If you love Naruto and are ruing the fact that you can't make it to this year's Anime Expo, don't rue too hard. You may not be able to try out Path of the Ninja 2 this July, but your day to get your Naruto RPG on will come soon enough.
Tomy announced that the game is releasing this September, meaning you only have to make it through three measly months. In the meantime, there are plenty of other Naruto games out there to keep you busy, or you could pass the time by browsing through our updated gallery below.
Want to get your hands on Bangai-O Spirits before its August release? Then head on over to California and go to this year's Anime Expo. Not only will you get to play this gem of a game, but the entire DS Fanboy staff will envy you for your hands-onBangai-O experience.
Another DS game that will be playable is, of course, Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2. Would you really expect the orange-clad Ninja not to make an appearance? So, if you plan to stop by the Expo, make sure to check out D3 Publisher's booth (901) for some fun times on the DS.
Tomy confirmed with Siliconera that there are no plans to localize Naruto RPG 2: Chidori vs. Rasengan. As you may or may not remember, Path of the Ninja 2 is actually a localization of the third game in the Naruto RPG series, Reijuu vs Konoha Shoutai.
Skipping a game in the series is definitely a bummer, but on an unrelated note, Tomy has also added an odd feature to Path of the Ninja 2 -- the ability to play in French. Perhaps this is an indication of one of Naruto's biggest markets. Now, people in France will have an easier time importing the game, and French-speaking Canadians can choose the language they feel more comfortable with. While strange, we wouldn't begrudge these groups the pleasure of being catered to.
Siliconera revealed some more details as well, including the fact that people with the North American version of the game won't be able to battle those with Japanese copies. Spencer Yip speculates that this is a good thing, since Japanese gamers will be more apt at the game with their experience, but we're sure some of you Naruto hardcores won't be happy with this development.
There's no new DS software in the top of the charts to report this week, but that doesn't mean Nintendo's little handheld didn't completely clean house. In fact, nineteen of the top thirty were DS games, showing how gluttonous the dual-screened portable can get when it comes to sales. Some old favorites also popped back up around the bottom, including Brain Age 2, Animal Crossing, and the original Taiko Drum Master DS.
Hardware continues to be a struggle, though. That doesn't mean the DS is doing poorly, because it's not; sales for the handheld even jumped up almost 10,000 units since last week. However, since the PSP and Wii have been doing so well lately, it's hard for Nintendo's handheld to compete:
PSP: 89,884
Wii: 67,308
Nintendo DS: 51,228
PlayStation 3: 8,054
PlayStation 2: 7,464
Xbox 360: 1,298
We have no doubt that the DS will be on top again soon enough, but until then, you can check out the satisfactory software numbers posted after the break.
After yesterday's news of Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 heading to the DS, most bloggers and gamers alike speculated that it was a localization of Naruto RPG 2: Chidori vs. Rasengan. Thanks to Siliconera's astute readers, though, this was soon cleared up.
As it turns out, the game is actually the English version of Naruto RPG 3: Reijuu vs. Konoha Shoutai. Siliconera's commenters noticed that the screens were actually from the third Japanese RPG in the series, and then Spencer Yip confirmed the facts with a representative from Tomy.
Are any of you Naruto fans upset by Tomy and D3's decision to skip over the second game? If so, vent your frustrations in the comments -- that's what they're here for.
Ninja-loving RPG gamers, take note: Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2, a sequel to the game released in North Amerca last October, is heading to Nintendo's handheld. D3 and Tomy announced the title today, which Siliconera rationally speculates is a localization of Naruto RPG 2: Chidori vs. Rasengan.
Even so, the North American version will have the added feature of online play via Wi-Fi. This will involve some type of multiplayer battling, which will most likely be turn-based. Path of the Ninja 2 will also include thirty playable characters from the anime and manga.
Naruto fans can expect to get their RPG on again this September.
We realized today that we don't know Japan as well as we thought we did. With our reasoning, a new Gundam game + the popularity of the DS = cha-ching. While the debuting Emblem of Gundam had decent sales for its first week, though, taking the twelfth spot isn't all that impressive -- especially since there was only one new release cluttering up the top ten.
On the other hand, We're Fossil Diggers, Pokemon Ranger, and the Taiko Drum Master DS sequel continued to shine, giving the DS a nice piece of top ten representation. Batonnage managed to reach the half-million mark, while the other two games neared 100,000 copies sold.
For hardware, DS numbers went up since last week, but the handheld is still convincingly behind the PSP and Wii in recent sales. If you want to see the numbers, though, just click past the break. You can check out the software listings there, too.
Not only did the PSP gain momentum with the hideous brown, er, we mean shiny bronze model that released in Japan last week, but the Wii also beat out its portable cousin, sending the DS to third place in hardware sales:
PSP: 92,411
Wii: 48,796
Nintendo DS: 42,435
PlayStation 3: 9,107
PlayStation 2: 7,108
Xbox 360: 1,283
DS software fared better, though, with two new releases gracing the coveted top ten. Taiko Drum Master: 7 Islands' Adventure was the shining star of the week, reaching almost 56,000 sales. Summon Night gets an honorary mention, though, as it debuted in the fifth spot.
To check out the other new releases and software placings, just keep on reading ... forever.
