Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

"Cowabunga! The Turtles Return"

TMNT was one of my favorite cartoon shows (and arcade games) as a kid. This game is based on the new cartoon series, but it still has the flavor of the old arcade game.

And if you enjoyed the difficult NES game, you'll love this one. Just select the hardest difficulty level, and try to beat the game with only one player. It'll bring back good memories.

Graphics: Excellent

The graphics are truly amazing, even though they don't quite utilize all the Xbox has to offer. Stunning scenes including museum exhibits, subways, rooftops, and many others, provide enough variety (and eye candy) to keep the player's interest for hours.

Music: Good

The game features the theme song from the new TMNT cartoon series, as well as several different arrangements of that theme. Although the music isn't repetitive enough to be annoying, the lack of many other good tunes does take away from the game.

Sounds Effects/Voices: Poor

Very little variety. Each turtle has only a few catch phrases, and the weapon sounds get old fast. The player will be wanting to wear ear plugs by the third stage. Yes, it's that bad.

Controls: Good

The player generally has very good control over his character. However, there is a slight problem with control when it comes to the uppercut and the in-air moves. Trying to pull off a combo using one of those techniques can be very frustrating.

Gameplay: Very Good

Although many might complain about the ''button mashing'' aspect to this game, there are enough extras to more than make up for that tiresome activity. The player can unlock tons of extras (including design sketches, extra players in the vs. mode, and much more) by collecting items, and completing certain stages with certain characters. There are also secret codes to be found.

Difficulty: Medium-Hard

With two people playing the game (sadly, there is no four-player option), the game is a breeze. However, if only one person decides to play, watch out. The game can be a brute to finish (even on the ''Easy'' level), because of the constant onslaught of enemies, and the requirement that all of them must be vanquished before the journey can continue.

Final Comments

Overall, TMNT is a solid game. If it hadn't been for the poor sound effects (and little originality in the music department), this game would have received a 9. And if Konami had added the option to have four people play at once, it would have come close to a 10. I suggest buying this game, because it takes a long time to unlock the extras and find the secret codes.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/04