Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus

"Alright, let's see if I can take a more positive approach..."

Alright, I've seen a lot of people bashing this game, so maybe I should voice my opinion and see what happens. Here goes!

Graphics-8.5/10
The graphics are pretty good. This game, like the last one, uses cel-shaded graphics, and that's okay with me. Also, the levels look very nice, and the special effects aren't that bad. Of course, there are games with way better graphics then this, even other games based on popular cartoons (such as the recent Transformers game). But all in all, this isn't too shabby. Also like the first game, it features clips from the TV show and some brand new animation clips (though the quality of the animation is slightly lower, yet very anime-esque. Well, more than the show already is anyway).

Sounds- 8/10
The music also has a good beat in some stages, though you'll probably be too busy fighting (or getting your butt handed to you, depends on the situation) to notice the music. The voices, on the other hand, can be heard loud and clear. Once again, the voices are done by the same actors from the butt-kicking animated series seen on the Fox Box and Cartoon Network. A major plus is the fact that the turtles no longer have that many annoying lines (no more Leo shouting "slice and dice!" every five seconds or Raph shouting "Outta my way, nimrod!" either). Okay, in the vehicle stages, there are tons of annoying, repeated lies, but it's just six or seven stages. Also, explosions, punches, and other sound effects are done nicely.

Gameplay- 9/10
A major improvement from the first game! See, you have to learn various combos and techinques by collecting crystals throughout the various stages. This adds abit more variety. Also, each turtle can still double jump and dash, but they can also wall jump. Some people say it's hard to do, but it's not that hard, just jump towards certain walls (you'll know what ones), push the jump button, LET GO OF THE JOYSTICK, and just push the jump button repeatedly. There, simple! Another feature is the charge attack. Not a good idea to use unless there aren't a lot of enemies (which usually there are plenty of enemies), but it's pretty neat. And then each turtle has their own special skill: Leo cuts down pillars and trees, Raph moves huge blocks and boulders, Don hacks into computers to open doors, and Mikey can hover using his nunchuckus. So this adds more diversity.

Now, the greatest improvement over the last game is (drum roll please!).... FOUR PLAYER ACTION! Yes, you heard right, FOUR PLAYER ACTION! Four friends, on all four versions of the game (which include the PS2, Game Cube, X-Box, and PC) include four player! And even if you're playing with just one person, you'll have access to all four turtles during battle with just the touch of a button. Nice, eh?

Replayablity- 8/10
Lots of extras, such as antiques that are either just fun to look at, or unlock extras (more on those later). Also, the Battle Nexus tournaments help to add some more multiplayer fun.

Extras- 8/10
Now you're probably asking "Hey, are the extras even worth getting?" Yes and no. SOme extras like Production art are fun to look at. Then there's costumes, like the last game. And the best extra is... THE ORIGINAL ARCADE GAME! Yes, the classic four player, 2-D adventure! With some changes... due to some legal problems, Konami had to remove the original sound bites and music, and replace them. But tell me... did you go to the arcade to listen to the music? No! You went to play the game! The graphics and gameplay are untouched, so that's good enough, right? Right! Oh, and you'll get to use more than just the turtles in story mode, but I'll leave that as a surprise. ;)

Fun Factor- 7/10 One player is good enough, but four player is better! Get some friends! Or if you don't have friends, get some strangers, or even some family members and force them to play with you!

Story- 7.5/10
Okay, the story will be abit weak at times, but it's pretty good overall. The whole game follows the second season of the show, from the turtles space adventures, to the Battle Nexus Tournament. Cool, huh?

Overall- 8/10
This game is great for fans of the old show and the new show. It has four players, the original arcade game, and plenty of extras. Go buy it! Well, rent it first if you can to see if you like it, but you know what I mean.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/25/04