Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

"The Memories..."

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…a name that hasn’t been heard in years finally makes some noise again. Video games and Turtles always saw eye to eye back in the day, and now have a few things to live up to. Unfortunately, this new title by Konami did not do what it did some eight years ago.
The way the game is set up is nothing like previous Turtle games, which is a bad thing in the case of this game. Each Turtle has his own quest and has their own story behind it. No one really cares about the story, but the action. The most enjoyable thing about the old games was the boss fights. The new games give you a grand total of five, and that’s just sad. Not only that but the fights are relatively easy. Also, there is a new aspect that most players won’t enjoy. Konami decided to mix Mario with the Turtles. Michelangelo plays hopscotch over a flaming lava pit, which is no fun at all especially with the double jump controls, they are extremely awkward.
Some of the missions are a lot of fun and unique however. Such as the hang glider and motor cycle race. The controls are flawless here and are a lot of fun. The motor cycle race is also a mini-game that you can progressively unlock. This feature is a good one but repetitive.
The sound is very bland. The opening is nice and gets you to think it can only get better until you hear the brutally dull noises of Leo’s sword smacking something. It is the GBA, and expectations shouldn’t be too high anyway.
The control is all right, but there are some issues. If you are trying to pull off certain moves, you sometimes end up doing the exact opposite. For example, if you are going for a regular swipe you may end up doing an upper slash. Or if you’re trying to do a double jump with Leo, you may or may not be successful, and no matter how much you practice, it’s always a random outcome.
The good points of this game come in a very short supply. If you enjoy senseless beatings for a good two hours then this is the game for you. It is more fun than the Final Fight series simply because you play with classic Turtle characters. Unless you play on hard mode there isn’t a challenge found in this game. The hard mode is what it says, and can’t really be beaten at times. There are hidden crystals scattered throughout the game to unlock special features, which keeps interest. The graphics are very nice and hold true to the new cartoon.
If you have been waiting for a Turtle game for some time then don’t think twice about at least playing this one. Otherwise, brush up on some of your old ones because a good Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game still needs to be made for the new generation.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 12/23/03