Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist

"Cowabunga!"

Introduction
Back when I was a little kid, Ninja Turtles were the best thing since sliced bread. I couldn't get enough Ninja Turtles. I had all of the action figures, watched the TV show, and would play Ninja Turtles with my friends in our backyards. Naturally, I had to own this game. The Ninja Turtles are the stars of the show (obviously), and you walk through the levels taking on various members of the foot clan. For some reason, this never seems to get old. This game is still one of my favorite all-time games, even when compared to the greats like Zelda and Mario games. Every once in a while I have to pull this out and play through, just for old times sake.

Gameplay: 10/10
Gameplay is where this game shines. Although it is an incredibly simple game, it is incredibly fun. Each level is pretty much a really long hallway, and you have to get from the far left to the far right. As the turtles travel through each level, foot soldiers (just your generic enemy, looks like a man in a jumpsuit, for those of you who are unfamiliar with Ninja Turtles) will appear and attack you. There are several different types of foot soldiers, each with a different weapon. This provides some variety as well as adding to the difficulty. The farther along you get, the more difficult the enemies will be. As for fighting the foot soldiers, the Ninja Turtles have a full arsenal off attacks to use. You can go through using your hack n' slash method, just hitting the attack button the whole time (that is, if you want to), but you can also perform some pretty sweet combos and jump attacks. My personal favorite it when you pick up the foot soldier by their arms and swing them back and forth over your head, smashing them on the ground and hitting enemies all the while. This game also has a multiplayer option, which makes the game even more fun, because you get to whoop up on the poor foot soldiers with a friend. The game doesn't change from single player to multiplayer, but my friends and I always had more fun playing this together. Despite the total beating that you get to put on the foot soldiers, I do have one complaint and one complaint only: difficulty. I feel the need to let you know that this game is incredibly easy. The hard mode is not that hard (the main difference between difficulty levels is the number of enemies that you have to fight), and the normal and easy modes are very easy. Even though it is easy, I still love this game, and it never, ever gets old.

Story: 5/10
The turtles' arch rival Shredder has obtained the powerful hyperstone from Dimension X. He uses it to shrink the Statue of Liberty in NYC and take it for his own personal enjoyment. He challenges the turtles to come and get it back, a challenge they must accept, for if they don't stop Shredder, nobody will. The story is just there to hold the game together, and I never really paid much attention to it. All that matters is that the turtles get to kick major butt.

Graphics/Sound: 8/10
For the Sega Genesis, this game had good graphics and the sound was decent too. The turtles are pretty detailed and you will have no problem telling what they are. The same goes for the enemies. The levels are surprisingly detailed. The backgrounds have a lot of stuff in them, which help to keep it from getting too generic. Besides the Ninja Turtle theme song, the music is alright, nothing special really. The sound effects are pretty good though. You get an occasional “Hiyah!” from the turtles when you do a combo, and whenever you beat a boss the turtles will shout out “Cowabunga!” which is particularly cool.

Play Time/Replayability: 9/10
This game is very short. It can be completed in about an hour, less if you really try to steamroll through. However, this game has unlimited replayability. It never gets old, no matter how many times you play it. My friends and I would play through the whole game several times a week, and loved it every time.

Final Score: 9/10
Overall, this is an incredible game. If you can manage to find it for sale, I would definitely recommend buying it, as you won't be disappointed. It is just so incredibly fun to control the Ninja Turtles and kick foot soldier butt. I actually prefer this game over the newer Ninja Turtles games with more levels, better graphics, etcetera, etcetera. If you were a fan of Ninja Turtles as a kid, it makes this game that much better. I can't stress enough how much fun this game is. Hopefully this game will provide others with the same happiness and joy that it did (and still does) for me.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/13/05