Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project

"Ahh. You gotta love those classic arcade titles"

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III. What can I say? This game was superb for its time. Its games like these that remind you of when games didnt concentrate on producing rich graphics but instead making games FUN!

FUN- 10

This game is really fun. It is pretty innovative for a side scroller. You have quite a bit of freedom in movement for a side scroller, and enemies can pop out of windows and sewers. Back in 1992 when this game was out, not many games were as innovative as this. This game is also real fun when playing with a friend. I tell you this game requires a lot of teamwork. If you can not function as a team with your friend in fighting Shredder and his villains then you are screwed. Another great point is that I found this game pretty challenging. If you are new to side scrollers you may not be too good at this game.

GAMEPLAY- 10

Yes thats right the gameplay is perfect! I dont think I have ever seen a playstation game or a recent pc game worth of a perfect score for gameplay. Just goes to show that games just arent what they used to be.

+ Innovation
For 1992, this game was very original. In this game you have a lot of movement freedom which was not there in most NES titles. Enemies also pop out in this game in a varity of ways. Another great thing is that you arent limited to few attacks in this game. You have quite a few maneuvers that you can do.

+ Challenge
This game puts up a great challenge. This game isnt for beginners. Heck no. When I was seven I had quite a bit of trouble trying to beat this game, but eventually I beat it and it wasnt easy. Now that I play it the game in the year 2001, it doesnt seem as difficult but it is harder than atleast 80% of the games that our out now.

+ Control
Its amazing what can be done with a Nintendo controller. The controls are simple, but it still offers up a lot of different attacks in the game.

+ Multiplayer
For a game in 1992 the multiplayer is really good. The game offers a lot of space for 2 players to work with and you are given even more enemies to deal with in two player which is good. That way the game does not get easy. I also like the fact that when your partner screws up or pisses you off you can bash him over the head with your sword and take away a few of his health bars. :)

+ Engine
I really liked the engine in this side scroller because most of the side scrollers I come to know on the NES have very little depth and movement freedom. I also like the arcade style that is fused into this game. To describe this games engine I would say that it is the NES version of Golden Axe but with different types of moves, no magic and 4 turtles!

GRAPHICS- 10

These graphics show the full capacity of the Nintendo Entertainment system. The Turtles look detailed, scenery is detailed. The game isnt too blocky. The game has great colour. Excellent job in the graphics category.

SOUND- 10

Lets face it. The music may sound like cheap MIDI qualityand the sound effects sound way too basic but hey name one NES title that can is better than this? There is none. There are games that are just as good in sound as this but not better. Compared to all these other NES titles I just have to give this game a 10 on sound. The Music although is in cheap midi actually sounds cool. They have the TMNT theme and the ingame music sets the feel of the game very nicely. You'll probably end up humming the games music. Its that good.

VALUE- 9

+ Replay Value
The game only takes like an hour to beat so it wouldnt hurt to replay the game. There is nothing important about replaying the game, but I have like atleast 5 times just for fun.

+ Competition
Compared to other Side Scrollers for the NES, TMNT III creams the competition. This is one heck of a game. It has some really great features and innovations that you wont find in most side scrollers for the NES.

+ Creativity
Need I say more about the innovations of this game? This game is very creative and this definately makes this a valuable NES classic.

OVERALL 9.9 (rounded to 10)
The TV show was great then and so was this videogame. If you are looking for a great NES Classic, get this game, or download it and play it for 24 hours. The game is only an hour long so you will be able to finish it before the legal limit.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/08/01, Updated 01/08/01