Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

"A classic Konami beat em' up from the early 90s"

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The fad of the eighties and early nineties(if that). I don't know about you, but the new Turtles games are pretty darn cheesy if you ask me. If you have never actually played a real Turtles game, then you don't know what you are missing. The competition is pretty slim these days, let me tell you...so if you are a young child, especially if you haven't played this before, you don't know beat em' ups. The new Turtles games are dog stool compared to this game. Viewtiful Joe is the best thing since the era of beat em' ups. Oh, and if you are a veteran of video games, if you have NOT played this game before, you should be ashamed. So gather 'round, kiddies, and get ready for a tale of a Konami beat em' up side scroller...that's right, before Yu-Gi-Oh...

Story:

If you have played an original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game before(and good for you), then you should know that these games aren't known for their fantastic story lines. Apparently, Shredder and Krang have stolen the Statue of Liberty, as well as the stupid News reporter girl for bait. Of course, their real plan is to destroy the Turtles. In any case, it's up to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to give Shredder a taste of cold justice right up the arse. The story is pretty general and follows throughout the game, but only so much. As you progress through the game, Shredder sends you through a time warp(hence the name "Turtles in Time"), and this is where things get interesting. The time periods in which the turtles skip to and fro are very interesting and creative, but you will have to find those out for yourself, now won't you? Any who, the story for this game is brief and could have been whipped up at 3:00 in the morning for how much it shows, but is still very creative and is probably more than what you would expect from an old school side scroller. Konami found a way(as it did with its other early 90s titles), and I give the story a 7/10.

Graphics:

The graphics in this game are bright and detailed(to an extent). I really love what they did with the backgrounds, even though they don't move most of the time. The models are simple, but the backgrounds are creative and colorful. The thing is, when this game was released, there was some pretty good competition graphics-wise. I'm talking about the early 90s where there were games like Super Mario World, Mega Man games, Sonic games, etc. where the graphics were all colorful and pretty detailed, too. This game has graphics that are so perfect for TMNT that its almost unbelievable. The sprites and shades fit the Turtles right down to the toe. Also, you have the option to make the characters look more like they did in the comic books. It isn't so much that they flat out beat the other games in terms of graphics; its that the graphics fit the comic attitude so well. The cut scenes are colorful as well. They have little word bubbles when the Turtles say something, and it really fits the mood. The explosions are very nice looking, while not looking so detailed, but still pretty colorful. The stage environment may seem a little repetitive from time to time, and that is the only problem I have with the graphics. It is also amusing to see the Turtle's expressions when they get shocked, flattened, stub their toe (hilarious), etc. Again, the backgrounds are nice and also interact with the foreground (the part you play on, if you didn't know), so Konami did a nice job there as well. I have to hand it to those guys, they did a pretty good job with the graphics in this game. Awesome style, I really love it. I give the graphics in this game a 10/10.

Music:

Pretty good, I must say. The music is different, I'll let you know, but not in a bad way;in fact a very good way indeed. The tunes are innovative and original. I definitely heard the theme tune of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in there, which was a treat to hear while playing. Some of the tunes are forgettable, while others you will have stuck in your head several years later. Why, I haven't played this game for quite a while and I remember most of the songs clearly and individually. The boss theme seems frantic, I just wish that it was different for every boss, which would have been nice. The tunes are toe tapping and fun, but its not like they are something you would hum a while later. They only really seem repetitive if you are playing through slowly, although they loop a lot, and it may seem like the music producers weren't trying hard enough. But the tunes were still great. Most of the songs seem like a mix of Techno and Rock n' Roll, which is pretty cool. It was pretty cool to have the old theme tune in there, which was pretty much Rock, if you aren't an old school fan and I have to enlighten you. So the tunes were theme-fitting, fun and original. I give the music 8/10.

Sound:

Pretty fun to listen to. From the yelps of the Turtles stubbing their toe(Once again, hilarious) to the "Cowabunga!" at the end of a level, the sounds are simple yet fitting. You hear a lot of the smacking of you beating Foot Soldiers, or Foot Soldiers smacking you(or axing you, for that matter). You hear the sound effects that are somewhat hard to describe when you get a power up. Sadly, all the cool sounds and most of the voices from the Arcade version are not in this title. Expect sounds of a basic side scrolling beat em' up, with some simple voice effects. Because the sounds are lacking but simple, fun to hear, and pretty tolerable, I give the sound a 7/10.

Gameplay:

The big cheese in a beat em' up is the gameplay, and this game is no different. Fortunately, the gameplay in this game is so fun that you will come back again, and again, and again- unfortunately, this game is much easier than the its Arcade version. However, its good points make up for this. The levels are medium length and very, very sweet. You have a fair amount of health and the license to kick butt. And I must say, it could hardly be any more fun. Pick your Turtle, and although they aren't too different, it is fun to choose your favorite. I can't go in to tons of detail, because after all, this is a simple beat em' up. But the enemies are similar the whole game, and the Foot Soldiers only change color and weapon, not that there is anything at all wrong with that. The levels have various traps here and there, and you get little waves of enemies and attacks. Once you defeat two or three of these waves, you progress to the next area of enemies. The formula is classic; go through a bunch of enemies and fight a boss. On some levels, which I think are really fun, you have to fight two bosses at once! Wear down at the bosses, beat them to a pulp, and progress to the next level. Most enemies have the same method of beating them; beating their head in. Had enough? By all means, play co-op. It is slightly harder and you will have the time of your life playing with a friend. And there are plenty of extra modes to keep you busy. This is one of the most fun side scrollers I have ever had the privilege to get my hands on. So pop this game in your old SNES, it will be more than worth it. It may not be that hard, but is still a lot of fun, so gameplay gets a worthy 9/10.

Control:

What can I say? Its an arcade port. You will fall in love right away with the simplicity of these controls. There is a hit button, a jump button, and use the directional pad to move around. Hit all the buttons for a special attack which drains some life. If need be, there is configuration changing options. Comfortable and easy, controls get a 10/10.

Replay Value: Above Average

You will want to play this more than once, or twice, so replay value is pretty good. The thing that brings the score down the most is that it isn't that hard. But you can blow through fairly quick, and there are different difficulty settings, so replay value is far above average. Also, with co-op, extra modes, and the fun factor of this game, you may find yourself coming back to this title quite a few times. I have played more than what it was worth, so you should have a good time with this one, Turtles fan or not.

Buy or Rent?

Well, there isn't much to say here, except to buy it. You probably won't find anywhere to rent this old thing anyway, I'd be more than surprised if you could. So go down to your nearest Gamestop, or Funcoland, or anywhere, and buy this game. I highly recommend it, especially if there isn't the Arcade version around you. You will have a really good time with it. Besides, you should be able to find it somewhere for quite possibly less than fifty cents.

Quick Sum-up:

Story: 7/10
Graphics: 10/10
Music: 9/10
Sound: 8/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Control: 10/10
Replay Value: Above Average
Buy or Rent? Buy
Overall: 9/10

Get this game. Although not a direct port of the Arcade version, which is in most ways better than this version, you will have your fair share of memories with it, not to mention that it is one of the best ways to kill time I know. So get out your old Super Nintendo, blow some dust off and pop this baby in. Playing it will be the highlight of your Sunday morning, take it from me.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/05, Updated 01/12/05