Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Review

Developer	Konami
Publisher	Konami
Genre	Action

It was the early nineties. Milli Vanilli was huge, as were New Kids on the Block. MC Hammer was writing songs about the Addams Family and hair metal was at its peak. Kids were wearing spandex and jelly shoes, acid washed jean jackets and pinch-rolling their jeans. Nobody was cooler than Kirk Cameron and every kid had the hots for Winnie Cooper.

Luckily, not everything was Steve Urkel and the Olson Twins back then. The “alternative” music movement was about to break in a huge way, Saturday nights were all about the Headbanger’s Ball, and kids had the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kicking some serious shell. The Turtle phenomenon, created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, was on the same level as the more recent, but now fading, Pokemon craze. Turtle figures could be purchased at every discount and toy store in the country, the cartoons were overrunning Saturday mornings, the videos were given with kid’s meals at Burger King, Hollywood turned the franchise into blockbuster status with guest spots by Vanilla Ice, and Konami created some of the coolest arcade beat ‘em ups around starring our favorite amphibious heroes.

Now, over ten years later, the Turtles are back with a slick, edgier look, and minus Vanilla Ice. Last year, the gaming community erupted with applause when Konami announced it would once again be bringing the Turtles to home consoles. But did they do the game’s pedigree justice, or does the nostalgia fade after the first slice of the sai?

Gameplay - The beat ‘em up was a staple genre back in the early nineties. Gamers were quite satisfied to simply use their fists and feet to defeat wave after wave of relentless enemies. Since that time, combos were introduced, special moves and skillful techniques were acquired, and these simple mechanics were a thing of the past. And while TMNT doesn’t necessarily regress entirely back to the simplicity of the old arcade brawlers, it doesn’t actually build upon them either. In fact, once you get past the initial excitement of finally being able to take the roll of your favorite turtle again, it won’t be long before you notice the shallowness of the combat system. Now whether that’s part of the game’s shortcoming, or part of its old school charm is your call. We hold the opinion that the game is a little bit of both. We don’t mind that enemies appear out of nowhere, that they wait to attack you until you get close enough, or that you cannot progress until you’ve cleared the entire group of enemies at hand. After all, these are the features that make us light headed and teary eyed. However, we couldn’t help but reason that if the look and attitude of the franchise has been updated then Konami would perhaps have been best served to keep with the times in the gameplay department as well.

For example, there is no ability to block an enemy’s attack. Instead, your hero in a half-shell will have no choice but to stand there and get clobbered if he’s not able to jump out of the way quickly enough. The simple addition of a blocking button would have done wonders for this game. And while certain special abilities can be unlocked in small challenge stages, the moves are really nothing vital to the game as it can practically be played from start to finish by using the A button attack and nothing more. Next, while the game has its own little combo system, it really boils down to nothing more than button mashing. Sure, it’ll say “Combo” on the screen, but in essence all you’ve done is hit the A button a number of times and followed it up with the B button. Third, difficult levels aren’t necessarily bad things. Hell, we couldn’t show our faces around the local arcades back in the day if we said a game was “too hard”. And to be fair, TMNT is definitely not “too hard”. However, after you spend a good thirty to forty-five minutes plowing through wave after monotonous wave of street thugs and Foot Clan members, only to get your shell whooped by an insanely difficult boss, forcing you to have to start over again from the beginning instead of reaching in your pocket and pulling out another quarter, you may feel our pain. In fact, unless you’re a huge Turtle fanatic like the GWX staff members, you may never feel the urge to play the game again.

Luckily, the game gives you a few options to help ease the pain. Multiplayer mode turns the difficulty down a notch as you have a buddy to help you clean the streets and sewers of New York City. However, like the rest of the world, we can’t help but wonder why only two players are allowed to play at once instead of four. Let’s see…four turtles…four controller ports…only two players? The logic of that move will never be understood. Also, by playing through the Game Boy Advance version in its various modes you are rewarded with codes that will unlock certain options in the game, some cooler than others (L, S, M, M, S).

Konami has also included a Vs. Mode, the value of which is somewhat undermined by the weak combat system. In addition to this, gamers can unlock a Challenge Mode, where the missions are timed. And finally, by accomplishing certain goals and missions, players can unlock character art and other incentives to keep them interested.

Graphics - From a visual standpoint, this game is every Turtle fan’s wet dream. The look and feel of the game has been lifted directly from the new Fox Box cartoons and the result is fantastic. Casual passers by will actually mistake the game for the Saturday morning cartoon because it looks that convincing. In between levels, snippets from the actual cartoon are placed, giving the storyline some continuity. And although we can’t help but question the editing job, the addition of these animated bits are definitely a nice touch that fanatics will appreciate.

The game has the same bright colored cel-shaded look of the show, and to add to its character and perhaps pay homage to the series’ comic book roots, animated bams, biffs, and pows appear over enemies while they get pummeled. The visual department is definitely the game’s strongest selling point.

Sound - And then there’s the sound. Don’t get the wrong impression; we love Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the goofball humor that has permeated the series for years. We’ve smiled through Michelangelo’s corny jokes and have even been known to yell “Cowabunga!” in unison. But having to listen to the same handful of cheesy one-liners over and over again with every crack of the bo staff and whip of the nunchaku is enough to make us consider joining the Shredder.

Slice and Dice! Slice and Dice! Slice and Dice! Slice and Dice! Slice and Dice! Slice and Dice! Slice and Dice! Slice and Dice! Slice and Dice! Slice and Dice!

Annoying, isn’t it? And what the hell does “Mike-a-saurus Rex” mean and why does Michelangelo howl it every five seconds? Please Konami, make it stop!

Overall Value - As a Turtle fan, it’s difficult not to appreciate this game and even be enthusiastic about it. I mean, just the visuals alone will make you feel as though you’re part of the cartoon craziness. The control is responsive and the game faithfully picks up where the arcade classics left off. But is that enough?

I can’t help but feel that as a turtle fan and a child of the 90s my nostalgia has been used. Konami, one of the single most capable game developers out there, knows the franchise better than anyone and could have easily brought some innovation or even timeliness to the gameplay. Instead, we’re given a game that with lesser graphical flair could have been brought out in 1991. And while I’m as old school as anyone else, in the day of Viewtiful Joe and Prince of Persia, monotonous one-after-another gameplay just doesn’t hold the same appeal as it once was.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a fun game, no doubt about it. I just wish the game would have aged as well as the cartoon. If you’re a turtle nut, bump up the final score one point.

Review by John Luedtke