Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

"Tough..but worth it!"

OK, so I've never liked the show, but I liked the movies and the game. Why? As to the game I'm here to talk about that now.
Control 10-10. While some of the turtles' special moves are a bit funky, the controls never the less are quite reliable. You attack with B, Jump with A, and while in the air you can do a kind of jump/kick. Leo's special move (once you find him), is pretty cool, since he does a kind of spin attack that takes out enemies close to the ground.
Audio 10-10. As in all the TMNT games I've played (except the original one on NES), the classic TMNT theme from the show is played on what I shall refer to as the overworld for the sake of this review. The music in the other areas is cool as well, especially the areas right before bosses, which have a quiet, menacing..hum? in the background. It kinda reminds me of the way a Light Saber sounds. Then there are the boss themes. The boss music in this game is very fast-paced and kinda reminds one of the mini-boss music in the original NES version, if slightly modified. The SFX are standard GameBoy fare, but in this case they're fitting. Mike's Nunchuks sound cool, as do the enemies when they die. The bosses sound cool when you hit them, and in fact the only real issue I had was the sound it makes when you yourself suffer damage. It's rather annoying, as is the beeping that ensues when your life gets low. Since in most cases you can get hit two more times after you reach this danger zone, you get to hear the beeping sound two more times before you finally die.
Story 10-10. A year has passed since Shredder took a thrashing in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, and peace has reigned. However the turtles (minus Mike who is out having pizza), are watching TV when a news bulletin interrupts their favorite show. It seems April O'Neil is at the scene of a prison break when she is captured. The turtles go out to investigate, and Mike returns. Wondering at the abscence of his pals, Mike turns on the TV. Shredder's voice crackles from the screen, telling Mike that if he wants to rescue his friends to come to the old abandoned mine at the edge of the city. So that's your quest, and believe me, it won't be an easy journey.
Overall 10-10. In spite of its being frustratingly hard in some areas, this is a game that's well worth the money if you can manage to find a copy.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/24/01, Updated 03/01/03