TMNT: Out of the Shadows Review
 

This is my official review for TMNT: Out of the Shadows. Leave your own thoughts/opinions on the game down below.:tsmile:

So, it's been a while since we had a good TMNT Game with a slew of failed attempts to adapt the TV Show in a respectable and fun manner. 1987 Series had some great titles such as Turtles in Time and Hyperstone Heist to name just a few but the 2003 Series never had a memorable game that still stood the test of time. Licensed games in general seem to be lacking except for the Arkham franchise (Which this game borrows heavily from) and the recent TMNT Games have been mediocre, even the updated version of Turtles in Time that now doesn't exist.

To kick off this new era of the Turtles, Nickelodeon has done a fantastic job introducing these characters in new ways to the younger generation while also being enjoyable for older fans. So how does the first game for this generation of Turtles fair out? Honestly, it's a love letter to any Ninja Turtles fan. It has all the right elements to create a new awesome experience for Turtles fans, old and new! I will split this review in 3 parts containing Gameplay, Presentation and Extras:

GAMEPLAY: This is the BEST element of the game by far. Red Fly really nailed the mobility and animations of the Turtles in a way that rewards the player for exploring the environments with these Ninja Skills, thus making it fun to just goof about. Aside from that we have a fantastic, expansive and immersive Combat mechanic that really makes work of the Turtles different fighting styles and tactics so it's never repetitive and allows for some EPIC juggles and moves. They really captured the essence of the Turtles and they also added a Stealth mode which isn't anything special but at times it can really make you feel like a Ninja Turtle, as it should. The first full play through of the game will probably take you around 10-12 hours if you do all the challenges, arcade mode and campaign. Then there's a whole level up system that's really well done and a Survival mode which is extremely fun surprisingly. All that plus Bonus content such as Artwork and the Turtles Lair really helps make this feel like a perfect package, with more content than most licensed-retail games!

PRESENTATION: Unfortunately this is the area where the game mostly lacks in. It just feels unpolished and clunky, there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for this. So no more people saying "But it's only $15 and made by 16 people" - that's not our problem. The game developers bit more than they could chew and that's their fault unless they patch it somehow. There are frequent glitches such as floating enemies and weapons (nothing game breaking but still...) and sometimes the animations can feel stiff. The comic style cutscenes are lazy especially when they could have just used the normal graphics for the cutscenes as they do in few occasions. I like the new look for the Turtles but I don't feel it was quite necessary, especially to people who haven't seen the new cartoon, this is a bad introduction to the designs for them. That's really my only problem with the game, so onto the positives. This game NAILS the style and feel of the new Nickelodeon Cartoon and puts you right into the action. You honestly feel like you're playing the cartoon and that's the best thing about the presentation. The 'Final Blow' cutscenes are amazing and great ways to finish off the EPIC Boss battles. The A.I starts out really stupid but gets better as the game goes on with the Foot Elites and such.

EXTRAS ;): This is my personal favourite aspect of the game. The amount of nods and homages to previous incarnations and to the newest is sure to give you a lot of Nerdgasms! The banter between the Turtles is AWESOME and this is one part where the developers really did their homework. They captured the characters perfectly and there is constant new conversations between the Turtles that allows for some great homages (Usagi Yojimbo reference FTW!). Right off the bat, you'll be happy with the menu screen and the Turtles HQ as they have some fun interactions that are always new. I love that they used different parts of the Lair as the menu and the Turtles & Splinter are always doing different things like meditating or just working out like Raphael. Arcade Mode is like a whole different game and is just as fun as the campaign if not more so. There are amazing set pieces in each chapter and the entire thing just oozes with Turtle greatness (Donatello's gravity gauntlet is a great example :tsmile:) Chapter 4 is my absolute favourite, me and my buddies kept on replaying that level online just because of how awesome it was. That's another thing: The Online is FANTASTIC! It's a lot of fun and sure, there are bugs in the game but there are glitches in literally every other game in existence. It doesn't take away from the entire experience, it enhances it. We had to restart Chapter 2 twice but we didn't even bring it up after we finished the game because it was just so darn fun! The checkpoint system works but if you're too annoyed, you at least have to give it credit for being challenging and having Drop-out/Drop-in multiplayer.

