All you need to know about recent TMNT console games

[Ninja Tiptup]

I am the proud owner of all the TMNT games for consoles (and Nintendo portable systems for that matter) from the first games up to the games based on the 2003 cartoon. I own the GBA version of the movie based TMNT game and it’s fun but short but I’m going to focus on the 3D console games. I’ve only rented the movie game for GCN but I beat it quite easily so I think I can judge that one just fine. So here you go… all you need to know about the GCN (PS2, Xbox and PC) TMNT games of the past 4 years. To be accurate I pulled out the memory card and replayed the first levels of each game to get a feel of how they start out, as it’s been a while since I played any of them thoroughly.

Let’s start at the beginning with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Not to be confused with the arcade classic found on Xbox Live Arcade or the NES game you can get on the Virtual Console now on the cheap. Konami’s first TMNT game based on the 2003 cartoon was not highly rated by any means but in my opinion it gets the job done. The major flaw with this one is that it is only 2 players when 4 should have been a given. Despite this for a 2 player 3D brawler it is NOT (I repeat) not a bad game. Each turtle has their’ own set of combos which are easy enough to pull off but it would take a more seasoned player to get the right combo successfully. Initially you don’t have a jump attack but I’d gladly sacrifice that for the already decent combo set. As you’ll read when I talk about the sequel, the combo system in this game is a lot more newbie friendly.

Eventually you earn you jump attack and then you’re pretty good. You’ve got a dash move, which can be very useful at times, and an uppercut to juggle along with a weak attack and strong attack that can be used in combinations. All things considered that makes for a pretty good brawler and the game can be challenging as you progress though it starts out quite easy. However camera angles plague this game, as does the lack of a 4-player option. But it’s a satisfying 2 player experience overall and the game includes a nice VS mode which none of the other 2003 series based titles includes. However the locals are rather boring and the constant fighting becomes mundane in minutes so basically it becomes a chore to play unless you don’t mind endless beat downs. Its definitely better with 2 players but something about the game really feels boring. On top of that if you fail a stage you have to go back to the very beginning and while that adds challenge it adds far more frustration as well. This game’s shining quality is that it represents the style and story of the first season of the 2003 cartoon very well but it also adds a few characters and areas. You follow the story roughly until “Return to New York” when you have your final confrontation with The Shredder so it makes a decent story arc. The graphics aren’t “impressive” but they’re fitting and the comic sound effects are an interesting addition (which can be toggled). Overall if you want a 2 player game for GCN (dunno why you would though, not with great 4 player games available) it’s a decent game but nothing special… and you’ll probably want to turn off the sound to avoid the barrage of overused one-liners. I mean seriously you can only hear “Eat feet!” so many times before it haunts your nightmares.

On to TMNT II: The Battle Nexus. As expected they added 4-player (which I say again, should be a given with a TMNT brawler). However, they found the perfect ways to make 4-player TMNT a terrible experience for all. For one thing you share a life bar and if you’re playing with people who aren’t good at video games then you’re really screwed. Along with that there’s platforming areas where you are required to get yourself and your entourage across and as expected the camera and invisible walls present make this a living shell er… hell. Sounds pretty bad right? What if I told you at the beginning of the game your combo system is pathetic? Yeah… sad but true. Initially your combo system is a simplified version of the first games’ that you can build up to be better than the first games’ but before you build it up you might start throwing your controller at the screen out of frustration. On the bright side you get your jump attack from the get go. On the downside the combos are so pathetic you literally have to attack twice, run away and then attack again. No uppercut this time either but you do get a block which I guess can be helpful sometimes. While it’s bad you share a life bar its nice that you share health items so unlike most TMNT games you don’t have fight over who gets the next health item. Ah… that brings back memories of TMNT II: The Arcade game on the NES… such good memories.

