Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

"A perfect port that should please all old-school turtle fans."

TMNT: The Arcade Game is the latest game to receive the Digital Eclipse revamp, and one has to admit that this is probably their best port yet.

The Good
Probably the best reason to pick this game up is for the nostalgia and online cooperative play. The online play works wonderfully, and getting a game going is as easy as it can be. Each player will have 20 lives total, and though it might seem difficult initially, with a good team, it's more than enough lives. Everyone has unlimited lives during offline play however.

Another great thing about the game is the price. The game costs 400 points, and that's pretty solid value if you compare it to what you'd get on the Wii Virtual Console. It's also arguably one of the best Xbox Live Arcade games at this price point.

Lastly, the game is a perfect port of the arcade version with some solid achievements thrown in for good measure. No nasty glitches, and everything is as it should be.

The Bad
The worst part of the game is its length. The game lasts about 40 minutes tops, and that's being generous. Sure, you'll likely play through the game a number of times, but it does start to get repetitive after your 3rd or 4th playthrough.

The gameplay and graphics also haven't aged very well, and the repetitive button mashing is no different during the first level and the last. There are some tricks that give the game some depth, but nothing that you will really want to master. The graphics received no overhaul, and they look awfully blocky without any kind of filtering.

Finally, the leaderboards are utterly pointless. It counts the number of kills you have by the end of the game, but because of the exploit that allows you gain points for destroying boomerangs, the whole system is broken.

The Bottom Line
All in all, TMNT Arcade is still just 400 points. It won't break anyone's bank, and it's still a great bit of nostalgia of a classic. The game hasn't aged very well however, and even the biggest turtle fan will likely grow tired of the simplistic gameplay after a couple of run-throughs.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/10/07