My favourite Online Moment was when The Kraang were marching in a line and me and the other Turtles took them out one by one in the line, undetected. Truly Satisfying! :tsmile:

In Conclusion, TMNT: Out of the Shadows is a near-perfect first attempt at adapting the New Ninja Turtles in game form. The fact that it's only 1.7 GB and 16 people individually put out this much effort into a $15 game is truly commendable. This is my favourite TMNT Game so far and I look forward to the future of TMNT Games, it's lookin' pretty bright!

:kgrin: (8.5/10) :kgrin: for 'TMNT: Out of the Shadows'. BOOYAKASHA! :tgrin::tgrin:

Gave it a 7. If the camera was a bit better, and the controls less clunky/more responsive, I suppose it'd be an 8 or 8.5. I don't like the art they used for the cutscenes, as it's pretty poor and is jarring considering how detailed and badass the rest of the game looks. It doesn't detract from gameplay though, so screw it. It really is a great deal of fun, the graphics are fantastic, there's a ton of nods to TMNT lore old and new, the humor is hilarious, character designs are ill as hell, soundtrack is monstrous, etc. I could go on & on, it's definitely a treat for turtle fans.

I went 8. I'd go 7 due to the minor issues, but frankly everyone who will play it is gonna be a hardcore TMNT fan and more than happy to overlook them. There's far more depth to the combat system, the training dojo, and the upgrade system than any TMNT game ever made. Tack on the Survival/Challenge mode and the Arcade mode, and you have lots of stuff to mess with. It's essentially two games in one, the Story campaign and the Arcade mode. No, it ain't perfect, but gamers have had slim pickings when it comes to TMNT the last few years and this will more than whet their appetites. It's probably the best TMNT game ever made so far, nostalgia notwithstanding.

It's realistically a 7 with the minor combat lag and lack of a lock-on targeting system, as well as kind of short. But the TMNT games have all been short, and this one has a lot more meat than the rest. Add it all up and throw in a can't-beat-it $15 price point, and there's your 8. I recommend it highly to any Turtle fan.

I can't really judge it too much since I've only played the demo...but I gave it a 5. It really just felt like one of the TMNT arcade games in 3D to me...

I gave it an 8 based on my time with the Demo, enjoying it as I have so far on it's bare-boned version without being able to upgrade or use all the moves and weapons, etc.

I didn't factor in any problems like camera or anything becaue it really isn't "game breaking".
Besides, this is not the first title to release and be flawless with no problems.

I got to play it for the first time today on my friend`s Xbox. My first complaint is the fact that instead of the whole screen being used they break it down into individual windows for each player making a camera that already sucks all the more annoying. I like the game but good lord, play by yourself. It has a lot of issues but for 15 bucks, what can you really expect.

Mediocre combat, clunky counter system, graphics and surroundings that range from pitch black to retina burning neon blue.

Passable in Single Player. Broken and Abysmal in multiplayer.

My quick review and first impression.... and yeah... most of you are gonna disagree but I guess I'm too old for these kinds of games anymore.

First all, I honestly see no reason whatsoever for the split screen. Maybe cause I don't play FPS or whatever but the camera is so zoomed in I can't tell where the hell I am and I spent more time trying to figure out where I am and where I'm going than actually kicking ass.

I guess I was expecting something like TMNT Re-Shelled mixed with Double Dragon Neon with the graphics, music and sound cranked to over 9000.

I do like the story and the characters, the voices kinda take time to get used to though and so far it looks like if you lose some of the Turtles you're lost and can't advance any further.

It is my first try, but I do understand it has a bit of a learning curve. The Turtle fan in me will make me keep on playing.