If you manage to get your better combos by collecting crystals then you’re limitations will be far less and you’ll enjoy the game a lot more but the road to that point is enough to make most seasoned players give up on this game. It does not help a bit that the 4 player option is so tainted with the problems I mentioned but when it comes to levels without a lot of platforming the 4 player is a lot of fun when you have good combos and a nice addition is the ability to use other characters besides the turtles including Karai, Casey Jones, Master Splinter and an original character Konami made for the game. Too bad you can’t use Usagi Yojimbo but the character selection definitely isn’t lacking. Despite being called “The Battle Nexus” the game doesn’t focus at all on that story arc of the animated series. Instead if covers where you left off in the first game (sorta…) on to the Ultroms introduction, into space with the Fugitoid, Triceritons and the Republic, to Ancient Japan to have a history lesson on some key characters and then back to New York for some foot bashing. Covering basically all of the season but the Battle Nexus. However the Battle Nexus is a tournament feature to challenge players and if you’re successful you get to play against Usagi, Splinter’s Master Hamato Yoshi and other interesting characters. I find this feature to be quite difficult though so I did not get too far in it. Overall it’s a decent game with 1 to 2 maybe even 3 players but with 4 you’ll find the platforming will kill any enjoyment you have battling cronies together. It’s a perfect example of how NOT to make a 4-player TMNT game but it’s slightly less mundane than the first game and the variety in local is nice. Once again you may want to turn off the sound due to excessive one-liners but they have a bit more variety this time.

The inclusion of the original arcade game is nice but you wouldn’t believe how much losing the original music takes away from the fun of that one and with an endless supply of quarters it lacks any challenge besides cheap mechanics. However old skool TMNT players who think little of the newer TMNT series and games are more likely to play this with you at a group gathering and its still a fun 4-player game but the fun doesn’t last long as its really a very short game. Do not buy Battle Nexus just for the port. You’re much better off playing the version from Xbox Live Arcade if you are able to.

[Ninja Tiptup]

Now we come to TMNT III: The Mutant Nightmare, which covers most of the 3rd season of the 2003 cartoon pretty well. Focusing on the Triceriton invasion of earth, the introduction of Bishop and super soldier and Shredder’s final showdown with the turtles. It also includes the space and time arc in which all four turtles get sent to different universes which makes the final boss of the game not actually Shredder but really The Ultimate Ninja and Draco and let me tell you something… that guy ain’t easy. Leonardo does not get to go to Usagi’s dimension though; instead he has several challenge fights. Raph has race courses and Mike has shooting mini-games. Really the only turtle’s arc that gets justice is Donatello but in my opinion that was the only one that matters anyway and it ends with a crazy fight against Shredder. This game also introduced the mystic turtles from the 5th season before the show did but it’s really just a way to build up your characters to insane power.

Sorry if that was long but the story element of the game is really nice. Now on to the game play. This time, right out of the box you have a great game. You pick your turtle of choice and you can build them up with HP upgrades, combo upgrades, etc but the other four turtles are always present on the screen which makes the game feel more like a TMNT game should feel but also a lot like a dungeon adventure game akin to Gauntlet. I have nothing bad to say about the combo system here. It’s great right away. It is a bit simple and you can make it more complex but honestly you could probably beat the game easily with just the basic combo set and still enjoy yourself a lot. Weak swipes are fast and furious and the strong swipes are still pretty good. Of course you have the jump attack from the get go again but now you don’t have any of those limitations from Battle Nexus. Other improvements include separate life bars and no platforming. So your only enemies are the ones you fight and camera angle isn’t nearly the problem it was in the other two games. I’ll put it simply, this game is the best TMNT game since the old days and my only complaint is that it’s still just a WHOLE LOT of beating down various bad guys but at least this time that is pretty fun to do. It makes the best party game out of the 3 brawlers without a doubt but people might get bored and they’ll complain about the one-liners here as well but they’re easier to swallow than in the other 2.

Much like Battle Nexus you’re “treated” to a slightly modified version of a TMNT arcade game. This time its Turtles in Time which by the way is my all time favorite TMNT game (at least the SNES one but the arcade one is more favored by most people). The music is again replaced but slightly better than last time as it has more variety (though not much). Problem is, I LOVE Turtles in Time’s sound track so I actually found myself falling asleep the first time I played this port. One again the 4-player game is still lots of fun and more enjoyable than the port on Battle Nexus but I would not recommend buying the game for that even if more of your friends might play that with you than Mutant Nightmare because Mutant Nightmare itself, is a lot more satisfying to play.

