Interactive entertainment software publishers TOMY Corporation and D3Publisher of America Inc. announced the upcoming release of Naruto: Ninja Destiny, the first 3D head-to-head fighting game for the Nintendo DS.

“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,”“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.”said Laura Yoshioka, director, consumer software of TOMY Corporation.

Naruto: Ninja Destiny is based on the popular television animated series, Naruto, created by VIZ Media. Players will pick from a roster of 16 fighters and be pitted in intense battles with frenetic action taking place on top screen, while power ups are founded on the bottom . The game will pick up all the scenarios, characters, locales and scenes going up to the 140th episode of the television series, currently airing on Cartoon Network. The game will offer a full-fledged single player storyline and versus mode, via wireless combat.

North America can expect Naruto: Ninja Destiny to ship in February 2008.