*You guys complaining about split screen offline co-op and online multiplayer issues

I don't havefriends coming over, and I was most likely going to play this off line since mostly anyone I know wasn't going to play it

I don't know if I should be happy or sad

is the game split screen 4 way when it's online? Cause 2 screens is already bad enough...

I don't think that would make any sense....seeing as there would be 4 different tv screens instead of sharing 1

but I don't know I don't have the game yet XD

Man, is everyone in here on the IGN review scale or what?

I tend not to read other people's reviews. Those were just my honest thoughts.

You were probably one of the few I wasn't referring to, bud.

oh, thanks dude.

Yeah, it splits four ways...four ways.

An easy solid 8. Its pretty fantastic. MrTMNT your review is spot on. in my opinion people who hate on it usually don't give it enough time. I was kind of sour on it at first but I absolutely love it now. Its deep and engaging. Ive played about 8-10 hours so far, majority of which is arcade and challenge maps. I havnt even completed the story mode, I'm taking my time with that aspect.

Ive played and leveled up my turtles to about level 29 so far. Im ranked number 1 in the sewer challenge map and top 2-5 on the the other challenge maps leaderboards worldwide. Ive learned the fighting. This games fighting mechanics are extremely good. It takes TIME to learn the fighting, once you do, your unstoppable.

There are fundamental issues such as glitches, some collision detection, and the camera is the biggest issue. The cutscenes are COMPLETE junk, but the other aspects of presentation are there. If those things were fixed it would be the perfect TMNT game, and one worth 60 retail. It is a good game, perhaps beneath some camera/controls and budgeting issues that will turn the casual gamer off.

For turtles fans is a dream come true. Just play it to some John Perez, MC Hammer or 9.95 (classic TMNT movie music) via the 360 dash, its friggin awesome. Makes the combat more epic.

Fantastic.

A strong 8, the more I play it the more I like it, It is very fun local co-op. I actually think some of the environment combos are awesome.

I you like TMNT, Batman Arkam series, and old school arcade games, I say go for it.

I guess? There's really nothing too old school about it. Double dragon neon did it right. But I'll still give it a few more tries. I just wish they didn't have the stupid split screen and I didn't have to waste time adjusting the camera. I don't know. Maybe the game is just too modern for me.

I am an avid old school gamer, and I like it. Have to agree with how they split the screen, could have been better.

I must be in the minority because even though the camera isn't perfect I'm hesitant to call it a negative. Yes, you have to adjust it quite frequently, but I can't even count the number of good games I've played since 1996 where the camera was shaky. At least you CAN adjust it, whereas in some games you can't. Super Mario 64 is maybe the only 3D action game I've played where the camera was as smooth as I could hope for. No, I don't play every popular game so I can't speak in general, but this game's camera is no worse (or better) than a hundred other games I've played.

I've just kind of accepted "constantly fiddle with the camera" to be part of the package with modern 3D action games, just like "hit the Jump button 3 times and if you're lucky one of those presses will actually make you jump" was a common theme back in the 8-bit days. :P

I guess I never adapted. While you guys were learning how to play Mario 64 and doom I was playing the latest version of street fighter. Playing this game reminded me of playing left for dead with my gf. She was kicking ass while I was lost most of the time and fighting with the camera.

Yeah, I too, struggle with the camera in most games where there is one, because I play more fighting games than anything else ._.

I'm not well versed in these kinds of games either. I mostly play sidescrolling platformer games & stuff.