Here comes the most painfully poorly put together TMNT game I’ve seen in ages. Oh yes its TMNT: Mutant Melee. On the surface you have a Power Stone rip-off with somewhat limited controls and cheap mechanics. Overall it is not a bad game but for a fighting game it lacks significant replay value even with 4-player melee matches and the character roster just plain sucks. No Usagi or Bishop and you get 3 versions of some characters. What a freak’n waste of potential. It’s best used as a party game I suppose but if you thought the one-liners in the past three were bad… you ain’t heard nothing yet. The one-liners in this game are plentiful, repetitive and even a little naughty. They’re good for a laugh some times but you’ll hear them so many times that you’ll probably turn the sound off in favor of I dunno… hard rock, punk or some kind of fast paced music. You really have to be a TMNT fan to appreciate this game but kids will probably like it just fine and the learning curve is fair. A vet will get bored before they unlock everything as I have but at the very least the levels are pretty good and the characters you do have use a variety of attacks. If it had a good roster and more depth then it would be a worthwhile game but it has none of those things and on top of that the graphics are weak sauce. Definitely a pass unless you like melee games or love TMNT.

[Ninja Tiptup]

And now we come to Ubisoft’s first attempt at TMNT. It combines crazy platforming with a bit of simple brawl fighting into a satisfying combination that sadly lacks depth or significant challenge. On the bright side the turtles move like accomplished ninja should and the platforming can get quite interesting and while some say it is “kid stuff” I can’t imagine kids being able to accomplish some of the feats you must tackle in order to progress in certain levels of this game. Boss fights are pitifully easy though right down the final boss which REQUIRES you to use team attacks and tells you which turtle to use with easy to notice signs.

You can’t lose in this game. At worst you just do “poorly” in a level due to unfortunate circumstances such as falling in pits, getting hit by cheap shots, and missing jumps due to the unfriendly camera angle. And if by chance you actually waste your health bar, you just tap a button repeatedly to get back on your feet. There’s no lives count obviously and checkpoints are plentiful. While I’m thankful that this cuts down on frustration from the game mechanics (such as wall climbing when you don’t want to touch the wall) it makes the game lack any significant challenge in the story mode. More challenge comes from the unlockable challenge courses but I’ve found those pretty much require you to cheat or manipulate the game mechanics to get good scores. That adds some replay value and fun to the mix if not a bit more frustration due to constant failures to get a fast enough time. You can collect shells to unlock other things but none of them are worth unlocking in my opinion. The bonus art isn’t exciting and the few “outtakes” aren’t really fun to watch either.

Some people complain that TMNT lacks a multiplayer but remembering how terrible 2-4 player platforming can be from playing Battle Nexus makes me think those people either did not play Battle Nexus or were really good at it because I would hate going through that crap again. The game engine lends itself to single player so I’m not the least bit disappointed it’s not a multiplayer game. I guess I’ve ignored the combo system haven’t I? Well there isn’t much to say. You have a jump kick and a ground pound that do little, a chargeable rush attack, which is very useful and very likely to get abused and your basic single button combos which are effective enough on their own. You also have co-op super attacks that aren’t all that super but they serve to increase your family bond rating (which is essential to get good ranks in various levels). On the other hand some of them are really cool looking. Donatello and Raphael use their weapons to some how make an electric shock attack all the foes in your sights. You also have a matrix-esque power up mode, which can be achieved by not getting hit while taking down 10 foes one by one. Raphael’s Nightwatcher character has a better system for that though which allows you to unleash a huge blast of rage on all nearby foes and then lets you use to remainder of your gage to get 1 hit kills like the turtles normally do. You also lose family bond when you lose all your stars and when cheap shots are all it takes to drop your gage to zero its really a pain to collect all the stars you need bring the pain. This game is really more about “not fighting” though with all its platforming and that’s refreshing in my opinion. However it suffers from the same mundane repetitive nature the other TMNT games do and unlike those games it doesn’t follow the source material well at all. Nothing more needs to be said than NO RAPH VS LEO FIGHT. I was really looking forward to that one. And if you thought the ending of the movie lacked punch the ending of the game lacks even more. Even so it’s a fun game that is worth a rental and I think it’s a nice change of pace from the brawlers over the years.

