Councilin' ninjas on the DS, Naruto style

Naruto Ninja Council

is making the jump from the GBA to the DS for its third installment, and GameSpot has served up a fresh round of impressions on the forthcoming title. The mission-based single player game is reportedly solid, requiring the player to familiarize him or herself with all the support characters and the pantheon of techniques, as success in any given phase requires the right combination of elements, though it's not as strict as it sounds. The vast amount of choice instead offers options, allowing players to select the force that they're comfortable with, so long as they can surmount the challenges as they're presented. All of this, from characters to their unique attacks, is taken from the series. For basic moves, controls are straightforward, but any special move requires special action based on the technique, and these employ the touch screen or the mic (more blowing into the mic!).

Visually, it seems the game isn't too much of a step up from its predecessors. Environments don't tax the DS, as they are a little plain, but elements from the series are clearly recognizable. For fans, it seems this will be a solid foray deeper into the world of Naruto.