If anything, Naruto: Rise of a Ninja for the Xbox 360 spoiled fans of the young ninja in the orange jumpsuit. It was just one of those games that truly did justice to the source material whether it’s the Shonen Jump manga or Viz Media’s long-running anime series. It’s not that Namco Bandai Games hasn’t tried to bring us good Naruto games but seldom did they really push the fighting genre to new heights or give us better reasons to go back for more. That is, of course, until Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 for the PlayStation 2.

An improvement over the first two Ultimate Ninja releases, this third outing might not be as near perfect as Rise of a Ninja but it’s a very good step in the right direction. In fact, Naruto fans will be absolutely pleased with the number of improvements and gameplay elements that Ultimate Ninja 3 brings to PS2 gamers. Even the fighting styles show some improvement to make battles seem just as grand as they do on the Cartoon Network show or on the pages of the manga. Even the game modes show an improvement … although the controls and weak opponent AI make a comeback.

Ultimate Ninja 3’s theme revolves around a major storylines that involves fellow Hidden Leaf ninja Sasuke Uchiha and his Anakin Skywalker-like fall from grace. Boot up the PS2 disc and you’ll even be treated to one of the more dramatic moments from the show and manga that has Naruto Uzumaki going up against his old comrade who has become more powerful. In Hero’s History mode, we follow young Naruto through key moments of his life including his first day of training with Kakashi-sensei to the search for the Fifth Hokage and finally the “Sasuke Retrieval” story arch that pits friend against friend.

Fans will certainly enjoy playing through the Sasuke Retrieval arc thanks, in part, to the fact that the storyline had Naruto and fellow Hidden Leaf comrades Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru and Choji go up against powerful Sound Ninja foes like Sakon and Ukon. I won’t spoil things by explaining what happens during this riveting mission but it also involves certain members of the Sand Ninja (that were once foes to the Leaf Village) in a more friendlier meeting. It’s good to see the focus away from the villain Orochimaru for once.

If you’re new to the Naruto brand, that’s Ok because this game explains a few things along the way via short cut scenes. If you’re a longtime fan of the series, the explanations don’t have you shaking your head and saying “Why must we go through all of this yet again?” You’ll also get a sense of life in the Hidden Leaf Village in the game’s Ultimate Contest mode that allows you to freely move about the village in search of short but sweet quests. Sure, it doesn’t get as deep as Rise of a Ninja does and the village isn’t teaming with town people. What we do get is a somewhat empty environment with over 55 missions given to you by the new Hokage. In this storyline, the Fifth Hokage is planning a major contest between the Leaf and their new friends the Sand in a festival of friendly competitions. Of course, in order for this to occur, things in the village must be taken care of first so it is up to Naruto to help out.

With two major game modes to play, you can even challenge a friend to take you on in Vs. Duel mode. The good news is that after completing most of Ultimate Contest or Hero’s History, you will be able to unlock extra characters to use. There are a little over 40 characters to pick including the Sound Ninja foes from Hero’s History and a number of extra from Ultimate Contest like Temari and less psychotic Gaara. You can even recreate memorable battles (Rock Lee versus Gaara) and change the course of other battles (sorry Neji but this time Hinata wins). There are even three mini-games to will have you racing up a tree with Sakura, try to perform more push-ups than Rock and trying to beat Tenten in a shuriken throwing contest.

Control-wise, nothing much as changed from Ultimate Ninja 2. You can still perform jumps, shuriken throws and combos. This time around, though, the Ultimate Jutsu moves are grander and by pressing the right sequence of buttons you can pull off cool summoning techniques as well as devastating transformations and attacks. Naruto’s Shadow Clone Jutsu alone packs quite a bigger punch than the last game. What also makes a return, however, are the weak opponent AI that just doesn’t have any technique. Really, you can get away with just mashing buttons and you can still win a match.

Visually, Ultimate Ninja 3 looks good on the PS2. We can only imagine a more crisper look on the PS3 but the animation and character models look decent enough to make each character look good while pulling off their individual stylish attacks. The backgrounds don’t spring to life but you’ll instantly recognize many a setting and the Hidden Leaf Village looks good but not as it does in the Xbox 360 game. Still, what is seen here is not bad at all.

The English dub voice cast from the show is all here so expect Naruto to sound just like Naruto. The performances are good but you won’t help but notice the long pauses during conversations. For the first time we also get the Japanese cast and the dialogue is just the way to go if you always found Naruto’s voice too grating (I don’t but that’s me). Even the soundtrack and sound effects come straight from the show itself.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 is a step in the right direction for the series and, while there are a few things that could have used some improvement, what is here is sure to please Naruto and fighting game fans. Packed with a number of game modes and fun features, third time is definitely a charm for this fighting game that packs quite a chakra-packed punch. If you’re a fan of the orange ninja, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Gameplay: 8.0
The PS2 controls are simple enough to pick up and start playing so even those new to the series can start pulling off Jutsu moves. The game modes cover a good deal of Naruto history so this is the perfect game to begin with if you’re just jumping on the Naruto bandwagon.

Graphics: 7.5
All the characters and locales look just the way you would expect them to appear so you’ll instantly recognize various areas such as the training ground where Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke first took on Kakashi-sensei in their first training mission. Even the Ultimate Jutsu moves look spectacular.

Sound: 7.5
The anime’s music makes up the game’s soundtrack and it’s a good one despite the fact that you might hear the same tunes over and over again. The English dub voice cast from the show provides all the voices for their respective characters but the addition of the Japanese cast is a plus.

Difficulty: Medium
Interestingly enough, each character’s strengths shine through accurately so those who are familiar with the characters know what to expect. Still, the opponent AI isn’t smart enough to counter your best moves.

Concept: 8.0
Ultimate Contest mode is a pleasant change of pace despite the feeling of emptiness and reliving major events from the manga and anime in Hero’s History will sure to please die-hard Naruto fanatics. There are mini-games to play on your own or share with a friend and the battles are just getting bigger and flashier.

Multiplayer: 8.2
Aside from going up against a friend in Vs. Duel mode or challenging a friend to three different mini-games, there’s really not that much to the game’s multiplayer mode. That said, it’s still a blast to share the mini-games or challenge a friend to a fight without a single stutter in the framerate. The only thing missing is online multiplayer.

Overall: 8.0
Ultimate Ninja 3 is far from the perfect Naruto fighting game but - like the series’ main protagonist - it walks its own line and walks it well. Interestingly enough, the game adds new and downright entertaining game modes making this one of the most complete Naruto games on the PS2. I just wish the AI was smarter and there was more to explore in Ultimate Contest but Naruto fans can’t go wrong with this one.