Now what do these all have in common? Seemingly endless mundane and repetitive brawling with relatively simple controls. Endless brawling with simple controls is what made the first TMNT arcade game famous and the first NES game (which plays more like Castlevania and definitely shares graphics style) loathed by many. So what’s the difference? Is it nostalgia? I might be but I play TMNT IV: Turtles in Time at least once a year on my SNES and I enjoy it every time. Similarly the GBA games and the 2003 series based DS game of Ninja Turtles plays a bit like Battle Toads and they’re all fun and challenging. Could it be that TMNT just does not suit 3D gaming? The most satisfying 3D TMNT game is easily Mutant Nightmare but even that gets boring due to repetitiveness but I don’t believe that comes down to the design being 2D or 3D. It’s a great mystery… I guess reviewers and fans just expect more out of a modern TMNT game than what they had on the old consoles and thus endless brawling with simple controls but at the same time they wont settle for less than 4-player Ninja Turtles and greatly enjoy the arcade, NES, SNES and Genesis games to this day despite their faults. I’m guilty of this as well but I find those games fun and usually challenging without being too frustrating (besides TMNT 1 on the NES of course, which I’ve yet to complete). I feel the Ubisoft game is a step in the right direction for 3D TMNT. I guess they just can’t recreate the “magic” of the old games no matter how many new brawlers they make. It’s time to make a different kind of TMNT game and to Ubisoft’s credit they managed to do at least that much.

[Mr. Snackpants]

Very nice reviews Ninja Tiptup....a good read.

[raphdude]

Thanks for these reviews. Out of all of the recent games, I really enjoyed TMNT 3 Mutant Nightmare the best, mostly because of how the other 3 turtles played along with you in single player. That made it a LOT of FUN! If Ubisoft had done that with the new game, it would have been much better. Also the Turtles in Time arcade game bonus makes MUTANT NIGHTMARE my favorite of all of the TMNT recent console games. I wish they would have made a PSP version.

I was somewhat disappointed with the Ubisoft game. There was too much platform and wall jumping and not enough fighting. I did enjoy the GBA version though because it was more of a 2D fighter like the old arcade games.

[Ninja Tiptup]

Glad you liked them guys.

Hmm I suppose it may have worked if you just had the other turtles with you and no one else controlled them but trying to make 4 players do what you had to do by yourself in the new game would be haphazzard at best. The only way they could possibly make that work IMO is to do split screen. Which isnt' a bad idea but I think the game is rather satisfying in its own way but I did find myself feeling like there was no reason to unlock anything else once I beat the game. And it doesn't take much to beat it obviously.

I just love the music in Turtles in Time far too much to be satisfied with that port so it's not enough of a bonus to make Mutant Nightmare a better buy but Mutant Melee is plenty of fun even without it. But in a situation when you only have OG TMNT fans you're going to get more of them interested with those arcade ports. They probably don't care much about the sound anyway.

A PSP port of Mutant Nightmare would have been interesting. I don't see why they couldn't pull it off but I guess it came down to the fact that few kids buy PSP and the console games were definently designed with children in mind. Then again the movie game has a PSP version (which I hear is terrible, and a port of the DS game to boot).

You'd think the GBA games would be meant strictly for children but those games are quite challenging when they're not set on "Easy" and seasoned TMNT players will love the 2D brawling action especially in the movie game (though it's sadly the shortest of the GBA TMNT games). I like to play those on the GB Player for GCN because it feels like I'm playing an SNES or Genesis TMNT game again and that's always a nice feeling.