There's only one staunch barrier to entry with this game, and it's right on the front of the box. "Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja: Storm 2," with its awkward colon placement, speaks to fans of the serialized manga and its long-running anime adaptation so fluently, it sounds like gibberish to anyone else. Oh, and there's a "2" in the title, so now I can't follow because I don't know what happened in Gibberish 1.

If you manage to get past the cover (featuring Naruto and his friend-turned-rival Sasuke, by the way), you'll find an energetic and accessible adventure that respectfully harnesses its source material, without locking out newcomers. Fans tuned in to keywords like chakra, Rasengan and Orochimaru will be more invested in the story, and everyone else will find some way to survive a fighting game without being ensconced in the narrative. Just pretend it's called Ninja Tornado Fight.