; especially when doing the more level-based platforming trials. The double jump does very little to increase height or any distance to a jump, and the falling motion of each leap loses a ton of forward momentum should you execute a double jump or a super jump (holding up while jumping). In addition, the super jump can't be performed at angles, so there will be plenty of instances where gamers will need to do a huge vertical leap, and then try to freefall to the left or right. These odd issues don't always get in the way, but they're certainly notable, as any more serious gamer that gets their hands on Ninja Council 3 will have serious gripes with some of its finer points.
The general rule seems to be that the more arena-based fighting you're into, the more fun you'll have with the game. The platforming levels are where real issues come into play, as you deal with tougher jumps, an odd wall-jump mechanic that again suffers from some wonky physics, and annoying fetch quests, random enemy spawns, or "kill 30 whatever" missions that don't always have enough baddies to fight during the brief amount of time to complete the task. So if multiplayer is your cup of tea, or if you're fine suffering through a few of the weaker missions to get to the more entertaining character battles you'll have a good time; you may need to check your more mature gaming habits at the door to do it though, as it's still a bit buggy, and a bit wonky.
That being said, the game has a huge amount of production value for any Naruto fan to check out, even if the overall game is hit and miss, and - in a way - a one-trick pony of a fighter. There's a ton of audio throughout for each of the 30+ headline characters involved, as every attack, super attack, or get hit animation also has streaming audio to go with it. The quality is decent, and it's a great way to use the DS system's extra cart space. Also included are a ton of sliding panels and full pieces of art within the game, so every time you pull off a super you'll get dual-screen, anime-like slide art to go with it. The effects animations have also been bumped up a notch, and while many of the game's assets are shared from Ninja Council 2 (you'll notice character sprites, animations, and some effects are the same), what's new is a step up for sure. Per usual, story translation and cut scenes seem a bit rushed, and can pretty much be ignored, as they hold very little story at all. On top of it all, touch interface has been added to menus, as well as some touch integration for super attacks - something that takes a little getting used to, but feels alright after a few bouts. The whole product feels like a rushed effort, but it's still a fairly entertaining rushed effort anyways.