I guess I can see that, because I'm the opposite, I rarely play fighting games (more wrestling games than anything), and other than wrestling games I do play a ton of 3D action/platformers. Some games do it better than others, for sure. But it's just part of the package with those kind of games, having to flick the camera every few seconds. I don't even notice it anymore, even in games like Kingdom Hearts where it's pretty bad. The Sonic games have pretty bad camera problems, too. Ya get used to it. If there was a way to make it work perfectly someone would have done it by now, and made a fortune selling it to every other developer. :lol:

Honestly, this game's camera is entirely average compared to similar games I've played. But I can see how if someone doesn't play these games a lot it might seem worse. That's one of those things that I just gave up on years ago, a game's camera. I can't imagine how hard it must be to design a 3D action game and be able to make the camera work. Maybe that's why I care less, I'm just glad it's not MY job to do it! :lol:

The biggest problem with the camera is the fact that how close it is the player character. Sure, the 3d models look awesome, but I'd rather see some of the surroundings too, when try to navigate, not just a detailed turtleshell made out of poligons.
I had pretty awful bugs coming out right at the beginning. Stucking in the wall, never disappearing message boxes, and a message box I can't skip in any way, freezing the game.
I'm not even finished the first level yet, thanks to that.

And I'll be honest, I torrented it, because I wanted to see, what I'd get for my money (having no demos these days, sucks hard). Since then, I deleted it, but I'm not really sure if I even wanna buy it, especially how many better games are there for 15 euro. (tho I'll probably ending up buying it, because it's still an awesome fanservice, and the gameplay was kinda fun, when it worked)

Oh and seriously, **** the eur15 price, it's not the same as $15 or GBP 10, it's about 15% more.

I gave it a solid 2.

This game is a perfect example of worst case scenarios coming true. Utterly a mess. Either rushed or didn't care that the game is largely broken and unpolished.

Oh wow, that was a very well thought out review. I can understand your point of view because of all the problems you mentioned.... :roll:

Seriously, the only thing worse than people destroying the game is people that have no reason to do so!

There are plenty of reasons...most of which have been mentioned already.

- Games art style is atrocious, needlessly dark.
- No sense of direction or goals.
- Silly unlocking game which is broken during co-op.
- Awful netcode. Nearly impossible to get a stable and consistent online multiplayer game.
- Lack of polish. Have fallen through the level, objects, stuck in spots in the first level alone.
- Combat is broken and not fluid whatsoever.
- Voice acting is terrible.
- Story is told using Sonic the Hedgehog fan-fiction artists.

Can keep going on...

Why the hell are you so defensive over this? You're like someone is insulting your mother.

There have been plenty of bad 3D Turtle games. Nearly everything made from 2003 till now.

The only good games made were the GBA titles of TMNT 1 and 2, 3 was for DS, and the 2007 movie game for GBA.

Turtles only works in 2D.

I don't agree with the "only works in 2D", but there have been plenty of bad games. What stands out about this one is the general lack of effort put into the actual release, where most of the others were simply bad games or just didn't work.

Hahahaha! That one got me.

well this sucks, ill wait for some reviews for sites like IGN and Gamespot before Im sure to buy it.

I don't think those are credible sources of reviews...

This one much better, you can view overall combined score after media reviews, and fan reviews too:
http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-...of-the-shadows
(the site is kinda rotten tomatoes, but for video games)


Btw, I don't know what's the problem with the graphics, I think it's the best part of the game other than the music. It's dark as it should be, but has colors, instead of grey or brown, like lot of those boring ass AAA games. It looks awesome! And honestly, the only "problem" with the turtles' look are the nostrils, and it's only disturbing, because they don't have them since 25 years, yet it's about a hundred percent reasonable to have them. My favourite argument against them is the "bad designs, they look like lizards now!". Oh god, please... turtles are goddamn lizards!

meh...I'll play the game and form my own opinion on it

after all, no one knows what I like more than me, right?

Just wait for BlackNerd's review. He's earned his TMNT cred and can actually enjoy a good game when he sees one and give a honest review unlike some people....

Hahaha, oh my God. "TMNT cred". Amazing.

I'll take your "TMNT cred" and throw it into the river...well...the part where I can throw things in.

http://i.imgur.com/gxif1iR.jpg

Wait wait wait wait....

Are you seriously implying that the people that had problems with or didn't like the game aren't being honest? That they're just lying about their experiences?