Tomy and D3Publisher of America have announced that Naruto: Ninja Destiny is coming for the DS this year. This 3D fighter appears to be based in partial part on the much maligned Shinobi Retsuden which came out in Japan. Thankfully it appears the title is getting a makeover:

Ninja Destiny will pit characters from the hit NARUTO series against each other in high-energy combat. Players will use both screens for innovative, unique gameplay featuring trademark ninja moves and the cinematic special techniques of the NARUTO world. NARUTO: Ninja Destiny is scheduled to ship in February 2008.

“We’ve listened to the fans and made a slew of improvements to the Japanese original, including a much faster frame rate, additional characters, and never-before-seen content,” said Laura Yoshioka, director, consumer software of TOMY Corporation. “Through the innovative use of the dual displays and touch screens, NARUTO: Ninja Destiny will bring the series’ iconic battles to players in a way that is only possible on the DS.”

Players will soon be able to take their ninja battles on the road with NARUTO: Ninja Destiny, the first 3D head-to-head NARUTO fighter for the Nintendo DS. Any aspiring ninja can unleash powerful jutsu and take advantage of items to brawl his way to victory against 16 different characters. Dual-screen combat will allow fierce battles to unfold on the top screen while power-ups can be strategically unleashed on the touch screen for fast, frenetic action. Core fighting game fans and casual gamers alike will find plenty to enjoy, thanks to a combo move system that is both intuitive to pick up and challenging to master. Featuring scenes, characters, and storylines from up to the 140th episode of the hit animated television series currently airing on Cartoon Network, NARUTO: Ninja Destiny offers an intense single-player story and versus mode, along with wireless multiplayer combat.