While we're still far from being obsessed with Naruto, the latest DS game did manage to catch our eye. Even after giving it some play time at GDC, our very own JC wrote that he found it was "openly an attempt by D3 and Dream Factory to pretty up a disappointing Japanese Naruto game -- the surprising thing is that it worked.". Suffice to say, we're going to keep our eye on the next game.
And here it is, Naruto Shippuden: Shinobi Retsuden II. As you can tell from the trailer above, the game is polished. We don't have to tell you again that we're excited for this, do we? What do you all think?
A coder named Antonio Niño Diaz has released an extremely early DS version of the M.U.G.E.N. 2D fighter creation system (named for the Japanese word for "infinity"). How early? Well, right now it's just two Jump Super Stars-style Narutos in one environment. You can make one of the Narutos walk, punch, and jump, and you can make the other one move left and right with the shoulder buttons. It's a far cry from the insanity possible in the PC engine, but it's an exciting start.
We aren't sure if this is going to turn into a full-scale M.U.G.E.N. implementation (able to make Street FIghter-like games and platformers using user-designed characters) or limited to Jump Super Stars-type gameplay. We'd be happy with either!
The DS dropped to third in last week's hardware sales, as the PSP inched its way to first. (In case you haven't been keeping track, Wii sales have been above those of the DS for quite some time, but the PSP and DS keep flip-flopping for the week's best selling portable.)
Hardware:
PSP: 73,706
Wii: 64,535
Nintendo DS: 51,922
PlayStation 3: 13,520
PlayStation 2: 10,986
Xbox 360: 2,282
In the software chart, though, Nintendo's portable dominated once again. There were fourteen DS games to hit the top thirty last week, three of which made the top ten. Most of note is the new release Soma Bringer, a game that many of us outside of Japan have been coveting. It debuted in fourth, and was the top seller for the dual-screened handheld last week.
Meanwhile, Professor Layton 2 and Animal Crossing slipped back into the top thirty, while Harvest Moon and Etrian Odyssey II managed to remain in the top ten. Check after the break to see a whole lot of DS games in boldface.
The DS and PSP seem to be in a tooth-and-nail fight for second place. This week, the PSP took back the second spot, but just barely.
Hardware:
Wii: 63,504
PSP: 53,373
Nintendo DS: 50,151
PlayStation 3: 14,060
PlayStation 2: 9,634
Xbox 360: 2,001
The DS did better in software, though, with Etrian Odyssey II becoming popular in its first week. The DS dungeon crawler was only 9,000 units away from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, in fact. Harvest Moon: Shining Sun and Friends was another DS champ, ending up 5th on this week's chart.
There were twelve DS games in the top thirty, which is impressive, especially considering the ton of new releases that came out last week. The new software did manage to bump a bunch of DS games out of the top thirty, though, including big names like Professor Layton and Pandora's Box, Dragon Quest IV, and Final Fantasy IV. To see the software placements, make sure to check after the break.
Looking over this week's releases, the only title that really piques our interest is Naruto: Ninja Destiny. JC got his hands on it at GDC and confirmed that we weren't crazy when we gushed about how beautiful the game is. We're not Naruto fans at all, but we are fans of fighting games.
What are you all planning on picking up? New game? Playing through an older title? What will you be playing this weekend?
Unfortunately, not every week can be last week, but maybe you'll find something to interest you in this latest crop of releases, especially with the wide variety of titles hitting shelves across regions today. From the latest Naruto title to Soma Bringer's debut in Japan, it's an unusual week for DS games. Be sure to let us know what interests you!
The DS reclaimed second place for hardware, managing to inch past the PSP on this week's chart. A bunch of new releases helped the handheld's sales, as fifteen of the top thirty games last week were DS titles.
Hardware:
Wii: 78,583
Nintendo DS: 62,362
PSP: 59,645
PlayStation 3: 17,637
PlayStation 2: 11,266
Xbox 360: 2,198
The top contender for the dual-screened portable last week was the Japanese dating sim, Tokimeki Memorial: Girl's Side 2nd Season, which beat everything except Smash Bros. and Wii Fit. Meanwhile, After-School Boy and Doraemon Baseball were knocked out of the top thirty, but remained in the top fifty (along with Rune Factory 2). Overall, though, it was a great software week for the DS. If you want to see why, check out the numbers after the break.
If you love Naruto and are ruing the fact that you can't make it to this year's Anime Expo, don't rue too hard. You may not be able to try out Path of the Ninja 2 this July, but your day to get your Naruto RPG on will come soon enough.
Want to get your hands on 
Tomy confirmed with Siliconera that there are no plans to localize Naruto RPG 2: Chidori vs. Rasengan. As you 
After 
Ninja-loving RPG gamers, take note: Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2, a 
We realized today that we don't know Japan as well as we thought we did. With our reasoning, a new 
Not only did the PSP gain momentum with the hideous brown, er, we mean 
A coder named Antonio Niño Diaz has released an extremely early DS version of the 
The DS dropped to third in last week's hardware sales, as the PSP inched its way to first. (In case you haven't been keeping track, Wii sales have been above those of the DS for quite some time, but the PSP and DS keep flip-flopping for the week's best selling portable.)
The DS and PSP seem to be in a tooth-and-nail fight for second place. This week, the PSP took back the second spot, but just barely.
Unfortunately, not every week can be 
The DS reclaimed second place for hardware, managing to 
