Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

"Worth the Wait"

After growing up with the Teenage Mutant ninja Turtles, it was a particularly painful when they took a several year hiatus during the 90's and into the 2000's. So you could imagine my joy when about a year ago I learned that a new series was being developed. Of course, with the new series came new toys, new accessories, and luckily, a new videogame. I'll start off by saying it's not the best TMNT game available (the ultimate is still, of course, Turtles in Time), but it's definitely worth the ten year wait.

Gameplay: 7/10

One of the few weak points in the game is the gameplay. With only three different attack moves, the battles can often get repetitious. With an average of only five enemies on screen at once, battles are never exactly hard either. Shurikens are thrown in as well, which are useless in most situations. However, when thrown at distant barrels, the shurikens can be very useful in eliminating enemies. Instead of a block button, a dash button was added. Dashing is extremely useful against bosses, and without it, most boss battles would be impossible. What really helps the score for the gameplay though is the fact that you need to use different fighting methods with each turtle to advance. Don has a nice reach, so you can stay back away from enemies and hit numerous enemies with one swipe. Mike on the other hand, has a short range, but quick attacks. Focusing on one or two enemies at a time is the key with him. Leo's katanas go at a medium range, but work well on a few enemies. Raphael's sais are quick and lethal, making his attacks great on any occasion.

Story: 10/10

Extremely up to date with the new series, the storyline takes material from the show and original plotlines and throws 'em together to make a great and accurate storyline. The best part about this is that each turtle has different segments of the story. They all go through the same basic motions, but changes occur in each turtle's storyline. Changes include different enemies, different bosses, and different ending sequences.

Graphics: 10/10

For the most part, I think cel shading looks stupid. Although it is a cool effect, it's often used in completely irrational situations (Auto Modelista, anyone?). However, the cel shading works perfectly with this title. It recreates every nuance from the show perfectly, and helps to make the game stand out. Even the little sound effect graphics when you hit an enemy are amusing, and you don't notice them when you're playing the game.

Sound: 10/10

Music straight from the show as well as original spinoff compositions make this game fun to listen to. All of the voices are done by the voice actors from the show (I assume, they sound close enough to it) and add a nice touch of authenticity to the whole thing.

Fun Factor: 8/10

This game is extremely fun. If you can look past the slightly monotonous battles, the rest of the game is a blast to sit through, even with every turtle.

Overall: 9/10

One of the most fun hack 'n slash games available for PS2. If you don't like this game, you were obviously expecting too much. Of course its fighting system isn't going to be as deep as Virtua Fighter or something like that, but that's what makes it fun. You don't have to spend countless hours mastering complex combos and skills; you can simply pick up the controller and have fun with it.

Corny Final Statement

This game kicks the shell out of most other beat 'em ups on PS2.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/04/03