Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

"If looks were everything this would be a classic"

I hate reviewing games for several reasons. As far as I can tell, it is a job requisite for a reviewer to not enjoy anything for what it is. This is especially true these days, when gamers seem to demand far more from their games than they used to. More powerful technology means that people demand games that are much more complex than they used to be...

Enter TMNT, after a long absence. As you can see elsewhere, the majority of the industry press hates this game, but is their criticism and scorn well-founded?

Well, kinda... yes and no all at once. I personally have been a huge fan of the TMNT for some time now, so I'll try my best not to be biased...

In case you've missed out on the TMNT phenomenon (where've you been for all these years?), the show focuses on the four reptilian Bushido masters - Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello (named after Renaissance artists, trivia fans) as they battle against the Foot clan, headed by the sinister ninja Shredder. There's a lot more to it than that, but that's the basic premise of the game - take on the Shredder's armies of goons, and clean up the New York streets.

The problem with the plot is that, on the whole, while the best efforts have been done to make it consistent, it misses too much out from the show to really work. You'll find yourself scratching your head a few times as you try to figure out how something happened. Of course, you need to play the game with all four characters to get the gist of it, but you'll never fully understand the plot unless you watch the show.

If you remember the older TMNT games (this new one's made by the same people responsible for those - Konami) you'll remember they took on the form of scrolling beat-'em-ups - think Streets of Rage. This new one follows the same principle. Levels are split into zones by invisible walls, and every enemy must be taken out before you can move on... and that's all their is to this, I'm afraid.

It's thoroughly old-school in it's approach, but you have to wonder if that's a good thing. There are attempts to diversify progression - each of the Turtles fights in their own style, and most of the enemies have their own attack patterns, but despite these the game's virtually the same from start to finish. There is the odd boss fight and scenery variation to spice things up, but to be honest the game isn't any better than Final Fight or Streets of Rage were all those years ago. You can't help but wish there was more to it throughout.

As far as graphics and presentation go though, this game really can't be faulted. The cel-shading is nigh-on perfect, perfectly replicating the cartoon. What's so clever about this cel-shading is that it doesn't look as 'flat' as other cel-shaded games. The only real qualm I have is that the character's lips don't move, but that's just being petty and trying to find fault with what is otherwise a visually perfect game.

It's clear that Konami have worked closely with Mirage Studios to capture the feel of the show perfectly. A good chunk of the actual cartoon is used for the FMV, as well as some new scenes shot specifically for the game. The result is that you really feel like you're in an interactive episode of the cartoon, and the game looks so good you'll want to keep playing to see what the next area has in store.

As far as sound goes, it has it's good and bad parts. Music is a mix of rock, techno and hip-hop that you'd expect from the TMNT. It's good, but not spectacular. The sound effects are solid enough, with some good bangs and crashes thrown in there. Coolly enough, the original voice cast reprise their roles for the new dialogue in the game, and they do a good job for the most part. The one problem with the sound is a big one though - the catchphrases are far, far too repetitive and irksome. There should have been an option to turn them off.

At brass tacks level, TMNT is definitely one of those love/hate games. It all depends on how much you appreciate old-school gameplay, and don't demand much from games. It's certainly not going to win over those with some moral objection to the TMNT, but it's perfectly playable and looks fantastic. It's a huge shame that there's no four-player mode, but at least there's a lot of fun to be had in two-player games.

Now that the sequel's been announced, here's hoping Konami will take the time to fix the errors highlighted here. The majority of the industry may hate this with a passion, but as for me... well, let's just say things could've been a whole lot worse.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/12/04