TMNT

"Konami didn't work on this one? So that's why it's actually fun!"

You know for awhile there I was beginning to think that the Turtle franchise was doomed. But luckily Ubisoft has managed to prove me wrong with a good Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game! Zuh?! It's true! The green ninjas are back in what is easily their best 3D platforming adventure ever.

STORY
Now I didn't watch the movie when it was in theaters. And this game is based off of the film. Not the 1980's version, I mean the 2007 animated film. And though you'd think this game should give gamers an idea of what the story's like, it's actually very vague and obscure. All I know is that you are in control of the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. After Leo returns home from a trip of self-enlightenment in South America, the turtles discover that the evil Foot Clan is up to no good. Seems these guys are teaming up with a rich billionaire and they're plotting something very evil. And you have to stop them. Not the best story in the world, and the game is told through a conversation the Turtles are having about the whole adventure. Neat idea to have them narrate the levels but it still left me wondering...why am I here?

GRAPHICS
Y'know I almost thought I was playing a Gamecube game when I saw these graphics. In other words, they are not next generation at all. Seriously in this day and age if you're gonna make a game based off of an animated movie, maybe it should look EXACTLY like that movie. This is the 360 we're talking about! Sonic the Hedgehog can look better so why can't you? The buildings are really blocky and cartoony, the enemies all have simplistic colours and practically no lighting effects, and the game overall just looks pretty average. The most annoying thing about the look of the game is anytime you play as Night Watcher. Raphael likes to dress up in a costume and pretend to be this Night Watcher fellow, and when he does we get treated to a level that's completely black and white except for the health bar and stuff. Come again? Is his robot suit not made to have colour? Either way I hated the black and white. Bad Night Watcher bad! The game hasn't really improved in this department.

SOUND
A major pet peeve that's always stuck with the turtles games and continues the tradition here, is the annoying voice overs. It's not the acting per se that's the problem. I thought they did a great job becoming those characters and they sound really great in the game. It's just they repeat themselves over, and over, and over again. "Radical dude!" "You got shellshocked!" Random lines like that repeat themselves way too much...even to the point that you'll hear the same quote 3 times in a row. Luckily there is an option to turn those voice overs off. And the music was of high quality for what is was, that being an arcady action game soundtrack. So that's the audio in a nutshell....or turtle shell.

GAMEPLAY
I'm proud to call this Turtles game the best 3D turtles game ever made. But it's still not perfect. Nevertheless this game continues what has been the same formula for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles since the NES days. You will play as all 4 of the turtles. That's Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Raphael, and my personal favourite, Donatello. The levels are basically platforming beat'em up where you go from one end of the level to the other, killing any ninja that might just happen to cross your path. Yeah despite being ninjas, the turtles aren't very subtle when it comes to stealth. This is the way the game has always been, and well if it ain't broke don't fix it. But this time however the game puts more emphasis on the platforming then it does the fighting.

In the other 3D games, the turtles could run and jump. Whoopdedo. In TMNT they're basically trying to do their best Prince of Persia impression and so they do it all. The turtles can grab ledges and run along side them. Notice I didn't say shimmy, I mean they run literally across the wall. If there are no ledges to grab don't worry, the turtles can run along side walls too. And if you wanna go up but there are no stairs or elevator to find, just go between two walls and wall jump up the building. The best thing about the turtles and their acrobatic feats is how fast it is. Seriously the turtles do not move at a ....well, turtle's pace at all! When you play the game you're constantly on the go and constantly moving at a great pace. And this pacing makes the game super fun, especially when you get skilled at performing their abilities.

Unlike the previous games however you don't get to choose what turtle you play as. The story mode is a one player only deal that follows the events of the film and sometimes, Leo or Raph or whoever are the only ones you'll be in control of the whole level. Wanted Co-op gameplay? Too bad because this is a single player game. Though I can't imagine it being a co-op game what with the platforming being such a big part of the game. And let me say right now...the game is easy. When you get beaten down by your enemies and you lose health, be it boss or grunt, all you have to do is mash the A button a bit and the turtle will get back up with full health. There are no lives in this game. It's like Lego Star Wars in that you can't ever really die unless you fall into a bottomless pit. And bottomless pits will be your only enemies really. So the game is pretty short and it's pretty easy. The game also ranks your progress through the levels and gives you bonus maps if you get the A ranks.

You should clear the game in no more than 3 hours or less. And when you do that guess what? You've practically unlocked almost all of the 1000 achievement points the game has to offer. So if you want easy points, rent this game immediately! The actual combat with enemies is good because the turtles can dish out some nice combos and attacks that spread a good distance. But it's also easy because your enemies just stand there like idiots and every now and then they make a move. The turtles also have this really cheap charge up move that allows you to instantly get to and kill anyone in your area. It's like being Jet Li in The One but with no slow motion effects. They just don't see it coming. And that's the game in a nutshell. I loved the platforming aspect of this game, I thought it was just ridiculously fun whipping around the rooftops of New York and kicking some ninja butt along the way. I had a real pleasant time with this game. My only problem is that it's far too easy and it ends before you know it. If the difficulty and length were changed, I could give it a higher score.

IN THE END...
It's the best 3D turtles game to date. It's a lot funner to play than I ever expected it to be and I was pleasantly surprised. Just be warned that it's short and easy. But oh well. It still makes for some easy achievement points. A great game for kids and a great addition to the Turtles franchise.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/07/07