Naruto Mugen

Naruto Mugen is the fighting game combination of the Japanese anime/manga smash hit Naruto and the fully customizable Mugen 2D fighting game engine. Naruto Mugen is completely free and can be loaded with more than 300 Naruto-based characters. However, since the platform is Mugen-based, any user can add or interchange characters and stages with ease. The game is available for use within Windows-based computers and Linux.

Naruto Mugen has many good attributes, along with flaws, which gamers should consider before deciding to install the game. Below are a few items that gamers should understand before making the choice to obtain Naruto Mugen.

Pros

• Anime Popularity. Naruto is one of the world's most popular anime, full of colorful characters and beautiful settings. Add-in the fighting ninja element of the series and this game will appeal to both 2D fighting gamers and anime fans alike. Additionally, mods and character creation are even more appealing as gamers try to mimic the fighting moves, attacks and combinations found on the anime.
• Customization. Mugen is the most robust freeware fighting platform/engine on the Internet, as amateur gaming programmers have created individual games with more than 100 individual stages and 2000 playable characters. For Naruto, this means that users can create fighting campaigns with characters that would not normally fight along each other, such as Susake and Itachi, within the anime. With all pieces being compatible, adding stages and characters can take a matter of minutes. While there is a large supply of characters available for Naruto, any gamer can add a character outside of the Naruto universe, as long as the character is compatible to the version of Mugen being used. Note that there is a near infinite supply of stages and characters found throughout the global Mugen community.
• Ease of Play. Mugen moves and combos are usually centered on a key set of button sequences. Generally, activating multiple hit combo are relatively easy and do not vary greatly between characters. (The only exceptions are characters whose designers have mimicked from previous platforms, to bring familiarity to the characters implemented into Mugen.)

Cons

• Multiple Versions. There are multiple versions of Naruto Mugen available online as most are made independent of one another. Additionally, certain versions of Naruto Mugen are only available on Windows XP while others only work on Windows 7/ Vista or Linux.
• Freeware. As with all freeware, ensure that the initial download and installation of Naruto Mugen is from a valid website or has been thoroughly inspected for viruses and malware.
• Compatibility. As the case with all Mugen games, compatibility is its greatest asset along with its worst flaw. Oftentimes, these versions have stages and characters that have not been fully tested and are incompatible for the game itself. Users should ensure that the version of Mugen (either WinMugen or 2.0) is compatible with their operating system. Additionally, users should review each stage and character to make sure that they will work correctly as either can cause the game to crash if incompatible.

While many 2D game platforms may have more vivid graphics, the Mugen engine is definitely the most all-around solid platform available online. Add the Naruto universe to the Mugen engine, and gamers have game play that can be nearly endless.